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N4980A Multi-Instrument BERT Software

Data Sheets

Product highlights

Intuitive setup for all Keysight Technologies instruments in the test system

Single and multi-lane bit error rate testing

Crosstalk susceptibility testing with active aggressor signals

Fast and efficient parallel jitter tolerance testing

Bathtub view

Graphical pattern editor for easy user pattern creation

 

Applications

Serial data receiver characterization

Testing devices with high SerDes counts

Optical transceiver/transponder characterization

 

Focused, centralized control

The opening screen of the N4980A multi-instrument BERT software provides a menu of all Keysight Technologies instruments it supports. A convenient discover mode polls the bus in use (GPIB and/or USB) to find all connected instruments. Users can then perform a single click connect all or individually select an instrument to configure for the test at hand. Once selected, control for all instruments is focused in a single, easy to understand and navigate interface application.

Need to run the test again in the future? The entire setup can be saved to a file and recalled at any time.

To improve understanding of signal flow in complicated test set-ups, users can assign an alias, such as port ID, signal names, etc., to the instrument channels.

Single or parallel BER measurements with ease

Bit error rate measurement testing is simple with the intuitive control screens. The base software package is free of charge and can perform single-channel BER, multi-channel BER with an unlimited number of channels, and bathtub measurements.

Need to make a change in the setup after you have started a test? No problem. Measurements can be stopped at any point and reset to correct set up errors without needing to wait for the preset time or bit count to be achieved.

Graphical results

Any BERT can give you measurements in a table of results. The N4980A multi-instrument BERT software provides more with graphical results which are easier to interpret—allowing you to quickly gain insight into what is happening in the device under test.

Strip chart view shows history of instantaneous BER. Device setting or mode changes which impact bit error performance can be instantly seen in real time, without needing to analyze a column of numbers.

Bathtub view provides a quick visualization of eye opening at various BER confidence levels. Eye diagrams measured with real time or sampling scopes simply cannot capture enough data in a reasonable amount of time to accurately provide this information.

Virtual multi-channel BER setup

The N4980A multi-instrument BERT software also facilitates the setup and execution of multi-channel BER measurements using the virtual instruments feature. Up to four N4960A serial BERT 17 and 32 Gb/s instruments can be configured providing four channel BER measurement capability.

Simplify jitter tolerance measurements

With the optional JTOL extension, the N4980A multi-instrument BERT software can perform JTOL measurements as simply as it measures BER (the JTOL software package requires a license for use). As with BER, both single and multi-channel JTOL can be measured. By running in parallel, multi-lane devices can be characterized much faster than conventional testing of each lane sequentially.

Measurements can operate in compliance mode, where the stress point at each jitter frequency is tested according to a specific template and then moved to the next frequency, or characterization mode, where testing continues until BER failure is reached.

To provide flexibility in trading off test resolution for test time, the user can select from the following search algorithms:

Binary

Binary + linear up/down

Linear up/down

Log up/down

JTOL test limit templates can be saved and recalled, simplifying the set up for the next test. A simple to use “point and click” template editor allows the user to add or remove test points with a click of the mouse. With the JTOL template editor, you can create templates to meet the testing criteria of the most common standards.

Programmable patterns

For special pattern requirements, programmable patterns up to 8 Mb in length can be easily created with powerful editing tools. Patterns can then be uploaded into the N4960A serial BERT.

The main programmable pattern editor dialog box is used to create and manage pattern streams. Pattern streams are composed of one or more sub-patterns. Each sub-pattern contains a single pattern definition. Using sub-patterns allows users to break down complex patterns for easier organization.

Simplify tap weight computation

The N4980A Multi-instrument BERT software includes a powerful de-emphasis tap weight computation tool that simplifies the process of computing tap weights, reducing the time required to a few seconds. Starting from a measured or simulated S-Parameter file of the data path to be equalized, the software calculates the optimum tap values necessary to create the ideal compensation filter response. The user can control tap configurations, so different solutions with different ranges of pre- and post-cursors can be synthesized. Once the data has been analyzed and desired results obtained, a single click loads the computed tap weights directly into the N4951B-D17/-D32 pattern generator head.

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