Waveform recorder testing: IEEE standard 1057 and You

Waveform recorders and digital oscilloscopes have become indispensable tools for electronics measurement and diagnosis. However, because they are complex, sophisticated instruments, it is often difficult to know how to specify and test their performance. To address these problems, the Waveform Measurements and Analysis Committee developed an IEEE Trial-Use Standard that was first issued in 1989. Since then, The Standard for Digitizing Waveform Recorders, IEEE Standard 1057, has been substantially revised; the new edition was recently approved for publication as a full-use standard and is now in print. This paper presents an overview of the new standard with an emphasis on how it can help the bewildered engineer understand and test the latest digitizers