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Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: blueskull on October 08, 2015, 02:19:24 am

Title: High end USB test gears recommendation
Post by: blueskull on October 08, 2015, 02:19:24 am

Hi folks,

I'm here looking for a set of high end testing gears. I'm a power engineer dealing with 10+MHz next generation power modules (I do a lot of other things, but I design power converters for a living). I need something to:
a. Align phases (measure delay in tens or a hundred ps resolution).
b. Measure sub ns rising/falling edge.
c. Do pre compliance EMI testing on devices I built.
d. Measure voltage on shunt resistors, in a range of tens of millivolts.

For the above 3 tasks, what tool do I need? For what I can see, a o'scope with ETS up to 20Gsps, a 4GHz+ spectrometer with antennas/LISN and a precision DVM?

Since I am paying for my own tools, I own them, so I want to use them at work AND at home, therefore USB virtual equipments are VERY preferred. Hand held devices with a small LCD are also okay, but I still prefer to use USB since I can easily record, capture and automate my work flow.

Are there any recommended model numbers? My budget is not very tight, but I don't want to blow my all money either. Let's say, $7000 for ALL 3 of them.

Here is my (immature) shipping list:
a. Picoscope PS6404C, I seem not to use AWG at all, so additional $1000 is pure waste.
b. A cheap 4+GHz spectrometer, definitely NOT a RSA306 or any expensive ones.
c. Crappy eBay EM antenna and any open source home built LISN.
d. A DIY DVM. I don't care about safety ratings since it will only be measuring <20V including floating voltage. For higher voltage I have a Fluke 289.

Any recommendations on a different scope, a spectrum analyzer model number, or a pre-built USB DVM?




Thanks,
Bo Gao

Title: Re: High end USB test gears recommendation
Post by: tggzzz on October 08, 2015, 08:12:38 am

For the oscilloscope ETS will be sufficient, ignore the sample/s specification and concentrate on the analogue bandwidth. The Picoscope PS6404C is 500MHz which should have a risetime of 700ns, which will be degraded by a scope probe (if any). Whether that will be able to align phases to tens of ps will depend on the scope, the trigger source and the scope's triggering mechanism.

Be aware that good scope probes are not cheap, nor are good 50ohm terminators/attenuators. If your signal source is not 50ohms, you will probably be able to use "low impedance Z0 probes".