Munich, Germany. Rohde & Schwarz announced it is expanding its oscilloscope portfolio with the R&S RTM3000 and R&S RTA4000 Series. Their 10-bit vertical resolution enables power measurements fulfilling the more stringent requirements demanded by advanced electronics. The R&S RTA4000, which is also suitable for analyzing serial protocols, offers an acquisition memory depth up to 1 GS.
Jörg Fries, vice president market segments for T&M at Rohde & Schwarz, said, “Our engineers continue to bring innovative oscilloscopes to the market that increase measurement confidence. With the only 10-bit resolution and the deepest memory in their respective classes, the new instruments give customers even more compelling reasons to consider Rohde & Schwarz for oscilloscopes. 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.”
10-bit vertical resolution for power measurements
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. The 10-bit ADCs of the R&S RTM3000 and R&S RTA4000 Series support 1,024 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 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%.
Memory depth for serial protocol analysis
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 analyzing serial communications or power on and off sequences.
While the R&S RTM3000 Series comes in 2- and 4-channel models, the R&S RTA4000 oscilloscopes are exclusively 4-channel models. Base prices start at EUR 3,190 for the 2-channel 100 MHz R&S RTM3002. The 4-channel 200 MHz R&S RTA4004 starts at EUR 5,230. For users with more demanding needs, a number of 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, and an integrated waveform generator.
Update: Rohde & Schwarz adds high-voltage differential probes
In related news, Rohde & Schwarz has introduced the R&S RT-ZHD high-voltage differential probes, designed for complex measurements on state-of-the-art power electronics with voltages up to 6000 V. They offer a measurement bandwidth of up to 200 MHz, a high common mode rejection ratio (CMRR), and ±0.5% DC measurement accuracy. Rohde & Schwarz also presented cost-efficient, high-voltage differential probes with a 25-MHz bandwidth and very low inherent noise—suitable for general applications.
The new R&S RT-ZHD high-voltage differential probes—with a bandwidth of up to 200 MHz—can measure very fast switching edges. The high common mode rejection across the entire frequency range effectively suppresses fast-switching common mode signals. Four different models offer maximum peak voltages from 750 V to 6000 V.
The integrated offset compensation operates independently of probe attenuation and the oscilloscope’s vertical settings, making it possible to measure even very small ripple voltages with a large DC component. Thanks to an offset compensation of up to 2000 V, the R&S RT-ZHD probes cover a large range of measurement applications.
At ±0.5%, the R&S RT-ZHD probes have the best DC measuring accuracy on the market, the company reports. The probes also feature an integrated R&S ProbeMeter that measures DC offset with ±0.1 percent accuracy. The readings are displayed directly on the oscilloscope.
Complete integration of the R&S RT-ZHD probes into the user interface of Rohde & Schwarz oscilloscopes eliminates erroneous readings. The oscilloscopes automatically recognize the configured attenuation factor as well as all other probe settings, so they always display the correct voltages and reliably detect incidents such as overvoltage. Probe functions can also be accessed via the SCPI remote control interface, making the probes a good choice for automated tests. The R&S RT-ZHD probes are compatible with both the new R&S RTM3000 and R&S RTA4000 embedded oscilloscopes as well as the Windows-based R&S RTE1000 and R&S RTO2000 oscilloscopes.
Two other new additions are the R&S RT-ZD002 and R&S RT-ZD003 differential probes with maximum input voltages up to 700 V and 1,400 V, respectively. These 25-MHz probes boast very low inherent noise for their class of around 7 mV (RMS) and 14 mV (RMS), respectively. Their BNC interface makes them suitable for the R&S RTC1000, R&S RTB2000, and all standard oscilloscopes.