DSO6014L User Manual

I am no longer happy about the spare Agilent DSO6014L rack mount scopes that we got surplus, and they seem to be a gigantic pain to use.

First off, you can't just plug a display and a mouse into one and just use it like a scope. You have to send it SCPI commands for configuration, either over GPIB, USB, or LAN.

Secondly, there doesn't seem to be an easy way to run the scope untriggered. I haven't tried doing the web-page control because I can't put mine on a LAN, at least not without a lot of work.

I hooked up the GPIB connector to my PXI chassis and the scope wasn't found. However that seems likely to have been due to the GPIB driver on my PXI CPU failing, as later on the power supply wasn't found either but was recovered when I rebooted the CPU. I was able to hook up using a USB cable which worked great. The scope was assigned a VISA address and I started playing with example VIs in Labview.

None of the VIs for the scope supported untriggered operation. In all examples, the steps consisted of opening, configuration of vertical and horizontal ranges, and taking either a single reading or repeadedly requesting single readings. In many cases if the readings were out of range or no trigger was found, the VIs returned errors or timeouts.

I began searching for the user manual for the scope, which was a long and fruitless search.

Support documents page for the scope. An unhelpful mix of white papers, 3D drawings, and FAQs. There is a "User's Guide" for the entire series of scopes which was a tiny bit of help. The programming guide seems like the most relevant document but I didn't have time to dig into the low-level SCPI commands.

This fact sheet clued me into the existence of the web browser interface: http://literature.cdn.keysight.com/litweb/pdf/5989-7200EN.pdf

This so-called Data Sheet was mostly an advertising brocure: http://literature.cdn.keysight.com/litweb/pdf/5989-5470EN.pdf

Here's the user guide for the 5000,6000, and 7000 series scopes. Has barely a mention of the 6000L series. I did learn that the 6000 series scope alone doesn't handle certain active probes. http://literature.cdn.keysight.com/litweb/pdf/54695-97026.pdf

The "What's included," both here and on the Newark website seems to indicate that a User Manual was shipped with the scope, and it wouldn't have been the one for the full 6000 series scope. But I can't find it. http://www.keysight.com/en/pdx-x202272-pn-DSO6014L/low-profile-oscilloscope-100-mhz-4-analog-channels

The User's Guide does mention that the 6000L series scope requires this GPIB extender, because apparently somebody forgot that a lot of GPIB cables come out sideways from the connector and somebody put a bulge in the case for a power supply right next to the GPIB connector on the back of the chassis. https://www.artisantg.com/TestMeasurement/63656-20/Keysight_Agilent_10834A_HP_IB_Adapter

Here's a link to a 6000 series-only manual, probably an earlier one than is presently available. It does mention that the web interface should allow operation of the 6000L just as if it were a full scope, so I need to give that a try: http://ridl.cfd.rit.edu/products/manuals/agilent/oscilloscopes/6000seriesmso.pdf

Chosing a new oscilloscope

Since I will be doing development for our EGSE, I should try to get a good oscilloscope ordered that will meet my needs.

Basically, the choice is between Tektronix and Agilent. I tend to like Tektronix, other people despise them for some reason.

I need to have a 16 channel logic analyzer built in.

For Tektronix, that one criteria narrows down the series of scopes that I am interested in to just two, the MDO3000 series and the MDO4000 series.

The most basic MDO3000 option, the MDO3014 is a 100 MHz scope with a 16 channel logic analyzer with 121 ps resolution. http://www.tek.com/oscilloscope/mdo3000-mixed-domain-oscilloscope

It isn't that much more money to get a MDO3024 which is the same scope at 200 MHz with the same logic analyzer.http://www.tek.com/oscilloscope/mdo3000-mixed-domain-oscilloscope

The MDO4000 has scope resoutions up to 1 GHz which we probably don't need. However the bottom of the line MDO4024C is a 200 MHz scope with a 16 channel analyzer with a much nicer 61ps resolution: http://www.tek.com/oscilloscope/mdo4000c-mixed-domain-oscilloscope

Note that the logic analyzer probe set is model number P6616. Its specs say that it's good only up to 500 KHz and pulse widths of 1 ns, so hopefully the 61 ps resolution of the scope can still be met!http://www.tek.com/manual/p6616

Agilent, now Keysight, has a couple of compatible scopes. It is not immediately clear from their website though what the resoution of their logic analzyers are.

Their MSOX3014T is a 100 MHz scope with a 16 channel logic analyzer: http://www.keysight.com/en/pdx-x202181-pn-MSOX3014T/mixed-signal-oscilloscope-100-mhz-4-analog-plus-16-digital-channels

The is the same scope in 200 MHz. http://www.keysight.com/en/pdx-x202183-pn-MSOX3024T/mixed-signal-oscilloscope-200-mhz-4-analog-plus-16-digital-channels