Scope Enters New Performance Region For DSOs

Powered by new SiGe circuitry, the TDS6604 digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) is said to set, at 6-GHz and 20-GS/s, world speed and sample rate records for such scopes, as well as offering a number advanced debug and analysis capabilities reportedly unmatched by existing units. DSOs such as the TDS6604 are designed to play a crucial role in helping bring about the transition from wide parallel bus architectures to narrow, point-to-point serial bus architectures with gigabit data rates, such as InfiniBand, RapdiIO, 3GIO and HyperTransport. The new 6-GHz bandwidth scope is a four-channel, real-time instrument that delivers a simultaneous 20-GS/s sampling rate and 250K record length on one or two channels and a Delta time accuracy of 1.5 psrms. And it includes triggering features that support clock recovery at data rates up to 2.5 Gb/s and serial pattern trigger (option ST) at up to 1.25 Gbaud rates. The real-time DSO also incorporates the Open Windows platform to provide easy access to industry-standard peripherals, networking elements, and analysis tools. The TDS6604 also supports the companyÕs broad selection of automated measurement packages, as well as mask testing capabilities (option SM) that allows users to select from among SDH/SONET, Fibre Channel, Ethernet, and other similar electrical standards. The TDS6604 DSO costs about $60,000. For more details, contact TEKTRONIX INC., Beaverton, OR. (800) 426-2200, code 1250.