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Debugging and Validating Automotive Electronics

Oscilloscopes play a critical role in engineering automotive systems. Tektronix offers automotive oscilloscopes to meet the needs of engineers and technicians, ranging from basic troubleshooting instruments to advanced analysis platforms. When selecting the best, a number of considerations come into play.

Explore our recommended automotive oscilloscopes

Automotive engineer making measurements with an oscilloscope on an experimental EV design

Uses of Oscilloscopes in Vehicle Design

Automotive oscilloscopes are indispensable tools for debugging and validating electronic components, subsystems and systems within vehicle designs. By displaying signal analysis and making electrical measurements, they enable engineers to delve deep into vehicle electronics.

 

Automotive Oscilloscope Applications and Features

 

ECU Testing

Oscilloscopes are invaluable for debugging the microcontrollers, interfaces, memory and analog signal chains that make up ECUs. Scopes are used for checking power rails, measuring clocks, observing startup and troubleshooting noise problems.

Within the ECU, communication may be handled by buses such as I2C and SPI. Suitably equipped oscilloscopes can decode and trigger on these protocols.

Today’s control units incorporate some of the same high-speed interfaces found in modern servers, such as PCIe and DDR. High performance oscilloscopes are used to validate signal integrity in these applications.

CAN bus decoded on an automotive oscilloscope
Engineer making measurements on automotive engine sensors

Automotive Sensor and Actuator Testing

Vehicles depend on a wide range of sensors, motors, switches and actuators. Automotive oscilloscopes can help engineers check the quality of signals and timing relationships between signals. Having 4 or more channels provides visibility into more complex systems.

A mixed signal oscilloscope, equipped with digital logic channels, can help designers check timing on 16 or more switches or actuators at a time.

For electromechanical systems, long record length and roll mode are useful for capturing system behavior over longer durations.

Automotive Power Analysis

Managing electrical power has challenged generations of vehicle designers, but optimizing power management has taken on new importance with widespread powertrain electrification.

Accurate power measurements with an oscilloscope require simultaneous voltage and current measurements. Thus, robust voltage and current probes with appropriate ratings and ranges are critical.

Three-phase power converters, such as EV traction inverters, involve more complexity, with more channels and more calculations. The 5 Series and 6 Series MSOs offer specialized software for analyzing inverter, motor and drive systems. The software reduces the opportunity for measurement issues by automating setups and calculations.

Engineer making 3-phase measurements on an EV power inverter
An engineering team uses an oscilloscope to see CAN activity on an instrument cluster

In-Vehicle Networks and Serial Buses

In both internal combustion and electric vehicles, digital buses, such as CAN, LIN and FlexRay are used to simplify wiring harnesses and provide advanced safety and convenience features. Analog sensor outputs have been replaced by buses such as SENT and PSI5. Data rates are increasing with network technology such as automotive Ethernet and emerging CAN and MIPI standards, to enable advanced driver assistance and sophisticated cockpit features.

Automotive oscilloscopes enable engineers to decode these protocols and trigger on them to confirm proper communication and observe timing between bus traffic and other signals. For high-speed network technology, high-performance oscilloscopes help designers meet rigorous standards of signal quality.

Electrical Noise Analysis and EMI Testing

From the early days of the automotive industry, radiated and conducted electrical noise have presented challenges to designers. Today’s vehicles can generate a maelstrom of noise. Designers are challenged to enable multiple wireless communications protocols, high-speed data networks and high-voltage traction inverters to coexist. The 4, 5 and 6 Series MSOs offer multichannel, synchronized spectrum analysis for mixed domain troubleshooting. The highly portable spectrum analyzer, RSA306B, can also help with fast, broadband scans in real time.

Oscilloscope with spectrum analysis capability measuring noise
Battery-powered automotive oscilloscope shows signals on test vehicle

Moving Between the Lab and the Test Track

The ability to take a scope into the field can help test or troubleshoot under driving conditions. Portable oscilloscopes typically weigh less than 2 kg (about 4.5 lbs) and are easy to carry in and around vehicles. For example, the 2 Series MSO is a capable yet highly portable oscilloscope and it can be battery powered.

Still, some tasks require more oscilloscope horsepower. The 4, 5 and 6 Series MSOs offer a range of performance, perfect for the personal bench or lab station. All of them use the same user interface, making it easy for engineers to tackle any task.

Since automotive oscilloscopes must make a variety of measurements on a range of devices, they require multiple types of probes. Most oscilloscopes come with ground-referenced voltage probes, but many applications require differential voltage probes or current probes.

Documenting and Sharing Measurements

PC-based test automation frees engineers from unproductive, repetitive testing chores. Facilities for documenting, sharing and archiving test results also streamline engineering. Some automotive oscilloscopes offer programmable interfaces working over USB and LAN. Tektronix oscilloscopes have fully documented instruction sets and offer software to accelerate documentation and measurement storage. 

Performing signal analysis on a laptop with TekScope PC waveform analysis softwar
          
  

 

The Best Oscilloscopes for Automotive Engineering

These are a few of our oscilloscope families most often used for debugging and validating automotive systems.

Visit the Oscilloscope Page for a complete listing of Tektronix oscilloscopes.

 

Feature 2 Series MSO Mixed Signal Oscilloscope
2 Series MSO
LP_Midrange-scope_scope-4-series-MSO46
4 Series MSO
5 Series B MSO - Front Facing
5 Series MSO
6 Series B MSO
6 Series MSO

Bandwidth Range

70 MHz - 500 MHz 200 MHz - 1.5 GHz 350 MHz - 2 GHz 1 GHz - 10 GHz

Maximum Record Length

10 MS 62.5 MS 500 MS 1 GS

Analog Channels

2, 4 4, 6 4, 6, 8  4, 6, 8

Battery Power

Yes - - -

Automotive Serial Bus Decoders*

CAN

LIN

I2C

SPI

RS-232

CAN

LIN

FlexRay

SENT

PSI5

I2C

SPI

RS-232

CAN

LIN

FlexRay

SENT

PSI5

I2C

SPI

RS-232

CAN

LIN

FlexRay

SENT

PSI5

I2C

SPI

RS-232

Advanced Analysis*

Roll Mode

Roll Mode

Multi-channel Spectrum

3-phase Power Analysis

Power Analysis

Roll Mode

Multi-channel Spectrum

3-phase Power Analysis

Power Analysis

Roll Mode

Multi-channel Spectrum

3-phase Power Analysis

Power Analysis

Automotive Ethernet

 
HKD 15,200
Starting price
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HKD 78,200
Starting price
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HKD 169,000
Starting price
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HKD 323,000
Starting price
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*Selected available options. See instrument datasheets for a complete list of available serial buses and analysis packages.

How to choose the best automotive oscilloscope: Specifications to Consider

When selecting an automotive oscilloscope for your electronic system development needs, consider these specifications and features:

Select Automotive Oscilloscopes

Serie 2 MDO Mixed-Domain-Oszilloskop

2 Series MSO Portable Mixed Signal Oscilloscope

Unlock more space on your bench without compromising performance by choosing our most compact and handheld portable oscilloscope. At only 1.5 inches thick and less than 4 pounds, the 2 Series MSO fe …
4 Series MSO Mixed Signal oscilloscope

4 Series B MSO Mixed Signal Oscilloscope

4 Series B MSO is a mixed signal oscilloscope with up to 1.5 GHz bandwidth, HD touch display, serial decoding, digital inputs, frequency and power analysis

5 series B MSO - MSO58B

5 Series B MSO Mixed Signal Oscilloscope

5 Series MSO is a mixed signal oscilloscope with a high definition display with a touchscreen, up to 8 inputs, 12-bit analog-to-digital converters and bandwidth up to 2 GHz.

6 Series B MSO Mixed Signal oscilloscope

6 Series B MSO Mixed Signal Oscilloscope

Troubleshoot and validate high-speed designs with bandwidth that starts at 1 GHz and goes up to 10 GHz.

RSA306B spectrum analyzer connected to a laptop

RSA306B: Compact and Portable

Benchtop performance meets definitive portability with the industry’s highest fidelity, lowest noise real time spectrum analyzer, at an amazingly low price.

  • Up to 6.2 GHz frequency coverage
  • 40 MHz real-time signal acquisition bandwidth
  • Powered by USB3.0
  • 0.73 kg (1.6 lbs.)

Automotive Oscilloscope FAQs

What is an automotive oscilloscope?

An automotive oscilloscope is an instrument for visualizing and measuring signals in electrical and electronic systems typically found within vehicles, including inverters, engine systems, battery systems, safety systems, cockpit controls, infotainment, etc.

How are automotive oscilloscopes used?

Automotive oscilloscopes are used to look at signals by connecting probes to the device under test. Engineers use them during the design process to validate and debug products under development. Technicians use them in the field to diagnose failures.

What oscilloscope is best for automotive?

Because automotive systems and tasks are diverse, determining the best oscilloscope for automotive work requires consideration of bandwidth, record length, analysis capabilities, environmental factors (e.g., portability, temperature range) and, of course, cost. 

Refer to the Oscilloscope Page to compare key oscilloscope specifications and access detailed datasheets to help find the right oscilloscope for any application.

What bandwidth oscilloscope do I need for automotive?

The bandwidth of an oscilloscope determines the highest frequency the instrument can measure without significantly reducing the amplitude of the signal. Generally, an oscilloscope should be several times faster than the signals being measured. In a digital system that operates on edges, the frequency content of the signals will be determined by the rise and fall times of the signals rather than the period of the signal. For observing signals in electromechanical systems that operate below a few kHz, an instrument with 100 MHz or less may be adequate. For making measurements on processor systems and serial buses, a bandwidth of 100 to 500 MHz may be preferred. For measurements on high-speed signals within ECUs or on network signals, 1 GHz or more may be needed.

Refer to the Oscilloscope Page to compare bandwidths and access detailed datasheets to help find the right oscilloscope for any application.