“For example, a DDR3 clock and three DDR3 data channels can be viewed and analysed simultaneously, decreasing the time it takes to fully characterise a design with an instrument that shares sampling systems between channels,” said the firm.

The family is the ‘6 Series’, and comes in analogue and ‘MSO’ (mixed-signal oscilloscope) form with added digital inputs.

Hot on the heals of last year’s 5 Series (max bandwidth 2GHz), 6 Series shares the same chassis and MSO versions also share the ‘FlexChannel’ inputs that allow any input socket, only depending on which probe is connected, to have either one analogue channel or eight digital channels. Even with all four inputs used together to provide 32 digital channels, Tektronix spokesman Lee Morgan told Electronics Weekly, 25Gsample/s is maintained across all 32 channels if the probe can cope – TLP058 is the logic probe that turns one FlexChannel input into eight digital inputs. – for some more probes, scroll down.

With analogue probes connected, nominal resolution is 8bit for 25Gsample/s and 12bit at 12.5Gsample/s. Digital post-processing can boost this to up to 16bit at 200MHz.

Testing to determine ENOB – the effective number of bits – at full speed was still under way when EW spoke to Morgan two weeks ago.

Random noise is commendable: 165μV (1.66% full scale) at 8GHz on the 1mV/division setting and 60μV (0.6%) at 1GHz – this comes from a new front-end pre-amp asic, called TEK061.

“Modern embedded designs require clean, precisely-controlled power supplies to feed ASIC and FPGA devices,” said Tektronix. “The 6 Series enables designers to understand high frequency influencers on power rails.”

Display is on a 15.6in capacitive multi-touch display with commands including pinch-zoom.

A whole bunch of options are available, and upgrades (including bandwidth) for the lower spec member of the series.

There is a arbitrary function generator, a DVM, a trigger frequency counter, different data bus decoders and Windows 10 operating system.

For those familiar with the original Series 5 data bus decode options, for both Series 5 and 6 Tektronix has added: CAN FD, MIL-STD-1553, ARINC429 and SENT bus, then compliance testing for Automotive Ethernet and USB 2.0, and more power analysis tools.

Plus, for both series, there is a tool called Visual Trigger, and an option for SPMI serial trigger, decode and search, a MIPI power management bus.

Probes

To cope with the high bandwidth, there are some more probes.

TDP7700 (pictured, without tip) is a series of ‘TriMode’ probes that can make the single-ended, differential or common-mode signal measurements without moving or changing probes. Versions with bandwidths of 4, 6 or 8GHz can be purchased. They have active buffers at the probe tip, and have various mechanical probe tip connection options including solder-in tips.

• 4GHz TDP7704
• 6GHz TDP7706
• 8GHz TDP7708

TAP4000 single-ended 4GHz active probe, 4V input.

TDP4000 differential 4GHz probe, +/-2V input.