Product category:
Stand-Alone Instruments
News Release from: Agilent Technologies Europe | Subject: DCA-J
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial
Team on 23 January 2007
Options expand range of digital comms
analyser
Agilent Technologies has introduced industry-first phase noise application software and options for the DCA-J digital communications analyser.
Agilent Technologies has introduced industry-first phase noise application software and options for the digital communications analyser (DCA-J) The software allows phase noise/spectral jitter analysis of clock and data signals over a wide dynamic range from 50Mbit/s to 13.5Gbit/s
This article was originally published on Electronicstalk on 17 Jun 2008 at 8.00am (UK)
Related stories
More modules for multifunction measurement unit
Two new modules join the 19 modules already offered to make up a high-performance family of eight-slot mainframe switches with built-in DMMs.
Analyser options appeal to comms designers
New capabilities extend the analysis power of Agilent's signal and spectrum analysers, enabling them to address even the most difficult application challenges.
A new optical/electrical module provides optical transmitter test and 40Gbit/s optical compliance test; an advanced amplitude analysis option offers new methods for optical modulation amplitude and relative intensity noise.
These enhancements prove the DCA-J's leading-edge performance and capabilities as an affordable, comprehensive, easy-to-use sampling scope for optical and electrical applications.
The multirate wide loop bandwidth clock recovery module allows precision waveform measurements with a variety of signals, including spread spectrum clocked.
Further reading
Attenuation controllers aid component measurement
A novel attenuation sweep function allows the user to set the desired start/stop attenuation, step size, dwell time and sweep time of each measurement.
Analyser turns to RF component characterisation
Software converts the PNA-X microwave network analyser into a high-performance nonlinear analyser for researching and designing active RF components.
Signal generators bring RF accuracy to ATE
Provide the same industry-leading capabilities, performance and form factor of the popular MXG RF platform - all at a reduced price.
This is the industry's first phase noise application software, which allows phase noise/spectral jitter analysis of clock and data signals ranging from 50Mbit/s to 13.5Gbit/s.
Many serial bus architectures employ spread spectrum clocking for better signal integrity, known as electromagnetic interference (EMI) management.
Hardware clock recovery elements of sampling oscilloscopes have not been able to follow the large amounts of jitter produced with spread spectrum clocks, making meaningful measurements virtually impossible.
This has been overcome with the Agilent 83496B.
The 83496B and phase noise application software reveal root causes of jitter through frequency domain analysis - an effective and easy method for detecting jitter sources.
Also, this solution can perform the analysis on both clock and data signals, so the root causes of data jitter can be related to system clocks.
"This tool allows our customers to see the root causes of jitter, whereas other measurement tools are limited in dynamic range or in the types of signals they can observe", said Sigi Gross, Vice President and General Manager of Agilent's Digital Verifications Solutions Division.
In addition, the DCA-J offers three new functions for optical applications.
The 86116C can be used as a 65GHz oscilloscope channel or switched to a reference receiver for 40Gbit/s optical transmitter eye-mask test.
Carefully controlled frequency response allows operation as a reference receiver and provides consistent and accurate eye mask tests.
It can be configured at standard or FEC rates for OC-768, STM-256 and related specifications.
Just as the DCA-J revolutionised jitter analysis, DCA-J option 300 provides the same industry-accepted analysis now translated into the amplitude domain.
This enables capabilities such as relative intensity noise (RIN) measurement, a common specification for optical transmitters.
Historically, RIN measurements have required expensive or complicated test equipment.
Now, with this software, eye-mask tests and RIN measurements can be performed quickly and accurately using the same equipment and at the same time.
Option 300 also allows separation of interference parameters to extremely low probabilities, providing an accurate measurement of Q-factor, commonly used to estimate bit error ratio.
Agilent's new Rev 7.0 firmware for the 86100C DCA-J enhances the system through a novel approach to the measurement of optical modulation amplitude (OMA), a common specification for optical transmitters.
The general OMA test requires special data patterns.
Agilent's 86100C provides the correct OMA result for these patterns, and has the added flexibility to provide an accurate OMA result for virtually any data pattern.
This flexibility eliminates the need to reconfigure the stimulus, saving measurement time for a complete characterisation of the transceiver.
All products will be available from 1st February 2007.
The Agilent 83496B multirate wide bandwidth clock recovery module will start at US $18,500.
The 86116C optical/electrical module will start at $64,089.
The 86100C Option 300 amplitude interference/RIN/Q-factor software will cost $2800.
The Agilent 86100C Infiniium DCA-J firmware revision 7.0 will be available at no charge via the web.
• Agilent Technologies Europe: contact details and other news
• Email this article to a colleague
• Register for the free Electronicstalk email newsletter
• Electronicstalk Home Page
