Agilent 5991-2714EN How to Select Your Next Oscilloscope 12 Tips on What to Consider Before you Buy - Appli free download

File name 5991-2714EN How to Select Your Next Oscilloscope_ 12 Tips on What to Consider Before you Buy - Appli

Keysight Technologies How to Select Your Next Oscilloscope: 12 Tips on What to Consider Before you Buy Application Note Introduction You rely on your oscilloscope every day, so selecting the right one to meet your specific measurement needs and budget is an important task. Comparing different manufacturers' oscilloscopes and their various specifications and features can be time-consuming and confusing. The 12 oscilloscope selection tips presented in this application note are intended to accelerate your selection process and help you avoid some common pitfalls. 03 | Keysight | How to Select Your Next Oscilloscope: 12 Tips on What to Consider Before you Buy - Application Note Tip #1: Bandwidth Select an oscilloscope that has sufficient Attenuation bandwidth to accurately capture the highest 0 dB frequency content of your signals -3 dB There are a variety of oscilloscope specifications that deter- mine how accurately signals can be captured and measured. But an oscilloscope's primary specification is its bandwidth. So what do we mean by "bandwidth"? All oscilloscopes exhibit a low-pass frequency response that rolls-off at higher frequen- cies, as shown in Figure 1. Most oscilloscopes with bandwidth f BW specifications of 1 GHz and below typically have what is called a Gaussian frequency response, which approximates the char- Frequency acteristics of a single-pole low-pass filter. The lowest frequency Figure 1. Oscilloscopes exhibit a low-pass frequency response that rolls-off at which the input signal is attenuated by 3 dB is considered higher frequencies. the oscilloscope's bandwidth. Signal attenuation at the