Whether or not you simply acquired a brand new oscilloscope or simply bought entry to a revered lab instrument that you’re unfamiliar with, there’s a studying curve related to utilizing the instrument. Having run a technical assist operation for a serious oscilloscope provider, I do know that the majority technical individuals don’t learn manuals. This text (shorter than the everyday consumer handbook) is meant to assist those that want to make use of the instrument immediately get the instrument up and working.
Oscilloscopes from totally different producers look totally different, however all of them have many frequent parts. If the oscilloscope has a entrance panel, it would have primary controls for vertical, horizontal, and set off settings just like the instrument proven in Determine 1.
Determine 1 A typical oscilloscope entrance panel with controls for vertical, horizontal, and set off settings. Supply: Teledyne LeCroy
Many controls have alternate actions evoked by pushing or, in some circumstances, pulling the knob. These are usually marked on the panel.
Many oscilloscopes, like this one, use the Home windows working system and could be managed from the show utilizing a pointing machine or a contact display. Be happy to make use of any interface that works for you.
It’s essential to notice that digital oscilloscopes retain their final settings. In case you’re utilizing the oscilloscope for the primary time, it’s a sensible apply to recall its default setting. This step ensures you’re ranging from a identified setting’s state. Some oscilloscopes, just like the one used right here, have a devoted button on the entrance panel; recalling the default setting may also be carried out utilizing a pulldown menu (Determine 2).
Determine 2 Recalling the default setup of an oscilloscope locations the instrument in a identified operational state. Supply: Arthur Pini
Within the instance proven, the default setting is recalled from the “Recall Setup” dialog field utilizing the Recall Default button, highlighted in orange.
Utilizing the oscilloscope’s “Auto Setup” characteristic to acquire a waveform on the display from the default state is straightforward.
As a primary experiment, join channel 1 of the oscilloscope to the calibration sign on the oscilloscope’s entrance panel utilizing one of many high-impedance probes included with the oscilloscope. This calibration sign is a low-frequency sq. wave used to regulate the low-frequency compensation of the probe’s attenuator.
Press the oscilloscope’s Auto Setup button on the entrance panel or use the Vertical pulldown menu to pick Auto Setup (Determine 3).
Determine 3 The “Auto Setup” is both a front-panel push button or a variety on a pulldown menu, as proven right here. Supply: Arthur Pini
“Auto Setup” on this instrument scans all of the enter channels so as and configures the instrument primarily based on the primary sign it detects. Primarily based on the detected sign(s), the vertical scale (volts/div) and vertical offset are adjusted. The set off is ready to an edge set off with a set off stage of fifty p.c of the amplitude of the primary sign discovered. The horizontal timebase (time/div) is ready in order that no less than ten sign cycles are displayed on the show display.
Totally different oscilloscopes deal with this operate otherwise. In some, the sign have to be related to channel 1. Different fashions, just like the one proven, will search by all of the channels and arrange the primary sign discovered. “Auto Setup” in all oscilloscopes ought to get you to a degree the place you’ve a waveform on the display.
The fundamental oscilloscope controls embody vertical, horizontal, or timebase and set off. In Determine 3, these seem, in that order from left to proper, as pull-down menus on the menu bar. These controls are duplicated on the entrance panel and grouped underneath the identical headings. Both of the management sorts can be utilized.
Vertical controls, both on the entrance panel or on the display, are used to arrange the person enter channels. Choosing a channel creates a dialog field for controlling the corresponding channel. The vertical channel controls embody vertical sensitivity (volts/div) and offset. The channel setup controls embody coupling, bandwidth, rescaling, and processing (Determine 4).
Determine 4 The vertical channel setup consists of the principal controls, together with vertical scaling, offset, and coupling. Supply: Arthur Pini
The vertical scaling ought to be set in order that the waveform is as near full scale as doable to maximise the oscilloscope’s dynamic vary. This oscilloscope has a “Discover Scale” operate icon the channel setup, which can scale the vertical acquire and offset to get the waveform centered on the display with an affordable amplitude. It’s good apply to not overdrive the enter amplifier by having the waveform exceed the chosen full-scale voltage limits. Use the zoom show to increase the hint for a better have a look at tiny options. The offset management facilities the waveform on the show. Coupling presents a alternative of a 50 Ω DC coupling or 1 MΩ enter termination and AC or DC coupling.
The opposite controls embody a collection of enter bandwidth limiting filters, the power to rescale the voltage studying primarily based on the probe attenuation issue, and the power to rescale the amplitude studying in a sensor or a probe’s items of measure (e.g., amperes for a present probe). Sign processing within the type of averaging or digital (noise) filtering could be utilized to enhance the signal-to-noise ratio of the acquired indicators.
Channel annotation containers, just like the one labeled C1 in Determine 4, present the vertical scale setting, offset, and coupling for channel 1. When the cursors are turned on, cursor amplitude readouts also can seem on this field.
Choosing “Horizontal Settings” from the “Timebase” pull-down menu or utilizing the entrance panel horizontal controls adjusts the horizontal scaling and delay of the horizontal axis, the acquisition sampling modes, the acquisition reminiscence size, and the sampling charge (Determine 5).
Determine 5 The timebase setup controls the sampling mode, horizontal scale, time delay, and acquisition setup. Supply: Arthur Pini
The “Horizontal” controls concurrently have an effect on all of the enter channels. Usually, three commonplace sampling modes are real-time, sequence, and roll mode. Actual-time is the traditional default mode, sampling the enter sign on the sampling charge for all the length set by the horizontal scale. Sequence mode breaks the acquisition reminiscence right into a user-set variety of segments and triggers and acquires a sign in every phase earlier than displaying them. Sequence mode acquisitions present a minimal useless time between acquisitions. Roll mode is for lengthy acquisition instances with low sampling charges. Information is written to the show as it’s acquired, producing a show that appears like a strip chart recorder.
The time per division (T/div) setting units the horizontal time scale. The acquisition length will likely be ten instances the T/div setting. The acquisition delay shifts the set off level on the show. The default delay is zero. Adverse delays shift the hint to the left, and constructive delays shift it to the suitable.
The “Most Pattern Factors” discipline units the utmost size of the acquisition reminiscence. By deciding on “Set Most Reminiscence”, the reminiscence size varies because the T/div setting is modified till the utmost reminiscence is allotted. Past that time, rising the T/div will trigger the sampling charge to drop. Principally, the time length of the acquisition is the same as the variety of samples within the reminiscence divided by the sampling charge. If the mounted sampling charge mode is chosen, the oscilloscope sampling charge will stay on the user-entered sampling charge because the T/div setting adjustments. The T/div setting will likely be restricted to settings suitable with the chosen sampling charge.
The pattern charge additionally impacts the span of the quick Fourier rework (FFT) math operation, whereas the time length of the acquisition impacts its frequency decision.
This oscilloscope permits the consumer to pick the variety of energetic channels. Be aware that the reminiscence is shared among the many energetic channels.
The “Navigation Reference” setting controls how the oscilloscope behaves whenever you alter T/div. The centered (50%) choice retains the present heart time level mounted, and different occasions transfer concerning the heart as T/div adjustments. With this setting, the set off level may transfer off the grid as the dimensions adjustments. The “Lock to Set off” setting holds the set off level location mounted. The set off occasion stays in place as T/div adjustments, whereas different occasions transfer concerning the set off location.
Oscilloscopes require a set off, often derived from or synchronous with the acquired waveform. The operate of the set off is to permit the acquired waveform to be displayed stably. The set off setup, both on the entrance panel or utilizing the “Set off” pulldown supplies entry to the set off setup dialog field (Determine 6).
Determine 6 The fundamental setup for an edge set off will enable the acquired waveform to be displayed stably. Supply: Arthur Pini
The sting set off is the standard default set off kind. In edge set off, the scope is triggered when the supply hint crosses the set off threshold voltage stage with the user-specified constructive or unfavourable slope. Set off sources could be any enter channel, or an exterior set off utilized to the EXT. enter. Edge set off is essentially the most generally used set off methodology and is chosen within the determine. The present scope settings proven use channel 1 because the set off supply. The set off is DC coupled with a set off threshold stage of nominally 500 millivolts (mV) and a constructive slope. Be aware the “Discover Stage” button within the “Stage” discipline will robotically discover the set off stage of the supply sign. The set off annotation field on the suitable aspect of the display summarizes chosen set off settings.
The set off mode, which could be cease, computerized (auto), regular, or single, is chosen from the set off pulldown menu. The set off mode determines how usually the instrument acquires a sign. The default set off mode is auto; on this mode, if a set off occasion doesn’t happen inside a preset time interval, one will likely be pressured. This ensures that one thing will likely be displayed. Regular set off mode arms the oscilloscope for a set off. When the set off occasion happens, it acquires a hint which is then displayed. After the acquisition is full, the set off robotically re-arms the instrument for the following set off. Traces are displayed constantly because the set off occasions happen. If there aren’t any set off occasions, acquisitions cease till one happens.
In single mode, the consumer arms the set off manually. The oscilloscope waits till the set off occasion happens and makes one acquisition, which is displayed. It then stops till it’s once more re-armed. If a legitimate set off doesn’t happen, invoking Single a second time will drive a set off and show the acquisition. Cease mode ceases acquisitions till one of many different three modes is evoked. Different, extra advanced triggers can be found for extra advanced triggering necessities; nonetheless, they’re past the scope of this text.
The oscilloscope show is managed from the show pull-down menu. The kind of show could be chosen from the pull-down, or the “Show Setup” could be opened (Determine 7).
Determine 7 “Show Setup” permits for the collection of the variety of grids and different display-related settings. This instance reveals the collection of a quad grid with 4 traces. Supply: Arthur Pini
This oscilloscope permits the consumer to pick the variety of displayed grids. There’s additionally an “Auto Grid” choice, which activates a brand new grid when every hint is activated. A number of traces could be situated in every grid, permitting comparability of the waveforms. Having a single hint in every grid supplies an unimpeded view whereas sustaining the complete dynamic vary of the acquisition. Along with regular amplitude versus time shows, the “Show Setup” consists of cross plots of two traces producing an X-Y plot.
Zoom magnifies the view of a hint horizontally and vertically. The normal methodology to leverage the zoom features makes use of the pull-down “Math” menu to open “Zoom Setup” as proven in Determine 8.
Determine 8 Zoom traces could be turned on utilizing the Zoom Setup underneath the Math pull-down menu. Supply: Arthur Pini
Many oscilloscopes have a “Zoom” button on the entrance panel to open a zoom hint for every displayed waveform. Oscilloscopes with contact screens assist drop and drag zoom. Contact the hint close to the world to be expanded after which drag the finger diagonally. A field will likely be displayed; proceed dragging your finger till the field encloses the world to be expanded. Take away the finger, and the zoom hint could be chosen to point out the expanded waveform.
This could get you began. Most Home windows-based oscilloscopes have built-in assist screens which may be context-sensitive and supply useful details about settings. In case you get caught, contact the producer’s customer support line; they’ll get you going rapidly. If all else fails, think about studying the handbook.
Arthur Pini is a technical assist specialist and electrical engineer with over 50 years of expertise in electronics check and measurement.
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