Hobbies And Interests
Operating an Oscilloscope
Plug the electrical signal into one of the inputs. There are normally two inputs and these are labelled "A" and "B." Switch on the oscilloscope. The signal will not be visible until two settings have been modified. The volts/division is a measure of the vertical scale. Changing this setting changes the number of volts each vertical division represents. Change this value until a signal is seen on the screen. The time/division (timebase) is a measure of the horizontal scale. Changing this setting varies the amount of time each horizontal division represents. Change the setting until a clear signal is seen on the screen.
Measure The AC Amplitude
Plug the AC signal into one of the inputs on the oscilloscope and optimize the signal. The AC signal should be oscillatory and look like a sine wave. In order to measure the amplitude of the signal, count the number of vertical divisions between peak to trough. Multiply the number of vertical divisions by the volts/division setting in order to get the amplitude in Volts.
Measure The AC Frequency
Plug the AC signal into one of the inputs on the oscilloscope and optimize the signal. Measure the number of horizontal divisions from peak to peak on the oscillatory signal. Multiply the number of horizontal divisions by the time/division setting in order to get the period of the signal. In order to get the frequency of the signal, use the following equation:
Frequency = 1 / Period
Measure a DC Signal Voltage
A DC signal will appear flat on the oscilloscope screen. In order to measure the DC signal voltage, first turn on the oscilloscope with the input signal disconnected. Use the vertical position setting to place the oscilloscope line over the middle, zero volt level. Plug in the DC signal into one of the inputs. The oscilloscope line will shift on the vertical axis. Count the number of vertical divisions the oscilloscope line shifts. Multiply the vertical divisions by the volts/division in order to get the DC signal voltage.