Digital Real-Time™ Oscilloscopes

Features & Benefits

• 100 MHz, 200 MHz, 400 MHz Bandwidths
• 500 MS/s, 1 GS/s, 2 GS/s Sampling Rates
• Two Input Channels
• Built-In 3.5 in. Floppy Disk Drive
• 2 mV/div to 10 V/div
• AutoSetup
• Accumulate Display Modes
• 2% Vertical Accuracy
• 1K Record Length
• Roll Mode
• 21 Automatic Measurements
• FFT Analysis
• 10 ns Peak Detect for High-speed Glitch Capture
• Option 14 for GPIB, RS-232-C Programmability, Parallel Printer Interface, & VGA Monitor Output

Tektronix Digital Real-Time

With the TDS300 Series, Tektronix redefines the low-cost digital oscilloscope. No other digital scope offers as much bandwidth and sample rate for the price. By simultaneously sampling at up to five times their bandwidth on both channels, the TDS300 Series assures you of true acquisitions, minimizing aliasing or other digital sampling effects. Unlike other DSOs, the TDS300 Series easily gathers enough samples to display waveforms accurately at their full bandwidth. These are the only scopes in their class to reliably acquire high speed transient or single-shot events to their full bandwidth.

Many low-cost DSOs offer only dot displays, which can be hard to interpret, especially for those accustomed to analog oscilloscopes. The TDS300 Series has Dot, Dot Accumulate, Vector, and Vector Accumulate displays. The Accumulate display modes gather multiple waveforms for a user-defined time (500 ms to infinity), after which the screen is erased. Vector Accumulate mode uses bright vectors to superimpose the current acquisition over the accumulated waveforms. The display is erased at the user-defined time or when the acquisition setting is changed. These modes are useful for doing worst case analysis or signal monitoring. Long term monitoring is easily accomplished by setting the erase time to infinity.

Oversampling Minimizes Aliasing

All of the TDS300 scopes sample at five times their bandwidth, assuring users of accurate real-time acquisition up to the full bandwidth of the scope, even for single-shot events. This is well beyond the theoretical two samples per period necessary for a DSO to acquire a true signal. If a DSO cannot sample at least twice as fast as the highest frequency component, aliasing occurs and the scope displays a waveform with a lower frequency than that of the actual input signal. The TDS300 Series' high degree of oversampling not only minimizes aliasing, it also provides a higher resolution waveform.

Acquisition Power

With edge triggering and basic video triggering as standard features, the TDS300 Series can capture the waveforms that designers and service technicians must see.

In addition to 21 automatic waveform measurements, these scopes have four acquisition modes. Sample mode provides real-time sampling at the highest throughput rate. At slower sweep speeds, Peak Detect indicates if there is higher frequency information buried in a waveform, warning the user to increase the sweep speed to avoid aliasing. Envelope mode, by including the highest and lowest points over many acquisitions, shows variations in the signal over time. From several acquisitions, Average mode calculates an average value for each waveform point, reducing apparent noise in repetitive signals.

Analog Simplicity, Digital Productivity

By balancing the use of on-screen menus with dedicated buttons and knobs, the user-friendly TDS interface retains traditional analog simplicity yet gives quick access to the wide range of digital functions. Frequently used functions, like position and trigger level, are controlled directly with buttons and knobs; secondary functions are menu-driven, eliminating the profusion of buttons found on most low-cost scopes.

The modern graphical user interface dramatically reduces learning time, appealing to users regardless of their digital scope experience. The interface simplifies scope operation without limiting the instrument's capabilities.

3.5-in. Floppy Disk Drive

All three models include a 3.5-inch, DOS-compatible floppy disk drive. Simply save screen images or data to disk, then insert the disk into your PC for importing to desktop publishing or spread sheet programs.

Advanced Math Signal Processing/FFT

Waveform functions are extended through the addition of "live" FFT analysis of waveforms. This added function makes the TDS300 Series ideal for research and analysis applications, such as power supply design and mechanical analysis where power line harmonic distortion and resonance are critical measurements.

Communications and Printing

Option 14, the communications option, includes GPIB and RS-232-C interfaces, VGA monitor output, and a Centronics-type parallel printer port. With this option one can control the scope from a remote computer for automated testing or waveform and measurement data exchange.

Interleaf (.img), TIF, PCX, BMP, and EPS file formats allow screen captures to be placed directly into desktop published documents. Or, at the push of a button, the scope display can be output directly to a variety of compatible printers.

For service, education, and design work, the TDS300 Series is without peer among low-cost DSOs.

WaveStar™ Software

WaveStar™ Software is a Windows 95/NT™ application bringing Tektronix oscilloscope measurement information to your PC desktop. WaveStar's familiar Windows 95/NT features, such as drag and drop, provide the user a quick and simple means for inserting important instrument information into other Microsoft Office™ or Windows™ compatible applications. WaveStar software allows users to easily capture, analyze, and record instrument data, as well as professionally create, save, and print documents. WaveStar also enables remote access and control of multiple Tektronix instruments from a PC, without the need for programming.

WaveStar FOR OSCILLOSCOPES (WSTRO) Characteristics

Instrument Interface Support - GPIB or RS-232 interfaces with Full Talk-Listen modes

Windows Clipboard - Drag and drop, or copy/paste through Windows common clipboard, to compatible Microsoft Office Applications

Printer Plotter Support - Uses standard Windows printer drivers

Waveform Export Format - Microsoft® Excel 6.0 compatible

Computer Configuration

Requirements -

Type: IBM PC-Compatible

Operating systems: Win95 or Win NT

CD-ROM Drive: 4x or better

Monitor: Super VGA

Recommendations -

Processor: Pentium, 100 MHz

Ram: 16 M

Instrument Interface Card -

GPIB: National Instruments IEEE-488 Interface Card

RS-232: One free RS-232 port

Ethernet 10 Base T interface Card (Inquire about AD007, GPIB to LAN adapter)