- Teledyne LeCroy announced on September 25, 2018 the creation of a range of Teledyne Test Tools brand instruments to complement its digital oscilloscopes and protocol analyzers offering.
- The first instruments launched under this label are the two compact time reflectometers (T3SP10D and T3SP15D) designed to identify signal integrity problems up to 15 GHz.
The TDR (Time Domain Reflectometer) time reflectometers are designed to perform differential measurements up to frequencies of 10 GHz for the T3SP10D model and 15 GHz for the T3SP15D model. Integrated in a compact, front-panelless housing controlled via a PC, these instruments are used to diagnose signal integrity problems in interconnections, transmission lines or cables and to perform impedance discontinuity measurements. Their small dimensions (220 x 210 x 82.5 mm) and their optional on-board battery make them equally suitable for use in the field or laboratory, particularly for tests in the automotive, telecom, or electronics design sectors.
These TDR analysers are suitable for testing current serial data buses that use differential transmission lines to analyze impedance throughout the track. They precisely locate a discontinuity that could affect the rising edges of the signals, or a pulse width or generate noise or jitter and thus damage the signal. Their differential measurement capability simplifies measurement since grounding is not required whether it is a coaxial cable or a twisted pair.
The TDR T3SP10D and T3SP15D can perform an impedance parity measurement in the frequency domain using parameter S (S11) as required by some serial communication standards such as Ethernet and USB. They perform the calibrated differential measurement of the S parameter using the same calibration kit (OSL) as those used with vector network analyzers. According to Teledyne, traditional TDR analysers do not have OSL calibration, which affects their accuracy.
With rising edges with a rising time of 50 ps for the T3SP10D model and 35 ps for the T3SP15D, these instruments have a resolution (in FR4) of 4.2 mm and 3 mm respectively, and a repetition rate of 10 MHz.
These instruments have a memory capacity of 50 Kpts allowing the recording of phenomena up to 40 meters. They are also equipped with an electrostatic discharge protection module based on a high-performance RF coaxial switch that protects the inputs when they are not in use.
The Teledyne T3SP10D and T3SP15D reflectometers can be delivered with an internal battery, a carrying case, paired cables, differential probes, calibration kits.
