Understanding scope-based spectrum analysis

摘要

With the ever-expanding adoption of wireless in embedded systems of all types, there's no question that having spectrum analyzer capability in an oscilloscope is a time-savings convenience for designers. Traditionally, test equipment manufacturers have used scope-based fast Fourier transforms (FFT) to provide RF capabilities, but this often falls short of requirements for modem RF designs, forcing designers to turn to standalone spectrum analyzers in addition to their oscilloscopes. Now, mixed-domain oscilloscopes that offer improved spectral fidelity throughout the signal path have come on the market. But how does an MDO achieve these improvements compared to typical FFT algorithms on oscilloscopes? How does an integrated oscilloscope-based spectrum analyzer compare to a standalone spectrum analyzer?