How to use your scope

How to Use Your Oscilloscope and Other Bench Equipment

Have you ever wanted to know how to use an Oscilloscope? What about a function generator? You can probably guess what a Counter does, but what is it good for? Learn how to put electronic bench equipment to good use! We have a great collection of gear and we'll demo its use in this presentation. We'll also go over some of the ways you can get by without a whole set of equipment.

Equipment

• Multimeter
• Oscilloscope
• Function generator
• Counter
• Spectrum analyzer (maybe on PC if the hardware one is broken)

Demos

• Measuring voltage, resistance, and current with a multimeter.
• Examining the waveform of sounds
• Examining the spectrum of sounds
• Making cool Lissajous figures on your scope
• Measuring Capacitance and inductance with a scope and fnGen (and a counter)
• Measuring differential signals on an oscope
• Using the delayed trigger on your Oscilloscope
• Examining the waveform used by hobby servos
• On the cheap: measuring L and C with just a handheld DMM and your computer

Equipment Needed for Presentation

• Oscope, dual channel
• Sweeping function generator
• 'normal' function generator (probably the synthesizing fluke)
• counter (the microwave counter will do)
• 4x power cables for above
• 2x BNC-BNC cables
• 2x BNC Tees
• 2x Scope probes (one should be 1x and one should be 10x)
• microphone
• audio amplifier for microphone
• Laptop with some sort of 'oscope and FFT software' (of which there are many)
• adapters to plug probes and stuff into the Laptop
• a few different capacitors
• a few different inductors
• a few different resistors
• alligator clips to connect to above
• recording or signal source of 'modem' sounds
• source of differential signals
• bench supply or battery for measuring current
• hobby servo tester
• hobby servo

Links

• The Electronics Calculator Website
• Scroll down to the bottom for some practical use of Lissajous figures [1]
• NJARC Oscilloscope Class aka Scopes for Dopes 2h20m

Index:

0:00:00 Opening and Agenda

0:02:50 Brief History of Oscilloscopes – with Al Klase

0:15:00 Start of Basics of Oscilloscopes – with Alan Wolke

0:19:00 Basic Block Diagram of an Oscilloscope

0:19:50 Oscilloscope / Display Overview

0:23:00 Display Section Functions and Controls

0:28:10 Vertical Section Description

0:33:17 Vertical Scale / Coupling Controls, Input Impedance

0:38:04 Vertical Mode Controls

0:48:05 In-circuit Example of using two traces on the oscilloscope

0:52:41 Horizontal Section Description

0:53:48 Horizontal Sweep Types & Controls

1:10:15 Triggering (Synchronization) Section Description

1:13:19 Trigger Source, Mode and Coupling Controls

1:19:56 Trigger Level and Slope Controls

1:23:29 Introduction to Oscilloscope Probes

1:31:45 1X and 10X Passive Probes

1:34:00 10X Probe Compensation and Use Considerations

1:48:48 XY Mode of Operation

2:00:12 Front Panel Control Layout

2:02:20 Pop Quiz!

2:03:00 Wrap Up: Oscilloscope adds Intuitive Feel to circuit operation

2:04:45 Questions and Answers

2:13:35 Brief History of Oscilloscope Tubes