Tektronix Announces Test Tools for SuperSpeed USB

By DE Editors

Tektronix, Inc. (Beaverton, OR), a provider of test, measurement and monitoring instrumentation, announced a test set for the USB 3.0 specification. The high-speed serial data offering will enable customers to rapidly test their SuperSpeed USB designs.

It is estimated that initial SuperSpeed USB interface ICs and consumer products should appear in early 2010. The first SuperSpeed USB products will include data-storage devices such as flash drives, external hard drives, digital music players, and digital cameras. These will be followed by video products and eventually data acquisition systems that need the high data throughput.

SuperSpeed USB will join other high-speed serial standards such as 8Gbps PCI-Express and SATA 6Gbps as one of the more demanding technologies, requiring advanced test and measurement instruments such as the industry leading Tektronix DPO/DSA70000 oscilloscope series and analysis software. The Tektronix oscilloscopes can acquire signals up to 8Gbps, at or above the 5th harmonic, enabling greater margin and fidelity for demanding compliance and debug testing.

With the higher bit rate, SuperSpeed USB receivers will also need equalization at the receiver because the signal eye will be closed after traveling through PCB traces, connectors, and cables. This equalization stress testing is facilitated by the Tektronix USB test solution including AWG7000B arbitrary waveform generators and DSA8200 Sampling Oscilloscopes.

For details on what the Tektronix test solution for USB 3.0 includes, go to Tektronix.

Sources: Press materials received from the company and additional information gleaned from the company’s website.