Modular real-time DSOs hit 60 GHz on as many as 10 channels simultaneously
Dan Strassberg, Contributing Technical Editor - January 5, 2012
LeCroy has announced
the LabMaster 10 Zi-A
(LM10Zi-A), a large, modular
scope that acquires 80G
samples/sec/channel and can
deliver 36-GHz bandwidth on
four to 20 channels. Thanks to
patented frequency-domainbased
DBI (digital-bandwidth-interleaving)
technology, it can
acquire 160G samples/sec/active channel and deliver
60-GHz real-time bandwidth
on two to 10 channels. Bandwidth
greater than 33 GHz has
previously been available only
from sequential equivalent-time-sampling scopes, which,
though accurate, don’t well
suit many multigigahertz-scope
measurements that signalintegrity
engineers and high-speed-
optical-communication-network
designers make.
The company adopted the modular approach for several reasons. For example, few probes have bandwidths greater than approximately 30 GHz. This lack often necessitates the use of pairs of channels as differential inputs for capturing signals that contain significant energy at frequencies of 30 GHz or greater. As a result, in applications that require simultaneous acquisition and display of multiple wideband signals, scopes that provide more than 30-GHz bandwidth on just two channels often prove to be inadequate because they become, in effect, single-channel instruments.
According to Ken Johnson,
LeCroy’s marketing director
for high-performance scopes,
the lifetime in the market of a
scope that offers 30-GHz or
higher bandwidth on only two
channels would be too short
to justify its development cost.
LeCroy’s
modular-scope system
architecture yields products
with greater expected
market lifetimes. Customers
can upgrade their systems as
their needs dictate and can
continue using—as parts of
their upgraded systems—components
they purchased earlier.
Although engineers can upgrade most modern, ultra-high-performance scopes, the upgrades are neither as complete nor as cost-effective as those of modular-scope systems. Johnson says that, over a period of five years or more, LeCroy customers will be able to repeatedly upgrade their modular-scope systems without discarding any of the older components. Thus, in the ultra-high-performance range, even if the sole criterion were economics—and it isn’t—the modular architecture would soundly beat a fixed-configuration box.
An LM10Zi-A system comprises a display/control module and one to five acquisition modules. In systems that include several acquisition modules, those modules can be identical or of multiple types. The display is a 15.4-in.-diagonal, 1280×768-pixel, color LCD, which provides significantly greater viewing area than do the 12.1-in. LCDs that are common in high-performance DSOs.
The LM10Zi-A series includes five models of acquisition modules, two of which support DBI. The module sizes come close to the industry-standard multiples of 1.75-in. height and nominal 19-in. width. The display/control module measures approximately 10.5 in. high, and most of the acquisition modules measure approximately 7 in. high. Prices for complete working systems begin at $252,900, which buys a four-channel system that acquires 80G samples/sec on all channels and delivers 25-GHz bandwidth on each. For $411,900, you can buy a system that takes 80G samples/sec on four channels and delivers 36-GHz bandwidth on each or takes 160G samples/ sec on two channels and delivers 60-GHz bandwidth on each. You can equip the system with 1.024G points/channel of DBI-mode acquisition memory; 40M points/channel in DBI mode are standard.
The system uses LeCroy’s proprietary new SiGe chip set, which the company fabricated with IBM Corp’s 8HP manufacturing process. This process yields analog ICs with greater speed and lower noise than do older SiGe processes, which once represented major advances over purely silicon processes.
LeCroy Corp
The company adopted the modular approach for several reasons. For example, few probes have bandwidths greater than approximately 30 GHz. This lack often necessitates the use of pairs of channels as differential inputs for capturing signals that contain significant energy at frequencies of 30 GHz or greater. As a result, in applications that require simultaneous acquisition and display of multiple wideband signals, scopes that provide more than 30-GHz bandwidth on just two channels often prove to be inadequate because they become, in effect, single-channel instruments.
According to Ken Johnson,
LeCroy’s marketing director
for high-performance scopes,
the lifetime in the market of a
scope that offers 30-GHz or
higher bandwidth on only two
channels would be too short
to justify its development cost.
LeCroy’s
modular-scope system
architecture yields products
with greater expected
market lifetimes. Customers
can upgrade their systems as
their needs dictate and can
continue using—as parts of
their upgraded systems—components
they purchased earlier.Although engineers can upgrade most modern, ultra-high-performance scopes, the upgrades are neither as complete nor as cost-effective as those of modular-scope systems. Johnson says that, over a period of five years or more, LeCroy customers will be able to repeatedly upgrade their modular-scope systems without discarding any of the older components. Thus, in the ultra-high-performance range, even if the sole criterion were economics—and it isn’t—the modular architecture would soundly beat a fixed-configuration box.
An LM10Zi-A system comprises a display/control module and one to five acquisition modules. In systems that include several acquisition modules, those modules can be identical or of multiple types. The display is a 15.4-in.-diagonal, 1280×768-pixel, color LCD, which provides significantly greater viewing area than do the 12.1-in. LCDs that are common in high-performance DSOs.
The LM10Zi-A series includes five models of acquisition modules, two of which support DBI. The module sizes come close to the industry-standard multiples of 1.75-in. height and nominal 19-in. width. The display/control module measures approximately 10.5 in. high, and most of the acquisition modules measure approximately 7 in. high. Prices for complete working systems begin at $252,900, which buys a four-channel system that acquires 80G samples/sec on all channels and delivers 25-GHz bandwidth on each. For $411,900, you can buy a system that takes 80G samples/sec on four channels and delivers 36-GHz bandwidth on each or takes 160G samples/ sec on two channels and delivers 60-GHz bandwidth on each. You can equip the system with 1.024G points/channel of DBI-mode acquisition memory; 40M points/channel in DBI mode are standard.
The system uses LeCroy’s proprietary new SiGe chip set, which the company fabricated with IBM Corp’s 8HP manufacturing process. This process yields analog ICs with greater speed and lower noise than do older SiGe processes, which once represented major advances over purely silicon processes.
LeCroy Corp
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