Table of Contents
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What is an Oscilloscope?
An oscilloscope is a test equipment device that is usually used to test or diagnose electrical circuits by graphically displaying how the voltage changes over time [1], although some are able to measure other properties such as current. Voltages, called signals, are usually represented on the vertical axis and time on the horizontal axis, and such a representation allows for the circuit's behaviour to be tested [1]. There are two main types of oscilloscopes: analog and digital.
Oscilloscope Systems
- The vertical system controls the vertical properties of the waveform such as the vertical scale and position, and can set other properties such as the bandwidth limit [1]
- The horizontal system controls the horizontal properties of the waveform such as the horizontal scale and position, and can be used to find other properties such as the sample rate
- The trigger system helps stabilize waveforms and isolate a frame of the waveform
- The probe collects the data for the oscilloscope. The probe's ground clip is attached to the circuit's ground and the tip of the probe measures voltage.
Analog Oscilloscope
- CRT oscilloscopes are common, called Cathode Ray Oscilloscopes [2]
- Waveform shown in original form
- Useful for applications where precision is not as important
- Since they are so old, they generally have less features than modern digital oscilloscopes
- As analog oscilloscopes are not very common nowadays, most that are sold are old and used, and so are generally lower in cost
| An Analog Oscilloscope [2] |
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Digital Oscilloscope
- Uses LCD display [1]
- Converts the analog signal to a digital stream using an analog-to-digital convertor before displaying to the screen [2]
- Useful for measuring high frequency signals [2]
- Useful for complex waveforms [3]
- Higher in cost [2]
- Can automatically store measurements to export data easily and analyze data [3]
- Some forms include handheld, PC-based, and benchtop oscilloscopes [2]
| A Digital Oscilloscope [2] |
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Selecting an Oscilloscope
- It is recommended that an oscilloscope with a bandwidth of at least 5 times higher than the input waveform is used [2]
- For a digital oscilloscope, it is recommended that an oscilloscope with a sampling rate at least 5 times the maximum frequency is used
- For digital oscilloscopes, an 8 bit resolution is useful for low-end applications, whereas higher-end applications might require 12 or 16 bit resolutions
Oscilloscope Applications
- Can be used to analyze basic characteristics of circuits and other devices [4]
- Can be used to analyze serial data such as USB
- Useful for analyzing and debugging signal jitter
- Can be used to perform time-domain reflectometry
Contributors:
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Faculty Advisors: Vincent Gaudet, Allyson Giannikouris, John Thistle, Michael Lenover