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Industry-leading Accuracy for High-speed Digital Designs

Equivalent-time (sampling) oscilloscopes are also known as digital communication analyzers (DCA). They are designed to visualize and analyze the analog properties of high-speed signals used in data center and wireline telecom applications. The Keysight DCA platform features a wide variety of optical, electrical, and TDR/TDT modules, compliance applications, and a common FlexDCA user interface to ensure more efficient testing in both R&D and manufacturing. Due to an ultra-low jitter and low-noise acquisition system, the Keysight DCA series provides industry-leading measurement accuracy for high-speed digital designs including 400G/800G Ethernet and Fibre Channel.

Laptop displaying PAM-4 analysis software

FlexDCA Software

Keysight's N1010A FlexDCA is the software that runs on the Keysight DCA Series of sampling oscilloscopes. It controls the measurement hardware both as a local user interface and for remote control. In addition to acquiring data and making measurements, FlexDCA encompasses powerful tools that boost productivity and provide insights into root causes of issues with the signal or device under test.

FlexDCA continues to evolve for applications such as:

  • research and design verification of electrical transmitters (ASICs, FPGAs, PHYs)
  • research, development, and manufacturing of optical transmitters/transceivers
  • analysis of reflections and transmission characteristics of electrical components and channels
  • general-purpose analysis of analog and digital signals

Equivalent-Time versus Real-Time Oscilloscopes

In the past, deciding between an equivalent-time sampling oscilloscope and a real-time oscilloscope was a matter of determining your bandwidth requirements. However, with today’s high-performance instruments, that distinction isn’t as clear.

Learn about the differences between the sample and trigger architectures of these oscilloscopes, along with the advantages and disadvantages of each.

Real-time and equivalent-time sampling oscilloscopes

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