How does a DCA sampling oscilloscope compare to a real-time oscilloscope?
Today's high-end electronics have signaling speeds ranging from a few Gbaud down to over 50 Gbaud. Due to the physical characteristics of semiconductors and other materials, it is difficult for engineers to design products that can operate at the low bit error rate or symbol error rate (BER, SER) required.
While a BER or SER tester can measure the overall digital performance of a channel or link, an oscilloscope can provide greater insight into the signal characteristics of a transmitter, enabling engineers to identify parts of the design that need further improvement. Virtually all high-end oscilloscopes can be divided into two broad categories.
Real-time oscilloscopes and equivalent time or sampling oscilloscopes. The following table shows the main differences between these two types of oscilloscopes.
Today's high-end electronics have signaling speeds ranging from a few Gbaud down to over 50 Gbaud. Due to the physical characteristics of semiconductors and other materials, it is difficult for engineers to design products that can operate at the low bit error rate or symbol error rate (BER, SER) required.
While a BER or SER tester can measure the overall digital performance of a channel or link, an oscilloscope can provide greater insight into the signal characteristics of a transmitter, enabling engineers to identify parts of the design that need further improvement. Virtually all high-end oscilloscopes can be divided into two broad categories.
Real-time oscilloscopes and equivalent time or sampling oscilloscopes. The following table shows the main differences between these two types of oscilloscopes.