BEAVERTON,
OR – Tektronix, Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of oscilloscopes, introduced the world’s first mixed domain oscilloscope
(MDO) that delivers the functionality of an oscilloscope and a spectrum
analyzer in a single instrument. The new MDO4000 Mixed Domain Oscilloscope Series
gives engineers the unique ability to capture time-correlated analog, digital
and RF signals for a complete system view, helping them to rapidly solve
complicated design issues.
More than 60 percent of
oscilloscope users also use a spectrum analyzer to troubleshoot embedded system designs
with integrated wireless functionality, requiring them to work in both the time
and frequency domain. Traditionally, an engineer was either a mixed
signal/digital engineer or an RF engineer. But with wireless becoming more
commonplace, design engineers must often work in both domains. The MDO4000 Mixed
Domain Oscilloscope Series is the first oscilloscope ever to integrate the
functionality of a spectrum analyzer to provide a unique toolset which will
save days or even weeks of debug time.
“We believe that the MDO4000
Series is the most revolutionary product to hit the oscilloscope market in the
last 20 years, for the first time breaking down the barrier between time and
frequency domains,” said Roy Siegel, general manager, Oscilloscopes at
Tektronix. “It fundamentally changes what’s involved in debugging designs with
RF where there is a need to correlate events in the frequency domain with the
time domain phenomena that caused them. Just as the mixed signal oscilloscope (MSO)
is the standard for embedded design test, we expect the MDO will become the new
standard for designs that increasingly include RF capabilities.”
“The complexity of debugging
issues in modern wireless systems, combined with the lack of equipment designed
for the task has forced us to spend many hours focusing on the test setup
rather than the design issue
itself,” said Ward Ramsdell, Electrical Engineer and Owner of Prototype
Engineering. ”Based on our early usage of the MDO series, we believe that these
oscilloscopes will help us to deliver our designs to our customer faster than
ever before, and with more comprehensive verification of the system's
functionality. This is because for the first time we’re able to simultaneously
visualize multiple points in a design, looking at analog, digital and RF
aspects of the system's operation, which allows us to quickly track down
design issues and better understand the real-world performance of the system at
a high level. The Mixed Domain Oscilloscope signifies a fundamental change in
the test equipment landscape, and will absolutely improve the way we approach
our work.”
Mixed Domain Oscilloscope Advantages
With the MDO4000, engineers can
replace both a scope and spectrum analyzer with a single instrument. This
enables them to continue using their tool of choice, the oscilloscope, to look
at the frequency domain rather than having to find and relearn a spectrum
analyzer.
And the MDO4000 goes well beyond typical
spectrum analyzer functionality by allowing users to capture time-correlated
analog, digital and RF signals across 4 analog, 16 digital and 1 RF channel. The RF input frequency range extends up to 6
GHz and provides a capture bandwidth of ≥ 1 GHz at all center frequencies, 100
times wider than typical spectrum analyzers.
Users can even see up to 4 decoded serial and/or parallel buses at one
time on the same display. Due to this
time correlation between domains, engineers can now make accurate timing
measurements to understand delays and latencies between command / control
events in their design and changes in the RF spectrum. For example, viewing the
spectrum as a VCO /PLL turns on, or measuring the transition
characteristics of a frequency hopping RF signal are now simple tasks. And finding the source of intermittent,
device-state dependant EMI noise has never been easier thanks to the MDO4000s
ability to provide a complete time correlated system view across both domains,
something that is simply not possible with today’s test equipment.
In another industry first, the
MDO4000 allows designers to see the RF spectrum of a signal at any point in
time within a long acquisition to see how the spectrum changes over time or
with device state. By simply moving the
unique and patent pending Spectrum Time throughout the time domain acquisition,
designers can see the RF spectrum for any point in their acquisition while
simultaneously seeing their analog, digital and/or decoded buses at the same
point in time.
Similarly, RF time domain traces
are used to show how the amplitude, frequency or phase of the RF input signal changes
relative to time. This makes it easy to characterize frequency hop transitions,
settling times, and RF event timing relative to other system components and
activities. The RF time domain traces are shown in the same window as the analog,
digital and serial/parallel bus decoded waveforms, providing instant insight
into device operation.
In addition to the standard RF
power level trigger, an optional module (MDO4TRIG) allows additional trigger
types to use the RF power level as a source, enabling customers to further
isolate an RF event of interest. Users
can trigger on a specific pulse width, or look for a timeout event or runt, or
even include the RF input in a logic pattern defined along with the analog and
digital channels. This ability to
trigger on whatever the user is interested in regardless of whether it’s
analog, digital, RF or some combination thereof represents another industry
first for the MDO4000 Series.
Application Examples for the Mixed Domain Oscilloscope Series Include
Some of the Following:
·
System-level
debug of wireless-enabled designs
1. Debugging
integration of common wireless modules below 6 GHz (WLAN, Bluetooth, Zigbee,
etc.)
2. Debugging
common ‘home grown’ amplitude, frequency, or phase modulated wireless communications
3. Wideband
analysis of dual band transceivers. For
example, capturing both Zigbee at 900 MHz and Bluetooth at 2.4 GHz in a single
acquisition.
·
Timing
analysis for mixed domain designs
1. Observing
spectrum changes over time during turn on of VCO /PLLs
2. Easily
measure time to stability when turning on or off RF signals
3. Easily
determine latencies from control logic signals or serial bus commands to
resultant RF changes
·
Tracking
down sources of noise or interference
1. Analyzing
root cause of radiated or coupled emissions
2. Measuring
switch-mode power supply effects on the rest of the system
3. Correlation
with time domain signals enables root cause analysis of spurious noise sources
In addition to its industry-first mixed-domain
capabilities, the MDO4000 offers all the feature-rich tools of Tektronix MSO 4000B Mixed
Signal Oscilloscope Series combined with the features of a mainstream
spectrum analyzer. The MSO 4000B Series offers a robust set of features to
speed every stage of debugging designs – from quickly discovering an anomaly
and capturing it, to searching waveform records for the event and analyzing its
characteristics and the device's behavior.
The Inventor’s Story
This remarkable advance in
oscilloscope technology is the result of a multi-year research and development
effort by Tektronix to overcome the obstacles inherent in integrating the time
and frequency domains in a single instrument. Over the course of the development,
Tektronix has filed for 26 patents that are pending. To learn more, watch this video on the making of the MDO4000 and the
supporting white
paper.
Availability
The MDO4000 Series oscilloscopes will be available globally beginning in late August, 2011. Pricing starts at $19,900 U.S. MSRP.
The MDO4000 Series oscilloscopes will be available globally beginning in late August, 2011. Pricing starts at $19,900 U.S. MSRP.
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About
Tektronix
For more than sixty years,
engineers have turned to Tektronix for test, measurement
and monitoring solutions to solve design challenges, improve productivity
and dramatically reduce time to market. Tektronix is a leading supplier of test
instrumentation for engineers focused on electronic design, manufacturing, and
advanced technology development. Headquartered in Beaverton, Oregon, Tektronix
serves customers worldwide and offers award-winning service and support. Stay
on the leading edge at www.tektronix.com.