Which Virtual Probing Method to Use?

 

Virtual probing lets you "probe" where a probe
can't reach, or compensate signals by deembedding
or simulating devices and channels.

A great feature of Teledyne LeCroy oscilloscopes is the ability to apply virtual probing to compensate an input signal, whether by deembedding fixtures from the signal path, or simulating a “missing” component. It is especially helpful in cases where the signal is difficult to probe at the ideal location, hence the concept of “virtual” probing.

For example, because the JEDEC electrical specifications are defined at the balls of the DDR DRAM, it is often necessary to use the virtual probing capabilities of the oscilloscope to get the best representations of DDR signals to be analyzed with DDR Debug Toolkit or QualiPHY compliance software.

Here, we’ll give an overview of the virtual probing methods that become available with the installation of the SDAIII-CompleteLinQ or VirtualProbe software options, and some guidance as to which method is best to use in which case. And although we’ll show examples drawn from DDR analysis, the benefits of virtual probing are by no means limited to DDR signals.

Getting The Most Out Of Your Oscilloscope: Math Functions

Figure 1: Parameter math functions
provide a way to create custom
parameters

Parameter math functions are an important part of an oscilloscope's analysis capabilities. Using parameter math, you can create custom parameters based on simple arithmetic relationships between existing parameters. It allows you to add, subtract, multiply, divide, or rescale parameters (Figure 1).