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How to Test Oscillators

Oscillators, also called signal generators, are part of a technician's arsenal of tools for testing and prototyping electronic circuits. They produce electronic signals with precise frequency and strength. Traditionally, an oscillator produces a sine-shaped waveform, though most modern examples also produce square, triangle and other wave shapes. You set the frequency, amplitude and other parameters using knobs on the oscillator's front panel. To test an oscillator, connect the oscillator to an oscilloscope, another piece of test equipment that displays signals graphically on a screen in real time.

Things You'll Need

Oscilloscope
BNC cable
Adapters for BNC connectors (optional)

Instructions

- 1
  Attach the BNC cable to the oscilloscope's Channel 1 input connector. To do this, set the cable's female connector against the corresponding male connector on the oscilloscope, press in with moderate force and twist until it locks in place. If the oscillator does not have a male BNC connector, fit an appropriate adapter to the BNC cable's free end.
- 2
  Connect the free end of the BNC cable to the oscillator's output terminal.
- 3
  Turn on power to the oscilloscope and oscillator.
- 4
  Set the horizontal sweep control on the oscilloscope to 1 millisecond per division. Set Channel 1 on the trigger source selector switch. Adjust the Channel 1 vertical sensitivity to 1 volt per division.
- 5
  Set the oscillator's frequency to 100 hz. Select a sine waveform. Adjust the output amplitude control to about 1 volt. If you see the sine wave on the oscilloscope screen, the oscillator is connected and working properly.
- 6
  Increase and decrease the oscillator's amplitude. You should see the wave on the oscilloscope screen become larger and smaller. Vary the oscillator's frequency and observe the changes on the screen. Select triangle, square or other oscillator waveforms and note the appearance of the different wave shapes on the oscilloscope.

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