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What is an Oscilloscope?

An oscilloscope is a test equipment device that is used to test or diagnose electrical circuits by graphically displaying how the voltage changes over time [1]. 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.


Analog Oscilloscope

  • CRT displays are common [1]
  • Waveform shown in original form [2]
  • Less reliable than their digital counterparts
  • Useful for applications where precision is not as important
  • Generally lower cost
An Analog Oscilloscope [2]


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]
  • Usually more reliable than analog oscilloscopes [2]
  • 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]
Handheld Digital Oscilloscope [2]


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 perform power analysis of circuits and other devices [4]
  • Can be used to analyze serial data such as USB
  • Useful for analyzing a debugging signal jitter
  • Can be used to perform time-domain reflectometry
  • Useful for signal analysis


References

Contributors:

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Mayurakhi Khan 1074 days ago
Former user (Deleted)
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Faculty Advisors: Vincent Gaudet


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