Specifications

Introduction

This document is a primer on the use and application of analog and digital oscilloscopes (we'll also call

them "scopes"). Most of the material is at an introductory level and aimed at helping you understand

some of the key features and aspects about oscilloscopes.

What we'll cover in this document

• Basic characteristics of signals and their terminology

• Two predominant types of oscilloscopes available today: analog and digital

• Typical oscilloscope controls, features, and theory of operation

• Various types of probes available and their use

• Oscilloscope guidelines and safety

A glossary of terms used in the context of oscilloscopes and the use of oscilloscopes is included at the

end of this document.

So what exactly is an oscilloscope?

An oscilloscope is an electrical measuring device that displays a graph of a voltage as a function of

time. This allows a user to make both voltage and time measurements. Many oscilloscopes can display

more than one voltage signal on their screen, which gives us the powerful ability to compare the

behavior of these signals. Since our brains are good at recognizing patterns, the oscilloscope lets us

see patterns in these voltage versus time plots. These patterns and comparisons are the oscilloscope's

benefits over a measuring instrument like a voltmeter that just gives us a number. Since many physical

properties of interest can be represented by a voltage, the oscilloscope helps us understand how

the world changes in time.

Many engineers, scientists, and technicians pick the oscilloscope as their primary measurement tool

because of its range and versatility. Visual representations and wide measuring range are probably the

major reasons scopes are so widely used. The oscilloscope can display information over roughly 10

orders of magnitudes of time and 3 to 4 orders of magnitude of voltage.

Here's an example of a digital oscilloscope displaying a 1 volt peak-to-peak (Vpp), 1 kHz sine wave:

Figure 1

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