The newest version of the award-winning 5 Series mixed signal oscilloscope (MSO) features numerous enhancements and more versatility while continuing to provide high-fidelity waveforms, unique spectrum analysis capabilities, and flexible signal access appreciated by engineers around the world. Built on the performance and integrity that engineers rely on with the original 5 Series MSO, the […]
Tektronix
Odd ball application department: Using a scope to display SEM images
The Applied Science YouTube channel run by Ben Krasnow (who in his day job is a hardware engineer at Verily, Google Life Sciences) focuses on interesting applications of science and technology. One video in particular caught our eye where Kranow uses an oscilloscope to help view digital images captured by a scanning electron microscope made […]
Catch that glitch: Finding race conditions
Among the problems circuit designers have to contend with in their fast and complex electronic environment are race conditions. The term used to be exclusively applied to electronic logic problems but has now been adopted by software engineers working on multithreaded programs. Briefly, software race conditions arise in multithreaded software when multiple threads attempt to […]
T&M asset management software includes equipment management, barcode creation
Test and measurement engineers looking to speed up and simplify calibration of their fleet of test and measurement equipment have a powerful new tool with the upgraded version of the popular cloud-based asset management software CalWeb. Managing large fleets of test and measurement equipment for calibration services can be a time-consuming, manual process. CalWeb solves […]
Examining serial protocols with test instruments
There are currently a large number of serial protocols in use. Many oscilloscopes include the capability to decode and display data sent over widely used serial buses. Recently, a blog on the Tektronix website detailed which serial decode packages engineers most commonly configure on the Tektronix scopes they order. The buses that turn out to […]
Test setup automates USB Type-C compliance and debugging
New transmitter automated test solutions are designed to meet the demanding requirements of next-generation technologies for large, rapid data transfers and low-latency video displays. Tektronix USB4, Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort 2.0 automated compliance and debugging solutions address the most common challenges design engineers face, including test time, signal integrity and Device Under Test (DUT) control. […]
The difference between TDR instruments and scope-based TDR measurements
Often a transmission line is buried, concealed behind finish surfaces, or otherwise not readily accessible. So it is difficult to locate faults by means of visual inspection. It is, however, feasible to locate such discontinuities via a test instrument known as the time domain reflectometer (TDR). The TDR is sometimes compared to a radar installation, […]
PCIe Gen5 test setup handles PHY-layer protocol analysis, transmitter/receiver, LEQ tests
A PCI Express 5.0 (PCIe Gen5) test solution combines Anritsu’s Signal Quality Analyzer-R MP1900A BERT series with Tektronix’s DPO70000SX series 70-GHz Real-time Oscilloscope and automation software. The all-in-one solution supports tests of PCIe 5.0 electrical characteristics, physical-layer protocol analysis, and transmitter/receiver and Link Equalization Training (LEQ) tests to facilitate efficient development of high-speed ICs, devices, […]
IEEE 802.3ch multi-gigabit Ethernet compliance setup covers PMA transmitter tests
The TekExpress Multi-Gigabit Automotive Ethernet Compliance Test Solution is billed as the first-in-market solution to meet the requirements of complex automotive designs. As newer automotive technologies such as autonomous driving, 5G and connected car solutions develop, the paths carrying the vast amount of data necessary to support those technologies must be tested to ensure reliable […]
Don’t get zapped — Using test instruments safely
Most engineers think they’ve minimized the chance of nasty surprises around the test bench when they’ve grounded their instruments and perhaps kept one hand in their pocket when working around high voltages. That said, there remain electrical hazards that are less obvious. They involve the electrical wiring and the environment around the lab. To begin, […]
