Rohde & Schwarz introduces industry’s first entry-level oscilloscope with 10-bit vertical resolution and touchscreen

Oscilloscopes are the key tool used by engineers, technicians, hobbyists and students to troubleshoot and test electronics since these instruments enable them to observe and measure electronic signals. At embedded world 2017, Rohde & Schwarz premieres its new R&S RTB2000 entry-level oscilloscope for education, R&D and manufacturing. Starting at just EUR 1,250, it delivers functionality previously only available in substantially higher priced oscilloscopes.

Rohde & Schwarz broadens its growing oscilloscope portfolio with the R&S RTB2000, the first low cost oscilloscope to offer touchscreen operation as well as 10-bit vertical resolution. “Rohde & Schwarz engineers love challenges where they can apply leading edge technology to customer needs,” says Joerg Fries, Vice President Oscilloscopes at Rohde & Schwarz. “We gave our team an additional challenge: to provide that R&S quality at an extremely competitive price. The result will surprise users, especially when they see how much capability they can get from a reputable supplier while sticking to their limited budgets.”

10-bit vertical resolution

Oscilloscopes measure voltage versus time. A key technology block, the analog to digital converter (ADC) determines how well the oscilloscope can resolve the amplitude of measured signals. For most of the last three decades, oscilloscopes have predominantly offered 8 bits of vertical resolution, which allows a signal to be mapped to one of 256 vertical positions. The R&S RTB2000 includes a proprietary 10-bit ADC with 1024 vertical positions, four times more resolution than any other oscilloscope in this segment. The increased resolution enables users to make more precise measurements and can be particularly useful for detecting small signals in the presence of large-amplitude signals.

10 Msample memory

After bandwidth and sample rate, memory depth is the most important attribute that determines an oscilloscope’s ability to handle a large range of troubleshooting tasks. The R&S RTB2000 oscilloscopes feature an industry-leading 10 Msample acquisition memory on each oscilloscope channel, and 20 Msample per channel in interleaved mode. This means ten times more memory than leading instruments in the segment. Users benefit from longer time captures for testing and troubleshooting, providing additional insight into electronic devices. Furthermore, this large standard memory can optionally be further extended to 160 Msample of segmented memory.

10.1″ display and capacitive touchscreen operation

The R&S RTB2000 series sports an impressive 10.1″ capacitive touchscreen. Oscilloscope usage is a visual experience since users spend a significant amount of time viewing the instrument’s display. The R&S RTB2000 oscilloscopes have twice the display size and up to ten times the number of pixels of comparable oscilloscopes in this segment and therefore offer a better view of the signals under test. Capacitive touch is becoming more important for oscilloscope users as it allows them to operate the instrument more quickly and efficiently. Plus, touch operation has become commonplace in the work and personal environment. With the R&S RTB2000, for the first time, users with lower budgets will have access to not only touchscreen, but capacitive touchscreen operation with a large display.

The R&S RTB2000 series oscilloscopes come in two and four channel models and offer bandwidths of 70 MHz, 100 MHz, 200 MHz and 300 MHz. Base prices start at EUR 1,250 for the 2-channel 70 MHz model. A number of upgrade options to extend the instrument’s capabilities are available, including for instance 16 integrated digital channels with a mixed signal oscilloscope (MSO) option, protocol decode and triggering options for a variety of industry standard buses as well as an arbitrary function generator and a 4-bit pattern generator.

Rohde & Schwarz will give the first public demonstration of the R&S RTB2000 at the embedded world 2017 international trade fair in Nuremberg from March 14 to 16, 2017. The R&S RTB2000 is now available from Rohde & Schwarz and selected distribution channel partners as of March 14, 2017. For further information, go to: www.rohde-schwarz.com/ad/press/rtb2000.