Rigol MSO2102A-S

The RIGOL MSO2102A-S Mixed-Signal Oscilloscope combines three essential electronic test instruments in one compact benchtop platform:

• A two-channel digital oscilloscope
• A 16-channel logic analyser
• A dual-channel function and arbitrary waveform generator

It is designed for engineers, technicians, research laboratories, electronics manufacturers and educational institutions that need to generate test signals while monitoring analogue and digital circuit behaviour.

The oscilloscope section provides 100 MHz analogue bandwidth, two analogue input channels and up to 2 GSa/s real-time sampling. Its mixed-signal section adds 16 digital inputs for time-correlated logic analysis, while the integrated signal source provides two independent waveform outputs with a maximum sine-wave frequency of 25 MHz.

100 MHz Analogue Bandwidth

The MSO2102A-S provides 100 MHz bandwidth across two analogue input channels. It is suitable for general electronics, embedded controllers, low-to-medium-frequency digital circuits, analogue systems and power-supply testing.

Typical measurements include:

• Microcontroller clock signals
• PWM and control waveforms
• Sensor and actuator outputs
• Analogue amplifier signals
• Power-supply ripple
• Switching regulator control signals
• Communication interfaces
• Pulse and timing measurements
• Input and output signal comparison
• Phase and delay measurements

The calculated rise time is approximately 3.5 ns. Measurement accuracy at fast edges also depends on probe bandwidth, connection length, source impedance and grounding technique.

Two Analogue and 16 Digital Channels

The mixed-signal architecture provides:

• Two analogue oscilloscope channels
• Sixteen digital logic channels
• One external trigger input
• Time-correlated analogue and digital display
• Triggering across analogue and digital inputs
• Digital channel grouping and labelling
• Parallel bus analysis
• Configurable logic thresholds

The 16 digital inputs are arranged in two groups of eight channels. Each group can use a separately configured threshold.

This configuration is useful for analysing:

• Analogue sensor outputs alongside digital controller responses
• Clock, data and enable signals
• Microcontroller GPIO activity
• FPGA and CPLD timing
• Parallel buses
• Power-rail behaviour during logic switching
• Communication data and physical-layer waveform quality
• Relationships between analogue and digital circuit sections

A RIGOL RPL2316 logic analyser probe is used to connect the digital channels. RIGOL lists one RPL2316 as a standard accessory for MSO2000A models.

Analogue Sampling Performance

The analogue acquisition system provides:

• 2 GSa/s with one analogue channel active
• 1 GSa/s per channel with both analogue channels active

The high real-time sample rate provides more measurement points across fast waveform transitions. This helps reveal:

• Overshoot
• Undershoot
• Ringing
• Pulse distortion
• Timing variation
• Narrow transient events
• Intermittent noise

Analogue peak-detection capability is approximately:

• 500 ps with one analogue channel active
• 1 ns with both analogue channels active
•  

Digital Sampling Performance

The digital sample rate depends on the number of enabled logic channels:

• 1 GSa/s with up to eight digital channels active
• 500 MSa/s with all 16 digital channels active

Digital peak-detection performance is approximately:

• 1 ns with up to eight digital channels
• 2 ns with all 16 digital channels

The minimum detectable digital pulse width is approximately 5 ns.

The 2 GSa/s specification applies only to the analogue acquisition system. The digital channels must not be advertised as providing 2 GSa/s sampling.

Deep Analogue Acquisition Memory

The MSO2102A-S provides 14 Mpts standard analogue memory in single-channel operation.

Standard analogue memory allocation:

• 14 Mpts with one analogue channel active
• 7 Mpts per channel with both analogue channels active

The optional memory upgrade expands analogue memory to:

• 56 Mpts with one analogue channel active
• 28 Mpts per channel with both analogue channels active

Deep memory enables longer waveform captures while maintaining a useful sample rate.

This is valuable for:

• Long serial communication packets
• Power-supply start-up sequences
• Embedded-system timing analysis
• PWM waveform investigation
• Intermittent fault detection
• Communication packet testing
• Extended pulse-train capture
• Production monitoring

The 56 Mpts memory depth should be described as optional unless the appropriate licence or promotional option bundle is installed.

Digital Acquisition Memory

Digital acquisition memory depends on the number of active logic channels.

Standard digital memory:

• 14 Mpts with up to eight digital channels active
• 7 Mpts with all 16 digital channels active

Optional digital memory:

• 28 Mpts with up to eight digital channels active
• 14 Mpts with all 16 digital channels active

This memory supports longer captures during logic analysis, parallel bus testing, FPGA debugging and embedded-system timing evaluation.

Integrated Dual-Channel 25 MHz Signal Source

The MSO2102A-S includes a built-in dual-channel function and arbitrary waveform generator.

The integrated signal source provides:

• Two independently controlled output channels
• Up to 25 MHz sine-wave output
• 200 MSa/s waveform-generation sample rate
• 14-bit vertical resolution
• Standard waveform generation
• Built-in arbitrary waveforms
• User-defined arbitrary waveform output
• Independent frequency, amplitude, phase and offset settings

The signal generator allows engineers to apply a controlled test signal to a circuit and observe the resulting analogue and digital behaviour without using a separate function generator.

Typical applications include:

• Amplifier testing
• Filter evaluation
• Sensor simulation
• Clock generation
• Pulse generation
• Component testing
• Circuit-response measurements
• Embedded-system development
• Educational experiments
•  

Standard and Built-In Waveforms

The integrated source supports common waveform types such as:

• Sine
• Square
• Pulse
• Ramp
• Noise
• DC
• Arbitrary waveforms

Additional built-in waveforms include:

• Sinc
• Exponential rise
• Exponential fall
• ECG
• Gaussian
• Lorentz
• Haversine

These waveforms can be used to simulate sensor signals, test amplifiers and filters, stimulate analogue inputs and evaluate embedded control systems.

Arbitrary Waveform Generation

The arbitrary waveform function supports customised test signals that cannot be produced using standard sine, square or pulse waveforms.

It is suitable for generating:

• Simulated sensor outputs
• Application-specific control signals
• Repetitive transient waveforms
• Non-standard pulse shapes
• Recorded waveform patterns
• Custom analogue signals

The generator supports arbitrary waveforms with lengths from 1 to 16k points and frequencies up to 10 MHz, depending on the waveform configuration.

Generator Frequency Ranges

Maximum generator frequency depends on the selected waveform type:

• Sine: up to 25 MHz
• Square: up to 15 MHz
• Pulse: up to 1 MHz
• Ramp: up to 100 kHz
• Built-in waveforms: up to 1 MHz
• Arbitrary waveforms: up to 10 MHz

Maximum output level is:

• Up to 5 Vpp into a high-impedance load
• Up to 2.5 Vpp into a 50 Ω load

Actual output amplitude may decrease at higher frequencies and depends on the connected load.

Fast Waveform Capture

The MSO2102A-S provides a maximum waveform capture rate of up to 52,000 waveforms per second in the specified dots-display configuration.

Fast acquisition improves the probability of detecting:

• Short glitches
• Runt pulses
• Timing violations
• Signal dropouts
• Unstable waveform edges
• Intermittent noise
• Abnormal pulse widths
• Communication errors

The waveform display supports up to 256 intensity levels, helping users distinguish frequently occurring signal behaviour from rare waveform events.

Hardware Waveform Recording and Playback

The oscilloscope supports hardware waveform recording, playback and analysis.

Maximum recording capacity includes:

• Up to 65,000 frames with digital channels disabled
• Up to 32,000 frames with digital channels enabled

Waveform recording allows users to:

• Capture successive signal events
• Replay waveform activity
• Review individual frames
• Compare normal and abnormal behaviour
• Perform post-acquisition measurements
• Investigate intermittent faults
• Examine events preceding a circuit failure

The reduced recording capacity with digital channels enabled should be considered when planning extended mixed-signal tests.

Low-Level Analogue Measurement

The analogue channels provide vertical sensitivity from:

• 500 µV/div to 10 V/div at 1 MΩ
• 500 µV/div to 1 V/div at 50 Ω

This vertical range supports:

• Sensor output measurement
• Power-supply ripple analysis
• Amplifier testing
• Reference-voltage checks
• Low-amplitude analogue signals
• General electronic troubleshooting

The 500 µV/div setting uses digital amplification based on the 1 mV/div range and should be considered accordingly during precision measurements.

Selectable Input Impedance

The analogue inputs support:

• 1 MΩ input impedance for general-purpose measurements
• 50 Ω input termination for matched higher-frequency signals

Maximum permitted voltage differs between the two impedance settings. Engineers must use suitable probes and observe the input limits stated in the official user guide.

20 MHz Bandwidth Limit

The MSO2102A-S includes a selectable 20 MHz bandwidth limit.

The bandwidth limit helps reduce unwanted high-frequency noise when measuring:

• Power-supply ripple
• Low-frequency analogue signals
• Sensor outputs
• Audio signals
• Reference voltages
• Low-frequency control waveforms
•  

Digital Logic Thresholds

The digital channels support predefined and user-adjustable thresholds for common logic families.

Available threshold types include:

• TTL
• 5 V CMOS
• 3.3 V CMOS
• 2.5 V CMOS
• 1.8 V CMOS
• ECL
• PECL
• LVDS
• 0 V
• User-defined threshold

The user-defined threshold range is approximately ±20 V with 10 mV adjustment steps.

This flexibility allows the digital inputs to analyse several voltage standards used in embedded, industrial and automotive electronics.

Trigger Functions

The MSO2102A-S provides several trigger modes for isolating specific waveform conditions.

Trigger functions include:

• Edge
• Pulse width
• Slope
• Pattern
• Runt
• Setup and hold
• Video
• RS232/UART
• I2C
• SPI

Additional trigger functions may be available through installed software options:

• Window
• Nth edge
• HDTV
• Delay
• Timeout
• Duration
• USB
• CAN

Licence availability should be verified against the actual instrument configuration and current RIGOL option policy.

Serial and Parallel Bus Analysis

The oscilloscope supports triggering and decoding across analogue and digital channels.

Supported bus-analysis functions include:

• Parallel bus
• RS232/UART
• I2C
• SPI
• CAN

Protocol analysis allows users to:

• Display decoded data
• Trigger on specific communication events
• Correlate protocol data with physical waveforms
• Locate timing problems
• Identify missing acknowledgements
• Find corrupted packets
• Investigate electrical noise and voltage-level issues

RIGOL’s current product page states that several serial bus functions are available as standard, while the official datasheet also lists software option codes. The installed functions should therefore be checked on the supplied instrument before the product page promises a specific licence bundle.

Automatic Measurements

The MSO2102A-S supports automatic measurements for analogue and digital signals.

Analogue measurements include:

• Maximum and minimum voltage
• Peak-to-peak voltage
• Amplitude
• Average voltage
• RMS voltage
• Frequency
• Period
• Rise and fall time
• Positive and negative pulse width
• Duty cycle
• Overshoot and preshoot
• Phase
• Delay
• Area and period area

Digital measurements include:

• Frequency
• Period
• Pulse width
• Duty cycle
• Phase
• Delay

Measurement statistics can display current, average, maximum, minimum, standard deviation and measurement count.

FFT and Waveform Mathematics

Built-in waveform-analysis functions include:

• Addition
• Subtraction
• Multiplication
• Division
• FFT
• Digital filtering
• Logic operations
• Integration
• Differentiation
• Logarithmic functions
• Exponential functions
• Square root
• Trigonometric functions

FFT analysis is useful for:

• Harmonic analysis
• Switching-frequency measurements
• Clock-spectrum observation
• Noise-source identification
• EMI troubleshooting
• Detection of unwanted oscillations
• Amplifier and filter evaluation

The FFT function is suitable for general troubleshooting but does not replace a dedicated spectrum analyser for advanced RF measurements.

Pass/Fail Testing

Mask-based pass/fail testing compares acquired waveforms against predefined tolerance limits.

This function can support:

• Production testing
• Repetitive quality checks
• Signal-stability monitoring
• Component comparison
• Detection of waveform deviations
• Automated validation

The AUX output can provide a trigger or pass/fail signal for integration with external test equipment.

Display and User Interface

The MSO2102A-S uses an 8-inch TFT colour display with 800 × 480 pixel resolution.

Display features include:

• 160,000 colours
• Up to 256 intensity levels
• Dots and vector display modes
• Adjustable waveform persistence
• Y-T, X-Y and Roll display modes
• Digital channel grouping
• Custom digital channel labels
• Search and navigation
• Real-time clock

The display can show analogue waveforms, digital channels, measurement values and decoded bus information together.

Connectivity and Automated Testing

The MSO2102A-S supports laboratory networking, waveform transfer and automated test integration.

Connectivity includes:

• USB Host
• USB Device
• LAN
• LXI
• AUX output
• Trigger or pass/fail output
• Optional USB-to-GPIB adapter

Remote programming can support production testing, repetitive validation and automated data collection.

Applications

The RIGOL MSO2102A-S is suitable for:

• Embedded-system development
• Microcontroller debugging
• FPGA and CPLD testing
• Mixed-signal circuit analysis
• Digital logic debugging
• Parallel bus analysis
• Serial protocol testing
• Sensor simulation
• Amplifier and filter testing
• Power-supply analysis
• PWM testing
• Industrial electronics maintenance
• Production-line validation
• Research and development
• Engineering education
• Electronic service and repair
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Why Buy from RevineTech?

RevineTech supplies professional test and measurement instruments for electronics development, industrial testing, research, production and educational applications.

Technical selection support can include:

• MSO2102A-S configuration
• Analogue and digital memory options
• Serial protocol functionality
• CAN analysis
• Advanced trigger functions
• Logic-probe requirements
• Passive and differential probes
• High-voltage probes
• Current probes
• Calibration requirements
• Automated test integration