ASYMMETRIC RECORDINGS AND DISJUNCED TIME RESPONSE IN A TEST AND MEASURING DEVICE

Abstract

A test and measurement device comprises two or more channels to enable the test and measurement device to connect to a device under test (DUT), each channel comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and one or more trigger devices, each trigger device determining one or more trigger conditions, a display to enable the test and measurement device to display data from the ADC, a user interface, and one or more processors configured to execute code to cause the one or more processors to acquire data from the two or more channels at a different time than other two or more channels in response to one or more trigger conditions.A test and measuring instrument similar to the one mentioned above, except that in addition to one or more channels with ADCs, it includes at least one channel with an auxiliary input and a threshold detector instead of an ADC.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED REGISTRATIONS

[0001] This disclosure is a non-provisional application and claims the benefits of US Provisional Application No. 63 / 688,259 entitled “ASYMMETRIC ACQUISITIONS AND DISJOINTED TIME TRIGGER IN A TEST AND MEASUREMENT INSTRUMENT”, which was filed on August 28, 2024, and of which the disclosure is incorporated herein in full by reference. AREA OF TECHNOLOGY

[0002] This disclosure relates to test and measurement equipment and, in particular, to detection and triggering techniques in a test and measurement equipment, such as an oscilloscope. BACKGROUND

[0003] In a conventional oscilloscope, all input channels are sampled synchronously at the same rate based on a trigger condition. While the trigger condition can occur on a single channel or across multiple channels, all channels are captured simultaneously and at the same sampling rate for a specific coherent data set. Many existing oscilloscopes have a trigger mechanism responsible for determining the time interval to be captured.

[0004] Test and measurement instruments such as oscilloscopes currently lack the capability to configure the instrument to capture a channel of interest with higher resources while sampling other channels at a lower rate. Current oscilloscopes can use an auxiliary input as a trigger or part of a trigger, but they do not display the waveform. The user can manually shift the auxiliary input to an analog channel to view the waveform, but there is no way to do this without manual intervention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Fig. Figure 1 shows an embodiment of a test and measuring device with asymmetrical acquisition. Fig. Figure 2 shows an embodiment of channels in a test and measuring device. Fig. Figure 3 shows an embodiment of a method for capturing and investigating waveforms using disjoint time triggers. Fig. Figure 4 shows a rotatable 3D representation of asymmetrical acquisitions. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0005] The embodiments described here comprise a test and measurement device and a method for acquiring data from different channels independently of other channels in a trainable manner. The channels can acquire data independently by acquiring data at different times, with different sampling rates, in response to different trigger conditions, or any combination thereof. The independently acquired data can then be combined to form a coherent data set across times, rates, and events.

[0006] For example, a process can capture individual channels or a subset of all channels based on a trigger condition that includes a time reference observed on that channel or subset of channels. For instance, capture of channel 1 could be based on a rising edge on channel 1, and capture of channel 2 on a rising edge on channel 2. The same applies to any type of trigger, such as a rising edge, a falling edge, a pulse width, a specific bit pattern in a serial transmission, and so on. Hereafter, the result is referred to as coherent capture, where part of the capture is the measured timing alignment between the individual channel captures. In this example, a conventionally aligned capture would essentially have a delta time of zero for all channels.

[0007] In this discussion, the data acquisitions are referred to as "asymmetric acquisitions" because they are performed with a certain degree of asymmetry, for example, with different trigger times, different trigger types, different sampling rates, or a combination thereof. The term "time-disjoint triggers," used here, refers to acquisitions where the trigger conditions occur at different times for each channel. Triggers can occur simultaneously, even if they are different triggers on different channels, but the channels trigger independently.

[0008] Fig. Figure 1 is a block diagram of a multi-channel test and measurement device 10. The test and measurement device 10 comprises a section that interacts with the devices under test (DUTs), here referred to as the input / output section 20, and a display and control section 40. The input / output section 40 of the measuring device 10 comprises several channels, e.g., 30, which are designated as channel 1, channel 2, up to channel n.

[0009] As described in more detail below, the device 10 can include a universal timer 24, a universal trigger control 22, and a universal memory control 26. In Fig. 1 These components appear to be located in the input / output area 20 of the device 10, but they could be located anywhere in the device 10.

[0010] The control area 40 of the device 10 comprises a set of input controls 48 by which a user can control the device. The input controls 48 may include a graphical user interface (GUI) 50 or a programmatic interface (PI) 52. Other input controls 48 may, as is generally known, include various buttons and switches on or remotely from the device 100.

[0011] One or more main or central processors 44 can be configured to execute instructions from a memory 46 and perform any procedures and / or associated steps specified by such instructions, such as receiving and storing the acquired signals from the input / output area 20 or performing any test and measurement functions of the device 10. The device can store acquired signals as waveforms in the memory 46, in one or more acquisition memories assigned to the channels, or in other various memories that may be located throughout the device 10.

[0012] One or more processors 44 may control an output display 42 to show waveforms, measurements, and other data to the user. The output display 42 may be, for example, an LCD or another display device. The display may also be part of the input control if it includes a touchscreen.

[0013] While Fig. Figure 1 shows the components of the test and measurement device 10 as integrated within a test and measurement device 10. A person skilled in the art will understand that each of these components may be located outside the test and measurement device 10 and may be coupled to the test and measurement device 10 in any conventional manner, such as by wired and / or wireless communication media and / or mechanisms. In some embodiments, a remote computer may be connected to the device 10 to operate the device.

[0014] While the universal trigger control 22, the universal time control 24, and the universal memory control 26 can represent a common component for the channels, the individual channels can contain a trigger module or a trigger device. This trigger module in each channel can give each channel the ability to trigger and acquire data independently of the other channels. Fig. Figure 2 shows a more detailed representation of an embodiment of the channels as shown in Figure 30. Fig. 1.

[0015] Fig. Figure 2 shows a training program with four channels, whereby Fig. Figure 2 shows an example, and the device can have more or fewer channels. The device has one or more channels that can acquire data from the DUT independently of the other channels. The data is fed into the channel from the DUT and can undergo signal conditioning at the amplifier / receiver 60, e.g., amplification. The analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 62 then samples the signal and converts it into digital data. When the trigger device 64 detects a trigger event in the data stream of the ADC 62, it instructs the data storage 66 to store the data. It should be noted that the channels can share these components, such as the amplifier, the ADC, and the storage.

[0016] The triggering device may include a processing element of any type, such as a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or another processing element that is controlled by one or more central processors 44 of the device 10. Fig. 1 can be programmed or otherwise controlled. The one or more processors 44 of the device 10 can contain the processing elements located in the triggering devices. The one or more central processors can also control the triggering devices without the triggering devices containing any processing elements. In this implementation, however, the triggering devices receive signals to control detections independently of detections made on other channels.

[0017] In some embodiments, each channel contains a complete copy of the triggering capability on each sensing circuit, i.e., on each channel.

[0018] The independent-channel test and measurement device means that the channels can independently acquire data in many ways to cause one or more processors to acquire data in response to a different trigger condition on at least one of the two or more channels than on the other two or more channels.

[0019] In one embodiment, the channels can respond to the same trigger condition, which occurs on each of the two or more channels at different times. In this embodiment, the device can be triggered by a single trigger, but the different triggers initiate acquisition at different times. In another embodiment, the channels can acquire data in response to a different trigger condition on at least one of the two or more channels than on the other two or more channels. This corresponds to the rising edge example above, which triggers acquisition on a rising edge on channel 1 and a rising edge on channel 2.

[0020] In one embodiment, the device could use this capability to analyze transmission effects on a signal. The conditions could include the RF energy exceeding a threshold in a specific band on each channel. For example, a wireless communication signal could be transmitted and received, with both the source and destination signals sampled by an oscilloscope. Path characteristics, such as frequency response, path delay, multipath interference, etc., are more easily visualized when the source and destination signals are superimposed or stacked at a reference point, such as the beginning of the burst. Wireless environments are inherently dynamic, and sometimes highly dynamic, as transmitters or receivers move. By automatically matching the source and receiver data, the user could focus on the signal effects.

[0021] This would allow the user to analyze the received signals as a function of the transmission time from a transmitter reference. For example, the change in the characteristics of the received waveforms of a radar signal could be visualized by displaying the sampled waveforms as a function of the transmission time, which generally corresponds to the distance to the target.

[0022] In wired communication, the signal in question is practically confined to a waveguide. Similarly, the transmission effects of a cable or conductor can be analyzed as a function of the time delay, which may correspond to the length of the cable or conductor.

[0023] In embodiments where each channel has full triggering capability, the software and the individual processors, e.g., FPGA images on existing hardware, can be modified so that, upon a condition, e.g., an edge, they are triggered independently on each channel and then collected and aligned for display. Fig. Figure 3 shows an example of such a recording.

[0024] In Fig. 3. The solid lines encompass a signal captured on a channel near the transmission source, and the dashed line encompasses a signal captured on a different channel near the receiver. These signals are in the same transmission line. The upper diagram shows what the results of triggering without time-disjoint triggering would look like. The trigger is configured for a specific data pattern. Due to the signal's transmission time, the captured waveforms are not aligned on the display, making comparison difficult. A reference point in the signal pattern is indicated by triangle pointer 70 for the source signal and by triangle pointer 72 for the receiver waveform.

[0025] In the lower diagram, the two channels trigger independently on the same pattern in the data, without requiring knowledge of the transmission time. The two triangle pointers 70 and 72 are now aligned as trigger references. This allows the user to sample additional points and always obtains a clear comparison of the two or more waveforms. The offset is determined automatically, with the focus no longer on the delay of the sampled signal, but rather on the change in the shape of the sampled signal, which typically results from transmission line loss.

[0026] The embodiments presented here change the assumption inherent in the user interface of conventional test and measurement instruments that the displayed waveforms were acquired at precisely the same time and in the same way. The purpose of "asymmetric acquisition" or "disjoint time acquisition" is that the waveforms are intentionally not acquired simultaneously.

[0027] Another advantage of triggering at different times is the ability to capture the change (delta) between these times as an axis in the graph. The time difference between two separate time recordings is itself a measurable and recordable value. For example, as a wireless receiver approaches a transmitter, the transmission delay changes, as do the characteristics of the received waveform. An oscilloscope could display this in a 3D projection showing the received waveform as a function of the transmission time, or effectively, the distance.

[0028] Fig. Figure 4 shows an example of such a projection. The two axes are amplitude on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis. The third axis could be the transmission time. In this figure, the third axis, which extends inwards and outwards, illustrates the change in the signal as a function of transmission time when one probe is at the transmitter and one at the receiver. This image could be continuously updated as the two devices under test (DUTs) operate and the conditions in the DUT's environment change.

[0029] This diagram can be displayed on the user interface of a test and measurement instrument, allowing the user to change the viewing angle to better understand, for example, the distortion of a signal as a function of transmission distance or time. A device could also use color or grayscale to represent the different measurements of transmission time in a two- or three-dimensional projection, as shown in [reference to diagram]. Fig. 4 shown, to identify.

[0030] This could also be used to detect distortion along a wire. The ability to use disjoint time triggers greatly simplifies test setup. The user can configure the oscilloscope once so that the source and target are triggered at different times on different channels, and then simply scan through various devices under test (DUTs) with different wire lengths without having to retrain the oscilloscope for the different propagation delays. In this case, the propagation delay is not as critical, but it offers advantages in terms of usability if the user is not concerned with the timing alignment of the channels.

[0031] In some embodiments, useful information could be revealed by cross-correlation of the two signals over many acquisitions. Potentially, an advanced filter, including a learning filter, could be used, and the oscilloscope could trigger on anomalous differences or correlations, where "difference" means a negative correlation and "correlation" a positive correlation, where the difference or correlation exceeds a threshold of other differences or correlations. The advantage of independent triggering is that the time difference between sampling points can be eliminated as a factor hindering analysis, especially in cases where this time difference changes.

[0032] In some hardware designs, high-performance processing such as Fast Frame or Fast Acq (acquisition) requires intensive resource utilization during acquisition. An oscilloscope or measuring instrument could be explicitly configured by the user to acquire one or more channels of interest with maximum resource "intensity," while sampling other channels at a lower sampling or acquisition rate. This would allow for a more accurate result, such as a longer "live time" for a particular channel, while other signals, perhaps serving only as a reference frame, continue to be monitored.

[0033] A common oscilloscope setup uses an "aux" input as a trigger or part of the trigger, but does not display the waveform. In some applications, a user will manually move a signal from the aux input to one of the analog inputs so that the user can see the aux signal. The instrument could display the state of an "aux trigger" signal, which has only two states and may not be sampled at the same rate as other channels, as another asymmetric acquisition, as described in some embodiments of the disclosure.

[0034] In summary, the embodiments disclosed improve two general areas of test and measurement instrument operation. First, the embodiments make optimal use of limited hardware resources to maximize the useful information collected and presented to the user. Second, the embodiments increase user efficiency by helping the user understand a complex data set by aligning events occurring at different and potentially unpredictable times to facilitate faster comprehension of the collected information.

[0035] Aspects of the disclosure may operate on purpose-built hardware, firmware, digital signal processors, or a purpose-built general-purpose computer with a processor that operates according to programmed instructions. The terms "controller" and "processor" as used herein are intended to include microprocessors, microcomputers, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and dedicated hardware controllers. One or more aspects of the disclosure may be embodied in computer-usable data and computer-executable instructions, for example, in one or more program modules that are executed by one or more computers (including monitoring modules) or other devices. In general, program modules include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, and so on.These are instructions that perform specific tasks or implement certain abstract data types when executed by a processor in a computer or other device. The computer-executable instructions can be stored on a non-transient, computer-readable medium such as a hard disk, optical disk, removable storage medium, solid-state memory, random access memory (RAM), etc. As will be clear to those skilled in the art, the functionality of the program modules can be arbitrarily combined or distributed in various aspects. Furthermore, the functionality can be embodied wholly or partially in firmware or hardware equivalents such as integrated circuits, FPGAs, and the like.Certain data structures can be used to implement one or more aspects of the disclosure more effectively, and such data structures are considered within the context of the computer-executable instructions and computer-usable data described here.

[0036] The disclosed aspects may, in some cases, be implemented in hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. The disclosed aspects may also be implemented in the form of instructions stored on one or more non-transitory, computer-readable media that can be read and executed by one or more processors. Such instructions may be referred to as a computer program product. Computer-readable media, as described herein, are all media that a computer can access. Computer-readable media may include, for example, computer storage media and communication media, but are not limited to these.

[0037] Computer storage media are all media that can be used to store computer-readable information. Examples of computer storage media include RAM, ROM, EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), flash memory or other storage technologies, CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read Only Memory), DVD (Digital Video Disc) or other optical disc storage, magnetic cartridges, magnetic tapes, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, and all other volatile or non-volatile, removable or non-removable media used in any technology. Computer storage media exclude signals as such and temporary forms of signal transmission.

[0038] Communication media are all media that can be used to transmit computer-readable information. Examples of communication media include coaxial cables, fiber optic cables, air, or any other medium suitable for transmitting electrical, optical, radio frequency (RF), infrared, acoustic, or other signals. EXAMPLES

[0039] Examples of the disclosed technologies are described below. An embodiment of the technologies may include one or more, and any combination thereof, of the examples described below.

[0040] Example 1 is a test and measurement device comprising: two or more channels to enable the test and measurement device to connect to a device under test (DUT), each channel comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and one or more trigger devices, each trigger device determining one or more trigger conditions; a display to enable the test and measurement device to display data from the ADC; a user interface; and one or more processors configured to execute code to cause the one or more processors to acquire data from the two or more channels at a different time than other two or more channels in response to one or more trigger conditions.

[0041] Example 2 is the test and measurement device from Example 1, wherein the one or more processors comprise a central processor and a processor for each of the two or more channels.

[0042] Example 3 is the test and measurement device of Example 2, wherein the one or more trigger devices comprise a trigger device for each channel, each trigger device comprising one of the one or more processors.

[0043] Example 4 is the test and measurement device from one of Examples 1 to 3, wherein the one or more processors comprise one or more central processors and the one or more triggering devices are controlled by the one or more central processors.

[0044] Example 5 is the test and measuring device according to one of Examples 1 to 4, where the ADC is shared by the two or more channels.

[0045] Example 6 is the test and measurement device from any of Examples 1 to 5, wherein the code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data from the two or more channels includes code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data in response to a different trigger condition on at least one of the two or more channels than on the other two or more channels.

[0046] Example 7 is the test and measurement device of one of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data comprises code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data based on an identical trigger condition that occurs on each of the two or more channels at different times.

[0047] Example 8 is the test and measurement device from any one of Examples 1 to 7, wherein the code causing the one or more processors to acquire the data comprises code causing the one or more processors to acquire the data on each of the two or more channels in response to independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels, and the one or more processors are further configured to: time-align the data for each of the two or more channels to produce aligned data; and display the aligned data for all of the two or more channels.

[0048] Example 9 is the test and measurement device according to any one of Examples 1 to 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute code to: track a time difference between the times of data acquisitions on different channels of the two or more channels; and display the time differences on the screen.

[0049] Example 10 is the test and measurement device of one of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the code causing the one or more processors to display the time differences causes the one or more processors to display the time differences using a rotatable, three-dimensional graph.

[0050] Example 11 is the test and measurement device from any of Examples 1 to 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute code that causes the one or more processors to detect either correlations or differences between two signals on different channels of the two or more channels over a period of time and to identify differences that exceed a threshold for the difference during the period of time.

[0051] Example 12 is a test and measurement device comprising: one or more channels to enable the device to connect to a device under test (DUT), comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a trigger device, each trigger device determining one or more trigger conditions; one or more channels to enable the device to connect to a device under test (DUT), comprising an auxiliary input with a threshold detector and a trigger device, each trigger device determining one or more trigger conditions; a display to enable the device to display data from the ADC; a user interface; and one or more processors configured to execute code to cause the one or more processors to: acquire data from the one or more channels with ADCs;and sampling the auxiliary input separately from the one or more channels with ADCs.;

[0052] Example 13 is a method comprising: determining one or more trigger conditions; and acquiring data from two or more channels connected to a device under test (DUT) at a different time than other two or more channels in response to one or more trigger conditions.

[0053] Example 14 is the procedure of Example 13, wherein the data acquisition includes data acquisition in response to a different trigger condition on at least one of the two or more channels than for the other two or more channels.

[0054] Example 15 is the procedure according to one of Examples 13 or 14, wherein the data acquisition includes the acquisition of data based on an identical triggering condition occurring on each of the two or more channels at different times.

[0055] Example 16 is the method according to any one of Examples 13 to 15, wherein the data acquisition further comprises: acquiring the data on each of the two or more channels in response to independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels; matching the data for each of the two or more channels on the basis of the independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels to produce matched data with matched time differences and matched channels; and displaying the matched data for all of the two or more channels on a display on a test and measurement instrument.

[0056] Example 17 is the method of Example 16, wherein displaying the matched time differences includes displaying the matched time differences using a three-dimensional graph that indicates the matched time differences on the display by a position drawn as a waveform, shades of gray, or color.

[0057] Example 18 is the method according to one of Examples 13 to 17, which further comprises: tracking a time difference between the times of data acquisitions on different channels of the two or more channels; and recording the time differences on a display.

[0058] Example 19 is the method according to any of Examples 13 to 18, which further comprises: detecting differences between two signals on different channels of the two or more channels over a period of time; and identifying differences that exceed a threshold for the difference during the period of time.

[0059] Example 20 is the procedure of Example 16, which further includes generating an additional trigger condition to watch for differences on the matched channels and displaying results when a difference threshold is exceeded.

[0060] The previously described versions of the disclosed item have many advantages, which have either been described or would be obvious to a person with normal knowledge. However, these advantages or features are not necessary in all versions of the disclosed devices, systems, or processes.

[0061] All features disclosed in the description, including the claims, the abstract, and the drawings, and all steps in each disclosed method or process may be combined in any combination, except for combinations in which at least some of these features and / or steps are mutually exclusive. Any feature disclosed in the description, including the claims, the abstract, and the drawings, may be replaced by alternative features that serve the same, equivalent, or similar purpose, unless expressly stated otherwise.

[0062] Furthermore, this written description refers to certain characteristics. It is to be understood that the disclosure in this description encompasses all possible combinations of these particular characteristics. If a particular characteristic is disclosed in connection with a specific aspect or example, that characteristic may, to the extent possible, also be used in connection with other aspects and examples.

[0063] Where this application refers to a procedure with two or more defined steps or operations, the defined steps or operations may be carried out in any order or simultaneously, provided that the context does not preclude such possibilities.

[0064] Although specific examples of the invention have been presented and described for illustrative purposes, various modifications may be made without affecting the spirit and scope of the invention. Accordingly, the invention should not be limited except by the accompanying claims. QUOTES INCLUDED IN THE DESCRIPTION

[0000] This list of documents cited by the applicant was automatically generated and is included solely for the reader's convenience. The list is not part of the German patent or utility model application. The DPMA accepts no liability for any errors or omissions. Cited patent literature

[0000] US 63 / 688,259

[0001]

Claims

[1] A test and measuring instrument comprising the following: two or more channels enabling the test and measurement device to connect to a device under test (DUT), each channel comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and one or more trigger devices, each trigger device determining one or more trigger conditions; a display that allows the test and measuring device to display data from the ADC; a user interface; and one or more processors trained to execute code to cause the one or more processors to acquire data from the two or more channels at a different time than other two or more channels in response to one or more triggering conditions. [2] The test and measuring device according to claim 1, wherein the one or more processors comprise a central processor and a processor for each of the two or more channels. [3] The test and measuring device according to claim 2, wherein the one or more trigger devices comprise a trigger device for each channel, each trigger device comprising one of the one or more processors. [4] The test and measuring device according to one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the one or more processors comprise one or more central processors and the one or more triggering devices are controlled by the one or more central processors. [5] The test and measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the ADC is shared by the two or more channels. [6] The test and measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data from the two or more channels comprises a code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data in response to a different trigger condition on at least one of the two or more channels than for other of the two or more channels. [7] The test and measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data comprises a code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data on the basis of an identical trigger condition that occurs on each of the two or more channels at different times. [8] The test and measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data comprises a code that causes the one or more processors to acquire the data on each of the two or more channels in response to independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels, and the one or more processors are further configured to: Timely matching of the data for each of the two or more channels to produce matched data; and Displaying the matched data for all two or more channels on the screen. [9] The test and measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute a code to: to track a time difference between the times of data collection on different channels of the two or more channels; and to display the time differences on the screen. [10] The test and measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the code that causes the one or more processors to display the time differences causes the one or more processors to display the time differences using a rotatable, three-dimensional graph. [11] The test and measuring device according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to execute a code that causes the one or more processors to do the following: to detect either correlations or differences between two signals on different channels of two or more channels over a period of time; and To identify differences that exceed a threshold for the difference during the time period. [12] A test and measuring instrument comprising the following: one or more channels enabling the device to connect to a device under test (DUT), comprising an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) and a triggering device, each triggering device defining one or more triggering conditions; one or more channels enabling the device to establish a connection to a device under test (DUT), comprising an auxiliary input with a threshold detector and a trigger device, each trigger device being able to determine one or more trigger conditions; a display that allows the device to show data from the ADC; a user interface; and one or more processors trained to execute code to cause the one or more processors to do the following: To acquire data from one or more channels using ADCs; and Sampling the auxiliary input separately from the one or more channels using ADCs. [13] A procedure comprising the following: Determining one or more trigger conditions; and Acquiring data from two or more channels connected to a device under test (DUT) at a different time than other two or more channels in response to one or more trigger conditions. [14] The method according to claim 13, wherein the data acquisition comprises data acquisition in response to a different trigger condition on at least one of the two or more channels than for other of the two or more channels. [15] The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein the data acquisition comprises acquiring the data based on the same triggering condition occurring on each of the two or more channels at different times. [16] The method according to any one of claims 13 to 15, wherein the data acquisition further comprises: Capturing data on each of the two or more channels in response to independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels; Matching the data for each of the two or more channels based on the independent trigger conditions for each of the two or more channels to produce matched data with matched time differences and matched channels; and Displaying the matched data for all two or more channels on a display on a test and measuring device. [17] The method according to claim 16, wherein the display of the matched time differences comprises the display of the matched time differences using a three-dimensional graph which indicates the matched time differences on the display by a wave-shaped position, shades of gray or color. [18] The method according to any one of claims 13 to 17, further comprising: Tracking a time difference between the times of data collection on different channels of two or more channels; and Recording the time differences on a display. [19] The method according to any one of claims 13 to 18, further comprising: Detecting differences between two signals on different channels of two or more channels over a period of time; and Identifying differences that exceed a threshold for the difference during the time period. [20] The method according to any one of claims 16 to 19 further comprising generating a further trigger condition to look for differences on the matched channels and displaying results when a difference threshold is exceeded.

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