EXFO PSO-100 User Manual
PSO-100
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series
User Guide
Copyright © 2007–2010 EXFO Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this
publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted
in any form, be it electronically, mechanically, or by any other means such
as photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written
permission of EXFO Inc. (EXFO).
Information provided by EXFO is believed to be accurate and reliable.
However, no responsibility is assumed by EXFO for its use nor for any
infringements of patents or other rights of third parties that may result from
its use. No license is granted by implication or otherwise under any patent
rights of EXFO.
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Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is 0L8C3.
The information contained in this publication is subject to change without
notice.
Trademarks
EXFO’s trademarks have been identified as such. However, the presence
or absence of such identification does not affect the legal status of any
trademark.
Units of Measurement
Units of measurement in this publication conform to SI standards and
practices.
Version number: 1.0.0
ii PSO-100
Contents
Contents
Certification Information ....................................................................................................... vi
1 Introducing the PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series ................ 1
PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series Basic Theory ...................................................3
Typical Applications ................................................................................................................4
Conventions ............................................................................................................................6
2 Safety Information ....................................................................................... 7
Laser Safety Information .........................................................................................................7
Electrical Safety Information ...................................................................................................8
3 Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope ...................... 11
Host Computer Minimum Requirements ..............................................................................11
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software ....12
Installing and Starting the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope ....................................................20
Turning off the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope ......................................................................24
Cleaning and Connecting Optical Fibers ...............................................................................25
Installing the EXFO Universal Interface (EUI) .........................................................................27
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope iii
Contents
4 Setting up and Using the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope ........................29
Adjusting the Zero Level (Nulling Offsets) .............................................................................32
Managing SoftSync Input .....................................................................................................33
Scaling Channel 1 to Channel 2 (PSO-102 Models) ...............................................................35
Finding a Pattern in a Sampling ............................................................................................36
Using the Zoom Functions ....................................................................................................37
Synchronizing the Input to a Specific Channel ......................................................................38
Selecting Sync Format ...........................................................................................................38
Selecting the Channels (PSO-102 Only) .................................................................................40
Selecting Trace and Background Colors ................................................................................41
Using the Dual Window View ...............................................................................................42
Using the Clock Input ...........................................................................................................44
Selecting the Number of Samples per Layer of Display .........................................................48
Changing the Persistence Time .............................................................................................49
Changing the Averaging Value .............................................................................................50
Displaying Histograms ..........................................................................................................52
Managing Filters ...................................................................................................................55
Using Colorgrade ..................................................................................................................58
Using Markers .......................................................................................................................59
Using the Eyeline Mode ........................................................................................................61
Using Masks .........................................................................................................................63
Displaying the FFT Spectrum of a Sampled Signal ................................................................66
Displaying a Reference Trace for your Measurements ...........................................................68
Managing Measurement Parameters ....................................................................................69
Managing Synchronization ...................................................................................................75
Setting the Data Phase Tracking Algorithm ...........................................................................76
Filter-Based Phase Tracking ...................................................................................................77
Saving Sample Files ...............................................................................................................79
5 Maintenance ................................................................................................81
Cleaning EUI Connectors ......................................................................................................82
Replacing Fuses ....................................................................................................................84
Recycling and Disposal (Applies to European Union Only) ....................................................85
6 Troubleshooting ..........................................................................................87
Solving Common Problems ...................................................................................................87
Contacting the Technical Support Group ..............................................................................95
Transportation ......................................................................................................................96
iv PSO-100
Contents
7 Warranty ..................................................................................................... 97
General Information .............................................................................................................97
Liability .................................................................................................................................98
Exclusions .............................................................................................................................99
Certification ..........................................................................................................................99
Service and Repairs .............................................................................................................100
EXFO Service Centers Worldwide ........................................................................................101
A Technical Specifications ........................................................................... 103
B Burst Mode Measurements ..................................................................... 105
C Measurement Definitions ........................................................................ 109
One Level ............................................................................................................................110
Zero Level ...........................................................................................................................110
Signal-to-Noise Ratio ..........................................................................................................111
Crossing ..............................................................................................................................111
Timing Jitter ........................................................................................................................112
Rise Time and Fall Time .......................................................................................................113
Extinction Ratio ..................................................................................................................113
Eye Height ..........................................................................................................................114
Eye Amplitude ....................................................................................................................114
Eye Opening Factor .............................................................................................................114
Eye Width ...........................................................................................................................115
Duty Cycle Distortion ..........................................................................................................116
Pulse Width ........................................................................................................................117
Contrast Ratio .....................................................................................................................117
Duty Cycle ...........................................................................................................................118
D Asynchronous Sampling Principle ........................................................... 119
Trigger-Free Synchronization ...............................................................................................119
Frequency Holes ..................................................................................................................120
Pattern Effects ....................................................................................................................123
Index .............................................................................................................. 125
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope v
Certification Information
Certification Information
FCC Information
Electronic test equipment is exempt from Part 15 compliance (FCC) in
the United States. However, compliance verification tests are
systematically performed on most EXFO equipment.
Information
Electronic test equipment is subject to the EMC Directive in the European
Union. The EN61326 standard prescribes both emission and immunity
requirements for laboratory, measurement, and control equipment.
This unit has undergone extensive testing according to the European Union
Directive and Standards.
vi PSO-100
Certification Information
Application of Council Directives: 2006/95/EC - The Low Voltage Directive
2004/108/EC - The EMC Directive
2006/66/EC - The Battery Directive
93/68/EEC - CE Marking
and their amendments
Manufacturer’s Name: EXFO Inc.
Manufacturer’s Address: 400 Godin Avenue
Quebec, Quebec
Canada, G1M 2K2
Equipment Type/Environment: Electrical Equipment for Measurement / Control and
Laboratory
Trade Name/Model No.: Optical Sampling Oscilloscopes / PSO-100 Series
Standard(s) to which Conformity is Declared:
EN 61010-1:2001 Edition 2.0 Safety Requirements for Electrical Equipment for Measurement,
Control, and Laboratory Use, Part 1: General Requirements.
EN 61326-1:2006 Electrical Equipment for Measurement, Control and Laboratory
Use - EMC Requirements – Part 1: General requirements
EN 60825-1:2007 Edition 2.0 Safety of laser products – Part 1: Equipment classification,
requirements, and user’s guide
EN 55022: 2006 + A1: 2007 Information technology equipment - Radio disturbance
characteristics - Limits and methods of measurement
I, the undersigned, hereby declare that the equipment specified above conforms to the above Directives and Standards.
Manufacturer
Signature:
Full Name: Stephen Bull, E. Eng
Position: Vice-President Research and
Development
Address: 400 Godin Avenue, Quebec (Quebec),
Canada, G1M 2K2
Date: August 11, 2010
DECLARATION OF CONFORMITY
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope vii
1 Introducing the PSO-100
Front View (PSO-101)
LED ON/OFF
indicator
External clock input
(optional)
Optical fiber input, FC/PC connection
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Series
Based on a unique optical sampling approach, the PSO-100 Optical
Sampling Oscilloscope Series eliminates almost all the limitations typically
found in electrical sampling oscilloscopes. This is done when narrow
sampling pulses open a sampling gate that generates a time-stretched
version of the measured signal. The optical samples are then converted to
electrical signals, which can be easily detected by low-speed electronics
and digitally processed.
The figures below show the front and rear panels for both models.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 1
Introducing the PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series
Front View (PSO-102)
External clock input (optional)
Optical fiber input B,
FC/PC connection
Optical fiber input A, FC/PC connection
Delay adjustment for
Input B (optional)
LED ON/OFF
indicator
Rear View
USB 2.0 connection
to the host computer
Power switch
110-240 V AC
voltage supply input
Fan
2 PSO-100
All instruction or information in this user documentation pertain to
both models, unless specified otherwise. The image you see
on-screen may be slightly different depending on which model you
are using.
IMPORTANT
Introducing the PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series
Signal
Sampling Pulses
Sampling
Gate
Time-Stretched Copy
Generated Samples
Detection, A/D
Conversion,
Visualization
PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series Basic Theory
PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series
Basic Theory
The theory behind the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope is that the input
optical signal is repeatedly sampled in an all-optical gate with high
resolution.
The optical samples are detected and then A/D converted and buffered in a
data acquisition board. The data is transferred via USB 2.0 to a host
computer, where it is processed. An internal software synchronization
algorithm calculates the frequency offset between the signal and the
sampling frequency. As a result, you can view synchronized eye diagrams,
patterns, or pulses without the need for external triggering.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 3
Introducing the PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series
Typi c a l A pp licat i o ns
Typical Applications
The Optical Sampling Oscilloscope displays eye-diagrams, patterns, or
pulses with very high temporal resolution. It is therefore a useful tool for
studying and characterizing very high bit-rate systems or very fast events
like short pulses, where the bandwidth of ordinary electrical sampling
oscilloscopes is not sufficient.
The instrument can measure a number of amplitude modulation formats,
such as:
³ non-return-to-zero (NRZ)
³ different kinds of return-to-zero (RZ) formats (for example chirped RZ
(CRZ) and carrier suppressed RZ (CSRZ))
³ other formats, such as duo-binary transmission (DBT).
Since only the amplitude of the signal is measured, the system cannot
directly measure the optical phase. By placing a delay interferometer
before the scope, you can also handle phase modulated formats like
differential phase shift keying (DPSK).
A number of measurement tools are included in the software for
characterizing eye-diagrams and waveforms, such as:
³ ultra-low timing jitter
³ rise and fall times
³ extinction ratio (ER)
³ and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), etc.
Functions for waveform averaging, histograms and color grade, are also
included.
4 PSO-100
Introducing the PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series
Typical Applications
If the optional external clock input is installed, the internal software
synchronization can be performed on the clock signal instead and thereby
relaxes the requirements on the signal quality. The external clock is useful
in a number of measurement situations where the internal synchronization
may fail, such as:
³ very noisy or distorted signals
³ unconventional modulation formats
³ low duty cycle RZ pulses
³ sub-optimally multiplexed signals.
If the gated clock mode is installed, the PSO-100 can be used for measuring
gated data that come in bursts (for example, circulating loop experiments
and optical packet switching).
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 5
Introducing the PSO-100 Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Series
Conventions
Conventions
Before using the product described in this manual, you should understand
the following conventions:
WARNING
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
could result in death or serious injury. Do not proceed unless you
understand and meet the required conditions.
CAUTION
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
may result in minor or moderate injury. Do not proceed unless you
understand and meet the required conditions.
CAUTION
Indicates a potentially hazardous situation which, if not avoided,
may result in component damage. Do not proceed unless you
understand and meet the required conditions.
IMPORTANT
Refers to information about this product you should not overlook.
6 PSO-100
2 Safety Information
CAUTION
Do not open the unit. It contains fragile fiber-optic components,
which can be damaged if the unit is opened. There is also a risk for
exposure of laser light if the unit is opened. EXFO shall not be liable
for any damages resulting from opening the unit.
Laser Safety Information
WARNING
Do not install or terminate fibers while a light source is active.
Never look directly into a live fiber and ensure that your eyes are
protected at all times.
WARNING
Use of controls, adjustments and procedures for operation and
maintenance other than those specified herein may result in
hazardous radiation exposure or impair the protection provided by
this unit.
Your instrument is a Class 1 laser product in compliance with standards
IEC 60825-1 and 21 CFR 1040.10. Laser radiation may be encountered at
the output port.
The following label indicates that a product contains a Class 1 source:
Note: The label is located at the back of the unit.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 7
Safety Information
Electrical Safety Information
Electrical Safety Information
This unit uses an international safety standard three-wire power cable. This
cable serves as a ground when connected to an appropriate AC power
outlet.
Note: If you need to ensure that the unit is completely turned off, disconnect the
power cable.
WARNING
³ Insert the power cable plug into a power outlet with a
protective ground contact. Do not use an extension cord
without a protective conductor.
³ Before turning on the unit, connect all grounding terminals,
extension cords and devices to a protective ground via a ground
socket. Any interruption of the protective grounding is a
potential shock hazard and may cause personal injury.
Whenever the ground protection is impaired, do not use the
unit and secure it against any accidental operation.
³ Do not tamper with the protective ground terminal.
8 PSO-100
Safety Information
Electrical Safety Information
The color coding used in the electric cable depends on the cable. New
plugs should meet the local safety requirements and include:
³ adequate load-carrying capacity
³ ground connection
³ cable clamp
WARNING
³ Use this unit indoors only.
³ Position the unit so that the air can circulate freely around it.
³ Do not remove unit covers during operation.
³ Operation of any electrical instrument around flammable gases
or fumes constitutes a major safety hazard.
³ To avoid electrical shock, do not operate the unit if any part of
the outer surface (covers, panels, etc.) is damaged.
³ Only authorized personnel should carry out adjustments,
maintenance or repair of opened units under voltage. A person
qualified in first aid must also be present. Do not replace any
components while power cable is connected.
³ Capacitors inside the unit may be charged even if the unit has
been disconnected from its electrical supply.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 9
Safety Information
Electrical Safety Information
Temp er at ur e
³ Operation
³ Storage
Relative humidity
a
Equipment Ratings
18 °C to 30 °C (64 °F to 86 °F)
0 °C to 50 °C (32 °F to 122 °F)
80 % non-condensing
Maximum operation
3000 m (9843 ft)
altitude
Pollution degree 2
Installation category II
Power supply rating
b
100 V to 240 V (50 Hz/60 Hz)
maximum input power 20 VA
a. Measured in 0 °C to 31 °C (32 °F to 87.8 °F) range, decreasing linearly to 50 % at 40 °C (104 °F).
b. Not exceeding ± 10 % of the nominal voltage.
The following label is located on the back panel of the unit:
10 PSO-100
3 Getting Started with Your
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Host Computer Minimum Requirements
Your host computer must meet the minimum requirements below to
display the values properly:
³ Microsoft Windows XP, Vista (32 bits), or Windows 7 (32 bits)
³ USB 2.0 connection
³ CPU: 2 GHz or faster recommended
³ 2Gb of RAM
³ 600 Mb of disk space on the host computer
You can use either a desktop or a laptop computer, as long as it meets the
requirements.
Note: The faster the computer, the higher the refresh rate will be on-screen.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 11
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers
and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
Before using your application, you must install the corresponding Matlab
Runtime and USB drivers.
The user software is created in Matlab code, which has been compiled into
an executable file. To be able to run this software on your computer, you
must install the Matlab Component Runtime software. Afterwards, the
installation for the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope application will start by
itself.
To install Matlab Runtime and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
software:
1. Make sure that you have Administrator privileges on your computer.
2. Put your CD in the CD ROM drive. If the installation does not start
automatically, locate Setup.exe, and double-click it.
A list of the components to install appears.
3. Click Install to start the process.
12 PSO-100
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
4. Select the language to use for the installation, then click OK.
Note: This setting is for the installation only. The applications themselves are in
English only.
5. When the list of Matlab components appears, click Install again, then
Next to start the installation.
6. Enter your user name and organization information, then click Next.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 13
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
7. Select a destination folder, then click Next.
8. You are now ready to install the program. Click Install.
9. The installation of the Matlab Compiler Runtime is now complete, click
Finish.
14 PSO-100
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
10. When the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope wizard appears, click Next to
start the installation.
11. Read and accept the licence agreement, then click Next.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 15
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
12. Enter your user name and organization information, then click Next.
13. You are now ready to install the program. Click Install.
16 PSO-100
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
14. The installation of the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope is now complete,
click Finish.
If any version of Matlab is installed on your computer, the system path must
be adjusted to prioritize the Runtime over the Matlab software.
Note: If you have an old version of the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope application
that was compiled with an old version of Matlab, and you want to update
to the EXFO application, you need to uninstall the older versions first, then
install a new version of MCR (follow the procedure above).
IMPORTANT
You must remove the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\MATLAB
registry key after uninstalling the older versions to make sure that
the new version is installed correctly.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 17
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
To install the USB driver on your computer:
1. Connect the unit using a USB connection. When the instrument is
connected to a USB port of the computer for the first time, Windows
will find the new hardware and ask you to install the USB driver.
IMPORTANT
Make sure that you use a USB 2.0 port and not a USB 1.1, since this
will affect the refresh rate.
2. Windows Update should not search for updates. Select No, not this
time, and then click Next (Windows XP installation only).
18 PSO-100
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software
3. Select Install from a specific location, and then click Next.
The USB driver is found in your folder under "…\drivers"; indicate it in
the corresponding box. The installation will not pass Windows Logo
testing to verify compatibility with Windows XP.
4. Click Continue anyway to install the driver and complete the process.
5. Click Finish. Windows indicates that it has found new hardware but
recognizes the USB device. A loader was installed at step 2. In a second
step, the real driver is installed by following step 2 and on once more.
Note: The exact appearance of the windows differ slightly depending on which
version of Windows you are using.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 19
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing and Starting the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing and Starting the Optical Sampling
Oscilloscope
Before you turn on the instrument, follow the procedure below.
To install and start the instrument:
1. Connect the included AC adapter to the input on the rear panel and to
the wall socket.
2. If you have not already done so, link the unit and the host computer
together using a USB cable.
Note: The first time you do this you are asked to install the USB driver on your
computer. Follow the instructions in Installing the Matlab Runtime, USB
Drivers and Optical Sampling Oscilloscope Software on page 12. If you are
working in Windows XP, make sure that you use the same USB port every
time afterwards. If not, you will have to install the USB driver again.
3. Turn on the instrument using the control on the rear panel. The blue
LED indicator on the front panel should be on. Wait 5 minutes and let
the instrument warm up.
IMPORTANT
Do not turn off the instrument unnecessarily, for example if you
change the host computer. If the instrument is turned off, it may
need to cool down for five minutes before it can be started again.
20 PSO-100
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing and Starting the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
4. Start the application on your computer by selectin the start menu, then
Programs > EXFO > Optical Sampling Oscilloscope.
IMPORTANT
The Optical Sampling Oscilloscope must be turned on before
starting the application.
IMPORTANT
EXFO recommends that you put the synchronization type to Freerun
before starting your tests. This ensures that you have an adequate
signal with an appropriate amplitude.
First a DOS window opens where the version number is shown. Then
the USB connection OK message should appear. If it does not, the USB
communication with the instrument is not functioning properly. If the
initial test is passed the application appears on-screen.
Optical Sampling Oscilloscope 21
Getting Started with Your Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
Installing and Starting the Optical Sampling Oscilloscope
The first time you start the application, the screen will show the default
setting. However, if you make changes to these settings while working, the
unit will retain those changes and display them again the next time you
start the application.
22 PSO-100
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