Oscilloscope

An oscilloscope (informally scope or O-scope) is a type of electronic test instrument that graphically displays varying voltages of one or more signals as a function of time. Their main purpose is capturing information on electrical signals for debugging, analysis, or characterization. The displayed waveform can then be analyzed for properties such as amplitude, frequency, rise time, time interval, distortion, and others. Originally, calculation of these values required manually measuring the waveform against the scales built into the screen of the instrument.^[1] Modern digital instruments may calculate and display these properties directly.

Oscilloscopes are used in the sciences, engineering, biomedical, automotive and the telecommunications industry. General-purpose instruments are used for maintenance of electronic equipment and laboratory work. Special-purpose oscilloscopes may be used to analyze an automotive ignition system or to display the waveform of the heartbeat as an electrocardiogram, for instance.

external trigger, a pulse from an external source connected to a dedicated input on the scope.

edge trigger, an edge detector that generates a pulse when the input signal crosses a specified threshold voltage in a specified direction. These are the most common types of triggers; the level control sets the threshold voltage, and the slope control selects the direction (negative or positive-going). (The first sentence of the description also applies to the inputs to some digital logic circuits; those inputs have fixed threshold and polarity response.)

video trigger, also known as TV trigger, a circuit that extracts synchronizing pulses from formats such as PAL and NTSC and triggers the timebase on every line, a specified line, every field, or every frame. This circuit is typically found in a waveform monitor device, though some better oscilloscopes include this function.

video

delayed trigger, which waits a specified time after an edge trigger before starting the sweep. As described under delayed sweeps, a trigger delay circuit (typically the main sweep) extends this delay to a known and adjustable interval. In this way, the operator can examine a particular pulse in a long train of pulses.

Heterodyne

AC hum on sound

Sum of a low-frequency and a high-frequency signal

Bad filter on sine

Dual trace, showing different time bases on each trace

Eye pattern

Phonodeik

, an oscilloscope game

Tennis for Two

Time-domain reflectometry

Vectorscope

Waveform monitor

, Kobbe, John R. & Polits, William J., "Electrical Probe", published 1959-04-21

US 2883619

Tektronix (1983), Tek Products, Tektronix

Tektronix (1998), Measurement Products Catalog 1998/1999, Tektronix

Wedlock, Bruce D.; Roberge, James K. (1969), Electronic Components and Measurements, Prentice-Hall, pp. 150–152, :1969ecm..book.....W, ISBN 0-13-250464-2

Bibcode

, Zeidlhack, Donald F. & White, Richard K., "Transmission Line Termination Circuit", published 1970-10-06