Agilent Technologies is making an aggressive push into the low-cost oscilloscope market, promising more features in the instruments at an affordable cost. The instruments will be sold solely through the company's distribution channel. It has expanded its mixed-signal and digital-storage oscilloscope portfolio to the tune of 26 new models that comprise its next-generation Infinivision 2000 and 3000 X-Series. The 2000 X- Series offers bandwidths from 70MHz to 200MHz. There is an optional 8-channel mixed-signal oscilloscope (MSO) capability, and an optional integrated function generator, offer more capabilities to engineers and educators with highly constrained equipment budgets. The 3000 X-Series scopes step up performance while aggressively holding prices in line, offering bandwidths from 100MHz to 500MHz and waveform update rates of 1,000,000 waveforms per second. Options include a 16-channel MSO, an integrated function generator, and hardware-accelerated serial protocol decode. These functions are achieved using an Agilent-designed custom 90-nm CMOS ASIC with 6M gates and embedded memory. All InfiniiVision X-Series models are equipped with an 8.5-inch WVGA display, which offers twice the viewing area of other scopes. Yet they weigh only 8.5lbs and conserve bench space with a small footprint, about 15in. wide and less than 6in. deep. The X-Series is fully upgradable (including bandwidth) so extra capability can be added as performance needs evolve. Optional measurement software packages add functionality, either at time of purchase or as needs arise: - segmented memory for analysis of laser pulses, radar bursts and serial packets; - hardware-accelerated mask testing to quickly perform pass/fail analysis using known good waveforms; and - hardware-accelerated serial decode and trigger for I2C, SPI, CAN, LIN, I2S, RS-232 and other UARTs (available only on the InfiniiVision 3000 X-Series).
