The 5 Series MSO offers better visibility into complex systems by offering four, six and eight channel models with a large 15.6-inch high-definition (1,920 x 1,080) display. Many applications, such as embedded systems, three-phase power electronics, automotive electronics, power supply design, and DC-to-DC power converters, require the observation of more than four analog signals to verify and characterize device performance, and to debug challenging system issues.

Most engineers can recall situations in which they were debugging a particularly difficult problem and wanted greater system visibility and context, but the scope they were using was limited to two or four analog channels. Using a second scope involves significant effort to align trigger points, difficulty in determining timing relationships across the two displays, and documentation challenges.

And while you might assume that a six and eight channel scope would cost 50% or 100% more than a four-channel scope, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that six channel models are only ~25% more than four channel models and eight channel models are only ~67% more than four channel models. The additional analog channels can pay for themselves quickly by enabling you to keep current and future projects on schedule.

FlexChannel^®technology enables maximum flexibility and broader system visibility

The 5 Series MSO redefines what a Mixed Signal Oscilloscope (MSO) should be. FlexChannel technology enables each channel input to be used as a single analog channel, eight digital logic inputs (with the TLP058 logic probe), or simultaneous analog and spectrum views with independent acquisition controls for each domain. Imagine the flexibility and configurability this provides.

With an eight FlexChannel model, you can configure the instrument to look at eight analog and zero digital signals. Or seven analog and eight digital. Or six analog and 16 digital, five analog and 24 digital and so on. You can change the configuration at any time by simply adding or removing TLP058 logic probes, so you always have the right number of digital channels.

Previous-generation MSOs required tradeoffs, with digital channels having lower sample rates or shorter record lengths than analog channels. The 5 Series MSO offers a new level of integration of digital channels. Digital channels share the same high sample rate (up to 6.25 GS/s), and long record length (up to 125) Points for analog channels.

Unprecedented signal viewing capability

The stunning 15.6″ (396 mm) display in the 5 Series MSO is the largest display in the industry, providing 100% more display area than a scope with a 10.4″ (264 mm) display. It is also the highest resolution display, with full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080), enabling you to see many signals at once with ample room for critical readouts and analysis.

The viewing area is optimized to ensure that the maximum vertical space is available for waveforms. The Results Bar on the right can be hidden, enabling the waveform view to use the full width of the display.

The 5 Series MSO offers a revolutionary new Stacked display mode. Historically, scopes have overlaid all waveforms in the same graticule, forcing difficult tradeoffs:

• To make each waveform visible, you vertically scale and position each waveform so that they don’t overlap. Each waveform uses a small percentage of the available ADC range, leading to less accurate measurements.
• For measurement accuracy, you vertically scale and position each waveform to cover the entire display. The waveforms overlap each other, making it hard to distinguish signal details on individual waveforms

The new Stacked display eliminates this tradeoff. It automatically adds and removes additional horizontal waveform ‘slices’ (additional graticules) as waveforms are created and removed. Each slice represents the full ADC range for the waveform. All waveforms are visually separated from each other while still using the full ADC range, enabling maximum visibility and accuracy. And it’s all done automatically as waveforms are added or removed! Channels can easily be reordered in stacked display mode by dragging and dropping the channel and waveform badges in the Settings bar at the bottom of the display. Groups of channels can also be overlaid within a slice to simplify visual comparison of signals.

The massive display in the 5 Series MSO also provides plenty of viewing area not only for signals, but also for plots, measurement results tables, bus decode tables and more. You can easily resize and relocate the various views to suit your application.

Exceptionally easy-to-use user interface lets you focus on the task at hand

The Settings Bar – key parameters and waveform management

Waveform and scope operating parameters are displayed in a series of “badges” in the Settings Bar that runs along the bottom of the display. The Settings Bar provides Immediate access for the most common waveform management tasks. With a single tap, you can:

• Turn on channels
• Add math waveforms
• Add reference waveforms
• Add bus waveforms
• Enable the optional integrated Arbitrary/Function generator (AFG)
• Enable the optional integrated digital voltmeter (DVM)

The Results Bar – analysis and measurements

The Results Bar on the right side of the display includes immediate, one-tap access to the most common analytical tools such as cursors, measurements, searches, measurement and bus decode results tables, plots, and notes.

DVM, measurement and search results badges are displayed in the Results Bar without sacrificing any waveform viewing area. For additional waveform viewing area, the Results Bar can be dismissed and brought back at any time.

Touch interaction finally done right

Scopes have included touch screens for years, but the touch interface has been an afterthought. The 5 Series MSO’s 15.6″ display includes a capacitive touchscreen and provides the industry’s first oscilloscope user interface truly designed for touch.

The touch interactions that you use with phones and tablets, and expect in a touch enabled device, are supported in the 5 Series MSO.

• Drag waveforms left/right or up/down to adjust horizontal and vertical position or to pan a zoomed view
• Pinch and expand to change scale or zoom in/out in either horizontal or vertical directions
• Drag items to the trash can or drag them off the edge of the screen to delete them
• Swipe in from the right to reveal the Results Bar or down from the top to access the menus in the upper left corner of the display

Smooth, responsive front panel controls allow you to make adjustments with familiar knobs and buttons, and you can add a mouse or keyboard as a third interaction method.

Variable font size

Historically, oscilloscope user interfaces have been designed with fixed font sizes to optimize viewing of waveforms and readouts. This implementation is fine if all users have the same viewing preferences, but they don’t. Users spend a significant amount of time staring at screens, and Tektronix recognizes this. The 5 Series MSO offers a user preference for variable font sizes; scaling down to 12 points or up to 20 points. As you adjust the font size, the user interface dynamically scales so you can easily choose the best size for your application.

Attention to detail in the front-panel controls

Traditionally, the front face of a scope has been roughly 50% display and 50% controls. The 5 Series MSO display fills about 85% of the face of the instrument. To achieve this, it has a streamlined front panel that retains critical controls for simple intuitive operation, but with a reduced number of menu buttons for functions directly accessed via objects on the display.

Color-coded LED light rings indicate trigger source and vertical scale/position knob assignments. Large, dedicated Run/ Stop and Single Sequence buttons are placed prominently in the upper right, and other functions like Force Trigger, Trigger Slope, Trigger Mode, Default Setup, Autoset and Quick-save functions are all available using dedicated front panel buttons.

Windows or not – you choose

The 5 Series MSOis the first oscilloscope to offer you the choice of whether to include a Microsoft Windows™ operating system. Opening an access panel on the bottom of the instrument reveals a connection for a solid state drive (SSD). When the SSD is not present, the instrument boots as a dedicated scope with no ability to run or install other programs.

When the SSD is present, the instrument boots in an open Windows 10 configuration, so you can minimize the oscilloscope application and access a Windows desktop where you can install and run additional applications on the oscilloscope. Or you can connect additional monitors and extend your desktop.

Whether you run Windows or not, the oscilloscope operates in exactly the same way with the same look and feel and UI interaction.

Need higher channel density?

The 5 Series MSO is also available in a low-profile form factor – the MSO58LP. With eight 1 GHz input channels plus an auxiliary trigger input, in a 2U high package and 12-bit ADCs, the 5 Series MSO Low Profile sets a new standard for performance in applications where extreme channel density is required.

Experience the performance difference

With up to 2 GHz analog bandwidth, 6.25 GS/s sample rates, standard 62.5 Mpts record length and a 12-bit analog to digital converter (ADC), the 5 Series MSO has the performance you need to capture waveforms with the best possible signal fidelity and resolution for seeing small waveform details.

Digital Phosphor technology with FastAcq™ high-speed waveform capture

To debug a design problem, first you must know it exists. Digital phosphor technology with FastAcq provides you with fast insight into the real operation of your device. Its fast waveform capture rate – greater than 500,000 waveforms per second – gives you a high probability of seeing the infrequent problems common in digital systems: runt pulses, glitches, timing issues, and more. To further enhance the visibility of rarely occurring events, intensity grading indicates how often rare transients are occurring relative to normal signal characteristics.

Industry leading vertical resolution

The 5 Series MSO provides the performance to capture the signals of interest while minimizing the effects of unwanted noise when you need to capture high-amplitude signals while seeing smaller signal details. At the heart of the 5 Series MSO are 12-bit analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) that provide 16 times the vertical resolution of traditional 8-bit ADCs.

A new High Res mode applies a hardware-based unique Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter based on the selected sample rate. The FIR filter maintains the maximum bandwidth possible for that sample rate while preventing aliasing and removing noise from the oscilloscope amplifiers and ADC above the usable bandwidth for the selected sample rate. High Res mode always provides at least 12 bits of vertical resolution and extends all the way to 16 bits of vertical resolution at ≤125 MS/s sample rates.

New lower-noise front end amplifiers further improve the 5 Series MSO’s ability to resolve fine signal detail.

Triggering

Discovering a device fault is only the first step. Next, you must capture the event of interest to identify root cause. The 5 Series MSO provides a complete set of advanced triggers, including:

• Runt
• Logic
• Pulse width
• Window
• Timeout
• Rise/Fall time
• Setup and Hold violation
• Serial packet
• Parallel data
• Sequence
• Video
• Visual Trigger

With up to a 125 Mpoint record length, you can capture many events of interest, even thousands of serial packets in a single acquisition, providing high-resolution to zoom in on fine signal details and record reliable measurements.

Finding the right cycle of a complex bus can require hours of collecting and sorting through thousands of acquisitions for an event of interest. Defining a trigger that isolates the desired event speeds up debug and analysis efforts.

Visual Trigger extends the instrument’s triggering capabilities by scanning through all waveform acquisitions and comparing them to on-screen areas (geometric shapes). You can create an unlimited number of areas using the mouse or touchscreen, and a variety of shapes (triangles, rectangles, hexagons, or trapezoids) can be used to specify the desired trigger behavior. Once shapes are created, they can be edited interactively to create custom shapes and ideal trigger conditions. Once multiple areas are defined, a Boolean logic equation can be used to set complex trigger conditions using on-screen editing features.

By triggering only on the most important signal events, Visual Trigger can save hours of capturing and manually searching through acquisitions. In seconds or minutes, you can find the critical events and complete your debug and analysis efforts. Visual Trigger even works across multiple channels, extending its usefulness to complex system troubleshooting and debug tasks.

Accurate high-speed probing

The TPP Series passive voltage probes included with every 5 Series MSO offer all the benefits of general-purpose probes — high dynamic range, flexible connection options, and robust mechanical design — while providing the performance of active probes. Up to 1 GHz analog bandwidth enables you to see high frequency components in your signals, and extremely low 3.9 pF capacitive loading minimizes adverse effects on your circuits and is more forgiving of longer ground leads.

An optional, low-attenuation (2X) version of the TPP probe is available for measuring low voltages. Unlike other low-attenuation passive probes, the TPP0502 has high bandwidth (500 MHz) as well as low capacitive loading (12.7 pF).

TekVPI Probe Interface

The TekVPI^®probe interface sets the standard for ease of use in probing. In addition to the secure, reliable connection that the interface provides, many TekVPI probes feature status indicators and controls, as well as a probe menu button right on the comp box itself. This button brings up a probe menu on the oscilloscope display with all relevant settings and controls for the probe. The TekVPI interface enables direct attachment of current probes without requiring a separate power supply. TekVPI probes can be controlled remotely through USB or LAN, enabling more versatile solutions in ATE environments. The 5 Series MSO provides up to 80 W of power to the front panel connectors, sufficient to power all connected TekVPI probes without the need for an additional probe power supply.

IsoVu™ Isolated Measurement System

Whether designing an inverter, optimizing a power supply, testing communication links, measuring across a current shunt resistor, debugging EMI or ESD issues, or trying to eliminate ground loops in your test setup, common mode interference has caused engineers to design, debug, evaluate, and optimize “blind” until now.

Tektronix’ revolutionary IsoVu technology uses optical communications and power-over-fiber for complete galvanic isolation. When combined with the 5 Series MSO equipped with the TekVPI interface, it is the first, and only, measurement system capable of accurately resolving high bandwidth, differential signals, in the presence of large common mode voltage with:

• Complete galvanic isolation
• Up to 1 GHz bandwidth
• 1 Million to 1 (120 dB) common mode rejection at 100 MHz
• 10,000 to 1 (80 dB) of common mode rejection at full bandwidth
• Up to 2,500 V differential dynamic range
• 60 kV common mode voltage range

Comprehensive analysis for fast insight

Basic waveform analysis

Verifying that your prototype’s performance matches simulations and meets the project’s design goals requires careful analysis, ranging from simple checks of rise times and pulse widths to sophisticated power loss analysis, characterization of system clocks, and investigation of noise sources.

The 5 Series MSO offers a comprehensive set of standard analysis tools including:

• Waveform- and screen-based cursors
• 36 automated measurements. Measurement results include all instances in the record, the ability to navigate from one occurrence to the next, and immediate viewing of the minimum or maximum result found in the record
• Basic waveform math
• Basic FFT analysis
• Advanced waveform math including arbitrary equation editing with filters and variables
• FastFrame™ Segmented Memory enables you to make efficient use of the oscilloscope’s acquisition memory by capturing many trigger events in a single record while eliminating the large time gaps between events of interest. View and measure the segments individually or as an overlay.

Measurement results tables provide comprehensive statistical views of measurement results with statistics across both the current acquisition and all acquisitions.