Scope data transfer rates

[onrb]

I need to capture ~20 scope traces per second (2500 pts per trace).

I have a TDS744A which is dong at best 1 trace per second with GPIB and LabView. I can go through a few cups of coffee before my data is collected....

Any recommednations on scopes which are capable?

Are any Tektronix scopes up to snuff? How are the LeCroy scopes in this regards?

Any experience or summaries are appreciated.

Best Regards

Richard  Burton

ON Semiconductor

richard.burton@onsemi.com.

[MattBradley]

I know you can transfer that fast using the infiniium scopes from agilent.  I also know the older Lecroy scopes had a significant first byte latency (I believe the model numbers were 9314 and 9316, but I could be wrong).  In other words, it took at least a second to transfer one trace off the Lecroys.  If you had a huge transfer (50K pts), it would not take much longer than a 10 pt trace.

Don't know about the other scopes.  Also, I did all transfers in binary to get as much speed as possible.

[Dennis_Knutson]

You could try a different bus for data transfer. As you can see here, there are large differences between GPIB, Ethernet, and USB. Many instruments come with one or more options. You will also see that a PCI or PCI Express is the fastest. I haven't used a stand-alone scope in years.

[alanjb · Accepted solution]

Hi Richard,

Alan from LeCroy Tech Support here... 

The answer is yes - the Waverunner Xi series can transfer about 24 waveforms/sec when the scope is set to a 2500point acquisition in "RealTime" mode (which is the standard operating mode)

You can transfer a far higher rate using "Sequence Mode".   In this mode, the scope saves multiple triggers to memory with extremely low deadtime.  I find that I can transfer, for example, about 14 sequence mode acquisitions per second, with each acquisition including 10 triggers of 2500 points each, whic amounts to 140 triggers per second transferred.

The best mode to use will depend on your application.  For example, if you are planning on averaging waveforms or performing some other analysis, you can do that on the scope and save alot of time.  Or, if you want to save the waveforms on the scope, you can save about 30 waveforms/sec in RealTime mode.

Please give me a call at 800-553-2769 for more discussion! 

Best Regards,

Alan