Keysight (Agilent) N4901A Serial BERT, 13.5Gb/s

The Keysight N4901A Serial BERT is a high-performance bit error ratio tester for validating high-speed digital interfaces up to 13.5 Gb/s. This instrument delivers precise error detection and analysis across a 150 Mb/s to 13.5 Gb/s operating range, supporting true differential data generation with superior pulse performance and intrinsic jitter below 1 ps RMS. The N4901A integrates Clock Data Recovery (CDR) across four supported ranges (1.0–1.6 Gb/s, 2.11–3.20 Gb/s, 4.23–6.40 Gb/s, and 9.9–10.9 Gb/s), enabling reliable testing of communication systems and semiconductor devices. Advanced measurement capabilities include bathtub curve analysis, Q-factor evaluation, spectral jitter decomposition, and fast eye mask plotting. Pattern generation supports PRBS sequences (such as 2^31–1), memory-based patterns, and user-defined test vectors. The instrument features a touchscreen interface, numeric keypad, and dial knob for streamlined operation, with USB 2.0, GPIB, LAN, and VGA connectivity for flexible lab integration. Low jitter performance (< 25 ps transition time, 10%–90%) and jitter modulation capability up to 200 ps at frequencies DC to 1 GHz ensure accurate characterization of high-speed signals. Operates from 100–240 V AC single-phase sources (47–63 Hz) with maximum power consumption of 350 VA, suitable for controlled indoor environments up to 2000 meters altitude and 95% relative humidity.