Oscilloscope Calibration

The powerful 5820A Oscilloscope Calibrator is a complete, yet flexible solution for oscilloscope calibration. It calibrates virtually all your digital and analog oscilloscopes quickly, easily and affordably. Even in its basic configuration, the 5820A provides tremendous versatility, allowing you to meet the manufacturer’s calibration requirements for oscilloscopes up to 600 MHz.

With its high bandwidth option, the 5820A’s performance can be extended still further, to oscilloscopes up to 2.1 GHz. And the 5820A’s five-channel output option facilitates fast, hand-free automated calibrations. Best of all, either option can be purchased with a new 5820A, or added later as your needs change and grow.

Do you need to justify the expense of a new oscilloscope calibrator? Our Oscilloscope Calibrator Return on Investment Calculator can help you estimate how long it will take to recover the costs invested in a new calibrator. The calculator is an easy-to-use downloadable Excel file (55 KB).
Description
The dedicated calibration solution for workloads to 600 MHz and beyond

In many calibration and service applications, a dedicated tool is often the best match to your workload. It allows you to purchase exactly the functionality you need to do the job without having to buy capabilities you don’t need.

The 5820A is designed for just that situation, where the bulk of your workload consists of oscilloscopes, either in-lab or on-site. It’s designed to calibrate all the ranges of functions of the vast majority of digital and analog oscilloscopes in use or being purchased today.
Portable and rugged enough for on-site applications

The 5820A is compact, portable and rugged. On the bench, its small footprint leaves you plenty of workspace. Outside the lab, it’s easy to carry, without the need for extra accessories like pulse heads.
Five-channel option for fast automated calibrations

For automated applications, the five-channel option allows you to calibrate up to four oscilloscope channels, with trigger, simultaneously without changing cables. This allows you to perform fast, hands-free automated calibrations with documented procedures and results while freeing the operator to complete other work – a dramatic productivity improvement. Plus, the external trigger allows you to work with tough-to-capture signals like fast edges simultaneously.
Calibrate oscilloscopes to 2.1 GHz

The standard 5820A is designed to calibrate the bulk of your oscilloscope calibration workload – everything up to 600 MHz. Its bandwidth extension option lets you extend that capability still further – to oscilloscopes with bandwidths up to 2.1 GHz. The option can be purchased installed in a new 5820A, or it can be added later as your workload demands it. Either way, you purchase exactly what you need today, with the flexibility to adapt as your needs change.
Auxiliary feed-through channel and external frequency reference

Additional features include an auxiliary feed-through channel that lets you work with external generators up to 2.4 GHz. And there’s an external frequency reference input that allows you to enhance the 5820A’s frequency accuracy by locking it to an external 10 MHz reference.
Complete oscilloscope verification

The 5820A calibrator provides you with all the functions required to fully verify the performance of any oscilloscope with a bandwidth up to 600 MHz, checking amplitude, time, and bandwidth. The 5820A is available with an option to extend that capability to 2.1 GHz.
Amplitude (vertical deflection)

verifies the performance of all the deflection-related circuitry for amplitude accuracy in each range, using dc or square wave signals.
Fast Edge (dynamic response)

verifies the vertical amplifiers, attenuators, analog-to-digital converters in DSOs, and all other vertical deflection circuitry for transient response. The 5820A’s standard £ 300 ps fast edge is more than adequate for most oscilloscopes up to 1 GHz. The 5820A-GHz option provides a £ 150 ps edge for scopes up to 2.1 GHz.
Time Marks (horizontal timing)

verify frequency, accuracy and linearity with a ± 0.33 ppm accuracy, more than enough to calibrate the most demanding digital oscilloscopes. Pulsed sawtooth, square and 20% pulse wave forms are provided. The 5820A also supports the use of an extended frequency reference for even higher frequency accuracy.
Leveled Sine Wave (bandwidth verification)

a 50 kHz to 600 MHz leveled sine wave source (extendible to 2.1 GHz with option) with excellent flatness and amplitude accuracy determines the 3 dB roll-off point of the oscilloscope and detect other discontinuities and drop outs.