Anritsu Oscilloscopes offer a versatile frequency range and user-friendly interface, catering to the needs of high-speed data transmission and digital signal measurement.
| Product | Mindshare (%) |
|---|---|
| Anritsu Oscilloscopes | 3.5% |
| Siglent | 17.9% |
| Tektronix Oscilloscopes | 16.9% |
| Other | 61.7% |
Known for their adaptability, Anritsu Oscilloscopes allow adjustment of Tap levels and voltage strength, featuring PAM-4 encoding for precise receiver validation. Their integration of Pulse Pattern Generator and Error Detector streamlines direct PCB probing. Though users appreciate these qualities, there is a call to extend frequency ranges and simplify the somewhat complex interface. Enhancements in GUI navigation are needed to rival competitors like Textronix or Keysight. Additionally, more stability in the software would benefit those facing frequent restarts and high costs for the eye diagram tool.
What are the most important features?Used extensively in PCB design, Anritsu Oscilloscopes serve in analyzing high-speed data transmission and validating transceiver signals. Laboratories use these tools for testing optical modules in demanding environments, while industries rely on them for characterizing material properties over a comprehensive frequency range.
Anritsu Oscilloscopes was previously known as BERTWave Series.
| Author info | Rating | Review Summary |
|---|---|---|
| IC Validation Engineer at a manufacturing company with 51-200 employees | 3.5 | We use this costly solution for optical module lab testing. The co-located PPG and Error Detector are easy to use, though I find the UI difficult, especially for updates. Demos are recommended before purchase. |
| Validation Engineer at Intel Corporation | 3.5 | I use this solution for high-speed serial transceiver and PAM-4 testing, valuing its cost-effectiveness, easy UI, and helpful jitter function. I wish for fewer form changes due to new technology and more improvements for the PAM-4 part. |
| Electrical Validation Engineer at Intel Corporation | 3.5 | I use the Pre-emphasis box to boost FPGA transceiver signals, validating performance when silicon voltage is weak. The UI is good, but I desire more dynamic Tap features. It's a useful, if minimal, tool for signal experimentation. |
| Researcher at a educational organization with 501-1,000 employees | 4.5 | I value this VNA for its mandatory PCB design capabilities, easy UI, good frequency range, and excellent support. However, I desire an extended frequency range for higher speeds and better radar/antenna applications. |
| Applications Engineer at Marvell Technology Group | 4.0 | I use this solution for high-speed serial interface and PAM-4 validation, valuing its noise injection capabilities. Though it generally meets expectations, the user interface is complicated, and it's expensive. I hope for UI simplification and more noise injection types. |
| SI Engineer at a manufacturing company with 201-500 employees | 4.5 | I use the Anritsu VNA to characterize materials, finding it flexible and great for extracting signal loss, skew, and DKDF. The software, however, is unstable and restarts often, preventing a perfect score for this otherwise excellent equipment. |
We use it more on our lab testing for our optical modules and optical transceivers.
The Pulse Pattern Generator (PPG) and Error Detector are co-located, which makes it easier to use because I can just probe it directly on the PCB.
The user interface is somewhat difficult when it comes to updates, so this is something that they need to improve. I would like a better GUI with navigation. This should make it easier to compare to competitors, like Textronix or Keysight.
We are utilizing the full bandwidth.
Our solution is not field upgradable anymore. If we need to new equipment, we will have to purchase it.
We have local support, though we are not currently using them.
We had a local support guy come in and help us.
The pricing is costly.
We got some test demos and looked at the vendors' samples. It was combination of technical aspects, cost impact, and ease of access. We used the samples or demos for months from the vendors, which made our lives easier during the initial days, because our people understood the product. Though, the time frame of the demos is sort of limited.
Once we have insight into the products through the demo reviews, we can provide our recommendations to management.
We also looked at Tektronix, but they don't work for error detection.
Take a look and do some demos. It will help you decide whether to go with this equipment or not.
It took us about a week to become acclimated to the solution.
We are not using this product to support connected devices, e.g., IoT development, nor are we planning to going forward.
We use it for the transceiver that we have in my company.
The application space that we are using the solution to target is high-speed serial. We are testing for the part the transceiver for use in fiber optic technology. So, I'm testing the Honda GN400 Jeep PAM-4.
The jitter function included in the system has helped me in terms of improving the capabilities of our product.
Right now, they have all the features which are included in my validation test.
User interface is pretty easy to use.
Sometimes, the forms keep changing because of new product technology. If they could reduce the amount of change in the form, this would be good.
A lot more improvement can be done on the PAM-4 part.
We are pretty much utilizing the full bandwidth of the product.
I have the initial contact for the product and can get in touch with him very fast. I contact him very frequently.
Most of the time, we can solve all the issues using the support.
Most of the time, we have used the most expensive solution, like the one from Keysight. Then, Anritsu came out a bit later with their solutions, but for a cheaper price, which is why we switched.
Price-wise, it is much cheaper than its competitors.
The first version of the product is always expensive, then once there is competition, it will be cheaper.
We have also tried Keysight and Tektronix.
We did get a demo before purchasing, so we could see performance-wise the features that they would apply and how they would compare.
The features are pretty much the same as an expensive competitor, but the price is better. If you have a lot of money to spend, then go for the most advanced solution. However, if you have money constraints, this the best solution for your application.
We are using this product to support connected devices.
We are measuring signals for PAM-4.
I am currently using the Pre-emphasis box. We use it to tweak in some De-emphasis and have some voltage strength on the Tx signal.
We are using it to measure FPGA signals, which are transceiver signals from FPGA. This is a part of the transceiver's validation. We want to see if it complies with the protocols.
Sometimes, the silicon voltage strength is not enough. When you have some issues and you don't have a valid result, you don't know if it is due to the voltage strength, Taps, or something on the Tx side. Therefore, the Pre-emphasis box gives you a capability to experiment and boost the signal, boost the voltage strength, and play with the Taps. This way you better know the performance.
It gives you the capability to increase the Tap levels and voltage strength more than what you have in your signal.
The user interface is quite good. It is straightforward. It's not confusing. You can figure out the notes yourself without much help.
For the next release, I would like more explanation on Taps. E.g., what's the impact on the signal when we click on a feature or click on a Tap. It would be good if we have more capabilities on Taps.
Right now, it's a minimal tool. They could make it more dynamic by adding dynamic features, which could help us with doing effective analysis.
We are utilizing the full bandwidth of the product.
I think its upgradable, but we haven't the need yet to do it.
So far, the product has been doing well. We haven't really needed technical support. In case, we do, there's help where we can always email them, then it will get resolved through email. I think the technical support is quite good
I think everyone gets a demo before purchasing.
If your intent is to experiment with your signal to see if some boosting helps or your silicon doesn't have a lot of Tap features, then this is a good product to start with. You can always boost your signal using the Pre-emphasis box from Anritsu, since it is good to understand your signal performance.
It wasn't really tough to get acclimated to the solution. The GUI is quite interactive and the notes are limited. It took about a month to to get familiar with the features.
The application space that we are using the solution to target is high-speed serial.
We are not using this product to support connected devices because we don't have a requirement for it.
I expect to see more features going forward. It's a limited feature product.
The primary use case is PCB design.
We are measuring digital signals and multi-gigabit per second data transmission.
We are able to determine losses associated with different types of materials. Thus, we are able to decide the materials which are best for any given design.
The electrical measurements that this equipment is capable of measuring are the standard parameters. Therefore, it is mandatory for each company to have a vector network analyzer (VNA).
The most valuable feature is its frequency range.
The user interface is easy, simple, and practical.
I would like the frequency range to be extended because of the speed. Electronics are moving forward to higher speeds, so it's better to have higher frequencies.
The product's antennas and radar applications need improvement.
I'm not sure that it can be upgraded to more than we have. I know that the newest version which will be released either this year or next year will be upgradeable, so perhaps we will have to switch to the new equipment.
We are occasionally using the full bandwidth.
The technical support is excellent. They have provided solutions for any issues that we have had with the equipment.
We sent our equipment for servicing, and they did it well.
The pricing was the best option when we purchased it.
It's very expensive equipment and cannot be upgraded after five years. If you buy equipment today, in five years, it won't be upgradeable. You have to upgrade it within the first five years that you buy it.
We also have a Keysight VNA, which is also good.
We chose this vendor because of pricing. We got a good deal when we contacted the vendor.
We traveled to the manufacturer before purchasing, and they showed us the product. We learned how we can use it for different purposes. For instance, we realized we could measure several ports and millimeter wave ranges. So, they explained in detail what the equipment was capable of doing.
I have recommended this product before because I think we received the best product for the money that we paid.
It didn't take time for us to learn because we knew how the product worked in advance.
The application space that this solution targets is high-speed. For PCB laminate, they now require us to provide information about the performance of their products up to several tens of gigahertz.
We are not using this product to support connected devices for IoT development nor are we planning to going forward.
The application space that we are using the solution to target is high-speed serial interface.
One of the test items (cheater tolerance) is a key validation item of our products. With Anritsu, it enables us to inject a different kind of theater, like RJ and SJ. So instead of a feature, we can have a very wide range of tasks from our receiver.
It supports the PAM-4 encoding scheme. We use that to do our PAM-4 receiver validation.
It's also quick and easy to use.
While the user interface is good, it's a bit complicated because they have so many tabs. If they could simplify it, this would be helpful and appreciated.
In the next release, they could make the capability to inject things, like RM noise. This will enable us to test the interference tolerance.
We are utilizing the full bandwidth of the product.
Technical support is very effective and good.
We received feedback from our team members (user experience), then we made a product decision.
Pricing is always expensive. It would be better if they lowered the price.
We evaluated Keysight and Anritsu.
We did do a demo. We tested the most important features to see if they met our expectations.
The product meets our expectations, but it has some things to improve.
The learning curve is around several weeks, because they have their documents ready, which is good.
We are not using this product to connect with support connected devices, like IoT development, and are probably not planning to going forward.
Whenever there is a need, we will upgrade to that. However, we are going to evaluate different vendors, then make a decision.
I'm using the VNA Condor System, or VectorStar, to characterize materials. In terms of the application space, for us covers everything from five gigahertz up to 110. We utilize the full bandwidth of the product.
We use the product to improve our own materials on all test vehicles because we are a company that sells laminates.
The information that I can get with the VNA is useful for me to select materials, like copper. All the information that it can provide is really useful, due to the processing of the data. We can extract signal loss, skew, DKDF.
With the VNA I can set its parameters, so the tool is very flexible.
I think it's available, but the eye diagram is an extra tool that is very expensive. Having it would save me time because, instead of having to simulate, I could see it from the measurement really fast. That would be one less step.
I would like to see them improve the software. The new version can be improved. It's not quite stable. It restarts a lot.
Technical support is good. Sometimes the software updates are not that stable, but if I call, there's always somebody to help me.
So far, this is the only tool that I have used for S-parameters. If I were to switch it would be because the bandwidth of the next VNA is wider.
It is expensive, but I guess that is why it works.
We also looked at Keysight but Anritsu was the best option.
You have to be really aware of what your needs are for bandwidth, because you can buy things that do more than you really need.
There wasn't much of a learning curve. It was really fast.
In terms of upgradability, the only thing that we can update is the software.
I would rate the product at nine out of ten. I wouldn't give it a ten because of the software. But it's really good equipment. It gives me the information that I need.
