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Home Product Picotest Probes – Tackle Your Toughest Power Integrity Testing Challenges
Picotest P2102A 2-Port Probe
2-port full probe2v
N18A 2190 v2
P2102A 2 port probe

Picotest Probes

P2102A 2-Port Probe Shown Below

Other Probes:
P2103A Differential TDR Probe | P2104A 1-Port Probe | P2105A TDR/Ripple Probe | P2106A Resistive Divider Probe

The Picotest PDN probes are precision passive transmission line ‘Browser’ probes that support a variety of measurements including impedance (1-Port Reflection and 2-Port Series and Shunt-Through), 3-Port Voltage/Current, Step Load, Ripple, Noise, TDT/TDR, PCB Resonances, Clock Jitter, and the Non-Invasive Stability Measurement (‘NISM’) . The probes have some significant advantages compared to active probes and other types of passive probes.

 

The high-bandwidth, fixed-pitch probe tip design enables accurate measurements for a wide variety of component and connector sizes. It eliminates the need for soldering SMA or coax cables to your board and the risk of damaging fine copper pads or pulling up small components. You can get connectivity to circuit boards and devices without connectors.

 

The probes can be used for ‘browser’ style measurement. For instance, if you have multiple power rails across your board, the small form factor and easy probe tip placement enables you to quickly browse the regulator outputs, allowing you to decide which rails need further investigation. When coupled with NISM, you have a powerful tool for assessing the stability of multiple power sources no matter the physical configuration.

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KEY FEATURES:

  • Supports Measuring :

    Impedance, Transient Step Load, Ripple, Noise, TDT/TDR, 2-port impedance, PCB Resonances, Clock Jitter, and Non-invasive Stability

  • Wide Bandwidth – 300MHz *
  • Measures <1mOhm *, Up to kOhms **
  • Four (4) Interchangeable Probe Heads –- Sizes 1206, 0805, 0603, and 0402
  • Various Attenuations – 1X for optimum sensitivity and SNR, 2X, 5X, or 10X. Higher attenuation is for higher voltages, impedance, or reduced loading
  • True 4-Point Kelvin Measurement
  • Browsing capability greatly eases testing of multiple rails and repeat measurements
  • Virtually no capacitive loading
  • Includes PDN Cables® for ultra-high shield attenuation and ultra-low shield resistance
  • Rugged, ergonomic design; small form factor gets into tight places
  • Supports Non-Invasive Stability Measurement (NISM)
  • Supports the Extended Range 2-Port Shunt-Through measurement

    • * Calibration dependent

    ** Using the extended 2-Port setup


What's included:

2-port probe handle, interchangeable probe heads, calibration board, PDN Cables®.
Getting Started Guide
One (1) Year Manufacturer's Warranty


Model Description Price  
P2102A-1X
2-Port 50 ohm Transmission Line PDN Probe, Four (4) Interchangeable Probe Heads –- Sizes 1206, 0805, 0603, and 0402 with 1X Attenuation, Calibration board, Two (2) PDN Cables® (1m each, SMA-Mini SMP)

Note: 1X attenuation with SMA-Mini SMP connectors is the standard P2102A offering. If 2X, 5X, 10X, or AC Coupled attenuation or BNC connectors are desired, please email info@picotest.com. Delivery time is increased to 4-5 weeks ARO for custom attenuation and connectors.
$2,995.00
Port Saver DC Blocker for Instrument Protection (Works with all 50 ohm equipment, 75VDC maximum differential voltage)
$495.00
P2102A-SET-1X 2-Port Probe Head Set (sizes 0402, 0603, 0805 1206), 1X Attenuation
$1400.00

Data Sheet | Probe User Manual | App Note - Bode 100 | App Note - ZNL6 | App Note - E5061B | App Note – NISM with E5061B | App Note - Copper Mountain VNA | Video 2-Port Probe Calibration | Picotest 2-Port Probe Impedance Measurements

The Picotest P2102A probe is 50 ohm transmission line 4-point probe (2 signal lines and 2 ground). This precision probe supports a variety of measurements including impedance (2-port series and shunt-through), transient step load, ripple, noise, TDT/TDR, PCB power rail, VRM (Voltage Regulator Module), clock jitter, and non-invasive stability (NISM). It has significant advantages over active probes and other types of passive probes.

The P2102A is a referred to as a ‘browser’ probe for its ability to easily and quickly be moved from point-to-point/rail-to-rail simply by reseating the probe points. The probe achieves a very low inductance at the tip to mitigate space constraints on a dense PCB, while eliminating the need to add additional SMA connections or other test points necessary for impedance measurements. It is especially useful when there are multiple rails to assess and there is not time or PCB iterations available to provide test point implementations for each. Repeated measurements are simplified because connection is by simply touching the tip to existing output capacitor pads. The P2102A comes with 4 swappable probe tips allowing measurement across a variety of SMD packages such as 1206, 0805, 0603, or 0402. The P2102A probe tips are available as 1X, 2X, 5X, or 10X attenuations. This allows flexibility for users to measure across a wide range of voltages. As an example, the upside of the 2X probe is that it can measure 6.5VDC without DC blocks. The tradeoff is the attenuation increases the impedance floor. In short, this 2-port P2102A probe is best suited for VRM, power plane, and decoupling measurements. A power added benefit is that you can use Non-Invasive Stability Measurement (NISM) to assess power supply’s stability at the same time as you assess the PDN.

The 2-port probe allows transient step load browsing since it can be used to transmit a load current step through one port, while measuring the voltage response from the other port, simultaneously. The probe can also be used to inject noise for the assessment of sensitivity to the power supply for sensitive circuits such as clocks and LNAs.

The probe is compatible with all 50 ohm instruments, including vector network analyzers (VNAs), oscilloscopes, and spectrum analyzers.

The probe is designed to work with the traditional 2-port shunt-through impedance setup, including the J2102B common mode transformer or J2113A ground isolator which eliminate the DC ground loop present on most instruments. A source power amplifier such as the OMICRON Lab B-AMP 12 (OL000168) can help measure ultra-low impedance magnitudes.

What’s a Transmission Line Probe

Transmission line probes are a special type of passive probe that replaces the high impedance probe cable found in a traditional passive probe with a precision transmission line that has a characteristic impedance that matches the oscilloscope’s input (50 ohms). This greatly reduces the input capacitance to a fraction of a picofarad, minimizing the loading of high frequency signals. The probes are referred to as  ‘PDN’ probes, because of their effective use in measuring the low and ultra-low impedances found in power distribution networks.

The input impedance of the Picotest probes remains nearly constant over their entire frequency range. A traditional ÷10 passive probe has a high input impedance at DC; however, this impedance drops rapidly with frequency, passing below the input impedance of a transmission line probe at <100MHz. The probes are useful in applications that produce fast rising, narrow pulses with amplitudes which exceed the dynamic range of active probes. They also tend to have less parasitic effects on frequency response, so they are ideal for measuring impedance.  By providing a simple yet elegant solution to probing high-frequency signals, Picotest’s one and two-port transmission line probes preserve signal fidelity and allow high-bandwidth test equipment to properly measure circuit characteristics.

Impedance Demands New Probe Capabilities

High-speed applications put pressure on the measurement of power supply power rails to unprecedented levels. As an example, the measurement of PDN impedance for FPGAs, ASICs, and high-speed digital devices generally requires the measurement of impedance levels in the milliohm range. Measuring the high-speed step load response in power systems using two ports is difficult because of the need to connect two 50 ohm transmission lines to the output capacitor. To further compound this difficult task, these measurements often need to be made on very small circuits such as cell phones, solid state disk drives, and computer tablets, to name a few examples.

This revolutionary probe alleviates many of these challenges while maintaining the precision 50 ohm characteristics required for these types of measurements.

 
 
Probe Voltage and Impedance Impedance: Maximum Tip Voltage

50 ohms: 5 Vrms (1X Attenuation)

100 ohms: 8.9 Vrms (2X Attenuation)

250 ohms: 11 Vrms (5X Attenuation)

500 ohms: 14Vrms (10X Attenuation)
VNA Port Voltage *

5Vrms

4.45Vrms

2.2Vrms

1.4Vrms

* Note: Maximum Port Voltage shown based on the specified maximum tip voltage. Consult your VNA’s manual to verify the VNA port voltage is below the ratings of your instrument.

Target Specifications (specifications are for each port)
Characteristic Rating
Bandwidth DC-300MHz *
Input C: TBD
Maximum thru Current any Port 1Amp
Interchangeable Probe Tip Size Four (4) Included: 0402, 0603, 0805, and 1206
Insulation Resistance 20Mohms
Port to Port Isolation TBD
Rise Time 350 ps
Operating Temperature 0 to 45° C (32° F to 104° F) at 80% Relative Humidity
Nominal Length with Cable 1 meter
Attenuation 1X, 2X, 5X, or 10X – Selected when purchased, NOT changeable by user
Probe Pitch Fixed
Calibrator Board Included S-O-L-T and Isolation
Calibrator Board Resistor Rating 30mW (Supports 13dBm)
Maximum Relative Humidity 80% at 31° C max
Usage Indoor
Altitude 3000 m (9850 feet)
Usage Indoor
Absolute Maximum Voltage < 50VAC and 75VDC
Pin Resistance Typical: 15m Ohms, Maximum 30m Ohms
The specifications are subject to change without notice.

Caution: To avoid equipment damage and/or severe injuries death or death do not use this probe close to voltages higher than 50 VAC or 75 VDC.

* Calibration dependent


Compatibility

The probe has 50 ohm compatibility with all equipment including VNAs, Oscilloscopes, and Spectrum Analyzers.

All About Probes and Ensuring Accurate Measurements

Power Integrity Expert and Founder of Picotest, Steve Sandler discusses the topic of probes. He explains how they work, why there are so many varieties of them, and how to ensure you get accurate measurements.

Video on Extended Range 2-Port Shunt Thru Measurement

In this video, Steve Sandler shows how to simplify one of the more complicated impedance measurements. The 2-Port shunt thru measurement is powerful and accurate down to very small impedance. Using the Bode 100 you can measure power distribution network impedance and decoupling capacitors with a very wide dynamic range.

https://www.picotest.com/blog/extended-range-shunt-thru-measurement-with-steve-sandler/

Step Load Testing with Picotest P2102A 2-Port Probe

This video demonstrates the new Picotest P2102A 2-port ‘Browser’ probe specially designed for measuring power integrity applications including voltage regulator module (VRM) impedance and stability, power distribution network (PDN) impedance, and power supply transient response.

Picotest P2102A 2-Port Calibration with CMT VNA More Info - Blog Post

This video looks at how to perform a full calibration on the Copper Mountain Compact 2-port VNA using the Picotest P2102A 2-port probe and the P2100A-CAL calibration board that comes with the probe. The Copper Mountain VNA is the ideal benchtop 2-port wide bandwidth network analyzer for power integrity type measurements.


1 Port Probe (one port and two blades)
Target Specifications
Characteristic Rating
Bandwidth DC-1GHz
Input C: <1pF
Input R:
Maximum voltage		 50 ohms
5 Vrms
Maximum thru Current any Port 1Amp
Probe Connections SMA
Probe Tip Size 0603-1206
Probe Impedance 50 Ohm
Port to Port Isolation N/A
Rise Time 350 ps
Operating Temperature 0 to 45° C (32° F to 104° F) at 80% Relative Humidity
Nominal Length with Cable 1 meter
Attenuation 1x
Probe-only Bandwidth 1GHz
Probe Pitch Variable
Probe Connection SMA male
Maximum Relative Humidity 80% at 31° C max
Usage Indoor
Altitude 3000 m (9850 feet)
Absolute Maximum Voltage < 50VAC and 75VDC
2 Port Probe (two ports and four blades)
Target Specifications (specifications are for each port)
Characteristic Rating
Bandwidth DC-1GHz
Input C: <1pF
Input R:
Maximum voltage		 50 ohms
5 Vrms
Maximum thru Current any Port 1Amp
Probe Connections SMA
Probe Tip Size 0603-1206
Probe Impedance 50 Ohm
Port to Port Isolation TBD
Rise Time 350 ps
Operating Temperature 0 to 45° C (32° F to 104° F) at 80% Relative Humidity
Nominal Length with Cable 1 meter
Attenuation 1x
Probe-only Bandwidth 1GHz
Probe Pitch Variable
Probe Connection SMA male
Maximum Relative Humidity 80% at 31° C max
Usage Indoor
Altitude 3000 m (9850 feet)
Absolute Maximum Voltage < 50VAC and 75VDC
The specifications are subject to change without notice.

Caution: To avoid equipment damage and/or severe injuries death or death do not use this probe close to voltages higher than 50 VAC or 75 VDC.

The probe has 50 ohm compatibility with all equipment including VNAs, Oscilloscopes and Spectrum Analyzers.

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