Tektronix Adds 5G software to 6 Series B mixed signal oscilloscopes
Engineers can diagnose complex signal interactions on a single oscilloscope, said Tektronix at the release of its SignalVu 5G NR analysis software for 6 Series B mixed signal oscilloscopes (MSOs). Now, engineers can perform critical 5G NR measurements per 3GPP specifications on the same MSOs they rely on to bring-up and characterise new electronic designs.
According to Tektronix, the 6 Series B MSOs are preferred by RF system designers for viewing power rails, digital control buses and I/O signals, in addition to RF signals. Each channel is backed by a digital downconverter that enables spectrum analysis synchronised with time-domain waveforms. This provides engineers with a time-coherent view of the choreography of signals that make up their designs. 5G system designers can now add 5G NR signal analysis to Tektronix oscilloscopes, which enables them to quickly diagnose faulty signal interactions on a single oscilloscope that would otherwise require painstaking correlation between multiple instruments.
In addition to the ability to give a synchronised view of a wide variety of signals, the 6 Series B MSO offers the wide capture bandwidth and low intrinsic noise needed for 5G signal analysis, reducing the need for costly dedicated vector signal analysers.
The new analysis package enables pass/fail testing of the 5G NR physical layer to qualify transmitter designs per the 5G NR standard established under the 3GPP release of 15/16 test specifications. It includes signal quality measurements such as error vector magnitude (EVM), adjacent channel power (ACP), spectral emission mask (SEM), and power versus time (PVT).
Tektronix developed the 5G NR analysis package using algorithms developed by NI (formerly National Instruments). “Integrating NI’s 5G algorithms within SignalVu vector signal analysis (VSA) software to run on the Tektronix oscilloscopes and signal analyzers will enable new value in customer workflows,” said Josh Mueller, senior vice president and general manager GM of Portfolio Business.
The 5G NR PHY-layer based on the Tektronix 6 Series B MSO offers wide signal analysis up to 2GHz and low instrument noise for accurate EVM measurements.
For high frequency systems, such as FR2, the 5GNR analysis option is also available on the DPO70000SX which offers up to 70GHz bandwidth. For engineers using real-time signal analysers, the 5GNR option is also available for the Tektronix RSA500 and RSA5000 Series. The software operates identically on oscilloscopes and signal analysers, eliminating the need to learn a new toolset.
The SignalVu 5GNR Signal Analysis option is now available globally for 6 Series B MSO oscilloscopes, DPO70000SX oscilloscopes, and RSA500 and RSA5000 signal analyzers.
