Oscilloscopes take pride of place at PCIM 2018

The power-of-ten oscilloscope families R&S RTB2000, R&S RTM3000 and R&S RTA4000 feature 10-bit A/D converters, and large 10.1in. touchscreen displays.

The RTB2000 oscilloscope is ideal for education, R&D and production, with a starting price of EUR 1,250. It boasts an acquisition memory of 10Msample per channel. Oscilloscopes in the family are available with two or four channels and with bandwidths of 70MHz, 100MHz, 200MHz or 300MHz.

The R&S RTM3000 family is based on the same platform as the R&S RTB2000. It is designed for measurements on current and power rails, such as ripple and noise measurements on a DC voltage line.

The 10-bit vertical resolution and vertical scaling down to 500 µV/div with full bandwidth make it ideal for verifying the increasingly strict tolerance limits on DC voltage signals.

With a deep 80 Msample memory and high acquisition rates, users can make measurements over longer periods of time than with comparable instruments on the market. The oscilloscopes are available with bandwidths from 100MHz to 1GHz.

The R&S RTA4000 oscilloscopes, also based on the same platform, have an even larger memory of 100Msample per channel, making them ideal for analysing serial data protocols and power-on/off sequences.

They offer a 1 Gsample segmented acquisition memory. These oscilloscopes feature the same 10-bit resolution to clearly display fine details. They are available with bandwidths from 200MHz to 1GHz.

The economical R&S RTC100 model is extremely compact and can be equipped with numerous additional functions: eight-channel logic analyser, four-channel pattern generator, protocol analyser for I2C, SPI, UART/RS-232, CAN and LIN, digital voltmeter, component tester, spectrum analyser, counter. Users can upgrade the bandwidth from 50MHz to as much as 300MHz with a software license.

In addition to its oscilloscopes, Rohde & Schwarz will be presenting probes to meet current challenges of measuring power electronics components. The R&S RT-ZHD high-voltage differential probes enable measurements with excellent signal integrity.

Users can make floating voltage measurements up to 6,000V with a high common mode rejection ratio (CMRR). The probes have a DC measurement accuracy of 0.5%.

With a bandwidth of up to 200MHz, they can be used to measure fast switching edges.

They also feature offset compensation up to 2,000V.

These probes cover a very wide range of measurement applications. They are perfect for measurements with the R&S RTM3000, R&S RTA4000, R&S RTE1000 and R&S RTO2000 oscilloscopes.

The R&S RT-ZPR40 1:1 power rail probe with 4GHz bandwidth detects even the smallest coupled RF signals and unwanted ripple on power supplies.

Also on parade is the R&S ScopeRider with up to 500MHz bandwidth. It is suited to field measurements on power electronics. The fully isolated design enables the handheld oscilloscope to fulfil category CAT IV instrument requirements and it can be used for measurements on low-voltage installations up to 600V.

Numerous functions can be added, such as a harmonic analyser to assess power line quality. A CAN/LIN trigger and decode option is available for users in the automotive industry.

Rohde & Schwarz will also be exhibiting the R&S FPC1500 (pictured) spectrum analyser. This compact instrument provides a spectrum analyser, a single-port vector network analyser, and a CW signal generator in a single box. It is ideal for university and education applications, in service and repair, and for discerning hobbyists.

The instrument is the first commercially available spectrum analyser to combine the three instruments most often used in RF engineering in a single economical product.