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TMT4 Margin Tester

Industry’s first dedicated Transmit/Receive (Tx/Rx) lane margining tool, the Tektronix TMT4 allows you to easily assess the link health of your PCIe® generation 3 and 4 designs in minutes, not days. Acting as an active link partner with the device under test (DUT), the instrument can control presets via protocol and quickly display eye diagrams with their associated link training parameters, providing insights into potential design flaws on a lane-by-lane or preset-by-preset basis.

PCIE® and PCI Express® are registered trademarks and/or service marks of PCI-SIG.  

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PCiE generation supported

Gen 3 (8 GT/s), Gen 4 (16 GT/s)

PCIe Form Factors Supported

CEM, E1, M.2, U.2, and U.3

PCIe Presets Supported

0 to 9
 

Link
Width

up to x16
 

Fast, Easy PCIe Lane Margining

The TMT4 Margin Tester complements existing Bit Error Rate Tester (BERT) and oscilloscope solutions for margin testing. Unlike BERT and oscilloscope systems, the TMT4 Margin Tester’s simple setup, configuration, and user interface minimizes the need for senior engineers to ensure systems are set up properly for testing, and enables a broader team of users to quickly assess the health of the link formed between Margin Tester and their DUT. Its targeted Tx/Rx capability allows you to capture issues with PCIe Gen 3 and Gen 4 communications on both ends of the link and enables teams to evaluate the link health of up to x16 Gen 4 links, across all PCIe presets 0-9, in minutes.

Simple Setup, Fast Results

Control the TMT4 Margin Tester using the front panel, a web browser, or the Rest API. Two scan options are available: Quick Scan and Custom Scan. Both include DUT Tx and DUT Rx tests. In Quick Scan, the Margin Tester and the DUT undergo a natural link negotiation to determine which presets to communicate over. Custom Scan is intended to provide users with more parameters to adjust for specific tests by forcing the DUT into specific presets for test.

PCIe Margin Tester Quick Scan

Fast Results for Both Ends of the PCIe Link

With the TMT4 Margin Tester link health evaluation takes as little as two minutes.   

  • The DUT Tx test provides 2 key pieces of data: eye diagrams for each lane-preset combination measured at the receiver of the Margin Tester and the associated receiver training values the Margin Tester used to open the eye that is displayed. 
  • The DUT Rx test is a functional evaluation of the DUT’s receiver path. The test aims to determine how far the transmitted signal amplitude from the Margin Tester can be decreased, within an expected range of operation, before errors are returned.

A Full Suite of PCIe Adapters and Cables

The TMT4 Margin Tester supports most common PCIe form factors by means of 11 adapters available for CEM, E1, M.2, U.2, and U.3. A single 16-lane ribbon cable with high density PCIe connectors connects the Margin Tester to any of the adapters, except for the M.2 edge adapter, which has its own integrated cable to accommodate different insertion loss specifications.

Supports PCIe CEM, E1, M.2, U.2, and U.3 Form Factors
Model List Price Configure And Quote
TMT4 - Configure & Quote
PCIe Margin Tester Custom Scan

Device Under Test Transmit (Tx) Test

The DUT Tx tests provide 2 key pieces of data: 

  • Eye diagrams for each lane-preset combination measured at the receiver of the Margin Tester.
  • Receiver training parameters the Margin Tester used to open the eye to what is displayed.

The resulting eye diagrams represent the error-free region of the link formed between the DUT and the margin tester.

Device Under Test Receive (Rx) Test

The DUT Rx test evaluates the DUT’s receiver path, testing to the point of failure, and reporting the cursor values and % of amplitude reduction at failure. This test supports training at all potential cursor combinations of the TMT4 transmitters, and is not limited to only standard PCIe presets.

To perform this test, the Margin Tester undergoes the standard link training process with the DUT.  The Margin Tester then steps down the Tx EQ main cursor value for each lane until an error is seen by the Margin Tester, at which time the results are reported.

PCIe Margin Tester Custom Scan Receiver Testing
PCIe Link Training

Greater Insight into Link Training with LTSSM

Use the LTSSM (Link Training Status State Machine) monitor feature to observe the state transitions during training between the DUT and TMT4.  LTSSM Monitor enables users to watch the live progression of the states while a results window displays the percentage of time that the link spent in each state, speed, and link width as well as the count of transitions between states.  Initiate monitoring manually or with a hardware trigger-in signal. You can also generate a trigger-out signal from an LTSSM event.

Quick Scan for Fast Link Health Evaluation

Choose Quick Scan, the fastest option, to evaluate health of your PCIe link following a natural link negotiation. For the Tx tests, the presets are determined by the Margin Tester, and for the Rx test, the presets are determined by the device under test. Quick Scan promptly provides DUT Tx eye diagrams for each lane-preset combination, with associated link training parameters, and the Rx test results table. 

PCIe Margin Tester Quick Scan
PCIe Margin Tester Custom Scan

Custom Scan for In-Depth Evaluation

Custom Scan allows you to conduct a more in-depth analysis for specific lanes or presets by allowing the user to the select the:

  • Generation (PCIe Gen 3 or Gen 4)
  • Lanes to Test
  • Presets to Test
Model List Price Configure And Quote
TMT4 - Configure & Quote
Accessory PCIE4-CABLE
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet Accessory cable for all PCIE4 adapters except PCIE4-M2.22-EDGE-ZNC
Accessory PCIE4-CEM-EDGEX1
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 x1 CEM Edge Finger Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-CEM-EDGEX4
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 x4 CEM Edge Finger Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-CEM-SLOTX16
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 x16 CEM Slot Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-E1-EDGE
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 E1 Edge Finger Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-E1-SLOT
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 E1 Slot Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-M2.22-EDGE
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 M.2 22mm M-type Edge Finger Adapter and Cable
Accessory PCIE4-M2-22-EXTENDER
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet Five replacement extenders for PCI4-M2.22-EDGE adapter/cable
Accessory PCIE4-M2-SLOT
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 M.2 M-type Slot Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-PRO-BUNDLE
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet All PCIe 4.0 Adapters in a Hard Case
Accessory PCIE4-U2-EDGE
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 U.2 Edge Finger Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-U2-SLOT
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 U.2 Slot Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-U3-EDGE
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIe 4.0 U.3 Edge Finger Adapter
Accessory PCIE4-U3-SLOT
Datasheet Description
View Datasheet PCIE4-U3-SLOT
Datasheet Accessory Description
PCIE4-CABLE Accessory cable for all PCIE4 adapters except PCIE4-M2.22-EDGE-ZNC
PCIE4-CEM-EDGEX1 PCIe 4.0 x1 CEM Edge Finger Adapter
PCIE4-CEM-EDGEX4 PCIe 4.0 x4 CEM Edge Finger Adapter
PCIE4-CEM-SLOTX16 PCIe 4.0 x16 CEM Slot Adapter
PCIE4-E1-EDGE PCIe 4.0 E1 Edge Finger Adapter
PCIE4-E1-SLOT PCIe 4.0 E1 Slot Adapter
PCIE4-M2.22-EDGE PCIe 4.0 M.2 22mm M-type Edge Finger Adapter and Cable
PCIE4-M2-22-EXTENDER Five replacement extenders for PCI4-M2.22-EDGE adapter/cable
PCIE4-M2-SLOT PCIe 4.0 M.2 M-type Slot Adapter
PCIE4-PRO-BUNDLE All PCIe 4.0 Adapters in a Hard Case
PCIE4-U2-EDGE PCIe 4.0 U.2 Edge Finger Adapter
PCIE4-U2-SLOT PCIe 4.0 U.2 Slot Adapter
PCIE4-U3-EDGE PCIe 4.0 U.3 Edge Finger Adapter
PCIE4-U3-SLOT PCIE4-U3-SLOT

Tektronix offers a range of calibration and warranty extension plans for purchase with your instrument to protect and maintain its performance over the years. Benefits include:

  • OEM quality maintenance
  • Priority on-bench service
  • A host of accident protection, loaner program, and other program features
  • A breadth of calibration service levels and options

Invest now to avoid unplanned downtime and expense. Talk to your sales rep about adding a service plan to your instrument purchase.

Tektronix Calibration and Repair Service

Protect Your Investment, Protect Your Uptime

Configure & Quote

 
Service Plan Feature
Tek Care
(Opt. R3, R5)
Total Protection
(Opt. T3, T5)
Gold Care
(Opt. G3, G5)
Extension of factory warranty
Protection from manufacturer defects
Free factory certified calibration with repair (if necessary)
Free in-country shipping
Priority on-bench service
Coverage of user-caused EOS and ESD damage
Coverage from accidental damage

Coverage from normal wear and tear

Loaner unit shipped within 48 hours

Maintain Accuracy, Get Updates, Pass Audits

Configure & Quote

 
Calibration Features:
Z540
Calibration1
ISO 17025
Compliant1
ISO 17025
Accredited
Certificate of calibration and calibration label designed to meet audit requirements
Firmware updates, if applicable, along with safety and reliability updates ²
OEM procedures for measurements ²
Test data Optional
Calibration record retention
Traceability
Uncertainty analysis  
Independent verification by a ISO/IEC accredited organization (with logo on certificate)    
 
Product/Option
Description
Tektronix Opt. C3 Calibration service 3 years. C3 provides for 2 calibration events during 3 years after shipment.  Includes traceable calibration or functional verification where applicable, for recommended calibrations.  Coverage includes the initial calibration plus 2-years calibration coverage.
Tektronix Opt. C5 Calibration service 5 years. C5 provides for 4 calibration events during 5 years after shipment.  Includes traceable calibration or functional verification where applicable, for recommended calibrations.  Coverage includes the initial calibration plus 4-years calibration coverage.

1 May be ISO 9001 in specific locations. 

2 Standard with factory certified service.  

Some limits apply, see program terms for details.

Need to Calibrate More than Just Your Margin Tester?

Tektronix is a leading accredited calibration services provider for all brands of electronic test and measurement equipment, servicing more than 140,000 models from 9,000 manufacturers. With 100+ labs worldwide, Tektronix serves as your single global partner delivering tailored calibration programs with OEM quality at a market price. Onsite, local pickup and delivery, and other options available.

Tektronix Calibration Services