Tektronix, Inc., a leading provider of test and measurement equipment for the computer and communications industries, announced a breakthrough series of mid-range oscilloscopes that set a new price for performance benchmark in the industry.

The new TDS5000 family of digital phosphor oscilloscopes (DPO) consists of three instruments that offer high-performance features at an unprecedented price to satisfy the needs of engineers designing electronic products.

The new TDS5000 Series DPO consists of three models. The 1-GHz, 4-channel TDS5104 leads the family and is a valuable asset for accurate viewing of fast clock signals and pulse edges. The 500-MHz, 2-channel TDS5052 and the 500-MHz, 4-channel TDS5054 round out the series. Available record lengths for the TDS5000 Series extend to 8 Megabytes (MB) as an option. Each model has a maximum real-time sample rate of 5 Gigasamples per second (GS/s) and a waveform capture rate up to 100,000 waveforms per second (wfms/s).

All three TDS5000 models inherit from the TDS7000 Series DPOs patented DPX(TM) acquisition technology that updates the waveform thousands of times faster than conventional digitizing oscilloscopes. Deadline-pressured designers can capture irregularities more reliably and thereby trace problems more quickly. Digital phosphor oscilloscopes provide unmatched insight into signal behavior by displaying, storing and analyzing complex signals in real-time using three dimensions of signal information: amplitude, time and distribution of amplitude over time.

The TDS5000 Series oscilloscopes include an industry-leading suite of eleven advanced triggers, including a highly flexible window trigger for digital designers and analog High-Definition TV, Secam, NTSC and PAL triggers for video designers, being introduced with these products. Each trigger provides several qualifications and settings that result in the availability of numerous variations. These triggers are essential to meet the engineer's need to set acquisition conditions and capture specific events of interest.

The TDS5000 Series' user interface, a high-performance feature migrated from the award-winning TDS7000 Series DPOs, lets engineers choose from various types of controls: analog-style knobs, pull-down menus, optional touch-screen control keyboard and mouse. Additionally, voice commands are made possible by VocalLink(TM) voice control software, a recommended accessory.

These compact, bench top instruments save valuable space on the engineer's crowded test bench, without compromising the vivid and bright, 10.4`` Liquid Crystal Display (LCD). Options, such as a built-in printer to simplify documentation of results, or a CD-RW drive for storage, complete the offering.

November.2001