Electronic test and measurement is the engineering discipline concerned with stimulating a device under test and observing the resulting electrical behavior. According to vendor descriptions, modern portfolios cover the radio frequency and microwave domain, high speed digital signals, and protocol analysis, addressing the testing challenges that arise from the evolution of 5G, the Internet of Everything, and next generation optical communication. Source materials further identify the major instrument families as oscilloscopes and probes, signal generators, analyzers, sources and supplies, meters, and additional products such as semiconductor test systems and reference solutions.
Buyers evaluating this category encounter an unusually broad range of form factors, from benchtop oscilloscopes first demonstrated in 1897 by Karl Ferdinand Braun, to handheld oscilloscopes, modular high speed digitizers, and rack mounted automated test systems. Vendor catalogs surfaced in the sources include Tektronix, RIGOL, SIGLENT, Keithley, EA Elektro-Automatik, Kongter, and Analog Technologies, each partitioning their portfolios into a similar taxonomy of time domain, frequency domain, source and supply, and meter instruments.
Electronic test and measurement refers to the instruments, software, and methods used to characterize electrical and electronic signals across research, manufacturing, and field service. The category spans oscilloscopes, signal sources, spectrum and network analyzers, power supplies, electronic loads, and digital multimeters supplied by vendors such as Tektronix, RIGOL, SIGLENT, and Keithley. This Power Page summarizes the working principles, specification parameters, configurations, and procurement considerations that define the category.
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Fundamentals and Working Principle
An electronic test and measurement instrument interacts with a device under test through one of two physical roles. Sources and supplies, including arbitrary waveform generators, source measure units, DC power supplies, DC electronic loads, DC bidirectional supplies, and battery test and simulation systems, deliver a defined electrical stimulus. Meters, analyzers, and oscilloscopes, including spectrum analyzers, parameter analyzers, optical modulation analyzers, frequency counters, digital multimeters, and data acquisition and switching systems, record the response of the device. RIGOL describes its portfolio as providing end to end testing solutions covering radio frequency microwave, high speed digital signals, and protocol analysis, addressing tasks from chip level characterization to system level verification.
The working principle of a digital storage oscilloscope, the archetype of the category, is digitizing a conditioned analog input at a sampling rate high enough to reconstruct the input waveform. SIGLENT specifies for its SDS7000A series a real time sampling rate up to 20 GSa/s, record length up to 2 Gpts/ch, and a waveform capture rate up to 1,000,000 wfm/s, with 12 bit ADC resolution and bandwidth up to 8 GHz. Adjacent capabilities bundled into this instrument family include RTSA, eye and jitter analysis, compliance test, power analysis, Bode plot, mixed signal operation, and arbitrary waveform generation, supported by accessories such as the SAP5000D 5 GHz high speed differential probe.
Vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, and signal generators extend the same sample and reconstruct concept into the frequency domain. A vector network analyzer measures the scattering parameters of a one port or multi port network by comparing a known stimulus to the transmitted and reflected waves, while a spectrum analyzer resolves signal power as a function of frequency. RIGOL frames these capabilities as a response to the limits of higher frequencies, larger bandwidths, and more complex protocols encountered in communication, automotive electronics, and power electronics applications.
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Specifications and Key Parameters
Specification sheets for electronic test and measurement instruments are organized around a small set of recurring parameters. Bandwidth defines the highest analog input frequency an oscilloscope or analyzer can measure, with SIGLENT publishing a figure of up to 8 GHz for the SDS7000A series. ADC resolution quantifies the vertical granularity of a digitizing instrument, again quoted by SIGLENT as 12 bits for the SDS7000A. Real time sampling rate, record length per channel, and waveform capture rate are the three timing parameters typically listed, and the SDS7000A specifies 20 GSa/s, 2 Gpts/ch, and 1,000,000 wfm/s respectively.
Source and supply instruments are characterized by output voltage, output current, output power, transient response, and measurement resolution, with the Tektronix and Keithley product taxonomy treating source measure units, DC power supplies, DC electronic loads, DC bidirectional supplies, and battery test and simulation as separate sub categories. Meters, by contrast, are characterized by DC accuracy, digit count, measurement functions, and switching density for data acquisition systems. Tektronix also lists low level instrument, sensitive and specialty instruments as a distinct sub family of meters, indicating that the simple DC accuracy figure does not capture the noise floor or bandwidth of low level measurements.
Application oriented specifications are layered on top of these foundational parameters. The SIGLENT SDS7000A data sheet enumerates RTSA, eye and jitter analysis, compliance test, power analysis, Bode plot, MSO, and AWG as application packages. RIGOL enumerates automotive bus testing capabilities such as CAN, CAN FD, FlexRay, and Automotive Ethernet, as well as high speed data interface testing for LVDS, MIPI, and eDP, and peripheral interface testing for USB and SD. Power integrity analysis and EMI/EMC pre compliance are also identified as application packages. SIGLENT further offers the SigScopeLab signal analysis, SigIQPro signal generation, and SigVSA vector signal analysis PC software packages to support these application modes.
The parameter table below lists specification categories that appear in the supplied source material. Numeric values are quoted verbatim from the source named in the row label. Where a numeric value was not present in the source, the cell reads varies by model rather than estimating a category wide range.
The Tektronix product taxonomy partitions the category into oscilloscopes and probes (including high speed digitizers and oscilloscope probes), software, analyzers, signal generators, sources and supplies, meters, and additional products that include reference solutions, semiconductor test systems, components and accessories, refurbished test equipment, and product selectors and calculators. Each of these top level families is in turn subdivided. Oscilloscopes are split between general purpose bench oscilloscopes and high speed digitizers, while analyzers include spectrum analyzers, parameter analyzers, optical modulation analyzers, and frequency counters. This taxonomy closely mirrors that used by SIGLENT, whose North American site organizes products into digital oscilloscopes, handheld oscilloscopes, vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, RF switch systems, waveform generators, RF generators, PC software, SMU and DC sources, DC electronic loads, and digital multimeters.
Within a single family, vendors differentiate instruments by performance tier. SIGLENT's digital oscilloscope lineup descends from the SDS7000A series at the high end, through the SDS6000A, SDS6000L, SDS5000X HD, SDS5000L, SDS5000X, SDS3000X HD, SDS2000X HD, SDS2000X Plus, SDS1000X HD, SDS800X HD, SDS1000X-E, SDS1000X-U, SDS1000CML+, and SDS1000DL+ series. The handheld oscilloscope family comprises the SHS1000X and SHS800X series. The vector network analyzer family includes the SNA6000A, SNA5000A, SNA5000X-E, and SHN900A series. The spectrum analyzer family includes the SSA5000A, SSA3000X-R, SSA3000X, SSA3000X Plus, SVA1000X, SHA860A, and SHA850A series. RF switch systems comprise the SSU5000A and SSM5000A series.
Configuration choices also extend to dedicated application configurations. RIGOL markets pre organized solutions for communication testing, automotive electronics testing, power electronics testing, the Internet of Things, EMI and EMC pre compliance, and education. Automotive solutions explicitly cover CAN, CAN FD, FlexRay, and Automotive Ethernet bus testing, LVDS, MIPI, and eDP high speed data interface testing, and USB and SD peripheral interface testing, in addition to power integrity analysis. Power electronics solutions cover dynamic characteristic analysis of power devices, evaluation of converter efficiency and power quality, and control loop stability testing, in the context of third generation semiconductors such as silicon carbide and gallium nitride. EMI/EMC pre compliance is offered as a distinct solution package rather than an incidental feature.
Service and software configurations form a third layer. Tektronix lists calibration services that include Factory Verified Calibration, Multi-Brand Compliant Calibration, quality and accreditation, calibration capabilities, locations, service levels, factory calibration status tracking, and factory or multi brand service requests. Asset management services comprise CalWeb and Field Service Managed Calibration. Repair services include factory service request, factory repair status tracking, parts, and warranty status. Testing services include environmental testing, HALT and HASS testing, NEMA compliance testing, package testing, and shock vibration testing. Tektronix additionally maintains a Keithley products section and an EA Elektro-Automatik products section within the same product catalog.
Tektronix oscilloscope and probe subfamilies: oscilloscopes, high speed digitizers, oscilloscope probes.
Tektronix signal generator subfamilies: arbitrary function generators, arbitrary waveform generators.
Tektronix source and supply subfamilies: source measure units, DC power supplies, DC electronic loads, DC bidirectional supplies, battery test and simulation.
Tektronix meter subfamilies: digital multimeters, data acquisition and switching, low level instrument, sensitive and specialty instruments.
RIGOL industry solutions: communication test, automotive electronics testing, power electronics test, Internet of Things, EMI and EMC pre compliance, scope basics, education.
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Selection Criteria for Procurement
The first procurement question is the measurement domain. A buyer characterizing time domain signals, such as transients on a power rail or a control bus, will anchor the bill of materials on an oscilloscope with sufficient bandwidth, sample rate, and record length. A buyer characterizing frequency domain behavior, such as the spurious content of a transmitter or the impedance of a filter, will anchor instead on a spectrum analyzer or vector network analyzer. RIGOL explicitly structures its industry solutions around the communication, automotive electronics, and power electronics verticals, and recommends that selection begin from the industry solution rather than from the instrument, a useful discipline when the application rather than the instrument is well defined.
The second question is the level of performance within the chosen domain. SIGLENT publishes a clear performance hierarchy across its oscilloscope portfolio, with the SDS7000A positioned at 8 GHz bandwidth, 20 GSa/s sampling, 2 Gpts/ch record length, and 1,000,000 wfm/s capture rate, and successive series stepping down in capability. Buyers who require RTSA, eye and jitter analysis, compliance test, power analysis, Bode plot, MSO, and AWG application packages will be steered to the high end series, while buyers focused on general purpose debugging may select from a lower series at lower cost. The presence of application packages on the data sheet is therefore as important as the headline bandwidth and sample rate figures.
The third question is the protocol or interface coverage required. RIGOL documents coverage of CAN, CAN FD, FlexRay, and Automotive Ethernet for bus testing, LVDS, MIPI, and eDP for high speed data interface testing, and USB and SD for peripheral interface testing. SIGLENT lists 5G NR, NR-A, and NR-NTN support in its SigVSA vector signal analysis software. A buyer should map each protocol in the device under test to the instrument that decodes and triggers on it, and verify that the chosen instrument supports the required protocol rather than only the underlying physical layer.
The fourth question is the total cost of ownership beyond the purchase price. Tektronix separates calibration into Factory Verified Calibration and Multi-Brand Compliant Calibration, lists quality and accreditation as a distinct item, and operates service levels and location based calibration capabilities. Asset management services such as CalWeb and Field Service Managed Calibration, and testing services such as environmental, HALT and HASS, NEMA compliance, package, and shock vibration testing, are itemized separately. Buyers should weigh the cost of a multi brand calibration contract, the availability of factory service requests, and the turnaround time of the chosen service level. A clearance center, refurbished test equipment offering, and parts inventory are also available from the vendors represented in the source material, and may be considered where the budget is constrained or where a multi vendor fleet must be maintained.
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Standards, Compliance and Testing
Compliance testing is itself an electronic test and measurement activity, and the source material treats it as a separate solution. RIGOL publishes an EMI/EMC pre compliance solution and a separate set of educational scope basics, indicating that the vendor positions pre compliance as a routine in house activity rather than a purely external service. Tektronix groups dedicated testing services under its services menu and lists environmental testing, HALT and HASS testing, NEMA compliance testing, package testing, and shock vibration testing as distinct service lines, with the EMI/EMC testing application appearing as a cross cutting application under both the industries and applications navigation on its solution menu. The separation between an instrument and a compliance test reflects that compliance testing generally requires traceable calibration, controlled test environments, and reports with signatures acceptable to regulators.
Calibration is the routine counterpart to compliance testing. Tektronix describes its calibration portfolio as including Factory Verified Calibration, Multi-Brand Compliant Calibration, quality and accreditation, calibration capabilities, locations, service levels, factory calibration status tracking, and factory or multi brand service requests. The presence of a multi brand compliant calibration offering is significant because it allows a heterogeneous fleet of instruments from different manufacturers to be calibrated to a common metrological standard, which is a precondition for many quality system registrations. SIGLENT likewise lists calibration and certificate as a service and support entry, indicating that traceable calibration is treated as a standard deliverable rather than an optional extra.
Application standards relevant to electronic test and measurement are tied to the protocol families that the instruments decode. The communication testing application area surfaced in the source material references the evolution of 5G, the Internet of Everything, and next generation optical communication, and SIGLENT names 5G NR, NR-A, and NR-NTN as supported protocol variants in its SigVSA vector signal analysis software. The automotive testing application area references CAN, CAN FD, FlexRay, and Automotive Ethernet, while the high speed digital interface area references LVDS, MIPI, and eDP. Buyers should request from the vendor a conformance statement that lists which protocol conformance test cases are automated, which require manual intervention, and which are not supported.
Compliance also applies to the instruments themselves. Mouser describes the modern oscilloscope as a vital tool across the automotive, medical, audio, circuit design, electronics repair, and amateur radio industries, indicating that the same instrument platform may be used in regulated and unregulated environments. Buyers in regulated industries should therefore request documentation of the safety and electromagnetic compatibility standards to which the instrument itself has been declared compliant, in addition to the test procedures that the instrument will execute.
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Market Landscape and Buying Process
The electronic test and measurement market is supplied by a mix of established instrument vendors and regional distributors. The source material identifies Tektronix, RIGOL, SIGLENT, Keithley, and EA Elektro-Automatik as named instrument vendors, with Tektronix explicitly carrying the Keithley and EA Elektro-Automatik product lines alongside its own. Kongter Test and Measurement is identified through its Made in China product listing, which catalogues 12 products including a Bt 301 Battery Condition Analyzer. Analog Technologies identifies itself as a distributor of electronic instruments and reports more than 24 years of experience in using a variety of electronic instruments for electronic product research and development. The presence of both global vendors and regional distributors indicates that buyers can access the category through multiple channels, from direct vendor sales to local distribution and online sourcing platforms.
The buying process begins with the identification of an industry solution. RIGOL organizes its solutions menu around communication test, automotive electronics testing, power electronics test, Internet of Things, EMI and EMC pre compliance, scope basics, and education. Tektronix organizes its solutions menu around industries (advanced research, aerospace and defense, AI data center, automotive, education and teaching labs, medical devices and systems, power semiconductor, renewable energy, semiconductor design and manufacturing) and applications (3D sensing and image characterization, EMI/EMC testing, high speed serial communication, material science and engineering, power efficiency, RF testing, test automation). SIGLENT provides a separate solutions entry that links industry problems to instrument families. Engaging a vendor at the solutions level allows the buyer to inherit a tested bill of materials rather than to assemble one independently.
The buying process then continues with configuration, pricing, and service selection. Tektronix exposes a buy online entry, a GSA program entry, a distributor locator, a contact us entry, a refurbished test equipment entry, a clearance center entry, and a dedicated promotions entry. SIGLENT exposes a how to buy entry, an authorized partners entry, a clearance center entry, and a Siglent promotions entry. RIGOL exposes a clearance center entry for demo, used, and refurbished products. These channels indicate that the buying process is multi track, with new instrument sales, refurbished and clearance sales, and authorized distribution operating in parallel.
A reference buyer should conclude the process with a service plan and a calibration schedule. Tektronix lists factory service plans, warranty status, parts, order status, product registration, and software downloads as support entries, and provides separate asset management and repair services. SIGLENT lists warranty information, calibration and certificate, Orbital Care, return policy, firmware and software, and document downloads as service and support entries. The presence of multi brand compliant calibration, field service managed calibration, and factory service request mechanisms across vendors means that the buyer should plan the post purchase service relationship at the same time as the purchase, rather than as an afterthought.
FAQ
What is electronic test and measurement?
Electronic test and measurement is the engineering discipline concerned with stimulating a device under test and observing the resulting electrical behavior, using instruments such as oscilloscopes, signal generators, analyzers, sources, supplies, and meters. RIGOL describes its portfolio as providing end to end testing solutions that cover radio frequency and microwave, high speed digital signals, and protocol analysis, and addressing markets such as automotive electronics, new energy, semiconductors, education, and general electronics.
Who are the major vendors in electronic test and measurement?
The source material identifies Tektronix, RIGOL, SIGLENT, Keithley, and EA Elektro-Automatik as named instrument vendors, with Tektronix carrying the Keithley and EA Elektro-Automatik product lines alongside its own. Kongter Test and Measurement and Analog Technologies are identified as additional suppliers and distributors operating in the category, the latter reporting more than 24 years of experience in using electronic instruments for electronic product research and development.
What are the most important specifications of a digital oscilloscope?
The most important specifications of a digital oscilloscope are bandwidth, ADC resolution, real time sampling rate, record length per channel, and waveform capture rate. SIGLENT specifies for its SDS7000A series a bandwidth of up to 8 GHz, a 12 bit ADC, a real time sampling rate of up to 20 GSa/s, a record length of up to 2 Gpts/ch, and a waveform capture rate of up to 1,000,000 wfm/s.
How are electronic test and measurement instruments categorized?
The Tektronix product taxonomy partitions the category into oscilloscopes and probes, software, analyzers, signal generators, sources and supplies, meters, and additional products that include reference solutions, semiconductor test systems, components and accessories, and refurbished test equipment. The SIGLENT taxonomy partitions products into digital oscilloscopes, handheld oscilloscopes, vector network analyzers, spectrum analyzers, RF switch systems, waveform generators, RF generators, PC software, SMU and DC sources, DC electronic loads, and digital multimeters.
Which protocols and interfaces do modern instruments support?
RIGOL documents coverage of CAN, CAN FD, FlexRay, and Automotive Ethernet for automotive bus testing, LVDS, MIPI, and eDP for high speed data interface testing, and USB and SD for peripheral interface testing. SIGLENT lists 5G NR, NR-A, and NR-NTN as supported protocol variants in its SigVSA vector signal analysis software.
What services are available after purchase?
Tektronix lists factory service plans, calibration services that include Factory Verified Calibration and Multi-Brand Compliant Calibration, asset management services such as CalWeb and Field Service Managed Calibration, repair services, and testing services that include environmental testing, HALT and HASS testing, NEMA compliance testing, package testing, and shock vibration testing. SIGLENT lists warranty information, calibration and certificate, Orbital Care, return policy, firmware and software, and document downloads as service and support entries.
What should a buyer consider when choosing an instrument?
A buyer should first identify the measurement domain, then the performance tier within that domain, then the protocol and interface coverage required, and finally the total cost of ownership including calibration, asset management, repair, and testing services. Tektronix and SIGLENT both expose online buying, distributor locator, and clearance or refurbished channels, and buyers should plan the post purchase service relationship at the same time as the purchase.
