Comtest has announced the availability of the new Tektronix 5 Series MSO Low Profile oscilloscope for machine diagnostics and automated test equipment (ATE) applications.

Building on the success of the 5 Series MSO mixed-signal oscilloscopes and innovations like FlexChannel technology and 12-bit ADCs (analog to digital converters), the new low-profile instrument offers a best-in-class combination of channel density, performance and low cost per channel at 1 GHz bandwidth, allowing researchers and scientists to gather more accurate data and gain deeper insights into their machines while reducing test equipment space requirements.

Rack-mounted oscilloscopes are commonly used to evaluate the performance of various ‘machines’ in such application areas as high energy physics (pulsed power), military and government for weapons testing and materials research. Software is typically used to control the instrument remotely. As with ATE applications, engineers and researchers often struggle to put together cost-effective data acquisition solutions with enough performance and channels to better monitor their experiments and overcome space constraints.

“Among the many innovations in the 5 Series MSO, FlexChannel technology that packs eight analog channels, or up to 64 digital channels, in a fraction of the space of traditional benchtop scopes truly stands out and delivers significant benefits for machine diagnostics and similar research and production test applications,” said Brian Ice, general manager, mainstream oscilloscopes, Tektronix. “Along the same lines, the 12-bit ADC is also a big win for customers because it allows them to obtain more complete, more accurate data that could someday lead to significant breakthroughs, such as self-sustaining fusion reactors.”

Whereas conventional benchtop oscilloscopes used for machine diagnostics applications might require 6U of rack space and yet provide only four input channels, the 5 Series MSO Low Profile offers a 6x improvement in channel density made possible by its combination of 8 FlexChannel inputs and its robust, space-saving 2U package.

With 1 GHz analog bandwidth, 6,25 GSps sample rate on all channels, and 125 M record length, the new instrument has the performance researchers and engineers need to capture accurate waveform data with high signal integrity.

With 12-bit ADCs, lower noise and a high 7,6-bit ENOB (effective number of bits), the 5 Series MSO Low Profile reveals deeper insight by showing more signal details compared to 8-bit oscilloscopes. The 12-bit ADCs provide 16 times the vertical resolution of traditional 8-bit ADCs, providing a larger dynamic range that allows users to measure small signal details riding on large signals.

The 5 Series MSO Low Profile is also well-suited for ATE applications where channel ­density and performance are critical. For these applications, engineers can start with the benchtop 5 Series MSO with its 40 cm HD touchscreen for development and then seamlessly transition to the compact, rack-friendly low-profile version in manufacturing. This also allows them to use the same software and test routines developed during R&D for manufacturing test applications, saving time and rack space.

Like all Tektronix oscilloscopes, the 5 Series MSO Low Profile is designed for the long haul. It employs a robust package, designed to strict standards for shake-and-shock, EMI/ESD immunity, and operating temperature range.