New portable logic analysers offer fast timing capture with deep memory

New from Agilent Technologies are the 16850 Series portable logic analyzers which the company claims offer the industry’s fastest timing capture with deep memory for quickly debugging digital systems. The 16850 Series also offers the industry’s only portable logic analyzer with both single-ended and differential probing options to help designers get their high-speed digital devices to market faster, explains Agilent.

A video demonstration of Agilent’s new logic analyzers is available at www.agilent.com/find/16850-series_video.

“As system speeds increase, our customers need even faster deep memory timing measurements across a large number of input channels, which is exactly what Agilent’s 16850 Series of logic analyzers deliver,” said Jay Alexander, vice president and general manager of Agilent’s Oscilloscope and Protocol Division. “Combining this capability with a wide variety of probing options allows digital system designers the fastest possible debug across a wide range of applications.”

Developers of high-speed digital devices use logic analyzers to accelerate the debug and validation phase of system design. Often, they must trigger measurements on signs of trouble, such as a time-out signal or error flag, when the root cause actually occurred long before the trigger point. The 16850 Series’ high-speed timing capture with deep memory lets the designer look back in time to observe the location of the root cause of failure. The high sample resolution of these instruments makes it possible to differentiate timing problems from functional problems, providing the insight needed to shorten the debug and validation process and bring products to market more quickly.

The series offers 2.5 GHz, 400 ps period timing capture across all input channels, and up to 128-megasample memory depth. It also offers a standard state data rate of 700 Mb per second as well as an upgrade option to 1400 Mb per second. Users can choose the desired memory depth, starting with the standard, 2-megasample depth, along with a variety of choices up to the maximum 128-megasample depth. Both state speed and memory depth options can also be upgraded after the initial purchase.

These also provide a 1.4-GHz trigger sequencer to track high-speed circuits and define very specific conditions to trigger on in an effort to trap errors and drive quickly to the root cause of failure.

New low-cost probing has been designed for these analyzers, including flying lead and Mictor options.