Specifications

42
Automatic Measurements
An advantage of the digital oscilloscope is its ability to make measurements on the displayed
waveforms. This provides three benefits:
1. It saves time because the user doesn't have to measure positions on the screen and perform a
calculation.
2. It reduces errors, as it's not unusual for a user to do the requisite calculations in their head and
make a mistake.
3. The measurements can typically be made at a higher precision than the user can get from the
screen.
Modern digital oscilloscopes provide a variety of amplitude-related and time-related measurements of
waveforms. Some of the measurements that can be made are:
Voltage
Time
Peak-to-peak voltage
Frequency
Average
Period
Maximum
Rise and fall times
Minimum
Width
Overshoot and undershoot
Duty cycle
A handy feature is a "measure all" function, which displays a table of measurements:
Figure 29
This measurement feature can be used to get a quick "feel" for the waveform displayed on the screen.
The measurements to be displayed are chosen by the user and displayed on the screen (typically, there
is room for three measured numbers). The following picture shows two sine waves being displayed on
the screen:
All content Copyright © B&K Precision Corporation, except where otherwise noted.
Copying/reprinting/republishing without express written consent prohibited.