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How to Make Oscilloscope Effects

There are two basic types of electrical signals: direct current (DC) and alternating current (AC). DC electrical signals operate at constant voltage and have no time dependence. AC signals have an oscillatory dependence with time and have a voltage that changes from positive to negative values. An oscilloscope is a device consisting of a screen and number of controls. It is used to visualize AC electrical signals in order to fault test and diagnose problems within circuits. You can create various types of oscilloscope effects by using a function generator.

Things You'll Need

Function generator
Oscilloscope
Coaxial cable

Instructions

- 1
  Plug a coaxial cable in between the output on the function generator and one of the inputs on the oscilloscope.
- 2
  Press the square wave button on the function generator. By turning the output voltage knob, set it to 1 volt. Set the frequency to 100 Hz.
- 3
  By turning the volts/division knob, adjust the vertical scale on the oscilloscope screen. As the volts/division is changed, the square wave signal should come into view. Turning this knob modifies the vertical size of the square wave on the screen.
- 4
  By turning the time/division knob, adjust the horizontal scale on the oscilloscope. The time/division knob changes the amount of time that each horizontal division represents. Adjust the time/division until several wavelengths are visible on the screen.
- 5
  Change the type of signal that the function generator outputs. Various types of effects can be produced on the oscilloscope screen. Most function generators have a selection of square wave, sine wave, triangular wave or pulse. By pressing the appropriate button, these signals can be visualized on the oscilloscope.

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