New-Tech Europe Magazine | Feb 2017

R&S Scope Rider A multitalent for debugging in the field

Dr. Markus Herdin , Rohde & Schwarz

Portable instruments are ideal forinstallation,maintenanceand emergency work on electrical and electronic systems. Sources of faults can be varied, ranging from problems with the power quality to faulty behavior of electronic systems in the target system. Rohde & Schwarz developed the R&S Scope Rider for such applications. The rugged handheld oscilloscope offers the performance of a lab instrument in the compact format of a handheld device. Sleep Mode Automation in building and production technology is progressing rapidly. Systems are controlled by bus systems, have wireless, web, and/or LAN interfaces and consist of modern electronic components. Disturbances can arise from a variety

safety of the user is only guaranteed if the measuring instrument was developed for these overvoltages and has the corresponding certification. The R&S Scope Rider is certified for voltage measurements up to 600 V for CAT IV environments and up to 1000 V for CAT III environments. It can therefore be used for power quality monitoring at all points of the installation. The galvanic isolation of the input channels relative to one another is also crucial. With a conventional oscilloscope, inadvertently switching the ground and signal wires leads to a short circuit with potentially devastating consequences. The isolated channels of the R&S Scope Rider prevent this problem and also allow simultaneous differential measurement. Expensive differential probes are unnecessary, for example, when measuring power electronics.

of causes. Insufficient power quality can lead to sensitive electronic devices operating unreliably. A drive's strong electromagnetic fields can affect control signals and lead to faulty behavior. The new handheld oscilloscope from Rohde & Schwarz is the all-in-one solution for such situations. It offers the operational safety to safely measure the AC supply voltage/mains voltage and simultaneously analyze sensitive signals in electronic circuits. Safely measure power quality If hazardous live voltages need to be measured, users have to pay special attention to the instrument's IEC 61010-1-compliant measurement category. In a CAT IV environment – upstream of the main fuse of a building's power supply – overvoltages of up to 8000 V can occur when measuring a maximum voltage of 600 V. The

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