MSO delivers 4, 6, or 8 Channels and advanced UI

As systems become more complex and debug problems become more difficult, engineers are finding they need more than four analogue channels – the number available on most mid-range oscilloscopes today.

To work around the problem, engineers would in some cases attempt to make two scopes work together, adding time, expense, and immense levels of frustration.

More than four analogue channels are also needed for motor control and inverter design, automotive electronics, power supply design and power conversion analysis.

In addition, the ability to correlate multiple analogue and digital inputs is critical to gaining comprehensive, synchronous views of what’s going across today’s more complex embedded and IoT systems.

Until now, oscilloscopes have been defined with fixed configurations: the user had to decide up front how many analogue channels and whether they want zero or a fixed number of digital channels.

Some scopes offer the option of adding digital channels post-purchase, but even then, it’s a fixed quantity of digital channels that can’t be changed as needs evolve.

In many instruments, analogue and digital channels are sampled at different rates, triggered using separate hardware, and stored in different-sized records, making precise comparisons impossible.

The 5 Series MSO offers models with four, six, or eight FlexChannels -- the industry’s first reconfigurable oscilloscope input. By default, the input is a TekVPI+ connector that accepts all TekVPI analog probes, but when the new TLP058 Logic Probe is connected the input is converted to 8 digital channels.

The user can add as many logic probes as they need, enabling anywhere from 8 to 64 digital channels.

Digital signals are sampled, triggered, and stored the same as analog signals, greatly simplifying comparisons.

The instrument has a 15.6in. capacitive touch, high definition (1920 x 1080 px) display. With the display comes an advanced user interface that lets users access controls directly through objects on the display rather than having to navigate through menus to get to more menus. The result is faster and more intuitive operation along with considerably more space for viewing waveforms and correlating signals.

For added flexibility, users can also drive the oscilloscope using a mouse and conventional front-panel controls.

Nicely compact the instrument is less than eight inches deep and improves the user experience with a rugged handle, a streamlined and intuitive front panel with LED light rings indicating selected waveform and trigger sources, and adjustable feet that enable additional viewing angles.

Today’s embedded designs require test equipment with inherently less noise to allow observation of ever-shrinking signal amplitudes along with the ability to view small signals riding on large signals.

The 5 Series MSO incorporates a next generation front end amplifier that lowers noise approximately 4.5 dB from previous generation oscilloscopes.

It also uses a Tektronix-designed 12-bit analogue-digital converter (ADC) and a new High Res mode that delivers industry-leading vertical resolution (up to 16 bits). This combination of low noise and high resolution ADC delivers excellent Effective Number of Bits (ENOB) performance.

The oscilloscope can run as either a dedicated scope or in an open Windows configuration. The user can switch between the two simply by adding or removing a solid-state drive that has the Windows license/OS installed on it.

When the SSD is installed, the instrument boots Windows. When it’s removed, the instrument boots as a dedicated scope. Regardless of the configuration, the scope’s user interface drives exactly the same way.

All 5 Series MSOs can be purchased or field upgraded as needs change with an arbitrary/function generator (AFG), digital probes, extended record length up to 125Mpoints, additional protocol support, and bandwidth up to 1GHz.

An upgrade to 2GHz is available through Tektronix Service Centres. The scopes are all backed by a three-year warranty.