A new dual-channel digitizer provides synchronous 3.2 GS/sec, 12-bit sampling on each channel. This means no data needs to be lost, even when the card is acquiring data with both channels running at their maximum sampling rate. The ultrafast bus allows all the data to be transferred directly to PC memory for storage, or even […]
Test and Measurement Tips
What is characteristic impedance?
We speak of 50- or 75-Ω coaxial cable. The novice wonders if these numbers apply to a given length, say 100 ft. Could you connect an ohmmeter to one end of the cable and expect to get that reading with or without the conductors shunted at the far end? The answer is absolutely not. The characteristic impedance […]
Measuring and using static electricity
Many moons ago, a future member of our editorial staff was playing with his very first multimeter. He was a farm kid. One of his first experiments was to put the negative lead of the meter on a ground rod and the positive lead on one of the metal bands used to reinforce the interlocking […]
What is “orthogonal”? (Part 4): eye diagrams
The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. Just as both the time domain and frequency domain are two legitimate ways of looking at a signal from different perspectives linked by the Fourier transform, the constellation diagram has a time-domain complement called the eye diagram or eye […]
What is “orthogonal”? (Part 3): signal constellations
The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. We can look at orthogonal signals in multiple ways: in the time domain, the frequency domain, as a constellation – a presentation which is widely used in the broad discipline referred to as signal processing, and as an eye […]
What is “orthogonal”? (Part 2): signal space
The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. The formal definition of orthogonal signals does not necessarily mean that they are unrelated or uncorrelated, although that is how the term is often used in casual “engineering speak.” Formally, two vectors are orthogonal if their dot product is […]
What is “orthogonal”? (Part 1): mechanical design
The phrase and concept “orthogonal” is widely used in engineering, but it is also often misunderstood. I was chatting the other day with a non-technical friend and said something like, “Oh, that won’t happen. Those two things are orthogonal.” My friend looked at me and replied with a “huh?” and he was right to do […]
Coaxial cable myths and misunderstandings
In this age of misinformation, you can add coaxial cable to the list of items for which it is easy to get steered wrong based on internet searches. Much of the bogus online commentary about coax relates to cable loss, cable impedance, and standing waves. Here are a few basics that may help sort the […]
Signal generator delivers up to 13.6 GHz with high signal purity, low phase noise
The DSG3000B Series RF Signal Generator offering high purity signal generation and modulation. The DSG3000B is available in 6.5 and 13.6-GHz models with optional built-in IQ baseband generator and OXO timebase with standard AM/FM/ØM analog modulation up to 3.6 GHz, and I/Q modulation and I/Q baseband output up to 6.5 GHz. RIGOL’s new DSG3000B RF […]
USB Type-C test coupon fixtures speed scope debug tasks
New USB Type-C High-speed and Sideband Test Coupon Fixtures provide the industry’s first oscilloscope solution for high-speed probing and analysis of an active data link at the USB Type-C connector. Additional connection to a Teledyne LeCroy protocol analyzer provides complete debug capability of any USB Type-C link negotiation failure. USB Type-C devices undergo negotiation when […]
