This handy tool lets you test active and passive components at frequencies up to 3 GHz. I tried an early unit, using it for radiated and conducted EMI emissions testing. After almost ten years, Picotest has launched a new version of its Harmonic Comb Injector (generator). The J2150B ($495) is one of the pieces I’ve […]
Oscilloscopes
Getting the most from your oscilloscope: part 3
Built-in math operations enable your scope to calculate and display measurement results. In part 1 of this series, we looked at the features oscilloscopes have offered for the past three-quarters of a century. In part 2, we looked at some of the unique features of modern digital scopes. In this part, we’ll take a closer […]
Oscilloscope features fast data transfer, 10-bit ADC
The Series 7 DPO oscilloscope from Tektronix is the company’s first new high-end model in years. It uses an optical port to transfer data faster than anything we’ve seen. Oscilloscope announcements come often, but most are for low-end. And midrange models. The Series 7 from Tektronix datasheet clearly fits into the high end, though it’s […]
Get the most from your oscilloscope: part 2
Modern scopes add a variety of new measurement and math features to the vertical, horizontal, and trigger controls used over a span of decades. In part 1 of this series, we looked at the features, such as the vertical, horizontal, and trigger controls that have appeared on oscilloscopes since the mid-20th century and that remain […]
Get the most from your oscilloscope: part 1
Oscilloscope technology has evolved from electromechanical assistance for hand-plotting to the development of full-featured automated digital instruments. The oscilloscope is an invaluable instrument that provides engineers with a picture of how signals inside their circuits behave. Today, they have evolved from analog versions, where the only option for long-term storage was to take a Polaroid […]
Teardown: 1950s Heathkit vacuum tube oscilloscope
Help us analyze a Heathkit vacuum tube oscilloscope schematic and compare it to what AI told me.
Rigol oscilloscopes reach 13 GHz bandwidth
The DS8000 series features four 4-channel models with bandwidths from 6 GHz to 13 GHz. Rigol has introduced the DS8000 series of digital oscilloscopes. The series takes over as the company’s high-end line with four models topping out at 13 GHz of analog bandwidth. All models feature four analog channels, 40 Gsamples/s sample rate, 500 […]
Oscilloscope software automates automotive ASA-ML serial link tests
QPHY2-ASA software from Teledyne LeCroy lets you perform physical-layer tests on ASA-ML v1.1 devices. SerDes devices transfer data from sensors and cameras to an in-vehicle processing unit, which then sends instructions to the motion systems that drive autonomous vehicles. Teledyne LeCroy has released the QPHY2-ASA oscilloscope software, which automates testing of the Automotive Serdes Alliance […]
Understanding ADC specs and architectures: part 5
ENOB describes an analog-to-digital converter’s performance with respect to total noise and distortion. In the earlier parts of this series on analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), we looked at the basics (part 1); gain error, offset error, and differential nonlinearity (part 2); and integral nonlinearity (part 3); and then we looked at some ADC topologies and introduced […]
Swapfest May 2025: test equipment
The May 2025 gathering of the monthly electronics “Flea at MIT” swapfest featured an excessive number of test instruments. We break them down into oscilloscopes, meters, and signal sources. Click on any image to enlarge in a new tab. Oscilloscopes A Tektronix analog modular oscilloscope. The black bezel hides the model number. This unit has […]
