The End of Low Precision Oscilloscope Measurements is Here

Wed, 22 Mar 2006 21:44:40 -0700

14-bit, 500MS/s, 250 MHz, 2 Ch
16-bit, 400 MS/s, 250 MHz, 2Ch

ZTEC Instruments, a leading modular instrument design and manufacturing company, is excited to announce the ZT410 family of digital storage oscilloscopes for PXI, PCI, and VXI. Available in both 14 and 16 bit versions, the ZT410 family combines traditional bench top oscilloscope features with high precision measurement capability. The instrument’s low noise, distortion, and drift, provides the dynamic range needed for even the most demanding measurement applications.

Like all ZTEC modular instrument products, the ZT410 family is designed to include capabilities familiar to the bench top oscilloscope user. These capabilities include flexible signal conditioning, advanced triggering, multiple acquisition modes, on-board signal processing, and much more. Even features like auto-setup and auto-calibration are included.

Mask Testing: How to create waveform masks with the ZT450

Tue, 21 Mar 2006 21:58:45 -0700

The purpose of this article is to illustrate not only how to find the waveform masks for a mask test, but also how to load the mask into a ZT450 DSO via the CVI driver and what considerations must be made when doing so.

What is mask testing and why is it useful?
Mask testing is very similar to limit testing but with one major difference; it uses a waveform mask for the upper and lower limits rather than a single value such as a measured pulse width or a peak voltage. Waveform masks allow a user to test the entire shape of a waveform. In other words, if any attribute of the waveform under test is outside of the defined mask, the test will fail. If the signal being tested has even one point that is outside of the mask (upper and lower waveforms) the test will fail. By its design, mask testing is very good for testing frequency, voltage, rise time, fall time, overshoot, etc. Mask testing is generally part of an automated test and may keep statistics on passing waveforms vs. failing waveforms or may stop on the first failure and abort the test. Waveform masks can be found on the internet but there is one caveat. The masks are generally guidelines so the test engineer must create the mask upper and lower waveforms from them.

ZTEC Instruments - December 1, 2005

The End of Low Precision Oscilloscope Measurements is Here

Mask Testing: How to create waveform masks with the ZT450