The SDA6000A, SDA5000A, and SDA3000A serial data analyzers (SDAs) now trigger on bit streams with data rates up to 2.7 Gbits/s. These LeCroy units feature 6-GHz signal-capture bandwidth for 2.5-Gbit/s data rates, 5-GHz signal-capture bandwidth for 2.5-Gbit/s data rates, and 3-GHz signal-capture bandwidth for 1.5-Gbit/s data rates, respectively.
Designers of PCI Express and other high-speed serial data protocols will find a high degree of utility in the new serial data trigger, which LeCroy claims is the fastest serial data pattern in the industry. Previous oscilloscopes, even those with 7-GHz front-end analog bandwidths, could only trigger on bit patterns up to 1.25 Gbits/s, which is insufficient for engineers designing 2.5-Gbit/s PCI Express circuits.
Outputs on the SDA front panel let users access the recovered clock and data signals usable with other instruments, such as bit-error-rate (BER) test sets. Trigger patterns can be entered in either binary or hexadecimal form, and stored patterns can be recalled from files.
Many emerging high-speed serial data protocols use multiple channels for higher data density, which allows for scalability by transmitting additional data over a number of links simultaneously. An important test requirement for these types of circuits is the measurement of channel-to-channel skewing. With the new serial data trigger, an SDA can make 20-Gbit/s sampling-rate measurements, used in a two-channel mode.
The new serial trigger upgrade costs $3496, with delivery within six weeks.
LeCroy Corp.www.lecroy.com