Embedded oscilloscopes boast low signal noise

The R&S RTA4000 oscilloscope offers bandwidths of 200MHz, 350MHz, 500MHz and 1GHz. These models include the same 10-bit ADC, but have even more memory, with a 100Msample (200Msample interleaved) per channel acquisition memory and standard 1Gsample (1,000Msample) segmented acquisition memory.

The products incorporate a proprietary 5Gsample/s 10-bit ADC, and each model includes 40Msample (80Msample interleaved) per channel acquisition memory with an optional 400 Msample segmented acquisition memory.

Jithu Abraham, Product Manager at Rohde & Schwarz UK see the scopes being used for serial bus analysis. “Debug is the prime use,” he says For example, looking for something wrong in chip to chip communication.” This is supported by an acqusition memory depth of 1Gsample.

The 10-bit vertical resolution enables power measurements fulfilling the more stringent requirements demanded by advanced electronics.

Both instrument series feature a 10.1in. capacitive touchscreen display to operate quickly and efficiently.

Jörg Fries, Vice President Market Segments for T&M at Rohde & Schwarz, says: “With the addition of the R&S RTM3000 and R&S RTA4000 to the R&S RTB2000 series launched in March 2017, and today’s simultaneous introduction of the R&S RTC1000 series, we have the most up-to-date 1000, 2000, 3000 and 4000 class instruments on the market.”

Power measurements, such as ripple and noise measurements of a DC line, demand an oscilloscope with high vertical resolution, low noise and excellent DC gain linearity. For most of the last three decades, oscilloscopes have predominantly offered 8 bits of vertical resolution, which allows a signal to be mapped to one of 256 vertical positions. T

The 10-bit ADCs of the R&S RTM3000 and R&S RTA4000 series support 1024 vertical positions. This is four times better than the common 8-bit oscilloscopes in this segment and essential for ripple and noise measurements.

Both oscilloscope series provide extremely low signal noise, while the R&S RTA4000 series also offers class-leading signal integrity characteristics such as a DC gain accuracy down to 1%.

After bandwidth and sample rate, memory depth is the most important attribute that determines the instrument’s ability to handle a large range of troubleshooting tasks. Additional acquisition memory gives users longer time captures for testing and troubleshooting. This is especially true when analysing serial communications or power on and off sequences.

While the R&S RTM3000 series comes in two- and four-channel models, the R&S RTA4000 series oscilloscopes are exclusively four-channel models. Base prices start at 3,190 Euro for the two-channel 100MHz R&S RTM3002. The four-channel 200MHz R&S RTA4004 starts at 5,230 Euro. Upgrade options are available. These include 16 integrated digital channels with a mixed signal oscilloscope (MSO) option, protocol decode and triggering options for a variety of industry standard buses as well as an integrated waveform generator.

The R&S RTM3000 and the R&S RTA4000 oscilloscopes are now available from Rohde & Schwarz and selected distribution channel partners.