Hi James, Your experience is not all that uncommon with active probes. They often and work well to about 1/4 to 1/2 of rated frequency, but many specs do not explicitly show input impedance, which is your problem. The problem is the measurement that rates frequeny response often (not sure of this case) has no relation to real use. That is not to say the measurement method is wrong, it is just a standard method just like some of the EMC/ESD standards that do not necessarily reflect real use. Take a look at the article: http://emcesd.com/tt2002/tt080102.htm having to do with probe input impedance. For active probes, input impedance can easily be a factor of 10 to 100 lower than you think in the upper octave of its rated frequency range, as low as 20 Ohms even for very short attachment leads. This information is usually somewhere in a probe instruction manual in the form of an equivalent circuit, but the informaton is not explicit. I like the way the manual is written for the 1158a active probe, as well as its low Q design which I have been advocating for many years (and is finally here in the 1158a). The URL is: http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/01158-97001.pdf An alternative 1.8 GHz differential probe by Fischer Custom Communications that may work is described at: http://emcesd.com/products/bcp-2.pdf Doug James_R_Jones@xxxxxxxx wrote: > > Gurus, > > Does anyone have a basic schematic for Tektronix FET probe? I don't need > proprietary details about the probes, but just a basic schematic of what we > see looking into the probe, and relative to scope ground. > > The reason that I am asking is that I have a board that will not come up > properly when the positive terminal of the probe is hung off of a DDR strobe > line. No ground attachment required. With the probe disconnected from the > scope at the scope, the problem does not exist. Anyone seen this before? > > Thanks in advance, > > James R. Jones > ESG Signal Integrity > Dell Computer Corporation > (512) 725-1809 > > > ------------------------------------------------------------------ > To unsubscribe from si-list: > si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field > > or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: > //www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list > > For help: > si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field > > List archives are viewable at: > //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list > or at our remote archives: > http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages > Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: > http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu > > > > -- ------------------------------------------------------- ___ _ Doug Smith \ / ) P.O. Box 1457 ========= Los Gatos, CA 95031-1457 _ / \ / \ _ TEL/FAX: 408-356-4186/358-3799 / /\ \ ] / /\ \ Mobile: 408-858-4528 | q-----( ) | o | Email: doug@xxxxxxxxxx \ _ / ] \ _ / Website: http://www.dsmith.org ------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------ To unsubscribe from si-list: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'unsubscribe' in the Subject field or to administer your membership from a web page, go to: //www.freelists.org/webpage/si-list For help: si-list-request@xxxxxxxxxxxxx with 'help' in the Subject field List archives are viewable at: //www.freelists.org/archives/si-list or at our remote archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/si-list/messages Old (prior to June 6, 2001) list archives are viewable at: http://www.qsl.net/wb6tpu