Tektronix adds entry level models to mixed domain oscilloscope series

Tektronix Inc., the world's leading manufacturer of oscilloscopes, announced that it has expanded its revolutionary MDO4000 series of mixed domain oscilloscopes to include two new entry level models. With the same features and functionality of the 12-time award-winning MDO4000, the new models put breakthrough time and frequency domain analysis in the hands of engineers at a more affordable price level.

Inexpensive or “cheap” RF technologies are being integrated into everyday applications from apparel tags, to livestock monitoring clips, price displays on store shelves, and short-range wireless remote control of household objects. While many of these are lower-performance applications, the addition of RF makes debug challenges greater than ever. The new MDO4000 models address this trend by providing a low entry point solution that allows engineers to capture time-correlated analog, digital and RF signals for a complete system view, saving days or even weeks of debug time.

“The market and customer response to the MDO4000 has been overwhelmingly positive, providing a 2x return on investment in the first year alone,” said Dave Farrell, general manager, mainstream oscilloscopes at Tektronix. “The use of RF in embedded applications continues to accelerate. The MDO4000 is the ideal debug tool for these mass market applications because it includes both oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer functionality, and adds the unique capability to capture time-correlated analog, digital and RF signals.”

The new MDO4014-3 and MDO4034-3 models offer four analog channels, 16 digital channels and one RF channel. To achieve prices starting at $12,200, the new models offer lower analog bandwidth of 100 MHz or 350 MHz respectively, sufficient for many embedded designs incorporating RF. RF frequency range for both models extends from 50 kHz to 3 GHz.

Industry Firsts

Introduced on August 30, 2011, the MDO4000 series is tailored to meet the needs of the more than 60 percent of oscilloscope users who also use a spectrum analyzer. It represents a notable number of breakthroughs and industry firsts that are still unmatched and now are even more attainable. These industry firsts include the following:

First mixed domain oscilloscope with the functionality of an oscilloscope and spectrum analyzer in a single instrument.
Industry first capability to capture time-correlated analog, digital and RF signals for complete system visibility. Because the signals are time-correlated, engineers can make accurate timing measurements to understand delays and latencies between analog, digital and RF signals in a design.
RF Spectrum Time that makes it possible to see how the spectrum changes over time or with device state for the first time.
Industry first support for up to 3 GHz of capture bandwidth in a single acquisition. By comparison, most modern spectrum analyzers have just 10 MHz capture bandwidth.
RF Time Domain traces to show for the first time how the amplitude, frequency or phase of the RF input signal changes relative to time, and other acquired signals.
RF Trigger Qualification offers industry first triggers on RF signals to further isolate the RF event of interest.

The MDO4000 Series offers all the feature-rich tools of the Tektronix MSO4000B Series mixed signal oscilloscopes along with an integrated spectrum analyzer, providing time correlated analog, digital, and RF signal acquisition in a single instrument. This allows engineers to debug entire wireless-enabled embedded systems with one tool that operates with the familiarity of an oscilloscope.

New Pre-Amplifier, Entry Level Oscilloscopes

In addition to the new MDO4000 models, Tektronix also announced the TPA-N-PRE pre-amplifier for use on all MDO4000 Series oscilloscopes. This new pre-amplifier accessory lowers the noise floor of the RF channel, enabling engineers to see low level signals without reducing dynamic range.

Tektronix is also adding two new 100 MHz models, featuring an impressive 10.4 inch display, to the popular MSO4000B and DPO4000B Series of oscilloscopes with prices starting at $7,150.