4 Series B MSO

Key performance specifications

The 4 Series B MSO sets a new standard for performance, analysis capabilities and overall user experience in bench oscilloscopes -- ideal for debugging and validating embedded systems and power converters. The second generation of this instrument incorporates a new processing platform, more than doubling its responsiveness, and significantly accelerating measurements and data transfers with full support for remote operation and control. Models are available with 4 or 6 FlexChannel® inputs for high visibility into designs. High-resolution 12-bit sampling delivers precise measurements on a new higher-contrast 13.3-inch HD display. And synchronized, multi-channel spectrum analysis facilitates noise hunting and RF measurements. This exceptional measurement performance is paired with an intuitive award-winning user interface making it easy to achieve fast, accurate results.

Input channels

• 4 or 6 FlexChannel inputs

• Each FlexChannel provides:

  • One analog signal that can be displayed as a waveform view, a spectral view, or both simultaneously

  • Eight digital logic inputs with TLP058 logic probe

Bandwidth (all analog channels)

• 200 MHz, 350 MHz, 500 MHz, 1 GHz, 1.5 GHz (upgradable)

Sample rate (all analog / digital channels)

• Real-time: 6.25 GS/s

Record length (all analog / digital channels)

• 31.25 Mpoints standard (62.5 Mpoints optional upgrade)

Waveform capture rate

• >500,000 waveforms/s

Vertical resolution

• 12-bit ADC

• Up to 16 bits in High Res mode

Standard trigger types

• Edge, Pulse Width, Runt, Timeout, Window, Logic, Setup & Hold, Rise/Fall Time, Parallel Bus, Sequence, Visual Trigger, Video (optional), RF vs. Time (optional)

• Auxiliary Trigger ≤300 VRMS (Edge Trigger only)

Standard analysis

• Cursors: Waveform, V Bars, H Bars, V&H Bars

• Measurements: 36

• Spectrum View: Frequency-domain analysis with independent controls for frequency and time domains

• FastFrame™: Segmented memory acquisition mode with maximum trigger rate >5,000,000 waveforms per second

• Plots: Time Trend, Histogram, and Spectrum

• Math: Basic waveform arithmetic, FFT, and advanced equation editor

• Search: Search on any trigger criteria

Optional analysis

• Advanced Spectrum View

• RF vs. Time traces, triggers, Spectrograms, and IQ capture

• Mask/Limit Testing

• Advanced Power Measurements and Analysis

• Three-Phase Electrical Analysis (6 channel model only)

Optional protocol trigger, decode, and analysis

I2C, SPI, eSPI, I3C, RS-232/422/485/UART, SPMI, SMBus, CAN, CAN FD, CAN XL, LIN, FlexRay, SENT, PSI5, CXPI, Ethernet, EtherCAT, Audio, MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, SpaceWire, NRZ, Manchester, SVID, SDLC, 1-Wire, MDIO, and NFC

Arbitrary/Function Generator (optional and upgradable)

• Waveform Types: Arbitrary, Sine, Square, Pulse, Ramp, Triangle, DC Level, Gaussian, Lorentz, Exponential Rise/Fall, Sin(x)/x, Random Noise, Haversine, Cardiac

Digital voltmeter (free with product registration)

• 4-digit AC RMS, DC, and DC+AC RMS voltage measurements

Trigger frequency counter (free with product registration)

• 8-digit

Display

• 13.3 inch (338 mm) optically-bonded assembly

• High Definition (1,920 x 1,080) resolution

• Capacitive (multi-touch) touchscreen

Connectivity

• USB 2.0 Host, USB 3.1 Host, USB 2.0 Device (6 USB ports total); LAN (10/100/1000 Base-T Ethernet); HDMI; Requires connection to high definition display (1,920 x 1,080 resolution)

Warranty

• 1 year

Dimensions

• 11.299 in (286.99 mm) H x 15.9 in (405 mm) W x 6.1 in (155 mm) D

• Weight: MSO44B: < 15.96 lbs (7.25 kg); MSO46B: < 16.55 lbs (7.5 kg)

Never let a lack of channels slow down your verification and debug process again!

The 4 Series B MSO offers better visibility into complex systems by offering four and six channel models with a 13.3-inch high-definition (1,920 x 1,080) optically-bonded display with superior contrast and viewing angle. Many applications, such as embedded systems, three-phase power electronics, automotive electronics, power supply design, and DC-to-DC power converters, require the observation of more than four analog signals to verify and characterize device performance, and to debug challenging system issues.

Most engineers can recall situations in which they were debugging a particularly difficult problem and wanted greater system visibility and context, but the scope they were using was limited to two or four analog channels. Using a second scope involves significant effort to align trigger points, difficulty in determining timing relationships across the two displays, and documentation challenges.

And while you might assume that a six channel oscilloscope would cost 50% more than a four-channel scope, you'll be pleasantly surprised to find that six channel models are only ~20% more than four channel models. The additional analog channels can pay for themselves quickly by enabling you to keep current and future projects on schedule.

The following image shows voltage measurements on a switch-mode power supply showing the ripple voltage on one of the power rails.

FlexChannel technology enables maximum flexibility and broader system visibility

The 4 Series B MSO redefines what a Mixed Signal Oscilloscope (MSO) should be. FlexChannel® technology enables each channel input to be used as a single analog channel, eight digital logic inputs (with the TLP058 logic probe), or simultaneous analog and spectrum views with independent acquisition controls for each domain. Imagine the flexibility and configurability this provides.

With a six FlexChannel model, you can configure the instrument to look at six analog and zero digital signals. Or five analog and eight digital. Or four analog and 16 digital, three analog and 24 digital and so on. You can change the configuration at any time by simply adding or removing TLP058 logic probes, so you always have the right number of digital channels.

FlexChannel technology enables the ultimate in flexibility. Each input can be configured as a single analog or eight digital channels based on the type of probe you attach.

Previous-generation MSOs required tradeoffs, with digital channels having lower sample rates or shorter record lengths than analog channels. The 4 Series B MSO offers a new level of integration of digital channels. Digital channels share the same high sample rate (up to 6.25 GS/s), and long record length (up to 62.5 Mpoints) as analog channels.

The TLP058 provides eight high performance digital inputs. Connect up to six TLP058 probes, enabling a maximum of 48 digital channels.

The preceding image shows that Channel 2 has a TLP058 Logic Probe connected to the eight inputs of a DAC. Notice the green and blue color coding, where ones are green and zeros are blue. Another TLP058 Logic Probe on Channel 3 is probing the SPI bus driving the DAC.

Another TLP058 Logic Probe on Channel 3 is probing the SPI bus driving the DAC. The white edges indicate higher frequency information is available by either zooming in or moving to a faster sweep speed on the next acquisition.

Beyond just analog and digital, FlexChannel inputs include Spectrum View. This Tektronix-patented technology enables you to simultaneously view both analog and spectral views of all your analog signals, with independent controls in each domain.

Unprecedented signal viewing capability

The stunning 13.3inch (338 mm) display is the largest display in its class..It is also the highest resolution display, with full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080), enabling you to see many signals at once with ample room for critical readouts and analysis.

The viewing area is optimized to ensure that the maximum vertical space is available for waveforms. The Results Bar on the right can be hidden, enabling the waveform view to use the full width of the display.

Stacked display mode enables easy visibility of all waveforms while maintaining maximum ADC resolution on each input for the most accurate measurements.

The 4 Series B MSO offers a revolutionary new Stacked display mode. Historically, scopes have overlaid all waveforms in the same graticule, forcing difficult tradeoffs:

• To make each waveform visible, you vertically scale and position each waveform so that they don't overlap. Each waveform uses a small percentage of the available ADC range, leading to less accurate measurements.

• For measurement accuracy, you vertically scale and position each waveform to cover the entire display. The waveforms overlap each other, making it hard to distinguish signal details on individual waveforms

The new Stacked display eliminates this tradeoff. It automatically adds and removes additional horizontal waveform 'slices' (additional graticules) as waveforms are created and removed. Each slice represents the full ADC range for the waveform. All waveforms are visually separated from each other while still using the full ADC range, enabling maximum visibility and accuracy. And it's all done automatically as waveforms are added or removed! Channels can easily be reordered in stacked display mode by dragging and dropping the channel and waveform badges in the Settings bar at the bottom of the display. Groups of channels can also be overlaid within a slice to simplify visual comparison of signals.

The large display also provides plenty of viewing area not only for signals, but also for plots, measurement results tables, bus decode tables and more. You can easily resize and relocate the various views to suit your application.

Viewing three analog channels, eight digital channels, a decoded serial bus waveform, decoded serial packet results table,four measurements,measurement histogram, measurements results table with statistics and search on serial bus events simultaneously!

Exceptionally easy-to-use user interface lets you focus on the task at hand

The Settings Bar - key parameters and waveform management

Waveform and scope operating parameters are displayed in a series of “badges” in the Settings Bar that runs along the bottom of the display. The Settings Bar provides immediate access for the most common waveform management tasks. With a single tap, you can:

• Turn on channels

• Add math waveforms

• Add reference waveforms

• Add bus waveforms

• Enable the optional integrated Arbitrary/Function generator (AFG)

• Enable the optional integrated digital voltmeter (DVM)

The Results Bar - analysis and measurements

The Results Bar on the right side of the display includes immediate, one-tap access to the most common analytical tools such as cursors, measurements, searches, measurement and bus decode results tables, plots, and notes.

DVM, measurement and search results badges are displayed in the Results Bar without sacrificing any waveform viewing area. For additional waveform viewing area, the Results Bar can be dismissed and brought back at any time.

Configuration menus are accessed by simply double-tapping on the item of interest on the display. In this case, the Trigger badge was double-tapped to open the Trigger configuration menu.

Touch interaction finally done right

Oscilloscopes have included touch screens for years, but the touch interface has been an afterthought. The 4 Series B MSO display includes a capacitive touchscreen and provides the industry's first oscilloscope user interface truly designed for touch.

The touch interactions that you use with phones and tablets, and expect in a touch-enabled device, are supported.

• Drag waveforms left/right or up/down to adjust horizontal and vertical position or to pan a zoomed view

• Pinch and expand to change scale or zoom in/out in either horizontal or vertical directions

• Drag items off the edge of the screen to delete them

• Swipe in from the right to reveal the Results Bar or down from the top to access the menus in the upper left corner of the display

Smooth, responsive front panel controls allow you to make adjustments with familiar knobs and buttons, and you can add a mouse or keyboard as a third interaction method.

Interact with the capacitive touch display in the same way you do on your phones and tablets.

Variable font size

Historically, oscilloscope user interfaces have been designed with fixed font sizes to optimize viewing of waveforms and readouts. This implementation is fine if all users have the same viewing preferences, but they don't. Users spend a significant amount of time staring at screens, and Tektronix recognizes this. The 4 Series B MSO offers a user preference for variable font sizes; scaling down to 12 points or up to 20 points. As you adjust the font size, the user interface dynamically scales so you can easily choose the best size for your application.

The following image shows a comparison showing how the user interface scales as font size changes.

Attention to detail in the front-panel controls

Traditionally, the front face of a scope has been roughly 50% display and 50% controls. The 4 Series B MSO display fills about 75% of the face of the instrument. To achieve this, it has a streamlined front panel that retains critical controls for simple intuitive operation, but with a reduced number of menu buttons for functions directly accessed via objects on the display.

Color-coded LED light rings indicate trigger source and vertical scale/position knob assignments. Large, dedicated Run/Stop and Single Sequence buttons are placed prominently in the upper right, and other functions like Force Trigger, Trigger Slope, Trigger Mode, Default Setup, Autoset and Quick-save functions are all available using dedicated front panel buttons.

The efficient and intuitive front panel provides critical controls while still leaving room for the high definition display.

Digital Phosphor technology with FastAcq high-speed waveform capture

To debug a design problem, first you must know it exists. Digital phosphor technology with FastAcq™ provides you with fast insight into the real operation of your device. Its fast waveform capture rate - greater than 500,000 waveforms per second - gives you a high probability of seeing the infrequent problems common in digital systems: runt pulses, glitches, timing issues, and more. To further enhance the visibility of rarely occurring events, intensity grading indicates how often rare transients are occurring relative to normal signal characteristics.

FastAcq's high waveform capture rate enables you to discover infrequent problems common in digital design.

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The 4 Series B MSO provides the performance to capture the signals of interest while minimizing the effects of unwanted noise when you need to capture high-amplitude signals while seeing smaller signal details. At the heart of the instrument are 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that provide 16 times the vertical resolution of traditional 8-bit ADCs.

A new High Res mode applies a hardware-based unique Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter based on the selected sample rate. The FIR filter maintains the maximum bandwidth possible for that sample rate while preventing aliasing and removing noise from the oscilloscope amplifiers and ADC above the usable bandwidth for the selected sample rate. High Res mode always provides at least 12 bits of vertical resolution and extends all the way to 16 bits of vertical resolution at ≤125 MS/s sample rates.

New lower-noise front end amplifiers further improve your ability to resolve fine signal detail.

12-bit ADC, along with the new High Res mode, enable industry leading vertical resolution.

Triggering

Discovering a device fault is only the first step. Next, you must capture the event of interest to identify root cause. The 4 Series B MSO provides a complete set of advanced triggers, including:

• Runt

• Logic

• Pulse width

• Window

• Timeout

• Rise/Fall time

• Setup and Hold violation

• Serial packet

• Parallel data

• Sequence

• Video

• Visual Trigger

• RF Frequency vs. Time

• RF Magnitude vs. Time

• RF vs. Time (optional)

With up to a 62.5 Mpoint record length, you can capture many events of interest, even thousands of serial packets in a single acquisition, providing high-resolution to zoom in on fine signal details and record reliable measurements.

The wide variety of trigger types and context-sensitive help in the trigger menu make it easier than ever to isolate the event of interest.

Visual Trigger - finding the signal of interest quickly

Finding the right cycle of a complex bus can require hours of collecting and sorting through thousands of acquisitions for an event of interest. Defining a trigger that isolates the desired event speeds up debug and analysis efforts.

Visual Trigger extends the instrument's triggering capabilities by scanning through all waveform acquisitions and comparing them to on-screen areas (geometric shapes). You can create an unlimited number of areas using the mouse or touchscreen, and a variety of shapes (triangles, rectangles, hexagons, or trapezoids) can be used to specify the desired trigger behavior. Once shapes are created, they can be edited interactively to create custom shapes and ideal trigger conditions. Once multiple areas are defined, a Boolean logic equation can be used to set complex trigger conditions using on-screen editing features.

Visual Trigger areas isolate an event of interest, saving time by only capturing the events you want to see.

By triggering only on the most important signal events, Visual Trigger can save hours of capturing and manually searching through acquisitions. In seconds or minutes, you can find the critical events and complete your debug and analysis efforts. Visual Trigger even works across multiple channels, extending its usefulness to complex system troubleshooting and debug tasks.

Visual Trigger areas can be associated with events spanning multiple channels, such as triggering on a specific burst-width on channel 1 and a specified bit pattern on channel 2.

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The TPP Series passive voltage probes offer all the benefits of general-purpose probes - high dynamic range, flexible connection options, and robust mechanical design - while providing the performance of active probes. Up to 1 GHz analog bandwidth enables you to see high frequency components in your signals, and extremely low 3.9 pF capacitive loading minimizes adverse effects on your circuits and is more forgiving of longer ground leads.

An optional, low-attenuation (2X) version of the TPP probe is available for measuring low voltages. Unlike other low-attenuation passive probes, the TPP0502 has high bandwidth (500 MHz) as well as low capacitive loading (12.7 pF).

The instrument comes standard with one TPP0250 probe per channel on 200 MHz models, one TPP0500B per channel on 350 MHz and 500 MHz models, or one TPP1000 per channel on 1 GHz and 1.5 GHz models.”

TekVPI Probe Interface

The TekVPI® probe interface sets the standard for ease of use in probing. In addition to the secure, reliable connection that the interface provides, many TekVPI probes feature status indicators and controls, as well as a probe menu button right on the comp box itself. This button brings up a probe menu on the oscilloscope display with all relevant settings and controls for the probe. The TekVPI interface enables direct attachment of current probes without requiring a separate power supply. TekVPI probes can be controlled remotely through USB or LAN, enabling more versatile solutions in ATE environments. The 4 Series B MSO provides up to 80 W of power to the front panel connectors, sufficient to power all connected TekVPI probes without the need for an additional probe power supply.

IsoVu Isolated Measurement System

Whether designing an inverter, optimizing a power supply, testing communication links, measuring across a current shunt resistor, debugging EMI or ESD issues, or trying to eliminate ground loops in your test setup, common mode interference has caused engineers to design, debug, evaluate, and optimize "blind" until now.

The revolutionary Tektronix IsoVu™ technology uses optical communications and power-over-fiber for complete galvanic isolation. When combined with the 4 Series B MSO equipped with the TekVPI interface, it is the first, and only, measurement system capable of accurately resolving high bandwidth, differential signals, in the presence of large common mode voltage with:

• Complete galvanic isolation

• Up to 1 GHz bandwidth

• 1 Million to 1 (120 dB) common mode rejection at 100 MHz

• 10,000 to 1 (80 dB) of common mode rejection at full bandwidth

• Up to 2,500 V differential dynamic range

• 60 kV common mode voltage range

The Tektronix TIVP Series IsoVu™ Measurement System offers a galvanically isolated measurement solution to accurately resolve high bandwidth, differential signals up to 2,500 Vpk in the presence of large common mode voltages, with the best-in-class common mode rejection performance across its bandwidth.

High-side gate voltage measurement with IsoVu

The following image shows a comparison of the high-side gate voltage for a standard differential probe versus an optically isolated probe. For both at turn-off and turn-on, high-frequency ringing can be seen on the gate after the device’s gate passes through the threshold region. Due to coupling between the gate and power loop, some ringing is expected. However, in the case of the differential probe, the ringing has a significantly higher amplitude than is measured by the optically isolated probe. This is likely due to the changing reference voltage inducing common mode currents within the probe and an artifact of a standard differential probe. While the waveform measured by the differential probe appears to pass the maximum gate voltage of the device, the more accurate measurement of the optically isolated probe makes it clear that the device is within specification. Application designers using standard differential probes for gate voltage measurements should use caution as it may not be possible to differentiate between the probing and measurement system artifact shown here and an actual violation of the device ratings. This measurement artifact may cause the designer to increase the gate resistance to slow down the switching transient and reduce the ringing. However, this would unnecessarily increase losses in the SiC device. For this reason, it is essential to have a measurement system that accurately reflects the actual dynamics of the device, in order to appropriately design the system and optimize performance.

The following image shows a Differential Probe (blue trace) vs. a IsoVu Optically Isolated Probe (yellow trace).

Basic waveform analysis

Verifying that your prototype's performance matches simulations and meets the project's design goals requires careful analysis, ranging from simple checks of rise times and pulse widths to sophisticated power loss analysis, characterization of system clocks, and investigation of noise sources.

The 4 Series B MSO offers a comprehensive set of standard analysis tools including:

• Waveform- and screen-based cursors

• 36 automated measurements. Measurement results include all instances in the record, the ability to navigate from one occurrence to the next, and immediate viewing of the minimum or maximum result found in the record

• Basic waveform math

• Basic FFT analysis

• Advanced waveform math including arbitrary equation editing with filters and variables

• Spectrum View frequency domain analysis with independent controls for time and frequency domains

• FastFrame™ Segmented Memory enables you to make efficient use of the oscilloscope’s acquisition memory by capturing many trigger events in a single record while eliminating the large time gaps between events of interest. View and measure the segments individually or as an overlay.

Standard amplitude and time measurements annotate the waveform display with visual bars and markers to indicate relative information. Measurement results tables provide comprehensive statistical views of measurement results with statistics across both the current acquisition and all acquisitions.

The following image shows using multiple channels to visualize multiple clock and data lines.

Callouts

1. Note: Write and position a text box on the screen.

2. Arrow: Write and position a text box, then add an arrow to a specific location on the screen.

3. Rectangle: Write text and outline a specific region on the screen indicated by a resizable box.

4. Bookmark: Create a dynamic readout at a specific time relevant to a trigger point. This readout includes text, magnitude of the signal, signal units, as well as a line and target indicating the bookmark reference point.

Documenting test results and methods is critical when sharing data across a team, recreating a measurement at a later date, or delivering a customer report. With a few taps on the screen, you can create as many custom callouts as needed; enabling you to document the specific details of your test results. With each callout, you can customize the text, location, color, font size, and font.

Navigation and search

Finding your event of interest in a long waveform record can be time-consuming without the right search tools. With today's record lengths of many millions of data points, locating your event can mean scrolling through literally thousands of screens of signal activity.

The 4 Series B MSO offers the industry's most comprehensive search and waveform navigation with its innovative Wave Inspector® controls. These controls speed panning and zooming through your record. With a unique force-feedback system, you can move from one end of your record to the other in just seconds. Or, use intuitive drag and pinch/expand gestures on the display itself to investigate areas of interest in a long record.

The Search feature allows you to automatically search through your long acquisition looking for user-defined events. All occurrences of the event are highlighted with search marks and are easily navigated to, using the Previous ( ← ) and Next ( → ) buttons found on the front panel or on the Search badge on the display. Search types include edge, pulse width, timeout, runt, window, logic, setup and hold, rise/fall time and parallel/serial bus packet content. You can define as many unique searches as you like.

You can also quickly jump to the minimum and maximum value of search results by using the Min and Max buttons on the Search badge.

Earlier in this image, FastAcq revealed the presence of a runt pulse in a digital data stream prompting further investigation. In this acquisition, Search 1 reveals that there are six runt pulses in the acquisition.

Mask and limit testing (optional)

Whether you are focused on signal integrity or setting up pass/fail conditions for production, mask testing is an efficient tool to characterize the behavior of certain signals in a system. Quickly create custom masks by drawing mask segments on the screen. Tailor a test to your specific requirements and set actions to take when a mask hit is registered, or when a complete test passes or fails.

Limit testing is an insightful way to monitor the long-term behavior of signals, helping you characterize a new design or confirm hardware performance during production line testing. Limit tests compare your live signal to an ideal, or "golden" version of the same signal with user-defined vertical and horizontal tolerances.

You can easily tailor a mask or limit test to your specific requirements by:

• Defining test duration in number of waveforms

• Setting a violation threshold that must be met before considering a test a failure

• Counting violations/failures and reporting statistical information

• Setting actions upon violations, test failure, and test complete

The following image shows a custom, multiple segment mask capturing the presence of a signal glitch and runt pulse in a waveform.

Protocol decode and analysis (optional)

During debugging, it can be invaluable to trace the flow of activity through a system by observing the traffic on one or more serial buses. It could take many minutes to manually decode a single serial packet, much less the thousands of packets that may be present in a long acquisition.

And if you know the event of interest that you are attempting to capture occurs when a particular command is sent across a serial bus, wouldn't it be nice if you could trigger on that event? Unfortunately, it's not as easy as simply specifying an edge or a pulse width trigger.

The following image shows triggering on a CAN serial bus.

A bus waveform provides time-correlated decoded packet content including Start, Arbitration, Control, Data, CRC and ACK while the bus decode table presents all packet content from the entire acquisition.

The 4 Series B MSO offers a robust set of tools for working with the most common serial buses found in embedded design including I2C, SPI, eSPI, I3C, RS-232/422/485/UART, SPMI, SMBus, CAN, CAN FD, CAN XL, LIN, FlexRay, SENT, PSI5, CXPI, USB 1.0 (1.5 Mbps), USB 1.1 (12 Mbps), USB 2.0 (480 Mbps), eUSB2.0, Ethernet 10/100, EtherCAT, Audio (I2S/LJ/RJ/TDM), MIL-STD-1553, ARINC 429, SpaceWire, NRZ, Manchester, SVID, SDLC, 1-Wire, MDIO, and NFC.

Protocol search enables you to search through a long acquisition of serial packets and find the ones that contain the specific packet content you specify. Each occurrence is highlighted by a search mark. Rapid navigation between marks is as simple as pressing the Previous ( ← ) and Next ( → ) buttons on the front panel or in the Search badge that appears in the Results Bar.

The tools described for serial buses also work on parallel buses. Support for parallel buses is standard in the instrument. Parallel buses can be up to 48 bits wide and can include a combination of analog and digital channels.

• Serial protocol triggering lets you trigger on specific packet content including start of packet, specific addresses, specific data content, unique identifiers, and errors.

• Bus waveforms provide a higher-level, combined view of the individual signals (clock, data, chip enable, and so on) that make up your bus, making it easy to identify where packets begin and end, and identifying sub-packet components such as address, data, identifier, CRC, and so on.

• The bus waveform is time aligned with all other displayed signals, making it easy to measure timing relationships across various parts of the system under test.

• Bus decode tables provide a tabular view of all decoded packets in an acquisition much like you would see in a software listing. Packets are time stamped and listed consecutively with columns for each component (Address, Data, and so on).

NFC decode and analysis (optional)

Evaluating the performance margins of NFC designs is often difficult due to an inability to trace the protocol-level result down to the parametric signal level. This means marginal passes may result in failures later in the test flow, especially when designs are susceptible to interference and signal integrity issues caused by design trade-offs or nearby electronics, requiring time-consuming debug across multiple instruments like a protocol analyzer and RF signal analyzer.

The NFC Protocol Decode and Search option on the 4 Series B MSO offers users the ability to view the transaction of the NFC link and trace the result through every step of signal manipulation in the standard, from the protocol-level down to the fundamental signal level to gain insight into exactly how your NFC chip, tag, reader, or mobile device is performing.

NFC transactions can be long. The software option uniquely uses the data coming from the hardware DDC used for Spectrum View, which allows for sample rate compression, saving transfer time and memory, allowing for 100s of milliseconds or even seconds of signal data to be captured and analyzed.

Additionally, because I/O signals are not always available to probe and trigger on from the device under test, triggering on the RF envelope itself is also a challenge considering NFC’s small modulation index. With Spectrum View, you can trigger on the 13.56 MHz envelope using RF vs. Time traces and triggers, which is also unique amongst instruments.

This capability simplifies up-front design validation and also provides a powerful debugging tool in a single instrument when failures do occur.

NFC software option allows you to decode and search through their digital NFC bit stream for performing NFC analog/RF and digital pre-conformance, debug, and troubleshooting in a single instrument.

Spectrum View

It is often easier to debug an issue by viewing one or more signals in the frequency domain. Oscilloscopes have included math-based FFTs for decades in an attempt to address this need. However, FFTs are notoriously difficult to use for two primary reasons.

First, when performing frequency-domain analysis, you think about controls like Center Frequency, Span, and Resolution Bandwidth (RBW), as you would typically find on a spectrum analyzer. But then you use an FFT, where you are stuck with traditional scope controls like sample rate, record length and time/div and have to perform all the mental translations to try to get the view you’re looking for in the frequency-domain.

Second, FFTs are driven by the same acquisition system that’s delivering the analog time-domain view. When you optimize acquisition settings for the analog view, your frequency-domain view isn’t what you want. When you get the frequency-domain view you want, your analog view is not what you want. With math-based FFTs, it is virtually impossible to get optimized views in both domains.

Spectrum View changes all of this. Tektronix’ patented technology provides both a decimator for the time-domain and a digital downconverter (DDC) for the frequency-domain behind each FlexChannel. The two different acquisition paths let you simultaneously observe both time- and frequency-domain views of the input signal with independent acquisition settings for each domain. Other manufacturers offer various ‘spectral analysis’ packages that claim ease-of-use, but they all exhibit the limitations described above. Only Spectrum View provides both exceptional ease-of-use and the ability to achieve optimal views in both domains simultaneously.

Traditionally, performing RF measurements, such as RF Channel Power (CHP), Adjacent Channel Power Ratio (ACPR), and Occupied Bandwidth (OBW), required a dedicated spectrum or signal analyzer or spectrum analyzer software. This additional hardware or software leads to more complexity and higher costs. Available standard with Spectrum View, integrated RF Measurements on each channel saves users time, bench space, and costs with the ability to validate RF transmitter CHP, ACPR, and OBW directly on the oscilloscope.

Additionally, the DDC significantly reduces the required sample rate to resolve a signal compared to a conventional FFT since it becomes a function of span rather than center frequency. This allows for reduced file sizes, improved frequency resolution, and faster spectrum update rates, leading to a more responsive and accurate solution capable of capturing tens of seconds of spectrum data.

Intuitive spectrum analyzer controls like center frequency, span and resolution bandwidth (RBW), independent from time domain controls, provide easy setup for frequency domain analysis.

Up to 11 automated peak markers provide frequency and magnitude values of each peak. The Reference marker is always the highest peak shown and is indicated in red.

Spectrum Time gates the range of time where the FFT is being calculated. Represented by a small graphical rectangle in the time domain view, it can be positioned to provide time correlation with the time domain waveform. Perfect for conducting Mixed Domain Analysis.

Visualizing changes in the RF signal (optional)

RF time domain traces make it easy to understand what’s happening with a time-varying RF signal. There are three RF time domain traces that are derived from the underlying I and Q data of Spectrum View:

• Magnitude – The instantaneous amplitude of the spectrum vs. time.

• Frequency – The instantaneous frequency of the spectrum relative to the center frequency vs. time.

• Phase – The instantaneous phase of the spectrum relative to the center frequency vs. time.

Each of these traces can be turned on and off independently, and all three can be displayed simultaneously.

The data is stored as in-phase and quadrature (I&Q) samples and precise synchronization is maintained between the time domain data and the I&Q data.

When RF vs. Time traces are activated, IQ data can be captured and exported to file for more advanced analysis within third-party applications.

With frequency on the x-axis, time on the y-axis, and power level indicated by variations in color, the Spectrogram display (included with option RFVT) offers enhanced insight into changes in signal amplitude and frequency content over time, allowing you to see where and when changes in spectral activity occur. This makes it ideal for displaying trends in spectral data such as when diagnosing complex spurious, frequency hopping, multi-channel, and dynamic signals.

Spectrogram benefits include:

• Ability to view all spectrum activity in a given span and acquisition immediately, without having to specify FFT overlap or Spectrum Time

• Quickly compare spectrum at different moments in time using time-correlated cursors and up to three overlaid spectrum traces

• Pinch and zoom in on spectral activity of interest with display resolution and FFT overlap automatically optimized

• Adjust center frequency, span, RBW, and amplitude color-scaling as needed to view all signals of interest

• Simultaneously view trends in multi-channel or non-contiguous spectrum by activating spectrograms on each available oscilloscope channel and independently setting center frequency and amplitude scaling

  

Notice that the Spectrum Time is positioned during a transition from the lowest frequency to the middlefrequency, so the energy is spread across a number of frequencies. With the frequency vs. time trace, you can easily see the different frequency hops, simplifying characterization of how the device switches between frequencies.

Triggering on changes in the RF signal (optional)

Whether you need to find the source of electromagnetic interference or understand the behavior of a VCO, hardware triggers for RF versus time make it easy to isolate, capture, and understand the RF signal behavior. Trigger on edges, pulse widths, and timeout behavior of RF magnitude vs. time and RF frequency vs. time.

Power analysis (optional)

The 4 Series B MSO has also integrated the optional power analysis package into the oscilloscope automatic measurement system to enable quick and repeatable analysis of power quality, input capacitance, inrush current, harmonics, switching loss, safe operating area (SOA), modulation, ripple, efficiency, amplitude and timing measurements, and slew rate (dv/dt and di/dt).

Measurement automation optimizes the measurement quality and repeatability at the touch of a button, without the need for an external PC or complex software setup.

An optional advanced power analysis package provides all the measurements delivered by power analysis package plus Magnetic measurements, Control Loop Response (Bode Plot), and Power Supply Rejection Ratio (PSRR). See the ordering information section for more information.

Three-phase electrical analysis (optional)

Measurements and analysis of the three-phase power systems are inherently more complex than on the single-phase systems. Although oscilloscopes can capture voltage and current waveforms with high sample rates, further calculations are required to generate the key power measurements from the data. The oscilloscope based three-phase solution captures the three-phase voltage and current waveforms with the higher sample rates and longer record lengths using the High Res acquisition mode up to 16-bits. Also, the three-phase solution generates the key power test results with the support of automated measurements. The power converters based on the Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) can complicate measurements since it is very important to extract precise zero crossings for the PWM signals, thus making an oscilloscope a recommended test tool for validation and troubleshooting for designers.

The software is designed specially to automate the power analysis that simplifies the important three-phase power measurements on the PWM systems and helps the engineers to get faster insights into their designs. The three-phase analysis solution from Tektronix helps the engineer's design better and more efficient three-phase systems, taking full advantage of the advanced user interface, six analog input channels, and High Res mode (16 bits) on the instrument. The solution provides fast, accurate, and repeatable results for the supported electrical measurements. It can also be configured to measure DC to three-phase AC converters, such as those used in the electric vehicles.

The harmonics plot indicates passing harmonics test results. Each set of bars contains results for phases A, B, and C for easy correlation. The set of green bars indicate a pass and the red bars indicate a fail.

Key features and specifications:

• Accurately analyze three-phase PWM signals.

• Unique oscilloscope-based phasor diagrams indicate the VRMS, IRMS, VMAG, IMAG, and phase relationships at a glance for the configured wiring pairs.

• Debug the three-phase designs by viewing the drive input / output voltage and current signals in the time domain simultaneously with the phasor diagram.

• The Three-phase Autoset feature configures the oscilloscope for the optimal horizontal, vertical, trigger, and acquisition parameters for acquiring three-phase signals.

• Measures three-phase harmonics as per the IEEE-519 standard or using custom limits.

• Quickly add and configure measurements through the intuitive drag and drop interface on the 4 Series B MSO.

• Analyze Inverter and automotive three-phase designs for DC-AC topology.

• Displays the PWM filtered edge qualifier waveform during the analysis

• Displays the test results per record, or per cycle mode during analysis for specific measurements.

• Supports Time trend and Acquisition trend plots for specific measurements.

• Supports mathematical conversion of Line-to-Line to Line-to-Neutral for specific wirings.

Measurement overview

The three-phase analysis on the 4 Series B MSO automates key electrical measurements which are grouped into three categories:

• Input analysis

• Output analysis

• Ripple analysis

Each of these sections includes key measurements that are critical to the three-phase applications.

Wide Bandgap Double Pulse Test (optional)

The Wide Bandgap Double Pulse Test application offers precise Wide Bandgap measurements that make device and the system validation easier. It has an ability to test SiC or GaN devices and also Si MOSFET and IGBTs. The application is compatible with all the Tektronix VPI probes and when used with the Tektronix IsoVu™ probes, it helps uncover all the hidden artifacts of SiC or GaN devices at the circuit level. The application offers automated measurements as per the JEDEC and IEC standards. It offers unique features such as per-cycle analysis with annotation, flexibility with custom reference level settings, configurable integration points, and power preset that can be set based on the DUT designs.

Following measurements are performed:

• Low side switching parameters and High side diode reverse recovery measurements

• Low side and High-side switching parameters

• RDS(on) Dynamic Resistance

• Parallel topology analysis

The image shows diode reverse recovery measurements with reverse recovery current and voltage captured on the high-side.

Connectivity

The 4 Series B MSO contains a number of ports which you can use to connect the instrument to a network, directly to a PC, or to other test equipment.

Three USB 2.0 ports on the front and two more USB 3.1 host ports on the rear panel enable easy transfer of screenshots, instrument settings, and waveform data to a USB mass storage device. A USB mouse and keyboard can also be attached to USB host ports for instrument control and data entry.

• The rear panel USB Device port is useful for controlling the oscilloscope remotely from a PC.

• The standard 10/100/1000BASE-T Ethernet port on the rear of the instrument enables easy connection to networks and provides LXI Core 2023 compatibility.

• The HDMI port on the rear of the instrument let you duplicate the instrument display on an external monitor or projector with 1,920 x 1,080 resolution.

Remote operation to improve collaboration

Want to collaborate with a design team on the other side of the world?

Simply enter the IP address or network name of the oscilloscope and a web page will be served to the browser. Control the oscilloscope remotely in the exact same way that you do in-person using the built-in touchscreen.

The industry-standard TekVISA™ protocol interface is included for using and enhancing Windows applications for data analysis and documentation. IVI-COM instrument drivers are included to enable easy communication with the oscilloscope using LAN or USBTMC connections from an external PC.

PC-based analysis and remote connection to your oscilloscope

Get the analysis capability of an award-winning oscilloscope on your PC. Analyze waveforms anywhere, anytime. The basic license lets you view and analyze waveforms, perform many types of measurements and decode the most common serial buses - all while remotely accessing your oscilloscope. Advanced license options add capabilities such as multi-scope analysis, more serial bus decoding options, and power measurements.

TekScope PC analysis software runs on a Windows computer with the same award-winning user experience as the 4, 5, and 6 Series MSOs.

Key features of the TekScope PC analysis software include:

• Connect to the instrument remotely and enable low-latency waveform updates using high-speed TekHSI data transfers.

• Share the data remotely with your colleagues so that they can perform analysis and make measurements as if they were sitting in front of the oscilloscope

• Synchronize waveforms from the multiple oscilloscopes in real-time

• Perform advanced analysis even if your oscilloscope is not equipped with TekScope PC analysis software

• Recall Tektronix oscilloscope sessions and waveform files from the equipment made by Tektronix and other vendors.

• Waveform file formats supported include .wfm, .isf, .csv, .h5, .tr0, .trc, and .bin

TekDrive collaborative test and measurement workspace

Using TekDrive, you can upload, store, organize, search, download, and share any file type from any connected device. TekDrive is natively integrated into the instrument for seamless sharing and recalling of files - no USB stick is required. Analyze and explore standard files like .wfm, .isf, .tss, and .csv, directly in a browser with smooth interactive waveform viewers. TekDrive is purpose built for integration, automation, and security.

TekDrive collaborative workspace - save files directly from your instrument and share across your team.

Arbitrary Function Generator (AFG)

The instrument contains an optional integrated arbitrary/function generator, perfect for simulating sensor signals within a design or adding noise to signals to perform margin testing. The integrated function generator provides output of predefined waveforms up to 50 MHz for sine, square, pulse, ramp/triangle, DC, noise, sin(x)/x (Sinc), Gaussian, Lorentz, exponential rise/fall, Haversine, and cardiac. The AFG can load waveform records up to 128 k points in size from an internal file location or a USB mass storage device.

The AFG feature is compatible with Tektronix's ArbExpress PC-based waveform creation and editing software, making creation of complex waveforms fast and easy.

Digital Voltmeter (DVM) and Trigger Frequency Counter

The instrument contains an integrated 4-digit digital voltmeter (DVM) and 8-digit Trigger Frequency Counter. Any of the analog inputs can be a source for the voltmeter, using the same probes that are already attached for general oscilloscope usage. The Trigger Frequency Counter provides a very precise readout of the frequency of the trigger event on which you’re triggering.

Both the DVM and Trigger Frequency Counter are available for free and are activated when you register your product.

Built-in security controls

The 4 Series B MSO provides you with the option to protect company data through the Security menu. This includes the option to restrict access to the instrument by password-protecting remote network access, I/O ports, and firmware updates to ensure the security of the data. By default, the oscilloscope disables remote access on initial use and gives you the options to enable remote access with or without a password.

To clear user data, run TekSecure from the menu.

Help when you need it

Several helpful resources are included so you can get your questions answered rapidly without having to find a manual or go to a website:

• Graphical images and explanatory text are used in numerous menus to provide quick feature overviews.

• All menus include a question mark icon in the upper right that takes you directly to the portion of the integrated help system that applies to that menu.

• A short user interface tutorial is included in the Help menu for new users to come up to speed on the instrument in a matter of a few minutes.

Integrated help answers your questions rapidly without having to find a manual or go to the internet.