25 February 2009
Guido Wolf, marketing manager, EMEA region, LeCroy
Guido Wolf, LeCroy's marketing manager, EMEA region speaks with Chris Shaw
CS: What are the limitations of digital oscilloscopes in terms of serial data analysis?
GW: The main limitations for oscilloscopes are the sufficient bandwidth and sample rate – as serial standards require a certain bandwidth to acquire the signal –, the right memory length which can be fully used for signal analysis – some oscilloscopes have very long memory but only a small part can actually be used for analysis –, measurement speed and responsiveness – it is very disappointing for the engineer to sit for half an hour in front of his oscilloscope in order to get the result of a serial measurement. As signal speeds and data rates have increased into the microwave frequency range, engineers have had to face new challenges with signal integrity measurements. Here virtual probing and the performance of equalized systems come into place.
CS: How has LeCroy addressed these?
GW: The oscilloscope in the new LeCroy 7 Zi (1.5 GHz to 6 GHz) and 8 Zi (4 GHz to 30 GHz) series provide a total solution for serial data analysis.
The oscilloscopes provide help understanding and characterizing the design, proving compliance and understanding why a device or host fails compliance. The Quad Summary View of the SDA II software always shows the eye, TIE, bathtub curve and jitter histogram. No other Serial Data Analyzer lets you see the simultaneous interaction and real-time changes in all four views. The X-Stream II Architecture provides fast updates and the fastest eye interpretation. Combined with up to 512 Mpts record lengths and more complete jitter decomposition tools, SDA II provides the fastest and most complete understanding of why serial data fails a compliance test.
Whether debugging eye pattern or other compliance test failures, the Zi Series rapidly isolates the source of the problem in your design. Advanced jitter decomposition methodologies and tools provide more information about root cause. Eye Doctor II Advanced Signal Integrity Tools provide more measurement precision through the use of de-embedding and emulation of cables, fixtures, emphasis, serial data channels, and receivers. All jitter decomposition analysis functions can be zoomed and time correlated
to specific serial data or other events, making root cause determination faster and easier.
CS: What were the prime concerns that drove LeCroy to develop the Wavemaster 830 Zi?
GW: Besides the banner specs LeCroy wanted to set new standards in processing speed, responsiveness and analysis capabilities.
Emerging new serial standard require a certain bandwidth to develop devices and to do compliance testing. For PCI Express 3.0 20 GHz are the minimum you need in order to acquire the signal.
Other applications like High Energy Physics, chip development and research at Universities requested higher bandwidths than what was previously available in the market.
As the WaveMaster product platform is identical from 4 GHz to 30 GHz it is simple to upgrade a unit when a higher bandwidth is required at a later stage.
CS: What were the prime concerns that drove LeCroy to develop the Wavemaster 830 Zi?
GW: Besides the banner specs LeCroy wanted to set new standards in processing speed, responsiveness and analysis capabilities.
Emerging new serial standard require a certain bandwidth to develop devices and to do compliance testing. For PCI Express 3.0 20 GHz are the minimum you need in order to acquire the signal.
Other applications like High Energy Physics, chip development and research at Universities requested higher bandwidths than what was previously available in the market.
As the WaveMaster product platform is identical from 4 GHz to 30 GHz it is simple to upgrade a unit when a higher bandwidth is required at a later stage.
CS: How important is service and support for LeCroy and what special support can you offer design engineers?
GW: LeCroy is committed to setting the standard for expert test and measurement solutions backed by dedicated customer service for the life of your product and very capable application support engineers. LeCroy provides 3 years warranty for all oscilloscope and 7 year long term product repair support after a product has been discontinued – both industry leading numbers.
LeCroy has designed the new Zi Series as a single hardware platform, supporting all models spanning from 4 to 30 GHz of bandwidth. This means engineers can leverage their investment and stay current with emerging high speed technologies and serial data standards by purchasing only the bandwidth needed for current designs, and upgrading to additional bandwidth as needs change. This is an especially attractive feature in lean economic times, particularly with upgrades available to 30 GHz of bandwidth, as companies seek to minimize capital investments.
CS: What are the advantages of Eye Doctor?
GW: LeCroy’s Eye Doctor II is a complete set of tools that adds precision to signal integrity measurements by permitting de-embedding and emulation (emphasis, serial data channel, or receiver equalization) on full record lengths (up to 512 Mpts). By using Eye Doctor II, the engineer can eliminate the impact of unwanted devices, and design margin is recaptured. Eye Doctor II uses industry-standard S-parameter measurements and Touchstone files that are easily uploaded into Eye Doctor II. All basic capability is easily accessible a streamlined, simple user interface. More advanced capability is accessible in through the Processing Web Editor. The complete LeCroy analysis toolbox, such as parameters, math functions, jitter tracks, histograms, eye diagrams, etc., may be further applied to any Eye Doctor II processed signal.
CS: What does 2009 hold for LeCroy’s technologies?
GW: In 2009 LeCroy has already launched two very important product series. In January 09 the 8 Zi platform was launched with oscilloscopes ranging from 4 GHz to 30 GHz analog bandwidth. In February the next generation WaveRunner was brought to market (400 MHz to 2 GHz), which is the most successful product series for LeCroy. Both models share the very fast X-Stream II architecture and important features for signal analysis like TriggerScan.
Within the next 3-4 months a couple of more new products series will be ready. Within 12 months LeCroy then will have replaced its entire range of oscilloscope with next generation models, a process which normally takes a couple of years. This proves how dedicated LeCroy is to the oscilloscope market.
Author
Chris Shaw
Supporting Information
Websites
http://www.lecroy.com
Companies
LeCroy Europe GmbH
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