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The Agilent 54540A is a 500 MHz four-channel digitizing oscilloscope that combines high-speed real-time acquisition with deep memory and a rich automated measurement set. With a maximum sample rate of 2 GSa/s on a single channel, the 54540A is designed for engineers who need to capture fast transient events, glitches, and single-shot phenomena with the timing precision that traditional analog scopes cannot deliver.
An oscilloscope captures voltage waveforms over time and displays them on screen so an engineer can visualize amplitude, frequency, timing, and signal shape. The 54540A applies that fundamental capability to applications the datasheet specifically supports: capturing glitches as narrow as 1 ns in peak detect mode, recording successive single-shot events through sequential single-shot mode, and performing telecommunication mask-template measurements to ANSI, CCITT, and ISDN standards when equipped with the optional 21-mask application package.
ValueTronics International stocks, tests, and ships test and measurement equipment from our 20,000 sq ft secure warehouse at 1675 Cambridge Drive in Elgin, Illinois. Every used 54540A that passes through our facility is professionally inspected and performance-verified by our technicians before it ships — this is the verification step that separates a ValueTronics-graded instrument from an unverified marketplace listing. When you buy from us, you have a named contact, a documented condition grade, and a real phone number to call if anything is not as described.
Hewlett-Packard's test and measurement business was spun off as Agilent Technologies in 1999 and subsequently transferred to Keysight Technologies in 2014. The 54540A carries the Agilent brand of that intermediate era; its measurement architecture and HP-IB programming heritage trace back to the long-established HP instrument line that preceded both successor companies.
| General Specifications | |
|---|---|
| Maximum Sample Rate | 2 GSa/s (1 CH on), 1 GSa/s (2 CH on), 500 MSa/s (3 or 4 CH on) |
| Number of Channels | 4 (all simultaneous acquisition) |
| Record Length | 32,768 pts (real time) maximum; 501 pts (repetitive) |
| Resolution | 8 bits, 10 bits via HP-IB with averaging |
| Vertical Specifications | |
| Repetitive Bandwidth | 500 MHz (equivalent time) (rise time ≤ 700 ps) |
| Real Time Bandwidth | 125 MHz (3 or 4 CH); 250 MHz (2 CH); 500 MHz (1 CH) |
| Sensitivity | 1 mV/div to 5 V/div |
| dc Gain Accuracy | ± 1.25% of full scale |
| Input Impedance | R: 1 MΩ Â± 1% or 50 Ω Â± 1%; C: 7 pF nominal |
| Input Coupling | ac, dc |
| Maximum Input | 1 MΩ: ± 250 V (dc + ac) [ac < 10 kHz]; 50 Ω: 5 V rms |
| Offset Range | 1 mV to 50 mV/div: ±2 V; >50 mV to 250 mV/div: ±10 V; >250 mV to 1.25 V/div: ±50 V; >1.25 V/div to 5 V/div: ±250 V |
| Offset Accuracy | ±(1.25% of channel offset + 2% of full scale) |
| Voltage Measurement Accuracy (Dual Cursor) | ±[(1.25%)(full scale)+(0.032)(V/div)] |
| Voltage Measurement Accuracy (Single Cursor) | ±[(1.25%)(full scale)+(offset accuracy)+(0.016)(V/div)] |
| Horizontal Specifications | |
| Time Base Range | 500 ps/div to 5 s/div |
| Resolution | 10 ps |
| Delta-t Accuracy (Repetitive, >8 averages) | [(0.005%)(delta-t)+(100 ps + 0.1% of full scale)] |
| Delta-t Accuracy (Real Time) | [(0.005%)(delta-t)+(0.2)(sample period)] |
| Delta-t Accuracy (Peak Detect) | [(0.005%)(delta-t)+(1 sample period)] |
| Time Tag Resolution | 100 ps |
| Time Tag Accuracy | ±[0.005%(reading)+100 ps] |
| Delay Range (posttrigger) | 10E07 x sample period |
| Delay Range (pretrigger) | 32K x sample period |
| Trigger Specifications | |
| Internal Sensitivity | 0.5 div (dc to 100 MHz); 1.0 div (100 MHz to 500 MHz) |
| External Sensitivity (54520A) | 0.0225 x signal range (dc to 100 MHz); 0.045 x signal range (100 MHz to 500 MHz) |
| Auxiliary Sensitivity | dc to 50 MHz: 250 mVp-p |
| Pulse Width (minimum) | 1 ns |
| Level Range (Internal) | ±1.5 x full scale from center screen |
| Level Range (External 54520A) | ±25 V |
| Level Range (Auxiliary) | ±5 V |
| Trigger Modes | Edge, pattern, glitch, time qualified pattern, line, state event-delayed, time-delayed, TV (NTSC, PAL, and user-definable formats) |
| Trigger Coupling | dc, ac, low frequency reject |
| Display Characteristics | |
| Display Mode | "A" models: monochrome CRT. "C" models: flatpanel color TFT liquid-crystal displays. |
| Display Modes | Averaging from 2 to 2048, envelope, infinite & variable persistence from 500 ms to 10 s, connect the dots, peak detect |
| Graticules | Full grid, axes, frame, or no graticule |
| Automatic Measurements | 23 measurements on front panel or over HP-IB: Rise time, Fall time, Frequency, Period, -Width, +Width, Duty cycle, Delta time, V p-p, V min, V max, V avg, V base, V amptd, V top, V ac rms, V dc rms, Preshoot, Overshoot, Voltage at time, Time at min voltage, Time at max voltage, Time at voltage |
| User-Definable Thresholds | Upper and lower thresholds can be set from -25% to 125% for all automatic measurements |
| Measurement Modes | Continuous, statistics, limit test, or waveform compare |
| Math/Analysis Functions | Add, subtract, multiply, versus, integrate, differentiate, invert, magnify, and FFT |
| Additional Characteristics | |
| Peak Detect | Captures and displays glitches or other high-speed events as narrow as 1 ns in real-time mode at sample rates of 250 MSa/s or less with sequential single-shot turned off. |
| Sequential Single Shot | Captures successive single-shot events without capturing the dead time in between; stores up to 400 Kbytes of waveform data. |
| Waveform Store | 4 nonvolatile, 2 pixel (volatile), and segmentable memory for storing measurement failure waveforms or sequential single-shot waveforms. |
| I/O Characteristics | |
| HP-IB | Fully programmable, complies with IEEE 488.2 |
| RS-232 | Bidirectional serial communication |
| Centronics | Talk-only parallel communication for HP PCL compatible printers |
| Disk Drive | DOS-compatible, 3-1/2" disk drive to store and recall setups, waveforms, and screen images (TIFF, PCX, and EPS) |
| Front Panel Setups | 9 (nonvolatile memories) |
| FFT Characteristics | |
| Frequency Range | dc to: 250 MHz (3-4 ch on); 500 MHz (2 ch on); 1 GHz (1 ch on) |
| Frequency Resolution (Minimum) | (max samp rate)/(512 pts): 997 kHz (3-4 ch); 1.95 MHz (2 ch); 3.9 MHz (1 ch) |
| Frequency Resolution (Maximum) | (min samp rate)/(32,768 pts): 0.305 MHz |
| Frequency Accuracy | [1/2 (sample frequency)(1/32768)] + (5 x 10E-5)(signal frequency) |
| Amplitude Display | Power in dBm |
| Windowing | Hanning, Flattop, Rectangular |
| Environmental Characteristics | |
| Power Voltage | 115/230 Vac, -25% to +15%, 48 to 440 Hz, 350 VA maximum |
| Weight | Net: approximately 11.8 kg (26 lb); Shipping: approximately 21.3 kg (47 lb) |
| Dimensions | Height: 218 mm (8.6 in); Width: 440 mm (17.3 in); Depth: 367 mm (14.5 in) |
Please review the Manufacturer's Data Sheet to verify published specifications. Feedback on this webpage is always welcome — please reach out to your Test Architect at any time for questions or concerns. Thank you, we truly appreciate you being our customer.
Model No
Agilent
Condition
Used
Manufacturer
Agilent
Channels
4
Frequency
500 MHz
Record length
64 kPts
Sampling rate
2 GS/s
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