The DG2020A pattern generator provides digital designers with the high performance tools needed to evaluate digital semiconductors and logic circuits. Whatever you call your design process - characterization, debug, validation or verification - as a digital designer you must have a state-of-the-art digital pattern generation as you push the edge of the technology envelope and race to market.

The DG2020A is an appropriate instrument for a wide variety of digital design applications. The table illustrates the principal specifications for the DG2020A.

Critical Timing

The DG2020A is the ideal solution for applications where you must characterize device or circuit timing and amplitude margins. The DG2020A graphical user interface allows you to quickly create complex data patterns with a few keystrokes on the front panel. Use the advanced sequence editing capability to insert infrequent faults or glitches in your data patterns to verify device or circuit recovery. The DG2020A is an invaluable tool, allowing you to simulate missing system functionality while meeting critical market windows.

Excellent Signal Flexibility

The DG2020A outputs data at rates up to 200 Mb/s with 64 K data word length on up to 36 channels (12 standard) in 12-channel increments with 100 ps timing control. The P3420 variable output pod provides 500 mVp-p to 9 Vp-p (-3 V to 7 V) in 100 mV steps. SMB connectors are used for each channel. The P3420 is capable of sourcing >30 mA current per channel - enough for your most demanding applications.

Pattern Editing

The DG2020A is designed for serious digital designers who create their own digital patterns or rely on a logic simulator to supply digital vectors. A large graphical display simplifies data entry and editing functions, allowing the user to easily view and shape large segments of the data pattern (Figure 3). A wide variety of commonly used data patterns are built into the data editor to further simplify data creation. Built-in data functions include counters, shift registers, serial data converters and clocks.

Easy to use menu driven editing functions are provided to define data bit, cursor location and data width. Data can be manipulated at the bit, byte or word level. Various functions such as data cut/copy/paste, invert, magnify, insert and delete are supported, as are data shift, add and rotate. Advanced functions are used to create clock patterns and PRBS data. A variety of data presentations are available to clearly illustrate the data pattern including table, timing, binary and numeric.

Pattern Sequencing

The DG2020A includes advanced data flow sequencing to provide the designer with a flexible digital stimulus source. Pattern sequencing is a capability that can extend the deep DG2000 Series pattern memory almost to infinity. Sequencing allows segments of pattern memory to be looped or repeated until some internal or external event occurs when pattern execution then continues. Each line in the sequence list can be controlled by an external event that can cause a jump to a different block of data. The DG2020A can have up to 2048 jumps at full clock rates.

Three types of sequences are offered:

• Simple Sequence - For repeat, single or step operation modes
• Enhanced Sequence - Supports more interactive and dedicated sequence control
• Sub-Sequence - Supports defined sub-sequences that manage multiple blocks as a single block. Uses only one sequence entry in the sequence definition table

Import Data

Tektronix' DG-Link software accessory imports data from Tektronix TDS oscilloscopes, TLS logic scopes or TLA logic analyzers for use as data pattern sources by the DG2000 Series. Logic simulators that output Comma Separated Value (CSV) format can also be used as a source file for DG-link and downloaded into the DG2000 Series.