Abstract: A calibration method for an oversampling acquisition system uses a digital calibration signal that has a period between edges that is unrelated to the period of a sample clock. The calibration signal in input in parallel to a plurality of samplers, each of which is clocked at a different time by a delayed version of the sample clock, to produce a plurality of sequential samples per sample clock period. Edge transitions of the calibration signal are counted that occur between adjacent ones of the samplers, and are accrued over an acquisition period to produce a plurality of edge counts. The edge counts are then processed to produce control signals to adjust the sample clock delay for each sampler so that the time intervals between the sequential samples are essentially uniform.

Abstract: The probe with printed tip consists of a substrate having a plurality of probe tips connected to its end edge, a plurality of test paths, each connected to one of the probe tips and extending along the substrate, and at least one of the test paths including an electrical component adjacent to the test path's probe tip. The electrical component may be a resistor. The probe tips may have a width equal to the thickness of the substrate. The probe tips may consist of a plurality of probe tip layers. The invention also includes a method of probing signals transmitted over target transmission lines on a target board. The disclosure also includes a method of manufacturing the claimed invention.

Abstract: The method of processing waveform data from one or more channels using a test and measurement instrument, such as an oscilloscope, is described in which waveform data is collected from a DUT; defining a context is defined by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having a first user-defined attribute; defining a selection criteria by instructing the instrument to obtain the focus of each waveform datum having both a first user-defined attribute and a second user-defined attribute; and defining an action by instructing the instrument to perform an operation responsive to finding at least one waveform datum having both the first user-defined attribute and the second user-defined attribute.

Abstract: A unique test pattern is used for measuring timing parameters of RGBHV analog video signals. For horizontal timing a horizontal line includes within an active video region left and right portions at a first level and a central portion at a second level, the left, right and central portions having a defined percentage relationship to the number of pixels of the horizontal line within the active video region. Also optionally included are left and right border portions just prior to and just after the left and right portions respectively. Measurements are done in pixels for the horizontal line from a horizontal sync pulse to each transition of the unique test pattern, and the horizontal timing parameters are derived from such measurements.

Abstract: A method for improving performance and flexibility of serial data analysis in test instruments, is independent of data bit rate, encoding scheme or communication protocol embodied in the serial data. The serial data is input to a transmitter section, where it is demultiplexed into a plurality of multi-bit lanes, such as n bits for each of N lanes. The N lanes are then encoded into characters, the encoded N lanes having m bits per lane where m>n. Bit stuffing is used to adjust the data rate and/or to insert qualifiers. The stuffed, encoded N lanes are then multiplexed into N serial lanes, which are output from the transmitter section for input to a receiver section at a data rate that is optimal for the receiver section. In the receiver section the N lanes are deserialized, decoded and input to a word recognizer to generate a trigger event signal.

Abstract: A “no dead time” data acquisition system for a measurement instrument receives a digitized signal representing an electrical signal being monitored and generates from the digitized signal a trigger signal using a fast digital trigger circuit, the trigger signal including all trigger events within the digitized signal. The digitized signal is compressed as desired and delayed by a first-in, first-out (FIFO) buffer for a period of time to assure a predetermined amount of data prior to a first trigger event in the trigger signal. The delayed digitized signal is delivered to a fast rasterizer or drawing engine upon the occurrence of the first trigger event to generate a waveform image. The waveform image is then provided to a display buffer for combination with prior waveforms and/or other graphic inputs from other drawing engines. The contents of the display buffer are provided to a display at a display update rate to show a composite of all waveform images representing the electrical signal.

Abstract: A digital storage oscilloscope having a display screen to display a waveform, and a mask defining compliant and non-compliant regions. A method of operating the oscilloscope includes receiving a signal, processing the signal, and displaying the signal on the screen. Portions of signals occupying the non-compliant region are displayed with a flashing illumination. The flashing illumination may be manually invoked to reveal small and inconspicuous violations.

Abstract: The embodiments herein provide a device, method and a system to for accurate measurement and analysis of signals. The embodiments provided herein reduce distortions in the signal. The system is configured to center the eye by accurately measuring the skew (between the clock and data signal) and the jitter and then, compensating it from asymmetrical eye plot.

Abstract: A filter equalization technique for an analog signal path, such as in an instrument that simultaneously measures a signal over a band of frequencies, uses magnitude measurement data for high frequency bands for which phase-calibrated sources are not readily available. A sinusoidal signal source together with an accurate power meter is used to provide a stepped frequency input over a desired frequency band to the analog signal path with an accurate measured magnitude. The output of the analog signal path is digitized and the resulting frequency magnitudes are computed. Then the resulting power meter results are deducted from the frequency magnitudes measured each time by the instrument to determine the magnitude response of the analog signal path. Using a Hilbert transform the corresponding phase response is determined based on a minimum phase assumption over the desired frequency band. From the magnitude and phase responses an inverse or digital equalization filter may be designed for the analog signal path.

Abstract: A protocol test device has at least two channels which each have a transmit and a receive side, the protocol test device being designed to switch a signal transmitted from a first channel to the receive side of a second channel. A method for determining, by approximation, a transmit time of a data package in the protocol test device includes the following steps: a) transmitting a signal via the transmit side of the first channel, b) forwarding the signal to the receive side of the second channel, and, c) in the receive side of the second channel allocating a time stamp to the signal.

Abstract: Aspects of the present invention are related, in general, to Type-III phase-locked loops. In particular, aspects of the present invention relate to analog Type-III phase-locked loop arrangements comprising at least two signal paths, wherein each signal path may correspond to a bandwidth partition and may be selected by a selector according to a bandwidth parameter value. According to one aspect of the present invention, a first signal path may correspond to a fast loop (wide closed-loop bandwidth), and a second signal path may correspond to a slow loop (narrow closed-loop bandwidth).

Abstract: A method of trace delay error compensation for measurements that are taken remotely from the signal source or receiver of a circuit uses data available from a computer aided design (CAD) tool to characterize electrical connections to an instrument measurement point, such as a connectorless probe, which is remote from the signal source or receiver. Extracted parameters from the CAD data are applied to signals acquired by the probe to adjust the signal timing and/or shape to more accurately represent the signal information timing at the signal source or receiver or other remote location of interest to a user. The corrected signals at the desired location may be displayed by a measurement instrument.

Abstract: A method for automated searching of signal characteristics represented in a bitmap of an RF test and measurement device is provided. The bitmap is populated via sampling of a time-varying signal, where a first signal characteristic is reflected by an X-axis of the bitmap, a second signal characteristic is reflected by a Y-axis of the bitmap, and a third signal characteristic is reflected by a Z-axis of the bitmap. The method includes: selecting a region of the bitmap. The method further includes generating, for the region, a histogram of Z-values of the bitmap versus Y-values of the bitmap, searching the histogram for any portion in the histogram that meets a predetermined search criteria, and identifying a location of the bitmap corresponding to each portion of the histogram that meets the predetermined search criteria.

Abstract: A test and measurement instrument and method of configuring the same is disclosed. The method includes presenting acquired data, where the acquired data includes a plurality of signals; receiving a user input; and defining a sampling characteristic of the test and measurement instrument in response to the user input manipulating the presented acquired data.

Abstract: A method for recovering a clock from a serial data stream for use in producing “eye” diagram measurements includes determining an initial recovered clock from the serial data stream based upon transition edges. Time interval error values are then determined as a function of the transition edges and corresponding initial recovered clock times. Time interval error values are interpolated for initial recovered clock times not associated with transition edges to produce a complete set of time interval error values. The complete set of time interval error values are lowpass filtered to produce a filtered set of time interval error values. The clock for the serial data stream is reconstructed from the filtered set of time interval error values.

Abstract: The slot interposer probe consists of a board with a male edge connector and a female edge connector connected to its opposed edges and circuitry electrically connecting the male edge connector to the female edge connector. The female edge connector may be a straddle-mount connector. The board may have an inner layer sandwiched between two outer layers. There may be a probe having a high-speed buffer connected to a plurality of capacitors, isolation resistors, and vias that intercepts signals carried by transmission lines on the inner layer. The vias may have a length equal to the inner layer's width. The high-speed buffer receives intercepted signals from the vias, copies and amplifies the signals, and drives them through coaxial cables to an acquisition module. The invention also includes a method of intercepting signals between a first electrical device and a second electrical device.

Abstract: A ball-bump bonded ribbon-wire interconnect has a ball-bump attached to an integrated circuit's bond pad. A ribbon-wire has one end attached to the ball-bump and its opposing end attached to a substrate's metallized surface. The ribbon-wire may be wider than the ball-bump, and the ball-bump may separate the ribbon-wire from the integrated circuit's surface. The ribbon-wire may interconnect multiple integrated circuits, each of which has a ball-bump or a suitably wide metallized surface, to a substrate's metallized surface. The present invention also includes a method of electrically connecting an electronic component to a substrate.

Abstract: A frequency hopping pattern of a frequency hopping signal is detected by use of spectrogram-generating software in a digital storage oscilloscope. By using a spectrogram, a hopping pattern can be determined without having to demodulate the signal, recover the phase or frequency of the carrier, determine optimal sample timing, or determine system timing. A block of data that contains at least one repetition of the hopping pattern in analyzed with respect to known hopping patterns as well as with respect to the duration in time of the relevant symbols of that data.

Abstract: A switching apparatus has a conductive housing forming a chamber. The housing has an aperture enabling communication between the chamber and a housing exterior. A rod extends through the aperture, and has a first end within the chamber, and an opposed second end outside the chamber. The rod reciprocates over a range of motion between a first position in which a limited portion of the rod extends into the chamber, and a second position in which a greater portion of the rod extends into the chamber. The rod has a electrically insulative portion electrically isolating the first end from the second end, and has a conductive surface contacting the housing. A pair of electrical contacts are located in the chamber, and a shorting bar connected to the first end of the rod operates to bridge the contacts when the rod is in a selected position.

Abstract: A noise rejection filter for a trigger circuit uses an algorithm that updates the filter output monotonically so long as the signal slope remains unchanged, maintains the filter output at a constant level when the signal slope changes but the difference between the sample value and the filter output is less than or equal to a hysteresis value, and changes the signal slope while updating the filter output when the difference is greater than the hysteresis value. This maintains the peaks of the input signal at the filter output. The noise rejection filter may be used in a trigger circuit prior to a comparator so that the trigger signal from the comparator accurately reflects the signal pulse width at a desired trigger level and trigger events are detected when the desired trigger level is near the peaks of the input signal.