Specifications

15
Figure 22. The blank display of an Agilent
8000 Series oscilloscope
Basic Oscilloscope Controls and Measurements (continued)
Basic measurements
Basic measurements
Digital oscilloscopes allow you
to perform a wide range of
measurements on your waveform.
The complexity and range of
measurements available depends
on the feature set of your
oscilloscope. Figure 22 shows
the blank display of an Agilent
8000 Series oscilloscope. Notice
the measurement buttons/icons
lined up on the far-left side of
the screen. Using a mouse, you
can drag these icons over to a
waveform and the measurement
will be computed. They are also
convenient because the icon gives
you an indication of what the
measurement computes.
Basic measurements found on
many oscilloscopes:
Peak-to-peak voltage
This measurement calculates the
voltage difference between the
low voltage and high voltage of a
cycle on your waveform.
RMS voltage
This measurement calculates the
RMS voltage of your waveform.
This quantity can then be used to
compute the power.
Figure 23. Peak-to-peak voltage
Figure 24. An example of risetime (0% to 100% of peak-to-peak voltage
is shown instead of the usual 10% to 90%)
Risetime
This measurement calculates
the amount of time it takes for
the signal to go from low voltage
to high voltage. It is usually
calculated by computing the time
it takes to go from 10% to 90% of
the peak-to-peak voltage.
Pulse width
A positive pulse width
measurement computes the width
of a pulse by calculating the time
it takes for the wave to go from
50% of the peak-to-peak voltage
to the maximum voltage and then
back to the 50% mark. A negative
pulse width measurement
computes the width of a pulse
by calculating the time it takes
for the wave to go from 50% of
the peak-to-peak voltage to the
minimum voltage and then back
to the 50% mark.
Period
This measurement calculates the
period of the waveform.
Frequency
This measurement calculates the
frequency of your waveform.
This list is intended to give
you an idea of the kinds of
measurements available on many
oscilloscopes. However, most
oscilloscopes can perform many
more measurements.
Oscilloscope Fundamentals