Oscilloscope Fundamentals

Workshop
AKA: A few things you may not have known, or
may have forgotten about scopes!

Dave Rishavy
Product Manager – Rohde-Schwarz North America
Agenda
ı Choosing an Oscilloscope
ı RTE Tour
ı Probing Basics
 Workshop: Passive probe compensation
 Workshop: Ground lead effects
ı Vertical System Overview
 Workshop: Channel input coupling
 Workshop: Effective use of vertical scale
ı Sampling & Acquisition
 Workshop: Aliased Signal Capture
 Workshop: Acquisition Rate
ı Horizontal Systems
 Horizontal measurements
ı Trigger System
 Workshop: Runt Trigger
ı Other Things a Scope can do: EMI Debug
 Workshop: A quick look at EMI
Choosing an Oscilloscope
 Bandwidth Definition
ı Bandwidth is THE single-most
0dB
crucial parameter used for the
-3dB
oscilloscope selection:

Attenuation
 Ensure the scope has enough
bandwidth for the application!

ı Oscilloscope bandwidth is
fBW Frequency

specified at -3dB (-29.3%)

0 dB - 3 dB
6 div at 50 kHz 4.2 div at bandwidth

The maximum bandwidth of an oscilloscope: The frequency at which a sinusoidal

input signal amplitude is attenuated by -3dB.
Bandwidth – Requirements of the Test Signal
ı Required scope bandwidth depends on test
signals frequency components

 Digital “square” waveform is composed of

odd sine wave harmonics

Rule of thumb:
BWScope = 3-5x fclk of Test Signal

Amplitude
fFundamentalf3rd harm.f5th harm.
Frequency
Bandwidth – Application Mapping
l Data rates of typical I/O interfaces

Oscilloscope Bandwidth
Clock Requirement Oscilloscope
Interface Data Rate
Frequency Classes
3rd harmonic 5th harmonic
I2C 3.4 Mbps 1.7 MHz 5.1 MHz 8.5 MHz Value
LAN 1G 125 Mbps 62.5 MHz 187.5 MHz 312.5 MHz Lower mid-range
USB 2.0 480 Mbps 240 MHz 720 MHz 1200 MHz
Mid-range
DDR II 800 Mbps 400 MHz 1.2 GHz 2.0 GHz
SATA I 1.5 Gbps 750 MHz 2.25 GHz 3.75 GHz Upper Mid-range
PCIe 1.0 2.5 Gbps 1.25 GHz 3.75 GHz 6.25 GHz High-end entry
PCIe 2.0 5.0 Gbps 2.5 GHz 7.5 GHz 12.5 GHz High-end
Bandwidth – Technology Mapping
ı Digital technologies have characteristic rise times, e.g:

Logic Typical Signal Calculated Signal Oscilloscope Band-

Family Rise Time Bandwidth width Requirement
TTL 2 ns 175 MHz 525 - 875 MHz
CMOS 1.5 ns 230 MHz 690 - 1150 MHz
LVDS 400 ps 875 MHz 2625 - 4375 MHz
ECL 100 ps 3.5 GHz 10.5 - 17.5 GHz

BW * trise_10-90 = 0.35
trise_10-90 = 0.35 / BW

Measured rise time depends on intrinsic rise time of the scope

Bandwidth x Risetime = 0.35

e.g. 100 MHz Bandwidth = 3.5 nsec Risetime
RTE Tour
The RTE
Some Favorite Buttons
Interface Overview Tool Bar
(Quick access to commonly used functions)

Signal Bar
(Location to where
active waveforms and
results reside in icon
form. Can contain
both Signal icons and
result icon.)

Smart Grid
(Flexible drag and drop Menu Bar
diagram / measurement ( Complete Access to all
display) functionality)
Reference: Tool Bar Zoom
Note the Arrow
indicated there
Tool Tip
are multiple
selections
Save Set

Signal Bar On/Off UNDO / REDO

Select Measure / Quick Meas

Cursor Mask Test

Histogram FFT Analysis

Search Entry into

configuration
 Active signals will show
Reference:
Signal bar will highlight
when something is information about the
ready to be dropped signal and be

Signal Bar onto it displayed in the

SmartGrid.

Waveforms,
Measurements,
decode tables, (and
nearly anything) can be
dragged onto the
signal bar
Reference:
SmartGrid

SmartGrid positions
1 = Placement will be in existing diagram (overlay of signals),
creates floating icon for results.
2 = New diagram (Grid) on the left or right
3 = New diagram (Grid) above or below
4 = New tab (similar to a sheet in an Excel notebook)
5 = XY-diagram 6 = YX-diagram (only available in certain configurations)
Our Target
Toggle
Mode Back
ı Small Digital Stimulus Board

Flooded
Areas are
Ground
Probing Basics
Probe Basics:

ı These three factors – Encompass most of what goes into

proper selection of a probe
 physical attachment
 minimum impact on circuit operation
 adequate signal fidelity
Probe Basics: Passive Probes

ı Passive Probes
 Least Expensive
 No active components, essentially wires with an RC
network
 Input impedance decreases as the frequency of the
applied signal increases
Probe Basics: Active Probes

ı Active Probes
ı Low loading, Adjustable DC offset, Auto recognition by
instrument
ı Incorporate field effect transistors that provide very high
input impedance over a wide frequency range.
ı In short, Active probes are recommended for signals with
frequency components above 100MHz.
Probing Best Practices

ı Use appropriate probe tip adaptors whenever possible:

 Even an inch or two of wire can cause significant
impedance changes resulting in distorted wave forms at
high frequencies
ı Keep ground leads as short as possible:
 Added inductance of an extended ground lead can cause
ringing to appear on a fast transition wave-form
ı Compensate the probe:
 An uncompensated probe can lead to various
measurement errors, especially in measuring pulse rise or
fall times
Probe Options
Workshop: Probe Compensation
ı Matches the probe cable capacitance to the scope input capacitance.
ı Assures good amplitude accuracy from DC to upper bandwidth limit
frequencies
ı A poorly compensated probe can introduce measurement errors
resulting in inaccurate readings and distorted waveforms

ı Connect Probe to compensation output on RTO, Use Favorite Buttons

ı Use small screw driver to adjust POT in probe body to adjust wave-form

Affects amplitude, rise time, etc

Workshop: Probes Ground Loop Effects

ı Study the effects of extended ground wires on wave-forms

 Use passive probe on 10_MHz_clock output
 Measure overshoot with long ground lead
 Replace long ground lead with short spring lead
 Do a single shot to stop acquisition and compare the two waveforms
 Take a measurement of the positive and compare

Affects overshoot, rise time, etc

Vertical System Overview
The Function Blocks of a Digital Oscilloscope
The Vertical System

Memory
Vertical System

Post-
Att. Amp ADC Acquisition
Processing
Processing
Display

Trigger Horizontal
Amp
System System
Vertical System Overview
ı The controls and parameters of the Vertical System are used to
scale and position the waveform vertically

ı The vertical system detects the analog voltage and conditions the
signal by the attenuator and signal amplifier for the analog-to-digital
converter (ADC)

Input Coupling Scale Position

Offset Bandwidth
Workshop: Channel Input Coupling
ı Broadest BW is achieved with 50 Ohm DC input coupling
ı Passive probe is typically 1 M Ohm coupled limiting the bandwidth to
500 Mhz under all conditions
ı Benefit to 1 M Ohm coupling is protection from high voltages
Workshop: Channel Input Coupling
ı Study the effects of scope termination on signaling
 Connect to the ANA signal on the demo board.
 Toggle until only this light is illuminated
 PRESET and AUTOSET the RTE.
 Select a vertical scale of 400mV/div on CH1
 Note the default to DC coupling. DC coupled includes the DC level of
the signal.
 Select AC couple from the channel menu. Note the signal floats to the
zero level. This will reject the DC offset of the signal.

ı 50 Ohm setting will be covered in Near Field Probe Sections

Affects impedance considerations

The Function Blocks of a Digital Oscilloscope
The Vertical System – Analog-to-Digital Converter

Memory
Vertical System

Post-
Att. Amp ADC Acquisition
Processing
Processing
Display

Trigger Horizontal
Amp
System System
Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)

ı The ADC in the acquisition system samples the signal at discrete points
in time converts the signal's voltage at these points to digital values
called sample points

ı Most Oscilloscopes use 8-bit ADCs

ı ADC for a scope is not typically “off the shelf”
 Technology is highly sensitive
ı Parameters:
 Sample rate: Clock rate of ADC – typically 5 times higher than
oscilloscope bandwidth
Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC)
Sampling

Taking samples of an input signal at specific points in

time. Interpolated
Waveform
Samples

Hold Time
Needed for
Digitizing
{

Sample Interval TI

ı Samples are equally spaced in time

ı Sample Rate measured in Samples/Second (Sa/s, kSa/s, MSa/s, GSa/s)
ı Clock rate of ADC – typically 5 times higher than oscilloscope bandwidth
Maximizing the ADC input range
ı Input range and position directly affects the resolution of the waveform amplitude

ı The 10 vertical scales correspond to the full ADC input range

Scale/div = 50 mV/div Scale/div = 100 mV/div

Signal amplitude:
0.5 V

Best ADC resolution reduced ADC resolution

8 bit => 2 mV / bit 8 bit => 4 mV / bit
Demo: Vertical Scale

ı Examine quantization errors introduced by using only half

the ADC

Affects Most Measurements

Sampling and Acquisition
Sampling Methods & Acquisition Modes

Memory

Vertical System

Amp Post-
Att. ADC Acquisition
Processing
Processing
Display

Amp
Trigger Horizontal
System System
Aliasing (Sampling too slow)
ı Nyquist Rule is violated:
 Sampling rate is smaller than 2x highest signal frequency
 Signal is not sampled fast enough -> aliasing
 False reconstructed (alias) waveform is displayed !!!

input signal
alias

Example
-input: 1 GHz sine wave
-sample rate: 750 MSa/s
-alias: 250 MHz
Workshop: Affects of Aliasing
ı Connect to the 10_MHz_Clk signal
 Preset / Autoset
 Zoom Around Trigger
 Force the acquisition length to 5KSa
 Press Res/Rec Length
  Select Record Length Limit and set to 5KSa. Change Acquisition time to
500us. This will force the sample rate to 10MSa/s.
 The signal is heavily aliased here. It will also lose trigger.
Workshop: Affects of Aliasing
ı Adjust Acquisition time back with Nav knob to see the effects as the sample rate
is brought to 500MSa/s and beyond.

Ensure proper sample rate for your signal in question.

(This is where Autoset may not be your friend)
Sampling Methods:
Interpolation between points
I Interpolate between the samples
ILinear interpolation computes record
points between actual acquired samples Real-time Sampling
by using a straight line fit. •over-sampling following Nyquist rule

Dots
Interpolation

linear sine
(sin(x)/x)
>10 samples

ISin(x)/x interpolation computes record

points using a curve fit between the actual
values acquired.
>2 samples; improves interpretation of the samples
Wfm Update Rate: Issue of Digital Oscilloscopes
l Digital Oscilloscope have significant blind-times
typical ratio: max. 0.5% active –> 99.5% blind (=50,000 wfm/s)

e.g. 100 ns e.g. 19.9 us

acquisition blind time acquisition

of 1st wfm of 2nd wfm
acquisition cycle
for 1 waveform

Scope display
is missing the
critical signal
faults!
Benefit of High Capture Rate
Glitch Capture Probability vs. Test Time
ı Glitch Capture Probability

ı Test time decreases

tremendously with
higher acquisition rates
Workshop: Display Update Rate

ı Glitch Example
 Connect passive probe to SIGNAL
 Setup demo board to have the NARROW, FREQ and
RARE all illuminated. This will generate a glitch at 100/s
 Preset / Autoset
 Observe glitch @ 40ns/div
 Set demo board to mode with only NARROW and RARE
illuminated.
 Observe rare glitch (occurs once per second)
 Set a Mask on the signal to capture the glitch.
Horizontal System
Horizontal System
l The horizontal system's sample clock determines how often the
ADC takes a sample; the rate at which the clock "ticks" is called
the sample rate and is measured in samples per second
l The sample points from the ADC are stored in memory as
waveform points; these waveform points make up one waveform
record

Memory

Vertical System

Amp Post-
Att. ADC Acquisition
Processing
Processing
Display

Amp
Trigger Horizontal
System System
Horizontal System
Buzz Words
Record Length
Resolution • # of samples
•  time between
2 samples
Time Scale
• time / div’s

Sampling Rate Acquisition time

• 10 * time / div’s

Acquisition time

Sample Rate Time # of Record

x Scale x Div’s = Length
1 / Resolution

e.g. 10 GS/s x 100 ns/div x 10 Div’s = 10K samples

10 GS/s x 100 s/div x 10 Div’s = 10M samples
Horizontal System
Summary

ı What are the advantages of higher sample rates?

 Increased signal fidelity (more accurate signal reproduction)
 Better resolution between sample point
 Higher chance of capturing glitches or anomalies
 Can observe high frequency noise in low frequency signal

ı What are the advantages of deep memory?

 Capturing of longer time periods while maintaining high resolution (fast
sample rate)
 Better zoom in capability
Trigger System
Trigger System

Memory

Vertical System
Channel Amp Post-
Att. ADC Acquisition
Processing
Input Processing
Display

Amp
Trigger Horizontal
System System
Trigger System
ı Motivation
 Get stable display of repetitive waveforms
In 1946 the triggered oscilloscope was
invented, allowing engineers to display a
repeating waveform in a coherent, stationary
manner on the phosphor screen

 Isolate events & capture signal before and after

event

 Define dedicated condition for acquisition start

Types of Triggers: Runt Trigger

3/30/2014 FAST: Advanced Triggering

Workshop: Runt Trigger
ı Demo Board – RUNT, FREQ, RARE
illuminated.
 Probe SIGNAL
ı PRESET, then AUTOSET
ı Observe/ Identify the amplitude of the runt
pulse
 Infinite Persistence (DISPLAY key) is
another method to see a rare event
ı Note the amplitude of the runt pulse. Jot this
down.
Workshop: Runt Trigger
ı Toggle change button down demo board to only have RUNT and RARE illuminated.
ı Press Preset
ı Press Autoset.
ı Change horizontal scale to 20ns/div
ı The runt should be hard or impossible to see.
Trigger Menu
ı Keep the same Demo board configuration.
ı Enter TRIGGER system
ı Select trigger type “RUNT”.
ı Set the upper and lower limits to the “Open space” around the runt we saw
ı Why is does it not appear triggered?
Other things a scope can do:
EMI Debug
Workshop: A Quick Look at EMI
ı With a sensitive front end and a fast FFT, some oscilloscopes can also assist in
looking at EMI issues.
ı Near Field Probes allow us to pick up radiated emissions
Workshop: A Quick Look at EMI
ı Attach Loop Probe to CH1
ı Near Field Probes are 50Ohm coupled.
ı PRESET/AUTOSET
ı Set vertical scaling to 1mV
ı Observe the emissions in the time domain at this sensitivity
Workshop: A Quick Look at EMI
ı Perform an FFT
ı Settings: CF: 250MHz, Span: 500MHz, RBW: 100KHz
ı From DISPLAY button, select a color table of choice
ı Adjust FFT window size
ı Move the near field probe around to see the FFT effects.
ı Bonus, use a mask to stop on a random event.
THANK YOU