1. Powerful and Versatile Functions
A unique performance feature in your new instrument is the comprehensive arming possibilities, which allow you to characterize virtually any type of complex signal concerning frequency and time.
For instance, you can insert a delay between the external arming condition and the actual arming of the counter. Read more about Arming in Chapter 5, “Measurement Control”.
In addition to the traditional measurement functions of a timer/counter, these instruments have a multitude of other functions such as phase, duty factor, rise/fall-time and peak voltage. The counter can perform all measurement functions on both main inputs (A & B). Most measurement functions can be armed, either via one of the main inputs or via a separate arming channel (E).
By using the built-in mathematics and statistics functions, the instrument can process the measurement results on your benchtop, without the need for a controller. Math functions include inversion, scaling and offset. Statistics functions include Max, Min and Mean as well as Standard and Allan Deviation on sample sizes up to 2*109.
2. No Mistakes
You will soon find that your instrument is more or less self-explanatory with an intuitive user interface. A menu tree with few levels makes the timer/counter easy to operate. The large backlit graphic LCD is the center of information and can show you several signal parameters at the same time as well as setting status and operator messages.
Statistics based on measurement samples can easily be presented as histograms or trend plots in addition to standard numerical measurement results like max, min, mean and standard deviation.
The AUTO function triggers automatically on any input waveform. A bus-learn mode simplifies GPIB programming. With bus-learn mode, manual counter settings can be transferred to the controller for later reprogramming. There is no need to learn code and syntax for each individual counter setting if you are an occasional GPIB bus user.