In summary, the Tektronix DPO72504DX is a four-channel real-time digital phosphor oscilloscope delivering 25 GHz (2 Ch) / 23 GHz (4 Ch) of analog bandwidth with up to 100 GS/s sample rate. It is a member of the Tektronix DPO70000 Series, a platform engineered for high-speed serial design verification, signal integrity analysis, jitter and eye diagram measurement, wideband RF acquisition, and complex digital debug.
What is the Tektronix DPO72504DX used for?
The DPO72504DX is used for PCI Express Gen 4 compliance, 25–28 Gb/s NRZ, 100GBASE-KR4/CR4, Thunderbolt, and advanced signal integrity work where 25 GHz analog headroom is required. Common assignments include design verification, jitter and eye-diagram analysis, compliance certification testing of high-speed serial standards, and the kind of intermittent-fault debug that demands the >300,000 wfms/s capture rate of FastAcq DPX acquisition.
What makes the DPO72504DX different from a general-purpose oscilloscope?
The DPO72504DX pairs 25 GHz (2 Ch) / 23 GHz (4 Ch) of true real-time analog bandwidth with 100 GS/s sample rate, 31.25 M of standard record length, a <365 fs jitter noise floor, and a PinPoint trigger system offering over 1,400 trigger combinations. A general-purpose lab oscilloscope is not engineered for the signal integrity, jitter separation, and compliance-test workloads this instrument addresses.
Verified datasheet specifications for the DPO72504DX: analog bandwidth 25 GHz (2 Ch) / 23 GHz (4 Ch) (–3 dB), rise time 16 ps typical (10%–90%) and 12 ps typical (20%–80%), sample rate 100 GS/s on 1–2 channels and 50 GS/s on 3–4 channels, delta-time measurement accuracy 639 fs (RMS, single-shot), vertical noise 0.58% at 50 mV/div with bandwidth filter enabled, and DC gain accuracy ±2% of reading. Passband flatness is ±0.5 dB to 50% of nominal bandwidth.
The Tektronix DPO70000 Series is a recognized reference platform across IEEE 802.3, PCI-SIG, USB-IF, MIPI Alliance, JEDEC, and SATA-IO compliance programs. TekExpress automation, DPOJET jitter and eye-diagram analysis, and SDLA serial data link analysis are accepted in industry compliance laboratories. Tektronix is a Fortive Corporation business unit and operates under ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 quality systems, with NIST-traceable calibration documentation available across the entire 70000 family.
Where does the DPO72504DX fit in a measurement workflow?
- Design verification: signal integrity, jitter, and timing analysis
- Certification testing of high-speed serial standards (PCIe, USB, SATA, SAS, 10G Ethernet, MIPI, DisplayPort, HDMI)
- Memory bus analysis and debug across DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, LPDDR family, and GDDR3
- Prototype turn-on and power supply verification
- Spectral analysis of transient or wide-bandwidth RF signals via the optional SignalVu Vector Signal Analysis package
- Production testing of complex systems with rackmount integration and GPIB control
Accessories Supplied
| Item |
Notes |
| 071-2980-xx |
User Manual (specify language at order) |
| TCA-292MM (×4, C models) / TCA-292D (×4, DX models) |
TekConnect to 2.92 mm adapters |
| TCA-BNC |
TekConnect to BNC adapter |
| Power Cord |
Specify power-plug option at order |
| Mouse / Keyboard |
USB peripherals |
| Front Cover, Accessory Pouch, Static-Protection Wrist Strap |
Standard kit hardware |
| GPIB Programmer's Reference |
Provided on instrument SSD |
| Performance Verification Procedure (PDF) |
On instrument SSD |
| Calibration Certificate |
Documenting NIST traceability, Z 540-1 / ISO 9001 compliance |
| P6717A General-Purpose Logic Probe + Logic Probe Deskew Fixture |
MSO models only |
Product Core & Specifications
The DPO72504DX sits in the Tektronix 70000 platform alongside its siblings spanning 4 GHz to 33 GHz. Every member of the family shares the same acquisition architecture: matched bandwidth across all four channels, PinPoint triggering, FastAcq DPX waveform capture, and the OpenChoice Windows-based analysis environment. What differs by model is bandwidth, sample rate, memory depth, and — for MSO variants — the presence of 16 integrated logic channels with iCapture.
Acquisition System — Analog Channels
| Parameter |
Value |
| Analog Channels |
4 |
| Analog Bandwidth (–3 dB, DSP enhance) |
25 GHz (2 Ch) / 23 GHz (4 Ch) |
| Hardware Analog Bandwidth (–3 dB) |
25 GHz |
| Rise Time (typical, 10%–90% / 20%–80%) |
16 ps / 12 ps |
| Sample Rate (1–2 ch / 3–4 ch) |
100 GS/s / 50 GS/s |
| Timing Resolution |
10 ps (100 GS/s) |
| Standard Record Length |
31.25 M per channel |
| Optional Record Length (max) |
1 GS on 2 ch / 500 MS on 4 ch (Opt. 50XL) |
| Duration at Highest Sample Rate (standard) |
0.31 ms |
| Vertical Noise (50 mV/div, BW filter on) |
0.58% |
| Time Base Range (Auto mode) |
10 ps/div to 1000 s/div |
| Delta Time Measurement Accuracy (RMS) |
639 fs |
| Jitter Noise Floor (BWE on, typical) |
<365 fs |
| DC Gain Accuracy |
±2% of reading |
| Signal-to-Noise Ratio (typical) |
34 dB |
| Passband Flatness (typical) |
±0.5 dB to 50% of nominal BW |
| Vertical Resolution |
8 bit (11 bit with averaging) |
| Input Coupling / Resistance |
DC (50 Ω), GND; 1 MΩ with TCA-1MEG adapter |
Triggering — PinPoint System
PinPoint triggering allows virtually any trigger type on both A and B events, with over 1,400 trigger combinations. A-event and delayed B-event trigger types include edge, glitch, width, runt, timeout, transition time, logic pattern, logic state, setup/hold, and window. Trigger jitter is <100 fs (RMS) with Enhanced Triggering. Clock recovery covers 1.5 MBaud to 3.125 GBaud (Option ST6G or MTH on DPO), and 8b/10b serial pattern trigger reaches 6.25 Gb/s.
| Parameter |
Value |
| Trigger Sensitivity (DC, internal) |
4% FS DC–50 MHz; 10% at 4 GHz; 20% at 8 GHz; 50% at 11 GHz |
| Trigger Sensitivity (Aux 50 Ω external) |
250 mV DC–50 MHz; 350 mV at 1.0 GHz |
| Trigger Modes |
Auto, Normal, Single |
| Trigger Coupling |
DC, AC, HF Reject, LF Reject, Noise Reject, RF |
| Trigger Holdoff / Level Range |
250 ns–12 s / ±120% FS from center |
| Trigger Jitter |
<100 fs RMS (Enhanced on); 1 ps RMS typical (Enhanced off) |
| Visual Trigger (Opt. VET) |
Up to 8 areas; rectangles, triangles, trapezoids, hexagons, user shapes |
| Clock Recovery / Serial Pattern Trigger |
1.5 MBaud–3.125 GBaud; 8b/10b to 6.25 Gb/s |
Acquisition Modes and Analysis
Acquisition modes include Sample, Average (2–10,000 waveforms), Envelope (1 to 2×10⁹ waveforms), Hi-Res real-time boxcar averaging, Peak Detect, FastAcq DPX (>300,000 wfms/s on four channels simultaneously, standalone configuration), FastFrame segmented memory (>310,000 frames/s, time-of-arrival per event), Roll mode (to 10 MS/s, up to 40 MS record), and Waveform Database.
53 automatic measurements (8 simultaneously on-screen) cover amplitude, time, histogram, and communications categories, with statistical mean, min, max, standard deviation, and population. DPOJET Essentials is standard on the DPO70000 Series; full DPOJET Advanced Jitter and Eye Diagram analysis is standard on the MSO70000 Series and optional (Opt. DJA) on DPO. Over 150 industry-standard communications masks are supported: PCI Express, ITU-T/ANSI T1.102, Ethernet IEEE 802.3, ANSI X3.263, SONET/SDH, Fibre Channel, InfiniBand, USB, Serial ATA, SAS, IEEE 1394b, RapidIO, OIF, OBSAI, and CPRI.
Horizontal System & Time Base
Channel-to-channel deskew range ±75 ns. Time base accuracy ±1.5 ppm initial with aging less than 1 ppm per year. Time base delay time range –5.0 ks to 1.0 ks.
Probing and Connectivity
The DPO72504DX uses the Tektronix TekConnect probe interface and is compatible with the P7700, P7600, and P7500 TriMode probe families. The P7700 and P7500 series are compatible across all DPO/MSO70000C/DX/SX models; the P7600 series covers DX/SX models at 33 GHz. The DPO7OE1 (33 GHz) and DPO7OE2 (59 GHz) optical probes support optical reference receiver and conventional O/E conversion via the TekConnect channels.
Important note on probes: Probes are sold separately and are matched to specific bandwidth and measurement applications. Probe selection materially affects measurement accuracy and the achievable system bandwidth. Please confirm probe compatibility with your Test Architect when planning a deployment.
Input/Output and Connectivity
| Interface |
Detail |
| USB |
Front: two USB 2.0 on 23/25/33 GHz, one on others. Rear: four (two USB 3.0) |
| LAN / LXI |
RJ-45, 10/100/1000BASE-T; LXI Class C v1.3 |
| GPIB |
IEEE 488.2 standard, rear panel |
| Time Base Reference In/Out |
BNC; external 10/100 MHz reference in; TTL 10 MHz out |
| Auxiliary / Probe Cal / Fast Edge |
BNC aux 0–3 V; ±10 V probe cal; SMA 1 kHz fast edge |
| Recovered Clock / Data Output |
SMA ≤1.25 Gb/s — standard on MSO; Opt. ST6G / MTH on DPO |
| Video Out |
VGA and DVI-D connectors |
| Audio I/O / eSATA / Serial |
Stereo mini phone jacks / eSATA / two DB-9 COM1 |
| Power |
100–240 VRMS ±10%, 50/60 Hz; CAT II; <1100 VA typical |
Computer System, Physical & Environmental
Operating system: Microsoft Windows 10 Enterprise IoT Edition. CPU: Intel i7-2600, quad-core, 3.4 GHz. System memory: 8 GB (16 GB on DX models). Solid state drive: removable, 512 GB. Front-panel CD-R/W, DVD-R drive. Display: 307.3 mm (12.1 in.) LCD active-matrix, 1024 × 768 (XGA), 10 × 10 divisions.
Dimensions (H × W × D): 298 × 451 × 489.97 mm (11.74 × 17.75 × 19.29 in.). Net weight: 24 kg (53 lb.). Operating temperature: +5 °C to +45 °C. Operating humidity: 8% to 80% RH at up to 32 °C; limited by 29.4 °C wet bulb above 32 °C. Operating altitude: 3,000 m (9,843 ft.). EMC: 2004/108/EC; EN 61326-2-1:2006. Safety certifications: UL 61010-1, CSA 61010-1-04, LVD 2006/95/EC, EN 61010-1, IEC 61010-1.
Selected Application Options Supported on This Platform
The instrument supports a broad set of standard-specific application packages including DDR Memory Bus Analysis (DDRA), LPDDR4 (DDR-LP4), PCI Express Gen 1/2/3 (PCE3) and Gen 4 (PCE4) compliance, USB 3.0 Transmitter Test (USB3, USB-TX), Ethernet (ET3, XGbT, 10G-KR, 40G-CR4, 100G-TXE, 400G-TXE, NBASE-T, BRR), HDMI (HT3, HDM, HDM-DS), DisplayPort (DP12, DP14, EDP, EDP14), MHL (MHD, MHD3), MIPI C-PHY / D-PHY / M-PHY, SATA, SAS-3, Thunderbolt (TBT-TX), SignalVu Vector Signal Analysis (SVE plus modulation modules and standards options), Serial Data Link Analysis (SDLA64), and Power Measurement (PWR). PAM4 transmitter analysis is available on 33 GHz instruments. Option installation may be license-key based, fixed or floating.
About This Pre-Owned Unit
- Warranty included.
- Functional verification included.
- Calibration available as an optional add-on service.
- Unnecessary accessories may not be included; contact your Test Architect to confirm anything specific.
This webpage was written by a human with an A.I. 'Intern', which may contain errors. 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.