Limit test
A common method for understanding your signal quality is to test against a known good or “golden” waveform. You can apply horizontal and vertical tolerances to the golden waveform to create a mask that can be used for quick, accurate Pass/Fail testing. This method is also a great way to perform go/no-go testing on a manufacturing line by enabling repeatable, fast decisions on the quality of a component or system. The Limit and Mask Test Application Module allows you to save your limit test mask for use later across multiple oscilloscopes in a lab or on a production line.
Automated pass/fail testing
Validating signal quality is an important part of any embedded system design. One way to determine how well your signals conform to expected signal quality is to use mask testing. A mask defines a portion, or portions, of the oscilloscope display that a signal must not enter. Whether you need to test to a well-defined telecommunication or computer standard or are interested in validating how your signals are performing compared to a known good condition, the Limit and Mask Test Application Modules for the MDO/MSO/DPO4000 and MDO3000 Series provide instant automated statistical analysis of signal quality. The Limit and Mask Test capability makes testing against telecommunication and computer industry standards easy by making mask definition quick and accurate, allowing flexible testing configurations, and providing detailed statistical test results.
Standard mask test
More than 40 standard telecommunications and computer industry standard masks are included with the DPO4LMT application module. Each standard mask is easily loaded from the oscilloscope internal memory and can be immediately used to conduct Pass/Fail testing. Adherence to a standard is determined pixel-by-pixel throughout the display. Masks for ITU-T up to 155 Mb/s data rates, ANSI T1.102 up to 155 Mb/s data rates, and high-speed USB 2.0 are included.
Detailed test results
The Limit and Mask Test Application Module provides statistical results from each test conducted. The results include Pass/Fail status of the test, number of waveforms tested, number of violations found, number of total tests run, number of tests that failed, total elapsed time, and the total number of hits within the mask. A detailed results table adds the number of hits for each mask segment enabling you to tell exactly where your signal may be operating out of intended parameters.