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Difference between MSO & LA with scope

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JoeBean:
Hi,
Probably a simple and/or dumb question, but what, if anything, is the difference between a mixed signal oscilloscope and a logic analyzer with a built in oscilloscope?   I missed out on a fairly new Agilent MSO for a good price a little while ago, and since then I've seen some Agilent 16xx series LA come up on ebay for cheap and I was just wondering why 2 seemingly similar creatures would have different names.

mikeselectricstuff:

Mostly marketing. The old 16xx HP's were basicallys LA's with scope add-on options, so the user-interface is likely to be more LA-like than a scope - a lot of the old HP scopes had poor user interfaces generally. The MSO name appeared when HP launched the 54645D which was a scope with digital channels and wanted a buzzword to distinguish it. 

Alex:
I would also suspect that the function that is mentioned second is slimmed down.

An MSO will be a better scope than a its logic analyser in the same way there is more pasta in 'pasta with sauce'. lol

JoeBean:
OK, that history helps make sense of it. Thanks.


--- Quote from: Alex on March 08, 2011, 08:42:10 pm ---An MSO will be a better scope than a logic analyser in the same way there is more pasta in 'pasta with sauce'. lol

--- End quote ---

Isn't that always how it is?  Just like Mixed Nuts With [insert expensive nuts] are always 99% peanuts with 2 of the other nuts broke up and hiding in the bottom.  ;D Anyway, didn't mean to get off topic...

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