Tektronix MSO/DPO70000DX Series Oscilloscopes: 33GHz High Bandwidth Solution to Solve Core Pain Points of High-speed Signal Testing

In fields such as high-speed serial communication, broadband RF R&D, power system debugging and memory bus verification, engineers often face core problems including "insufficient signal bandwidth leading to capture distortion, difficulty in synchronous analysis of analog and digital signals, inability to capture intermittent fault signals, and cumbersome industry standard certification testing". These pain points directly lead to extended R&D cycles, reduced product yield and low test efficiency. Tektronix MSO/DPO70000DX Series oscilloscopes, with analog bandwidth up to 33GHz, 100GS/s sampling rate and integrated analysis tools, cover the whole process from prototype commissioning to production test, providing accurate and efficient solutions for high-speed signal testing and completely solving core industry challenges.

Product Introduction

Series and Models

The MSO/DPO70000DX Series is divided into two major categories: Digital Phosphor Oscilloscopes (DPO Series) and Mixed Signal Oscilloscopes (MSO Series), with a total of 14 specific models. Based on different analog bandwidth (8GHz~33GHz) and whether logic channels are included, it can accurately match the requirements of different scenarios and achieve the solution goal of "selection on demand, accurate adaptation".

1. DPO Series (Digital Phosphor Oscilloscopes): positioned as "Pure Analog Signal Measurement Solution", with no logic channels, focusing on capture and analysis of high-speed analog signals. It is suitable for scenarios where RF engineers, power designers and other professionals do not require linked digital signal testing. Models include DPO70804DX (8GHz), DPO71254DX (12.5GHz), DPO71604DX (16GHz), DPO72004DX (20GHz), DPO72304DX (23GHz), DPO72504DX (25GHz), DPO73304DX (33GHz).

2. MSO Series (Mixed Signal Oscilloscopes): positioned as "Integrated Analog + Digital Signal Measurement Solution", adds 16 logic channels on the basis of the DPO Series, supports synchronous capture and linked analysis of analog and digital signals. It is suitable for scenarios that require cross-domain signal verification such as embedded systems and complex circuit board debugging. Models include MSO70804DX (8GHz), MSO71254DX (12.5GHz), MSO71604DX (16GHz), MSO72004DX (20GHz), MSO72304DX (23GHz), MSO72504DX (25GHz), MSO73304DX (33GHz). 

The entire series adheres to the core design concept of "high bandwidth, high sampling rate, high signal integrity". The bandwidth coverage of 8GHz~33GHz meets the measurement requirements from entry-level high-speed signals to cutting-edge ultra-high-speed signals. The classification of DPO and MSO accurately matches the different test scenarios of pure analog and mixed signals, allowing engineers from different fields to find suitable tools.

Core Parameters and Specifications

All models of the series maintain high consistency in core hardware configuration, and only differ in analog bandwidth and partial channel performance. The following is a summary of key parameters (all data comes from official technical documents):

Value of solutions matching core parameters to user requirements:

· High bandwidth and high sampling rate: 33GHz bandwidth covers the latest high-speed serial standards such as PCI Express Gen5 and USB4. 100GS/s sampling rate ensures capture of fast edges and tiny details of signals, avoiding waveform distortion caused by undersampling, and solves the pain point of "unable to measure high-speed signals accurately".

· Deep memory capacity: Optional record length up to 1GS, which can capture continuous waveforms or multiple burst signals for a long time. With the MultiView Zoom™ function, it is convenient for engineers to retrospect and analyze abnormal events in long-duration signals, and solves the problem of "unable to capture burst signals and difficult to analyze long signals".

· MSO series mixed signal capability: 16 logic channels and 4 analog channels for synchronous acquisition. 80ps timing resolution supports time correlation analysis of cross-domain signals without additional logic analyzer, which solves the pain point of "cumbersome analog + digital signal linkage testing".

· Rich Interfaces: Ethernet supports remote control and data transmission, video output can be extended to monitors/projectors, and the USB interface enables fast data storage, meeting the needs of multiple laboratory scenarios and improving test flexibility.

Compatible Accessories and Software

The MSO/DPO70000DX series relies on an integrated solution of "hardware + software + probes" to greatly improve measurement efficiency and accuracy. The core supporting accessories and software are as follows:

Probe Systems (Officially Recommended)

· TriMode™ Probes (P7700/P7600/P7500 Series): Bandwidth covers 4GHz~33GHz, supports switching between differential, single-ended and common-mode measurement modes. It can adapt to different signal types without replacing the probe, and has built-in calibration function to ensure signal connection stability and measurement accuracy. Among them, the P7633 (33GHz) low-noise probe is specially optimized for 33GHz models, perfectly matching high bandwidth measurement requirements.

· Logic Probes (P6780/P6717A Series): Only applicable to MSO series. The P6780 differential logic probe has a bandwidth up to 2.5GHz and supports simultaneous connection of 16 digital signals. The small-sized probe tip fits tightly arranged devices, solving the problem of "difficult access to high-density circuit board signals".

· Optical Probes (DPO7OE1/DPO7OE2 Series): DPO7OE1 supports 33GHz optical signal acquisition and can be used as an optical reference receiver, suitable for high-speed optical serial signal measurement scenarios, such as optical module testing.

· Auxiliary Accessories: TekConnect® to 2.92mm/BNC/SMA adapters (TCA-292D/TCA-BNC, etc.) ensure flexible connection between probes and devices under test; probe calibration fixtures (067-2431-xx, etc.) guarantee probe measurement accuracy.

Core Analysis Software

· SignalVu® RF Vector Signal Analysis Software: After optional installation, it enables multi-domain synchronous measurement in frequency domain, time domain, phase domain and modulation domain, supports analysis of wireless standards such as IEEE 802.11 series and LTE, and is suitable for broadband RF signal testing scenarios such as radar, satellite links and frequency hopping radio.

· TekExpress® Automated Test Software: A one-click test tool for high-speed serial standards, supporting many industry standards such as PCI Express Gen1-5, USB4, SATA and Ethernet. It automatically performs compliance testing and generates HTML format reports, reducing test time by more than 70% and solving the pain point of "cumbersome standard conformance testing".

· DPOJET Jitter and Eye Diagram Analysis Software: The basic version is standard, and the advanced version is optional. It provides jitter separation (random jitter/deterministic jitter), eye diagram mask testing, bit error rate related measurement, and supports analysis of optical signal parameters (extinction ratio, average optical power, etc.). It is a core tool for high-speed serial signal integrity verification.

· Serial Bus Decoding Software: Supports decoding and triggering of multiple buses such as PCI Express, I2C, SPI, CAN, LIN, USB 2.0, MIPI® C-PHY/D-PHY, etc. It can decode bit sequences into intuitive commands and data packets to quickly locate bus protocol errors.

· OpenChoice® Analysis Tool: Supports exporting waveform data to Excel/Word, is compatible with development environments such as MATLAB® and .NET, allows custom measurement algorithms and report formats, and facilitates data archiving and secondary analysis.

Product Advantages and Application Scenarios

Featured Model: MSO72504DX

Among all 14 models in the whole series, MSO72504DX, as a popular general-purpose model, with the core advantages of "moderate bandwidth, comprehensive functions and outstanding cost-performance", it is the first choice for most high-speed signal testing scenarios. Its advantages accurately meet the core requirements of mainstream engineers:

1. Golden balance between bandwidth and performance: The 25GHz analog bandwidth can cover most high-speed serial standards (such as PCI Express Gen4, USB3.2) and broadband RF signals. The sampling rate of 100GS/s for 2 channels and 50GS/s for 4 channels meets daily testing requirements. It is more economical than the 33GHz model, and has higher margin than models of 20GHz and below, which adapts to future technology upgrades.

2. Integrated mixed signal testing: With the configuration of 4 analog channels + 16 logic channels, it supports synchronous capture and analysis of analog and digital signals without additional logic analyzers. It is especially suitable for cross-domain debugging of embedded systems and complex circuit boards, such as linkage testing of CPU and memory bus.

3. Rich functions and high usability: Equipped with Pinpoint® triggering, FastAcq® high capture rate, and 53 types of automatic measurement as standard. Cooperating with MyScope® custom control window, it can create personalized operation interface according to test requirements, which allows novices to get started quickly and improves efficiency for experienced engineers; it supports LXI Class C remote control, which facilitates multi-device collaboration in the laboratory.

4. Flexible scalability: The record length can be extended to 500MS (4 channels)/1GS (2 channels) via the optional 50XL option. Combined with software such as SignalVu® and TekExpress®, it can adapt to various test scenarios such as RF, serial bus, and optical signals. One device can meet the requirements of multiple projects and reduce equipment investment costs.

5. Exclusive iCapture™ function: As a proprietary function of the MSO series, it can route any 4 of the 16 logic channels to the analog acquisition system, so users can view the analog characteristics (such as level integrity, glitches) of digital signals without replacing the probe, which greatly simplifies the test process and improves debugging efficiency.

Application Scenarios

Based on the core advantages of MSO72504DX, it can target and solve user pain points and provide efficient solutions in core scenarios of multiple industries:

Scenario 1: Compliance Test of High-speed Serial Bus (e.g. PCI Express Gen4/USB4)

· User Pain Points:

1. It is required to verify whether the serial bus complies with industry standards, and there are many test items (jitter, eye diagram, bit error rate, etc.);

2. Manual testing is inefficient, error-prone, and report generation is cumbersome; 3. High-speed signals are susceptible to noise interference, requiring high measurement accuracy.

· Solution Implementation:

1. 25GHz bandwidth + 100GS/s sample rate accurately capture signals such as PCI Express Gen4 (16GT/s) and USB4 (20Gbps), avoiding undersampling;

2. With optional TekExpress® PCIe/USB4 software, it performs compliance testing with one click, automatically completes jitter separation, eye mask testing, link equalization and other test items, and generates standard-compliant test reports;

3. TriMode™ probe (P7625, 25GHz) features low noise that reduces signal interference, and DPOJET software accurately analyzes jitter sources to ensure the reliability of test results.

Scenario 2: Embedded System Debugging (Analog + Digital Signal Linkage)

· User Pain Points:

1. An embedded system contains analog circuits (power supply, RF modules) and digital circuits (CPU, memory, peripheral interfaces), and faults may originate from cross-domain signal interaction;

2. Traditional testing requires separate use of oscilloscopes and logic analyzers, making it difficult to synchronously analyze data, and fault location is time-consuming;

3. Dense devices on the circuit board make signal access difficult.

· Solution Implementation:

1. MSO72504DX features 4 analog + 16 logic channels synchronous acquisition, which can simultaneously capture power supply voltage (analog), CPU control signals (digital), and memory data signals (digital), display waveforms with time correlation, and quickly locate cross-domain signal interaction problems;

2. The iCapture™ function can route any 4-channel digital signals to the analog acquisition system, allowing you to view analog characteristics of digital signals such as level integrity, glitches, etc. without replacing probes;

3. The small-sized tip of P6780 logic probe is compatible with dense devices, and TriMode™ probes support multi-mode measurement, solving the problem of signal access.

Scenario 3: Broadband RF Signal Analysis (e.g., radar, satellite links)

· User Pain Points:

1. RF signals feature wide bandwidth and complex modulation, requiring simultaneous analysis of time-domain waveforms and frequency-domain characteristics;

2. It is necessary to verify signal modulation quality (EVM, constellation diagram, etc.), and manual analysis is difficult;

3. Low capture probability for transient RF signals.

· Solution Implementation:

1. With optional SignalVu® software, it enables synchronous analysis of time domain (signal waveform, pulse parameters) and frequency domain (spectrum, power), and supports measurement of parameters such as pulse width, repetition frequency, modulation error rate, etc.;

2. 25GHz bandwidth covers most broadband RF signals, and 100GS/s sample rate ensures capture of signal details;

3. FastAcq® technology delivers >300,000 wfms/s waveform capture rate, which greatly improves the probability of capturing transient signals. Combined with visual triggering, it supports user-defined geometric region triggering to accurately isolate RF events of interest.

Scenario 4: Power system validation and debugging (e.g. switching power supplies, power rails)

· User pain points:

1. Parameters such as switching noise, transient voltage and ripple of switching power supplies affect system stability, requiring accurate measurement;

2. Multiple power rails (e.g. CPU core voltage, peripheral supply voltage) need to be monitored simultaneously to verify timing synchronization;

3. Power noise is easily interfered by other circuits, so the measurement requires a low-noise environment.

· Solution:

1. 4 analog channels can monitor 4 power rail voltages simultaneously, and the 50GS/s sampling rate captures details such as switching noise (ns-level) and transient voltage dips;

2. Logic channels can monitor power control signals (e.g. Enable signal, PWM signal), and perform synchronous analysis with analog voltage waveforms to verify the correlation between control logic and voltage output;

3. Low-noise TriMode™ probe (P7520A, 25GHz) reduces measurement interference, and 53 automatic measurement functions can quickly calculate parameters such as ripple peak-to-peak, average voltage and switching period, improving debugging efficiency.

Comparative Analysis (Comparison of models in the same series)

To help users select the right model accurately, we take the main recommended model MSO72504DX as the core, and compare key parameters with the higher bandwidth model (MSO73304DX) and entry-level cost-effective model (MSO71604DX) in the same series to highlight its general adaptation advantages:

From the comparison above, we can see that the MSO72504DX achieves a perfect balance between bandwidth, functions and cost-effectiveness. It not only meets the current mainstream high-speed signal test requirements, but also has certain future expansion capabilities, making it the most widely adaptable model in the entire series.

Contact Us

If you want to get a product configuration plan that is more suitable for your own test scenario, and learn more about the detailed specifications, accessory selection and application cases of the MSO/DPO70000DX series, please feel free to contact us. We will provide you with professional technical support and selection suggestions.Contact Us