Next time you find yourself swimming around with electric eels, try grabbing one and then put the leads of a battery powered oscilloscope on its head and tail. According to University of Central Florida zoology professor Will Crampton, you’ll probably measure a voltage in the 700-V range. Crampton and his associates went to the rivers […]
Difference between signal jitter and frequency modulation
Jitter and frequency modulation both involve a change in the frequency of an underlying signal. It’s worth investigating how the two phenomenon differ. Jitter is usually defined as an undesired deviation in timing of a signal from its original periodicity. It can take the form of variations in phase, period, or duty cycle. And jitter […]
Do you really need a VNA when a scalar network analyzer might do?
Network analyzers measure network parameters of electrical networks, such as two-port amplifiers and filters. The instruments characteristically operate at 5 Hz to 1.05 THz, mostly at the higher end, though some models are sensitive down to 1 Hz. These instruments are available in two varieties: scalar network analyzers, which measure only the amplitude of the […]
Signal acquisition in the Tektronix MDO3000 series oscilloscope
Most modern digital storage oscilloscopes have either two or four analog channels. One or two channels suffice for most work, but it is just good to know you have four, notwithstanding the substantial cost differential. As for the digital channel count, it is typically 16, handy when working on a parallel bus. All these digital […]
Test setup checks out USB4 designs
The QualiPHY USB4 Electrical Transmitter (Tx) and Receiver (Rx) Compliance Test Software (QPHY-USB4-TX-RX) runs on the LabMaster 10 Zi-A and WaveMaster/SDA 8 Zi-B oscilloscopes from Teledyne LeCroy, which are used in conjunction with Anritsu’s Signal Quality Analyzer-R (SQA-R) MP1900A BERT. The USB Type-C connector is quickly becoming the PC industry’s standard for converged high-speed data, […]
Measuring and abating jitter
Electronic noise results in spurious signals (spurs) or distortion in amplitude, frequency or both. Jitter refers to unwanted variation in frequency, particularly in digital pulses and typically in the clock signal. Timing disruptions negatively impact system performance, particularly in ADCs, where sampling occurs, and in DACs. We’ll discuss causes of jitter, its detection and measurement […]
Scopes get jitter decomposition feature to aid debugging efforts
A new option for the R&S RTO and R&S RTP oscilloscopes helps development engineers gain more insight into the individual jitter components of their transmission interface. Now they can separate jitter into its random and deterministic components and view results flexibly for effective debugging. The Rohde & Schwarz decomposition algorithm uses a parametric signal model […]
Understanding noise in electronic instrumentation
In measuring or displaying weak signals, noise places the ultimate limit on detectability. It usually appears as a fluctuating horizontal line known as the noise floor in a spectrum analyzer of oscilloscope in FFT or RF mode. In the time domain, it appears as a thickening of the trace and in severe instances, causes a […]
Setting input parameters in the Tektronix MDO3000 oscilloscope
Input parameters in the Tektronix MDO3000 Series Oscilloscope are determined by the user. This is done by pressing one or more of the channel menu buttons, causing the horizontal channel menu to appear. Menu items are: • Scale – Fine, Offset, Position, Probe setup and Deskew • Coupling – ac or dc • Termination – […]
Displaying digital data in the MDO3000 Series oscilloscope
An application module lets the Tektronix MDO3000 Series oscilloscope decode and trigger on any of the principal serial bus types. For a parallel bus, the MDO3MSO option is required. Serial bus types include Audio, CAN, LIN, FlexRay, I2C, SPI, MIL-STD-1553, RS-232, RS-422, RS-485 and UART. Digital data, serial or parallel, can be entered into B1 […]
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