Serial Data Analyzers Upgraded To Trigger On 2.7-Gbit/s Bit Streams

Dec. 18, 2003

The SDA6000A, SDA5000A, and SDA3000A serial data analyzers (SDAs) now trigger on bit streams with data rates up to 2.7 Gbits/s. These LeCroy units feature 6-GHz signal-capture bandwidth for 2.5-Gbit/s data rates, 5-GHz signal-capture bandwidth for...

Roger Allan

Designers of PCI Express and other high-speed serial data protocols will find a high degree of utility in the new serial data trigger, which LeCroy claims is the fastest serial data pattern in the industry. Previous oscilloscopes, even those with 7-GHz front-end analog bandwidths, could only trigger on bit patterns up to 1.25 Gbits/s, which is insufficient for engineers designing 2.5-Gbit/s PCI Express circuits.

Outputs on the SDA front panel let users access the recovered clock and data signals usable with other instruments, such as bit-error-rate (BER) test sets. Trigger patterns can be entered in either binary or hexadecimal form, and stored patterns can be recalled from files.

Many emerging high-speed serial data protocols use multiple channels for higher data density, which allows for scalability by transmitting additional data over a number of links simultaneously. An important test requirement for these types of circuits is the measurement of channel-to-channel skewing. With the new serial data trigger, an SDA can make 20-Gbit/s sampling-rate measurements, used in a two-channel mode.

The new serial trigger upgrade costs $3496, with delivery within six weeks.

LeCroy Corp.www.lecroy.com

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About the Author

Roger Allan

Roger Allan is an electronics journalism veteran, and served as Electronic Design's Executive Editor for 15 of those years. He has covered just about every technology beat from semiconductors, components, packaging and power devices, to communications, test and measurement, automotive electronics, robotics, medical electronics, military electronics, robotics, and industrial electronics. His specialties include MEMS and nanoelectronics technologies. He is a contributor to the McGraw Hill Annual Encyclopedia of Science and Technology. He is also a Life Senior Member of the IEEE and holds a BSEE from New York University's School of Engineering and Science. Roger has worked for major electronics magazines besides Electronic Design, including the IEEE Spectrum, Electronics, EDN, Electronic Products, and the British New Scientist. He also has working experience in the electronics industry as a design engineer in filters, power supplies and control systems.

After his retirement from Electronic Design Magazine, He has been extensively contributing articles for Penton’s Electronic Design, Power Electronics Technology, Energy Efficiency and Technology (EE&T) and Microwaves RF Magazine, covering all of the aforementioned electronics segments as well as energy efficiency, harvesting and related technologies. He has also contributed articles to other electronics technology magazines worldwide.

He is a “jack of all trades and a master in leading-edge technologies” like MEMS, nanolectronics, autonomous vehicles, artificial intelligence, military electronics, biometrics, implantable medical devices, and energy harvesting and related technologies.