Keywords
Citation
(2002), "New oscilloscope/analyser combines speed with precision", Sensor Review, Vol. 22 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/sr.2002.08722aad.010
Publisher
:Emerald Group Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2002, MCB UP Limited
New oscilloscope/analyser combines speed with precision
New oscilloscope/analyser combines speed with precision
Keywords: Oscilloscope, Data
PC-based instrumentation and data logging specialists Pico Technology has released its 12-bit resolution ADC-212/100 which turns a desk-top or lap-top PC into a high-end 100M samples/s oscilloscope, 50MHz spectrum analyser and meter at the same time (Plate 10). In addition, software is supplied free of charge which allows the ADC-212/100 to be used for high-speed data acquisition and logging.
Plate 10
Pico Technology announces its low-cost, high-resolution (12-bit) ADC-212/100
combined oscilloscope and spectrum analyser.Note: This image is available
electronically as a 1MB JPEG
Alan Tong, Pico Technology's Technical Director, comments: "Compared to most oscilloscopes on the market, the large buffer size, high resolution and fast sampling rate of the ADC-212 means engineers can capture fast-changing signals over a long period of time and still have the resolution to be able to 'zoom in' on areas of interest in both the X and Y axes."
Unlike the majority of 8-bit oscilloscopes on the market today, which are only accurate to 3 per cent, the 12-bit ADC-212/100 has - thanks to a new low-noise, low- distortion and high-bandwidth front end - a basic DC accuracy of 1 per cent. The ADC- 212/100 has nine input ranges, from +/-50mV to +/-20V, and its 1 per cent accuracy means it can be used with the same level of confidence as a digital multimeter (DMM) when establishing absolute values.
The 12-bit resolution in the Y-axis gives the ADC-212/100, when used as a spectrum analyser, a dynamic range of 80dB and the ability to detect changes as small as 0.024 per cent. Tong continues: "Conventional DSOs only offer 8-bit resolution and cannot detect signal changes less than 0.4 per cent - this is acceptable for most digital electronics applications, but precision analogue and audio electronics typically require the detection of less than 0.1 per cent."
The analogue bandwidth of the ADC-212/100 is 50MHz, giving the spectrum analyser "view" of PicoScope (the instrumentation software supplied free with the ADC-212) a range of DC to 50MHz. The oscilloscope view timebases range from 100ns/division to 50s/division.
PicoScope and PicoLog software is provided free of charge with the new ADC-212 and upgrades are available free of charge from www.picotech.com
Email: enquiry@picotech.com