oscilloscope

Also known as scope, CRO, DSO, O-scope

thumb|A Tektronix model 475A portable analog oscilloscope, a typical instrument of the late 1970s thumb|Oscilloscope cathode-ray tube, the left square-shaped end would be the blue screen in the upper device when built in. thumb|Typical display of an analog oscilloscope measuring a sine wave signal with 10 kHz. From the grid inherent to the screen together with the user-set parameters of the device shown at the upper display rim, the user may calculate the frequency and the voltage of the measured signal. Modern digital oscilloscopes set the measurement parameters and calculate/display the

AI overview

An oscilloscope is an electronic instrument that displays electrical signals on a screen, allowing users to visualize and measure characteristics like frequency and voltage. It matters because it enables technicians and engineers to analyze and understand the behavior of electrical signals in circuits and systems.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Image: Old oscilloscope with round screen without visible knobs or switches.jpg

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Commons category: Oscilloscopes
Stack Exchange tag: stackoverflow.com/tags/oscilloscope
exact match: wordnet-rdf.princeton.edu/wn30/03857828-n
2022 Harmonized System Code: 903020

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~54 min read

Article

51 sections

Contents

History
Features and uses
Size and portability
Inputs
Probes
Front panel controls
Focus control
Intensity control
Astigmatism
Beam finder
Graticule
Timebase controls
Holdoff control
Vertical sensitivity, coupling, and polarity controls
Vertical position control
Horizontal sensitivity control
Horizontal position control
Dual-trace controls
Delayed-sweep controls
Sweep trigger controls
Basic types of sweep
Triggered sweep
Holdoff
Example
Automatic sweep mode
Recurrent sweeps
Single sweeps
Delayed sweeps
Dual and multiple-trace oscilloscopes
The vertical amplifier
X-Y mode
Z input
Bandwidth
Waveform interval and sampling interval
Other features
Examples of use
Pictures of use
Automotive use
Software
Types and models
Cathode-ray oscilloscope (CRO)
Analog storage oscilloscope
Digital oscilloscopes
Mixed-signal oscilloscopes
Mixed-domain oscilloscopes
Handheld oscilloscopes
PC-based oscilloscopes
Related instruments
See also
References
External links

An oscilloscope (formerly known as an oscillograph, 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. Modern digital instruments may calculate and display these properties directly.