New Ultrafast Zone Triggering Feature in Oscilloscopes

This latest innovation in oscilloscope technology introduces a new functionality that significantly enhances the ability of oscilloscopes to isolate events that were previously difficult or impossible to detect using traditional trigger methods. The MXO zone trigger implementation, developed by Rohde & Schwarz, stands out as the fastest in the industry, surpassing competitors by up to 10,000 times in speed.

Traditional oscilloscope trigger types, like edge triggering, often pose challenges in setup and may not be adequate for visualizing certain trigger events. In contrast, zone triggering empowers users to define trigger conditions by drawing one or more zone areas directly on the instrument's display. The oscilloscope then evaluates each acquisition against these conditions, displaying only the acquisitions that meet the specified graphical criteria.

Zone triggering proves to be highly effective for capturing non-monotonic edges, serial bus patterns, math waveforms, multi-channel events, and events in the frequency domain – scenarios where traditional triggers fall short. Rohde & Schwarz's zone triggering solution is the world's first ASIC-based system that operates on analog channel signals, math waveforms, and spectrum data.

Philip Diegmann, Vice President of Oscilloscopes at Rohde & Schwarz, emphasizes the significance of the MXO-EP processing ASIC technology in enabling unparalleled signal visibility and user responsiveness within the MXO series. Diegmann highlights the chip's design, which allows for future hardware acceleration capabilities, ensuring a continuous stream of innovative functionalities for oscilloscope users.

With the introduction of MXO zone triggering, oscilloscope users engaged in frequency domain testing and debugging can now define specific zone areas for triggering purposes. Whether monitoring power levels in certain frequency tones or capturing RF chirps and pulses, the oscilloscope responds to events within the designated zones. The MXO's free run mode, combined with zone triggering, proves to be particularly effective for power integrity assessments and EMI debugging.

One of the standout features of MXO zone triggering is its ability to selectively store waveforms in real time that meet the zone trigger criteria. This capability allows users to focus exclusively on events relevant to their specific applications, streamlining the debugging and analysis process.

Rohde & Schwarz offers the ASIC-based zone triggering functionality as a standard feature across all MXO 4, MXO 5, and MXO 5C series oscilloscopes with the release of version 2.2 firmware. Users can easily access the firmware update for free on the company's website, ensuring that existing MXO owners can benefit from this cutting-edge technology.

For more information on the MXO series and the latest zone triggering capabilities, visit www.rohde-schwarz.com/product/MXO5 and www.rohde-schwarz.com/product/MXO4.