Tektronix New 3/4-Series Scope (June 4th!)

[EEVblog]

Hires pics

[EEVblog]

more pics

[maginnovision]

Yep... Boring. Actually... Maybe they think nobody realized the MSO5 came out so they're using this as a do over?

[EEVblog]

last pic

[EEVblog]

Those pics are not public yet BTW, I URL hacked it, I literally hacked the Russians!

[tv84]

Tektronix MDO32 3-BW-100 -   2.153,90 €
Tektronix MDO32 3-BW-200 -   4.248,30 €
Tektronix MDO32 3-BW-350 -   5.069,40 €
Tektronix MDO32 3-BW-500 -   8.829,80 €
Tektronix MDO32 3-BW-1000 - 11.245,50 €
-----------------------------------------------
Tektronix MDO34 3-BW-100 -                 €  - $4,600.00 (Newark)
Tektronix MDO34 3-BW-200 -   5.069,40 €  - $5,150.00
Tektronix MDO34 3-BW-350 -   5.676,30 €  - $9,600.00
Tektronix MDO34 3-BW-500 -  10.591,00 € - $12,900.00
Tektronix MDO34 3-BW-1000 - 14.280,00 € - $16,000.00
-----------------------------------------------
Tektronix MSO44 4-BW-200 -                 €  - $7,550.00  (Newark)
Tektronix MSO44 4-BW-350 -   8.556,10 €  - $11,750.00
Tektronix MSO44 4-BW-500 -  13.328,00 € - $15,500.00
Tektronix MSO44 4-BW-1000 - 17.612,00 € - $19,100.00
Tektronix MSO44 4-BW-1500 - 21.658,00 € - $24,000.00
-----------------------------------------------
Tektronix MSO46 4-BW-200 -                  €
Tektronix MSO46 4-BW-350 -  11.447,80 €
Tektronix MSO46 4-BW-500 -  16.065,00 €
Tektronix MSO46 4-BW-1000 - 21.301,00 €
Tektronix MSO46 4-BW-1500 - 21.658,00 €

(includes taxes)

MDO3: Bandwidth upgrades up to 500 MHz can be performed in the field, while upgrades to 1 GHz require installation at a Tektronix service center.

Tektronix MDO3 Datasheet
Tektronix MSO4 Datasheet
Tektronix MSO5 Datasheet
Tektronix MSO6 Datasheet

[snoopy]

First pic of the new 4 series MSO
Uses the new Flexprobe interface, so you have to sacrifice analog channels for digital.
Not so on the new Series 3 MDO, that has a separate digital input and older probe interface.

It's probably not as bad as you think it is. Most of the times when you are looking at digital signals you are most likely not interested in analog and vice versa, or if you are then it is probably only one or two analog signals. A generally speaking most of the digital work is going to be done looking at a few digital lines such as serial protocols etc

On the flip-side if you need the 6 channels of analog how many scopes have 6 channels ?

But the MDO3 seems to be a rebadge of the MDO3000 hopefully with some improvements

cheers

[Hydrawerk]

Is there going to be a replacement for DPO2000B from year 2008??
Oh, I do not mind the strange TBS2000. https://www.tek.com/oscilloscope/tbs2000-basic-oscilloscope
Is it made by Owon or what?

[Eric_S]

First pic of the new 4 series MSO
Uses the new Flexprobe interface, so you have to sacrifice analog channels for digital.
Not so on the new Series 3 MDO, that has a separate digital input and older probe interface.

It's probably not as bad as you think it is. Most of the times when you are looking at digital signals you are most likely not interested in analog and vice versa, or if you are then it is probably only one or two analog signals. A generally speaking most of the digital work is going to be done looking at a few digital lines such as serial protocols etc

On the flip-side if you need the 6 channels of analog how many scopes have 6 channels ?

But the MDO3 seems to be a rebadge of the MDO3000 hopefully with some improvements

cheers

Hopefully the 3-series is a repackaging of the 4000 of yore.

Using the RF on the current 3000 is ... interesting.

[EEVblog]

The 4 Series will only have 100wfs updating in normal mode 
You need the use the FastACQ mode to get the 500kwfs update.
The new 3 series is quicker with 50kwfs in normal mode 

[EEVblog]

But the MDO3 seems to be a rebadge of the MDO3000 hopefully with some improvements

Apart from the bigger screen and new "Series" UI, it's the same hardware specs. Maybe a faster processor to make it less sluggish?

[2N3055]

But the MDO3 seems to be a rebadge of the MDO3000 hopefully with some improvements

Apart from the bigger screen and new "Series" UI, it's the same hardware specs. Maybe a faster processor to make it less sluggish?

Except new case, screen, and  what is new about that, all other specs for "scope parts" is exactly the same, 10MPoints, sample rates, RF input. No segmented memory.
I think you're right.

[EEVblog]

But the MDO3 seems to be a rebadge of the MDO3000 hopefully with some improvements

Apart from the bigger screen and new "Series" UI, it's the same hardware specs. Maybe a faster processor to make it less sluggish?

Except new case, screen, and  what is new about that, all other specs for "scope parts" is exactly the same, 10MPoints, sample rates, RF input. No segmented memory.

Correct, no segmented memory also.
Nothing has changed in terms of specs.

[salvagedcircuitry]

Chatted with Tektronix sales today about bandwidth upgrades for the 3 and 4 series. The 4 series scope is purely software upgradable. This is going to be a honey pot if someone "unlocks" this thing in the future 

3 series needs a hardware upgrade for the 1ghz model.

[JxR]

The 4 series scope is purely software upgradable. This is going to be a honey pot if someone "unlocks" this thing in the future 

Well, $7500 for low end model is hardly an easy price of entry just to try and hack a scope.  Even if it could be done, the price alone would exclude most hobbyist from considering it.  Only way I'm going to get one of these scopes I expect is if I win a contest, and to be honest I don't particular feel like paying the taxes on a $13k scope atm if I did win.

[salvagedcircuitry]

Well, $7500 for low end model is hardly an easy price of entry just to try and hack a scope.  Even if it could be done, the price alone would exclude most hobbyist from considering it.  Only way I'm going to get one of these scopes I expect is if I win a contest, and to be honest I don't particular feel like paying the taxes on a $13k scope atm if I did win.

Wow. I didn't realize the 200mhz 4 channel entry price was that high. The 200mhz 6 channel is ~10k. never mind  .

[r0d3z1]

Chatted with Tektronix sales today about bandwidth upgrades for the 3 and 4 series. The 4 series scope is purely software upgradable. This is going to be a honey pot if someone "unlocks" this thing in the future 

3 series needs a hardware upgrade for the 1ghz model.

any news about this new scopes series ? someone is using them ?

[bohr2004]

any news about this new scopes series ? someone is using them ?

I have a 4-series on my desk.  What do you want to know?

[tautech]

any news about this new scopes series ? someone is using them ?

I have a 4-series on my desk.  What do you want to know?

Welcome to the forum.

We all want to know EVERYTHING !
Including previous scope experience on which to base your comments on. 

[PixieDust]

At every fair i've been on since the launch of the 5 series i've been bitching that they need to throw away everything they have -starting from the TPS- and replace them with a new scope using ONE or TWO of their new asics.
One asic has 4 ADCs inside and exposes 4 ADC inputs. For god's sake get a clue and do what every single competitor is doing, accessible scopes for the engineers of the future and small businesses

every time i was told to wait and see in the next six month *wink wink*
let's see.

Can anyone elaborate?

[EEVblog]

At every fair i've been on since the launch of the 5 series i've been bitching that they need to throw away everything they have -starting from the TPS- and replace them with a new scope using ONE or TWO of their new asics.
One asic has 4 ADCs inside and exposes 4 ADC inputs. For god's sake get a clue and do what every single competitor is doing, accessible scopes for the engineers of the future and small businesses

every time i was told to wait and see in the next six month *wink wink*
let's see.

Can anyone elaborate?

This post is from 2019.

[PixieDust]

This post is from 2019.

Yes I know, I was trying to figure out what Tektronix was/is doing that people find less than optimal.

[JPortici]

At every fair i've been on since the launch of the 5 series i've been bitching that they need to throw away everything they have -starting from the TPS- and replace them with a new scope using ONE or TWO of their new asics.
One asic has 4 ADCs inside and exposes 4 ADC inputs. For god's sake get a clue and do what every single competitor is doing, accessible scopes for the engineers of the future and small businesses

every time i was told to wait and see in the next six month *wink wink*
let's see.

Can anyone elaborate?

Yes: The Tektronix TPS series is one of the very few truly isolated scopes on the market. This is different than floating the scope (or the DUT) because in a regular scope all grounds are tied together, that opens up to niche applications such as
- Monitoring several circuits that ARE floating at the same time, such as primary and secondary in a power supply, or fuel injectors
- Monitoring differential busses as single ended
- Monitoring different parts of a circuit using a different reference point, for example using one channel to measure the current sense resistor directly at its two terminals

And all at full bandwidth, things you can do with differential probes as well, of course, but you have to drop big ones for each probe if you want both high bandwidth and low CMRR

The problem with the Tek TPS is that it is a very old architecture, over the 15-20 years it has been on the market it has been updated only once, just to remove the CF slot and give an usb port for saving screenshots.
At its heart it still uses the very old asic with 2.5kS memory per channel, it is a very expensive, very limited scope, but it still is one of the best tools for the job.
Tektronix has been updating all the lineup, minus the TPS series so that is why i started asking at every fair i went if they had the plan to.

After all they had this new ASIC that would do everything, couldn't they come up with isolated front ends for this one as well? (IIRC the TPS has the analog signal going into an optic modulator, which is demodulated on the board and then fed to the ADC, that's why it is so noisy)

"confidential" answer was that there was something coming out in 6 months, every time.
Once it was the new isolated probes. Works of art but ludicrously expensive
Then the 3/4 series, no isolated version
Then the 2 series, it retains the battery power and has a very interesting form factor. Love it, would get one or two immediately. IF ONLY it has isolated channels.

Alas, Siglent came out with a 2 channel scope with 2 isolated channels, however they are only two. We usually need at least three

[David Hess]

Alas, Siglent came out with a 2 channel scope with 2 isolated channels, however they are only two. We usually need at least three

I have seen some oscilloscopes with isolated channels where the external trigger channel was also isolated, as it should be.

[JPortici]

Three ANALOG channels