Product of the Week: Rohde & Schwarz RTO6 Series Oscilloscopes

July 06, 2021

Story

With more everyday objects becoming smart and electrified, today’s product design teams need development equipment as modern as the systems they build. And, they need to be able to analyze as many relevant signals as possible in the same place, preferably at the same time.

That’s why Rohde & Schwarz released its RTO6 Series Oscilloscopes, a new line of test and measurement equipment that combines a massive 15.6” full HD touchscreen and intuitive GUI with precision 16-bit resolution, as much as 6 GHz of bandwidth, 10 GigaSamples per second per channel, and a 1 million-waveform update rate.

Architected to deliver in-depth, real-time results for engineers performing frequency, logic, and protocol analysis in the lab, the R&S RTO6 supports 47 automatic measurements and debugging in the time, frequency, and protocol domains. These domains can be viewed separately or simultaneously to provide either a fine-grained or holistic view of signal integrity, which is delivered by a custom ASIC and ADCs that support a spurious-free dynamic range of 65 dBc and measurement accuracy of up to 9.4 ENOB at 50 Ω, though 1M Ω input paths are also supported.

Test cases addressed by the latest in Rohde & Schwarz's line of general-purpose oscilloscopes include:

• Jitter Analysis
• Jitter Decomposition
• Jitter and Noise Decomposition
• Clock Data Recovery
• Power Analysis
• Spectrum Analysis
• Deembedding for Compensaton of Channel Effects
• TDR/TDT Analysis
• Bus Analysis
• Trigger and Decode for Low-Speed Serial Buses, Automotive, Aerospace, Ethernet, and Other Protocols

The high update rate mentioned previously comes in handy in active histogram, statistics, trend, track, gating, waveform, or multiple-measurement use cases, where it pairs with 200 Mpoints of standard memory per channel with an optional maximum memory of 2 Gpoints for deep analyses. This memory can be partitioned into variable sizes and consecutive segments, permitting the capture of more than 100,000 timestamped acquisitions. 

What’s more, comprehensive signal fault, pattern, and protocol search functions allow users to quickly filter through long sequences, while an always-on history function stores previous waveforms in the systems’ large memory so they can be analyzed later on using zoom, measurement, math, and spectrum analysis.

All of this is layered on plenty of I/O, which in addition to the four analog channels and 16 digital input channels includes:

• 1 Gbps LAN
• 3 x USB 3.1 & 2 x USB 2.0
• External trigger and trigger output
• GPIB (optional) 
• HDMI & DisplayPort

The Windows-based scopes also support a range of test cases in addition to the frequency, logic, and protocol measurement mentioned above. These include comprehensive analysis of analog, power, pulse source, and signal generators.

Rohde & Schwarz RTO6 Series Oscilloscopes in Action

RTO6 Series Oscilloscopes are about packing functionality into a platform designed for ease of use. This starts with the precision 16-bit vertical resolution and HD mode that reveal the most signal details possible while allowing users to adjust the lowpass filter bandwidth anywhere on the sliding scale from 10 kHz to 2 GHz, meaning that the platform can accept signals with high vertical input sensitivities at full measurement bandwidth.

The HD mode can also be used to optimize the system step response or noise level quickly with Gaussian or brick wall filters, easily reconfigure the menu and layout options, define up to eight segments during mask testing, etc.

The usability features continue with a unique digital trigger that makes special use of the touch display capability by allowing users to draw directly on the waveform screen for a deep dive into complex signals represented in either frequency or time. 

Supported measurement types and associated tools can be accessed through the top toolbar that allows testers to define common parameters and trigger, horizontal, and acquisition settings in an overlay menu. A more advanced menu can be accessed in the lower right of the GUI that shows the direct impact of measurement modifications.

 

The bottom toolbar shows fundamental signal parameters and previews for minimized signals, as well as signal activation select buttons at the far right. All of these menus surround the R&S SmartGrid in the center of the display, which offers drag-and-drop functionality and reconfigurable layout options for individual waveforms.

All physical buttons are located to the right of the display, offering maximum viewability and room for gesture or cursor commands in even the most intricate measurement tasks.

Getting Started with the Rohde & Schwarz RTO6 Series Oscilloscopes in Action

In summary, the Rohde & Schwarz RTO6 Series Oscilloscopes are a full-featured, full-function addition to any lab bench for a battery of everyday tests. The range of supported test cases is available via application-specific software that, once downloaded, can be accessed from an “app cockpit” on the platform. 

The test capabilities covered by the platform range from the rudimentary to complex, novel issues in RF and wideband analysis, power integrity and EMI debugging, serial integrity analysis analysis, and even special signal analysis and automated compliance testing. All of course, which can be done instantly and in-depth thanks to the performance and usability of the RTO6.

For more information on Rohde & Schwarz’s latest line of general-purpose scopes, which start at $19,800, find more information on compatible probes and accessories, to configure your system, or request a quote, visit their website. 

Or check out the resources and video below.

Additional Resources:

• R&S RTO6 Product Webpage: https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/products/test-and-measurement/oscilloscopes/rs-rto6-oscilloscope_63493-1079745.html?cid=010_de_dsp_130_ec_21-07_a__rto6_ros_text-ad____MM-163994
• R&S RTO6 Product Brochure: https://scdn.rohde-schwarz.com/ur/pws/dl_downloads/dl_common_library/dl_brochures_and_datasheets/pdf_1/RTO6_bro_en_3608-6919-12_v0201.pdf
• R&S RTO6 Product Specs: https://scdn.rohde-schwarz.com/ur/pws/dl_downloads/dl_common_library/dl_brochures_and_datasheets/pdf_1/RTO6_dat-sw_en_5216-1640-22_v0400.pdf