Oscilloscope BasicsOscilloscope Basics

An o-scope is a oscilloscope basics instrument that can do many different kinds of tasks. From a basic voltage waveform to more complex math, an o-scope can provide the insights you need to understand your circuits and get the job done. But before you can start making estimates from your waveforms, you need to know the basics. This article covers some of the essentials for using an o-scope:

The first step is to set up your display. You will need to set the amplitude scaling settings and bandwidth limits as well as your probe attenuation. You will also want to select a vertical position control and the volts/div setting, which determines how far your signal will be displayed on the screen.

Oscilloscope 101: Mastering the Basics of Oscilloscopes

Next comes triggering. The o-scope needs to have a consistent starting point for data capture, and that’s where a trigger system comes in. There are several types of triggers including edge triggering which looks for the rising or falling edge of your waveform, pulse triggering which uses the width of your pulse to determine when to trigger and runt triggering which is used for capturing short events.

Another option is to use AC coupling, which separates the DC component of your signal from the alternating current. This is a common setting, especially for o-scopes that are intended to be used for DC measurements. There are a lot of options for analyzing your waveforms, so it’s important to take some time and play around with the controls on your scope until you find exactly what you’re looking for.

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