Uncover Glitches with FastAcq on the 2 Series MSO
With a capture rate of over four million waveforms per second, you’ll see blinks of glitches, catch the slightest jitter, and find the rarest faults. Even when these anomalies are hidden so well between clock edges and protocol pulses, a high capture rate will keep you from flying blind. In this blog, we’ll explore how the new FastAcq feature on the 2 Series MSO can enhance your debugging experience with faster, deeper insights.
FastAcq Quickly Identifies Sources of Problems
The Tektronix 2 Series MSO oscilloscope continues to redefine expectations in its class. With every update, we deliver powerful new capabilities—like the latest FastAcq™ technology—designed to accelerate your debugging workflow. And the best part? These enhancements come standard, with no additional cost to you. It’s our commitment to delivering ongoing value and performance, so you can focus on what matters most: solving problems faster.
The new FastAcq feature quickly and accurately identifies faults, enabling you to use advanced trigger modes to isolate the source of problems and accelerate the debugging process. When your oscilloscope is in FastAcq mode, you’ll boost the capture rate to speeds of over four million waveforms per second. This higher waveform update rate increases the chances of visualizing rare anomalies that would be missed at lower rates. This is crucial for fast fault detection, reliable capture of elusive events, and maintaining high signal fidelity—key requirements in modern electronics testing and debugging.
FastAcq also maintains a high capture rate over extended periods, not just short bursts. Even if an issue shows up occasionally, FastAcq gives you a much better chance of catching it without needing to restart or adjust your setup. With this much insight, you’ll quickly and precisely know where to focus your debugging.
Color Grading Makes Anomalies Easy to Spot
Tektronix's award-winning oscilloscope user interface, TekScope, makes it easy to visually spot rare events right on your oscilloscope screen. As your oscilloscope maintains a fast capture rate, you’ll see the color intensity grading unveil anomalies in your signal. Frequent signal behaviors appear in brighter colors, while rare or infrequent events stand out in dimmer shades—making it visually obvious when something unexpected is happening. Once anomalies are spotted, you can easily use the touchscreen display to set triggers, search for events, make measurements, and more.
Figure 1. Color intensity grading makes anomalies easy to spot.
How to Use FastAcq on the 2 Series MSO
- Update oscilloscope firmware to version 2.14 for later.
- Connect the oscilloscope to the device under test (DUT) using probes.
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Double tap to open the Horizontal badge on the bottom right of the display.
Figure 2. Horizontal badge on the bottom right of the display can be used to adjust horizontal settings.
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Under HORIZONTAL SETTINGS, turn on FastAcq.
Figure 3. Horizontal settings enable user to turn FastAcq on and off.
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Use the FastAcq Palette drop down to select desired color palette. The default option is Temperature.
Figure 4. FastAcq Palette in horizontal settings can be used to adjust color palette for color gradient when FastAcq is enabled.
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When FastAcq is enabled, it is indicated on the top of the display.
Figure 5. Upper right corner of scope display indicates when FastAcq is turned on.
Get FastAcq Today
FastAcq gives you the power to detect, isolate, and resolve issues. Whether you're chasing down sporadic anomalies or fine-tuning device performance, FastAcq makes it quick and easy—so you can focus on fixing problems, not finding them.
FastAcq is just one of the many ways Tektronix is helping you work smarter and faster at no additional cost. Through regular firmware releases, you’ll not only get powerful new features like FastAcq, but also ensure your instrument stays secure, reliable, and ready for whatever comes next. Upgrade your firmware today to get even more out of your 2 Series MSO.