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CSA8000B & TDS8000B User Manual
3-141
Using Masks, Histograms, and Waveform Databases
The instrument comes equipped with statistical tools to help you display, test,
and evaluate waveforms. This section describes these tools and how you use
them:
H Mask Testing Waveforms, on page 3--141, describes how you can use
standard or user-defined masks to set up the instrument to automatically
detect mask violations in communications and other waveforms.
H Taking Histograms, on page 3--154, describes how to take histograms to
view the horizontal or vertical distribution of data on your waveforms.
H Using Waveform Databases, on page 3--159, describes how to accumulate a
waveform into the database and use the waveform database to view the
waveform data weighted with respect to how frequently it reoccurs in the
database.
Mask Testing Waveforms
This section overviews the instrument features related to mask testing, including
how to create, edit, delete, and activate masks. You can select a standard mask,
edit a mask, or create an new mask from scratch.
Use mask testing to test your waveforms for time or amplitude violations. Mask
testing will count waveform samples (called hits or violations) that occur within
a specific area (the mask).
Use the communications-standard masks that this instrument provides (SONET/
SDH, Fiber Channel Optical and Electrical, and Ethernet) to test your signals, or
define your own masks.
Some mask testing features of note follow:
Flexible Mask Editing. You can use the controls in Mask Setup dialog box to
completely specify custom masks or edit existing masks, selecting, adding/delet-
ing, and placing a vertices in user-defined (waveform source) units. For quick
edits, you can use can use the mouse or touchscreen to drag to resize and
reposition the masks directly on the screen.
Why Use?
What’s Special?