Abstract: An active probe adapter adapts an active probe to a PXI instrumentation module. The active probe adapter includes a first module interface (MI) connector on a first side of the active probe adapter. The first MI connector is configured to connect to a corresponding interface connector of the PXI instrumentation module. The active probe adapter further includes a plurality of probe pads on a second side of the active probe adapter opposite to the first side. The plurality of probe pads is configured to interface with an active probe employed with the PXI instrumentation module. The active probe adapter may include a second MI connector on the active probe first side configured to connect to a PXI power module and provide power to the active probe.

Abstract: A digital oscilloscope comprises a sampling unit configured to sample an input signal received from an oscilloscope probe to produce a first stream of digital samples, a first acquisition system configured to store and process the stream of digital samples to produce a first data set, a second acquisition system configured to store and process the first stream of digital samples independent of the first acquisition system to produce a second data set, and a display system configured to concurrently display the first data set in a first format and the second data set in a second format different from the first format.

Abstract: A method for operating a data processing system having a touch enabled display screen that displays a plurality of waveforms to alter the display of one of the waveforms without altering the display of the remaining waveforms is disclosed. The method includes determining a selected waveform in response to a user touching the display screen in a first location thereby defining a touch area that determines the selected waveform. An operation that is to be performed on the selected waveform is then defined by a gesture on the screen. The selected waveform is determined by a touch area that is defined by the user touching the screen. If more than one waveform is defined by the touch area, the possible waveforms are sequentially selected until the correct one is presented to the user in response to the user repeating the touching that defines the touch area.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus, for example a digital oscilloscope, receives an amplitude modulated (AM) signal comprising a baseband signal, having a baseband waveform, modulating a carrier signal, and reconstructs the baseband waveform. The measurement apparatus: samples the AM signal at a sampling rate which produces a plurality of data samples for each period of the carrier signal; determines the amplitude of the baseband signal for each of a plurality of periods of the carrier signal from at least some of the plurality of data samples for each period; and reconstructs the baseband waveform from the amplitudes of the baseband signal for each of the plurality of periods of the carrier signal. The measurement apparatus may display the reconstructed baseband waveform on a display device.

Abstract: A measurement apparatus, for example a digital oscilloscope, receives an amplitude modulated (AM) signal comprising a baseband signal, having a baseband waveform, modulating a carrier signal, and reconstructs the baseband waveform. The measurement apparatus: samples the AM signal at a sampling rate which produces a plurality of data samples for each period of the carrier signal; determines the amplitude of the baseband signal for each of a plurality of periods of the carrier signal from at least some of the plurality of data samples for each period; and reconstructs the baseband waveform from the amplitudes of the baseband signal for each of the plurality of periods of the carrier signal. The measurement apparatus may display the reconstructed baseband waveform on a display device.

Abstract: An active probe adapter adapts an active probe to a PXI instrumentation module. The active probe adapter includes a first module interface (MI) connector on a first side of the active probe adapter. The first MI connector is configured to connect to a corresponding interface connector of the PXI instrumentation module. The active probe adapter further includes a plurality of probe pads on a second side of the active probe adapter opposite to the first side. The plurality of probe pads is configured to interface with an active probe employed with the PXI instrumentation module. The active probe adapter may include a second MI connector on the active probe first side configured to connect to a PXI power module and provide power to the active probe.

Abstract: A method for operating a data processing system having a touch enabled display screen that displays a plurality of waveforms to alter the display of one of the waveforms without altering the display of the remaining waveforms is disclosed. The method includes determining a selected waveform in response to a user touching the display screen in a first location thereby defining a touch area that determines the selected waveform. An operation that is to be performed on the selected waveform is then defined by a gesture on the screen. The selected waveform is determined by a touch area that is defined by the user touching the screen. If more than one waveform is defined by the touch area, the possible waveforms are sequentially selected until the correct one is presented to the user in response to the user repeating the touching that defines the touch area.

Abstract: A digital oscilloscope comprises a sampling unit configured to sample an input signal received from an oscilloscope probe to produce a first stream of digital samples, a first acquisition system configured to store and process the stream of digital samples to produce a first data set, a second acquisition system configured to store and process the first stream of digital samples independent of the first acquisition system to produce a second data set, and a display system configured to concurrently display the first data set in a first format and the second data set in a second format different from the first format.

Abstract: A qualification signal display, trigger, and/or measurement (MTD) system is disclosed. An embodiment comprises receiving an event, wherein the event comprises a signal waveform, comparing the event with a qualification specification, wherein the qualification specification provides criteria for determining whether an event is a qualified event, and responsive to determining that the event is a qualified event, providing an indication to an MTD device of each qualified event.

Abstract: The present invention is generally directed to a digital oscilloscope and associated method that provides a peak detect mode of operation that not only accurately displays peak information, but also reflects the significance of peak information, without distorting a statistical view of the signal. In this regard, and in accordance with one aspect of the invention, the oscilloscope includes an analog to digital (A/D) converter configured to periodically sample an input signal and convert the periodic samples into a train of digital data. A circuit is disposed at the output of the A/D converter and is configured to evaluate the train of digital data over a first predetermined period of time and detect a minimum value and a maximum value during the first period of time. A mechanism is configured to evaluate the minimum and maximum values and determine a significance measure of the minimum value and the maximum values.

Abstract: Spurious artifacts in intensity emulation caused by measurement non-linearities within a statistically created raster display are reduced or eliminated by first characterizing the non-linearities. Armed with this information the collection of code values in an aperture can be inspected to notice which code values are occurring. M-many out of every n-many instances of a fat code can be replaced by an adjacent code, with a frequency of replacement that is selected to counteract the fatness. In principle, the replacement mechanism could be sensitive to prior events and propagate or distribute corrections across a family of abnormal codes. The idea is to statistically adjust the collection of codes to be closer to what it would be if there were no non-linearities. Different non-linearities may benefit from different strategies for replacement. Certain safeguards may be desirable to prevent making the problem worse rather than better.

Abstract: A method of determining an intensity value for a pixel in a display for displaying digitized waveforms. The intensity values simulate an analog display so that intensity at high slew rates about a point is lower than intensity at low slew rates about a point. Intensity may be computed as a function of slew rate. Alternatively, for speed, the absolute difference between waveform magnitudes at consecutive samples is used as an index into a pre-computed table of intensity values. As a result, for each sample, only a subtraction and a table look-up are needed to provide intensity variation. In an alternative embodiment, intensity values are higher at higher slew rates to accentuate rising and falling edges of digital waveforms.

Abstract: A method of connecting displayed samples of a signal, where the samples are obtained by sequential or random repetitive sampling. Three example embodiments are presented. In a first embodiment, the system decides whether or not to connect to the next consecutive sample, based on the outcome of comparison of the magnitude of the slope to a slew rate threshold. In the second embodiment, the system looks ahead (or behind) up to M samples to see if any samples represent valid slew rates, and connects to the first sample representing a valid slew rate. In the third embodiment, the system looks ahead (or behind) M samples and connects to the sample in the next M samples that represents the smallest valid slew rate. In each embodiment, if no sample represents a valid slew rate, no connection is drawn. In the second and third example embodiments, by looking ahead (or behind) M samples, the system can potentially resolve a waveform with up to M phases and can accommodate trigger placement uncertainty.

Abstract: A signal acquisition and display system that always provides the maximum possible display bandwidth that can be provided by the system without causing the display update rate to be reduced below the maximum determined by the acquisition time window. The optimization does not require analysis of a separate acquisition and does not require a repetitive waveform. The acquisition system alternates between two sections of memory, so that the minimum display update time is the longer of the acquisition time window or the display plot time. The display record length is variable. The display record length is controlled to make the display plot time always equal to or slightly less than the acquisition time window. Therefore, display bandwidth is always at the maximum possible given the acquisition time window and the maximum display update rate determined by the acquisition time window. Display record lengths may be very long compared to typical previous instruments.

Abstract: A system that uses two character positions on a display area of an oscilloscope to indicate the progress being made toward achieving a target number of waveform acquisitions. The system displays the percentage of waveform acquisitions taken within this two character percentage display area by first displaying two symbols as white dots on a dark background. As the percentage of waveform acquisitions taken increases, the dots within the symbols are inverted starting at the bottom of the display area and progressing toward the top. When the target number of waveform acquisitions have been taken, all the dots within the symbols are inverted to display dark on white. As the percentage increases, the dots forming the first character of the display are inverted prior to the dots forming the second character. Therefore, higher resolution of the display is obtained.