Operating instructions

University of Saskatchewan
Electrical Engineering Laboratory Equipment Manual
Agilent DSO3102A Oscilloscope
The introduction part of the Digitizing Oscilloscopes in the Equipment Manual should be
reviewed for basic theory operation. The controls for the 3102A are similar to the HP 54601
oscilloscope. Refer to this section in the Equipment Manual for an explanation of the operation
and the controls. This section is a supplement to the previous section mentioned.
This unit, along with other scopes and analyzers, should be reset to factory default
settings before using. Press the Save/Recall button and then toggle the Storage button till
setups, then press the Default Setup button to reset. This unit defaults to 10X probe. Probe
setting is located in the analog channel menu (1 and 2 button).
The screen displayed menu appears when a hard key is pressed and will disappear 20
seconds ( default ) after use. Do not change this time because it is hard to set with the display
disappearing fast.
This unit, along with other scopes and analyzers, has an Auto-Scale button. Auto-Scale
automatically configures the scope to display the signals at its inputs. Students that use this
function will not learn the basic controls and how to display signals. The auto scale function can
be misleading when displaying a signal. In order to learn the operation of equipment, avoid the
Auto-Scale button. These units also do automatic measurements ( Measure button). Manual
Cursor measurements are more accurate then automatic measurements. Use the Cursor
measurements for accurate measurements and as a learning tool. Measurements should be taken
at the center of the trace width.
BW Limit is located in the analog channel menu (1 and 2 button). This limits the
bandwidth of the scope to 20 MHz. This is used to filter out high frequency noise, provided the
signal is composed of low frequency components. This is a very low bandwidth and will distort
waveforms, made up of frequencies components above 20 MHz. It is best to leave BW Limit off
in most situations.
Acquisition Modes
The Average acquisition mode will reduce the random noise of the waveform. The
average of 2 to 256 acquisitions is displayed.
The Peak Detect mode will capture the maximum and minimum levels of the
acquisitions.
The Normal acquisition mode will capture a waveform when a trigger occurs.