Need help with Finding Test Equipment

[jonwilhelmjr]

I need to enlist the help of my fellow engineers. My work is trying to get into higher speed data protocols such as HDMI, USB, and Ethernet. We are in need of equipment to validate our simulations and engineering work. In leu of writing this message i will be working to contact sales reps and suppliers for quotes. The ideal scenario would be to get the equipment that allows us to develop with respect to future protocols but the  bean counters in purchasing need the right convincing to justify the purchase. It would be helpful if companies just listed their prices but they don't. I am working compiling a list of possible equipment any help you can give is welcome. I have an immediate need for validating Cat6a 10 Gigibit ethernet and USB 3.2 Superspeed. To further define "validate", Once the  boards are made need to verify the trace impedance. The boards may have ic for hub and input to output data rate will need to be tested. I will need eye diagrams as well

[nctnico]

You don't need eye patterns and that kind of stuff because you don't know whether you are measuring your board or the chip. If you are after board validation (basically checking the stackup and trace width tolerances), a much better way is to add extra traces with the possibility to place an SMA connector. From there you can use a VNA to measure the trace impedance. However, good board simulation software to check board geometries (like Sonnet) is much more useful and yields very accurate results. A measurement on the board itself is only the verify the board manufacturer has adhered to the layer stackup.

[jonwilhelmjr]

You don't need eye patterns and that kind of stuff because you don't know whether you are measuring your board or the chip. If you are after board validation (basically checking the stackup and trace width tolerances), a much better way is to add extra traces with the possibility to place an SMA connector. From there you can use a VNA to measure the trace impedance. However, good board simulation software to check board geometries (like Sonnet) is much more useful and yields very accurate results. A measurement on the board itself is only the verify the board manufacturer has adhered to the layer stackup.

I require validation because the customer requests tested Data proving the design meets spec.