A recently announced expansion to the PicoScope 9400 series of oscilloscopes from Pico Technology brings a four-channel, 25 GHz bandwidth capability to the company’s unique sampler-extended real-time oscilloscope (SXRTO) technology. SXRTO is designed to offer “the best of both worlds” to engineers, combining the advantages of traditional real-time acquisition and sampling capabilities: The scope can trigger directly on a signal and can also record pre-trigger data, while achieving an extremely high time and amplitude resolution.
Pico said the new PicoScope 9404A-25 features a high-speed internal trigger up to 18 GHz that eliminates the need for an external trigger or clock recovery circuit — making it a versatile and convenient choice for engineers tackling challenging high-speed signal analysis. With a real-time sampling rate of 500 MS/s, the oscilloscope is capable of capturing lower frequency nonrepetitive signals or single-shot events. For higher-speed repetitive signals, it employs random equivalent-time sampling to achieve effective sampling rates of up to 5 TS/s. In both modes, the trigger event can be positioned anywhere in memory, enabling detailed observation of events before and after the trigger — a key feature of advanced real-time oscilloscopes.
An expansion to the PicoScope 9400 Series brings a four-channel, 25 GHz bandwidth capability to SXRTO technology. SourceL Pico Technology Ltd.The PicoScope 9404A-25 is equipped with PicoSample 4 PC software, easing instrument setup and waveform visualization. It provides a wide array of signal integrity measurements, including pulse and timing performance, jitter analysis, RZ & NRZ eye diagrams and communications mask tests compliant with industry standards such as PCIe, GB Ethernet and Serial ATA — all of which adds up to a comprehensive validation toolkit.
Pre-compliance testing for buses such as Ethernet, USB or PCI Express is supported by 175 ready-made mask tests. With the free integrated tool, moreover, new tests for any standard can be created within a few minutes.
For OEM and custom integration, the PicoScope 9404A-25 also supports ActiveX remote control via the Windows COM interface standard, allowing seamless incorporation into user-designed systems. The measurement process used in the lab can be implemented identically in automation, supporting the transfer from lab to production line. Programming examples are provided in VB.NET, MATLAB and LabVIEW, ensuring compatibility with various development environments, including JavaScript and C.
“The new PicoScope 9404A SXRTO is a hybrid instrument, blending high-bandwidth sampling technology with the usability of modern real-time oscilloscopes,” said James Niblock, business development director at Pico Technology. “This technology lowers the barrier for access to high-performance measurement tools, making it ideal for those working on next-generation embedded systems and gigabit communication networks.”
