At present, many oscilloscope manufacturers have introduced Mixed-Signal Oscilloscopes (MSOs), but the market is crowded with various products, making it challenging for average users to tell them apart. What exactly is an MSO? What functions does it offer? And in which areas is it most commonly used? The SIGLENT Oscilloscope Encyclopedia Forum is here to explain everything you need to know!
An MSO, short for Mixed-Signal Oscilloscope, is designed to help engineers debug and validate modern DSP-based mixed-signal designs. It provides a time-correlated display of both analog and digital waveforms on a single device, along with advanced triggering capabilities across all analog and digital channels. For most engineers, an MSO serves as a quick and efficient tool for basic design verification tasks. It combines the measurement features of a Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO)—such as automatic calibration, trigger holdoff, and equivalent time sampling—with the functionality of a logic analyzer, creating a powerful hybrid instrument.
The primary application areas of an MSO include capturing mixed-signal devices, such as analog and digital signals on Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADCs) and Digital-to-Analog Converters (DACs). Additionally, it is widely used for verifying and debugging mixed-signal designs that involve embedded address and data buses, such as analog I/O, digital parallel ports, and communication protocols like I2C and SPI.
Compared to traditional logic analyzers, MSOs are simpler and more user-friendly. Their operation is similar to using a regular oscilloscope, while learning to use a logic analyzer can be time-consuming and complex. Even experienced engineers may find the setup for specific measurements more cumbersome than configuring an oscilloscope. Moreover, the advanced features of logic analyzers often add unnecessary complexity, especially when working with MCUs and DSPs today. MSOs, on the other hand, offer faster waveform updates and more intuitive operation, thanks to their highly integrated hardware design.
What makes an MSO stand out? Take the SIGLENT SDS2000 series as an example. It offers logical channel functionality with several key features:
- 8 high-speed timing channels with sample rates up to 500 MSa/s
- Trigger and display 8-bit digital signals
- Trigger and display hexadecimal or binary bus waveforms (the bus waveform result is the sum of 8-bit digital signals)
These features make the MSO an essential tool for engineers working with mixed-signal systems, offering a balance between simplicity and advanced functionality. Whether you're testing ADCs, debugging communication buses, or validating embedded designs, an MSO can streamline your workflow and improve efficiency.
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