USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE

LOCATION = RESEARCH 1 EE LABS

2ND SEMESTER
DATE: 21ST FEBRUARY 2014
GROUP 5
CREATOR OF THIS LAB REPORT: ALEE KAZMI
GROUP MEMBERS: DORIN G CLISU, CLEMENCE JOMIMASSA
NSINDO
MAILBO NUMBER !2
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
INTRODUCTION TO THE EXPERIMENT
In these experiments we will try to identify and see the basic principles of the oscilloscope. These
experiments involve the charging and discharging of capacitors.
OSCILLOSCOPE
It is a device which displays signals in the form of voltage and time graphs which are then analysed
from the screen of the oscilloscope. They are calibrated and then adjusted so that voltage and the
time can be read directly from a screen connected in it. The experiments show us the methods of
analysing AC and DC signals on an oscilloscope. The simple oscilloscope can be divided into various
sections: The ertical control! The hori"ontal control! Trigger Controls and the display.
Vertical Control
Contains a sensitivity #nob$ AC%DC%&round selector and the ' vertical input plug.
Trigger Control
Contains the start of the x(axis sweep. This also contains the auto set button which automatically
resets the wave to its original state if its display settings have been altered too much.
Horizontal Input
This includes the timebase settings and the hori"ontal sensitivity switch. Another input for another
signal is also available for dual signals.
)scilloscope can be used for multiple tas#s such as *elative measurements$ +hase difference$
,re-uency measurement$ +ulse rise or fall measurements$ Time and voltage measurements.
.astly the use of probes with an oscilloscope is very useful. It contains resistance of its own which
can be used to attenuate the signals since they act as a voltage divider. The attenuation can go up
to '/x. At the same time$ this helps to isolate the capacitive load presented by the probe0s cable.
The probe itself has a button on it to adjust the attenuation.
CAPACITOR
A capacitor is a device which stores electrical charge between two conducting plates in an
insulator. Capacitance or rather the capability of a capacitor to store charge is directly proportional
to the surface areas of the plates$ and is inversely proportional to the separation between the
plates. Capacitance also depends on the dielectric constant of the substance separating the plates.

USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
SINAL PROPERTIES
This picture very
accurately sums up
the components of an
AC signal. The average
value of this signal.
The amplitude is the
distance from the
max to the / point.
+eriod is the time
ta#en for the wave to
complete one cycle.
The fre-uency is the
number of cycles a
wave completes in
once second
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
EXPERIMENT SETUP AND O!SERVATIONS
APPRATUS USED IN ALL THE EXPERIMENTS
'1 Te#tronix )scilloscope
21 3labo
41 '/5ohm resistor
61 +ower supply
71 8ignal &enerator device connected in wor#bench
91 Capacitor '/n,
:1 ;readboard%Connecting wires as s#eleton
PART " #$ USAGE OF THE "ERTICAL CONTROL
MAIN O!%ECTIVE
This is a basic experiment in which the use of the vertical control which include the position #nob
for Channel ' and Channel 2$ their menu$ sensitivity #nob<volts%div1$ the =ath menu and the input
connector is emphasi"ed and practised on. >e will perform a series of experiments focusing on
specific groups of the vertical section.
&'&'( MEASURE VOLTAE USIN THE RATICULE DIVISION
PROCEDURE CARREID OUT
The power supply is set to 2/ on the wor#bench and the device called 08ignal &enerator for 3xp 20
is connected to it. The oscilloscope is turned on and the probe is connected to C?' of the input.
The attenuation #nob on the probe is also set to 'x. The other end of the probe is connected to
+in2 of the signal generator and the ground lead to pin'.
@ow the oscilloscope is on$ it is recalled factory to clear any previous setting saved in it which may
have been present due to wor# done on it. It is always important to set the attenuation on the C*)
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
e-ual to the one on the probe else the wave does not display correctly. .astly the auto set button
is pressed which resets the display of the wave to its original state. 8ince the wave was
propagating$ the *un%8top button was pressed to halt it.
At this moment$ a hard copy of the screen was ta#en. It should be noted that the sensitivity was
automatically set at './ per graticule division.
The position #nob in the hori"ontal section<discussed later1 can be used to shift the signal to the
left or right to ma#e reading easier. @ow the sensitivity is set to 7//m%graticule division and the
hard copy ta#en again.
The number of divisions was calculated and then a table compiled.
Range Vmin Vmax Vpp Estimated Resolution
V/[div] Div Div V V/[div]
1.00V 2.2 2.7 0.5 0.1V
0.5V 1.4 2.4 1 0.1V
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
The value of the voltage can be calculated using the following formula(:
Counte) Di*i+ion+ in c, - Scale .actor in V/)i*i+ion 0 Value in *oltage
&'&'& MEASURE VOLTAE USIN THE CURSORS
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The auto set button was pushed to reset the wave to its original setting. @ow the cursor button is
pressed which opens a menu. The type of cursor is selected to voltage in order to measure the
voltage. Although it is unnecessary since we are wor#ing with only one channel source but
nevertheless the source was selected to Channel '. A hard copy was ta#en at this instance.
The values of the upper$ lower cursors$ delta and various minor settings are calculated in the
following table.
&'&'1 MEASURE VOLTAE USIN THE MEASURE .UNCTION
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
Immediately before the previous experiment$ the auto set button was pressed and then the
measure button. A=in$ =axB and A+#(+#B mode were selected. A hard copy was ta#en at this
Range
V V V
1.00V 2.2 2.72 0.52 0.1V 0
0.5V 2.18 2.74 0.5 0.1V !"
Vmin Vmax Vpp Estimated Resolution V/[div] Ve#ti$al Divsions
V/[div]
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
instant with the mode selected. ,or 7//m range(:
,or ' range(:
The pea# to pea# voltage is 9//m for both ranges.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
&'&'2 S3ITCHIN THE INPUT COUPLIN
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
There is a slight modification in this experiment as we are filtering out the DC part of the signal.
This is done by selecting the AC coupling in C?' menu. It should be noted that in case of small
fre-uency it affects out measurements.. The auto set button is not pressed and a sine centred
curve is seen. 8ince the signal was not stable$ the trigger was adjusted with the .33. #nob in the
trigger section.
Range/,V Voltage Pea4 to Pea4/V
'// /.6C2
&'&'5 Veri67 t8e ,ea+ure,ent+ 9it8 a ,ulti,eter
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The oscilloscope probe is removed from the signal generator and the 3labo multimeter is set to DC
and connected to the signal generator. The ground pin of the 3labo is then connected to pin ' and
the <in1 is connected to pin 2. The DC part of the voltage is measured now. The 3labo is shifted to
AC and the voltage recorded again. The following table shows the reading.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
PART : #$ USAGE OF THE HORIZONTAL CONTROL
MAIN O!%ECTIVE
This is a basic experiment in which the use of the hori"ontal control which include the hori"ontal
position #nob for Channel ' and Channel 2$ their menu and the sensitivity #nob<seconds%div1 is
emphasi"ed and practised on. >e will perform a series of experiments focusing on specific groups
of the hori"ontal section.
E;ecuting t8e <a+ic 6unction+
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
In this experiment$ we measure the fre-uency with the help of cursors. The probe is connected to
the C?' ;@C input connector in the vertical section. The attenuation on the probe is set to 'x and
the other end of the probe tip and the group are connected to pin 6 and pin 4 respectively.
The coupling is set to DC and the auto set button pressed. After adjusting the sec%div and
optimi"ing the position #nob to get the wave showed in the lab manual. @ow$ the cursor function
was selected from the side screen menu. I adjusted the initial cursor at a certain point and the
other cursor at "ero. A hard copy was ta#en and the following is the result.
Range/V D% pa#t o& t'e voltage (% pa#t o& t'e voltage
0.2 2.50"V 17".4mV
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
A table will be compile at the end. The time between the rising edges of two consecutive
rectangular components was measured using cursors. Delta time is distance between the first and
second cursors to "ero so in our case$ the wanted valueD
To measure the fre-uency of the rectangular component$ the signal is adjusted to cover the entire
portion of the screen. The scale factor of the time base is also recorded.
The amplitude of the rectangular part is also obtained from here since the wave is big and accurate
enough to be counted and then multiplied by the volts per division.
The fre-uency of the sine component is measured by "ooming enough to scale one sine wave. A
cross point is then used between the signal and the grid as reference points for the cursors. The
pea# to pea# value is measured using hori"ontal cursors. .astly$ the falling edge of the rectangular
component is used to measure the time distance of the sine from the beginning of the falling edge
of rectangular component.
,or the rectangular component(:
Cursor'<time1 Cursor2<time1 Delta<Difference of Cursor 2 and '1 ,re-uency of the rectangular component Amplitude of rectangular part of signal oltage per division
/ '9.E/ms '9.E/ms 7C.27?" 2.9 './
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
,or the AC component(:
&'1'( Dela7e) an) e;pan)e) *ie9 o6 +ignal+
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The auto set button is pressed and the wave position adjusted. After that$ the hori"ontal menu
button is pressed and the =ain is selected. ,rom the side screen menu$ 0window "one is selected.
Two additional vertical bro#en lines are visible on the screen. 0>indow0 is selected from the side
screen menu and the selected region "ooms in. This is done because the wave is -uite small to be
measured accurately. Fsing the position #nob from the hori"ontal section$ the position of the wave
is adjusted till a little more then one period of the wave covers the graph. A hard copy is ta#en and
properties of the signals recorded.
PART ( #$ TRIGGER SECTION
INTRODUCTION TO THE !ASICS
This is a basic experiment in which the use of the trigger which include$ the control set for the
amplitude level$ trigger menu$ set level to 7/G$ force trigger$ trigger view and input ext trigger$ is
emphasi"ed and practised on. >e will perform a series of experiments focusing on specific groups
)#e*uen$+ o& t'e sine signal %u#so#1 %u#so#2 Delta,%u#so#- .&&set &#om t'e g#ound /ime distan$e o& sine
0"4.412 504mV 2.2V 2.7"V 0.7"V 2.4V 10.5ms 047.012
Vpp value o& sine $omponent 402mV p3!p3
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
of the hori"ontal section.
The trigger menu contains a type$ source$ slope$ mode and coupling mode.
&'2'( U+ing t8e <a+ic trigger control+
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The coupling of channel ' is set to DC. @ow the auto set button along with various other
operations are used to get a similar view as before. 3dge and *ising slope is selected on C?' at the
trigger menu. A hard copy is ta#en at this moment and the trigger position$ trigger level and slope
recorded.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
Trigger Po+ition/,+ Trigger Le*el/V Slope
='==,+ "'>2V Ri+ing
@ow the trigger is shifted slowly from (' to 9. At about /.6(6.:$ the signal behaves strangely
and starts moving bac# and forth. At about 6.:$ the signal moves correctly again. The vertical
resolution is changed to 7//m%Div and the trigger varied slowly between 2 and 4. At about 2.7
$ the graph moves bac# and forth. After this at about 2.:$ it moves to the left no change can be
further detected in it. A hard copy is ta#en. The only difference to the previous image is obviously
that the slope is falling now and the graph shifter to the left.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
&'2'& Ot8er i,portant trigger control+
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The probe is connection to pin 6 of the signal generator. The coupling is set to AC$DC and ground
coupling which show the AC$ DC and ground part of the wave respectively. At AC coupling$ the
wave is centred. )n DC$ it displays a triangular wave form and on ground there is / signal$ off
course.
The coupling is set to DC and probe connected to pin 9 of the signal generator. The auto set button
is pressed and a stationary signal is seen. After setting the trigger to (4$ the signal starts to move.
The probe tip is disconnected for pin 9 and the mode set to normal. The probe tip is again
connected bac# to pin 9 of the generator. There is no signal now. The trigger is adjusted and the
same signal returns.
PART & #$ USING THE PROBE
INTRODUCTION TO THE BASICS
The use of probes and their implementation is discussed in this section. >e shall be using passive
probes with ':' and '/:' attenuation. The other #inds such as active probes and differential
probes are not used. The following is the schematic of a probe(:
The probe acts li#e a low pass filter.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The probe is connected to pin 9 on the signal generator and the attenuation set to 'x. The probe
factor on the oscilloscope is also set to 'x. The coupling is set to DC and the auto set button
pressed. The time base is altered from the hori"ontal menu so that only one period is visible on the
screen. The vertical resolution is set to the highest possible range.
&'5': Pro<e Selection
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The probe is connected to pin 9 and the attenuation set to 'x. This is chec#ed both on the probe
and in the vertical menu. The coupling channel is set to DC and using the auto set button$ the
waveform is ta#en. The time base is changed until only one wave is displayed on the screen. In
order to get higher accuracy readings$ the vertical resolution is set to the highest. The pp and
fre-uency are recorded(:
.re?uenc7/MHz Vpp/V
'2./7 2./9
The attenuation is set at '/x on the probe factor on the button and in the vertical menu. The
variable capacitor on the probe is turned by C/ degrees cloc#wise. The hori"ontal and vertical
resolution of the signal is also adjusted A hard copy ta#en and data recorded.
.re?uenc7/MHz Vpp/V
'2./2 ''.6
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
The variable capacitor is turned a further C/ degrees in cloc#wise direction. ?ori"ontal and vertical
scale is adjusted again and a hard copy ta#en(:
.re?uenc7/MHz Vpp/V
'2./2 :.'2
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
&'5': Pro<e Co,pen+ation
,or this experiment$ the C?' probe tip is connected to the +robe Comp output on the oscilloscope
and the attenuation is set at '/x at the probe and probe menu. The auto set button is pressed. The
hori"ontal and vertical resolution of one period of the signal is set to maximum. This probe is not
compensated and using the probe adjustment tool$ the probe is compensated to get a s-uare
wave. ,ollowing is the wave after compensation(:
The probe is connected bac# to the signal generator with +in 7 set to ground and pin 9 to 8ig4. The
properties of the signals are recorded and a hard copy ta#en.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
Pea4 to Pea4/V .re?uenc7/MHz
7.// '2./7
PART & #$ DISCHARGING THE CAPACITOR
PROCEDURE CARRIED OUT
The following circuit is build up from a breadboard.
The attenuation is set to '/x on the probe and the vertical menu. Trigger is set to normal mode$
falling edge. The supply is turned on and the capacitor charges in a few seconds. As soon as the
oscilloscope showed '/$ the supply cable was pulled out of the power source and resultantly the
capacitor started to discharge. The process is repeated a couple of time in order to adjust the time
base. The trigger mode is not set to 0single0 and the curve is adjusted so that it spreads over the
entire screen. A hard copy is ta#en(:
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
Trigger
Po+ition/
,+
Re+olution
/V
Mo)e Coupling Horizont
al Scale@+
.actor/u
+
Trigger Le*el/V Slope
2./E/ 2.// @ormal 8ingle 7// C./6 ,alling
EVALUATION
A"B
IHm posting the table from the first experiment again.
oltage I oltage per divisionsJ@umber of divisions
,or './/%div sensitivity(:
min I ' J 2.2 I 2.2
max I 'J2.: I 2.:
Range V delta Estimated Resolution
V
1.00V 2.2 2.7 0.5 0.1V
0.5V 1.4 2.4 1 0.1V
Vmin Vmax
V/[div] Div Div V/[div]
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
,or /.7%div sensitivity(:
min I /.7 J '.6 I /.:
max I /.7J 2.6 I '.2
dc I <2.2K2.:1%2 I 2.7
pp I delta I max(min
Fsing the cursors(:
DC signal I The average of the min and the max
I <2.:2K2.21%2 I 2.69
pp I delta I max(min
Fsing the measure function(:
pp I 6C2mI/.6C2
dc I Cant calculate this

Accurac7 o6 o+cillo+cope 6or *ertical po+ition at zero#$
<6G<reading1K/.'divisionK'm1 This one is for the 2m%div or 7m%div.
or
<4G<reading1K/.'divisionK'm1 This one is for all other ranges.
)f course now this depends on the sensitivity selected.
Range Resolution
V V V
1.00V 2.2 2.72 0.52 0.1
0.5V 2.18 2.74 0.5 0.1
Vmin Vmax Vpp
V/[div] V/div
Range Vmin Vmax Vpp D%
V/[div] V V V V
1.00V,4#ati$ule- 2.2 2.7 0.5 2.45
0.5V,//- 1.4 2.4 1 1.0
1.00V,%u#so#s- 2.2 2.72 0.52 2.4
0.5V,//- 2.18 2.74 0.5 2.4
0.5V 5easu#e 0.
1V 5easu#e 0.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
Accurac7 o6 o+cillo+cope 6or *ertical po+ition at non#zero#$
,or *ange of 2m%div to 2//m%div(:
<4G<readingKthe vertical position1 K 'G of the vertical position K /.2divisions1K2m
,or all other ranges(:
<4G<readingKthe vertical position1 K 'G of the vertical position K /.2divisions1K7/m
Sa,ple an) A*erage ,o)e 9it8 an) 9it8out u+ing cur+or+#$
*ange 2m%div to 7m%div$ K(6G
all other ranges$ K(4G
71 4G<reading1K/.'divisionK'm
I/./4</.791K/.'</.71K/.//'
I/./9:E
Relati*e error 0 AError/Rea)ingB-"==C
I </./9:E%/.791J'//
I 4.E/G
91
Absolute 3rror I </./4G of voltage K /./'G of *ange1
I /.///4<2.7/41K/.///'<2/1
I /.//2:7/C
*elative 3rror I <3rror%*eading1J<'//1
I </.//2:7/C%2.7/41<'//1
I /.''G
Error Source+#$
Met8o) " AraticuleB#$
>e could ta#e the wrong reference point while ta#ing some readings or wrongly measure while
ta#ing the readings. =oreover$ "ero error in oscilloscope can also be an issue. .astly$ there is a
probability of damaged probes.
Met8o) : ACur+or+B#$
The "ero error and damaged probes still apply. >e can ta#e wrongs reference points by not
properly<exactly1 aligning the cursor on the place we want. This can lead to faulty width.
Met8o) ( AAuto,atic ,ea+ureB#$
The damaged probes still apply. ?owever$ the "ero error is eliminated since the multimeter itself is
doing all the calculations.
Range/V,D%- D% pa#t o& t'e voltage (% pa#t o& t'e voltage Range/V,(%-
20 2.50"V 17".4mV 0.2
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
Met8o) &AU+ing ,ulti,eterB
Internal resistance of multimeter or "ero error in multimeter can account for error.
Fsing a higher resolution would mean mathematically a lower resolution number. This would in
turn decrease the amount of relative error after the formula has been applied. ?ence$ it is better
to use higher resolutions.
AC coupling affects the display of small fre-uencies and may filter small AC fre-uencies out too.
As observed from the calculations above$ the multimeter should be preferred over then
oscilloscope due to its much lower relative error of /.''G as compared to 4.EG.
A:B
Error +ource+ 98ile ,ea+uring 6re?uenc7
.ets consider the case of cursors. There could be a device error$ an error while aligning the cursors
or maybe a probe error. There is also an error as fre-uency is measured with a delay and an
expanded view. There might also be a device error$ error in the resolution$ effect of the probe or
the "ero error in the oscilloscope.
Accurac7 o6 t8e o+cillo+cope in *ariou+ ,o)e+#$
In single shot and sample mode:
K(<'sampleinterval K '//ppmJreading K /.9ns1
In Average mode: K(<'sampleinterval K '//ppmJreading K /.6ns1
61 K(<<hori"ontal resolution%number of points on the screen1 K '//ppmJreading K /.9ns1
</.//7%27/1K'//</./'9EJ'/L(91K/.9J'/(CI2.':J'/L(7
*elative 3rror I <2.':J'/L(7%/./'9E1J'// I /.'4G
71 In window mode$ the calculations became more precise because we expand the view and are
Cursor'<time1 Cursor2<time1 Delta<Difference of Cursor 2 and '1 ,re-uency of the rectangular component Amplitude of rectangular part of signal oltage per division
/ '9.E/ms '9.E/ms 7C.27?" 2.9 './
)#e*uen$+ o& t'e sine signal Vpp value o& sine $omponent %u#so#1 %u#so#2 Delta,%u#so#- .&&set &#om t'e g#ound /ime distan$e o& sine 402mV p3!p3
0"4.412 504mV 2.2V 2.7"V 0.7"V 2.4V 10.5ms 047.012
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
able to thus put the cursors very accurately at appropriate areas. This further reduces the
possibility to use a wrong "ero value.
91 >e should use the oscilloscope to measure time and fre-uency because not only is the reading
more user friendly to understand but the accuracy can be increased by following specific steps
such as using the window mode of oscilloscope and increase the resolution and fit the entire
image on the screen as much as possible.
A(B
Trigger Po+ition 0 It is the position on the hori"ontal scale of the waveform where trigger occurs.
Trigger Le*el 0 It is the instantaneous level that a trigger source signal must reach before a sweep
is initiated by the trigger circuit.
Slope 0 =ore commonly #nown as the gradient. It is used to give the nature of a wave.
@ow the trigger is shifted slowly from (' to 9. At about /.6(6.:$ the signal behaves strangely
and starts moving bac# and forth. At about 6.:$ the signal moves correctly again. The only reason
for this can be either because it changed between the triggered and non(triggered option or
maybe the varying amplitude in the signal.
At the following$ we can see the arrow is at the rising edge.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
At the following the arrow is pointing to a falling slope.
The differences between auto and normal mode(:
,irst of all$ the trigger level to stabili"e the signal is different in both of the modes. In the normal
mode$ the signal stops to be displayed if the signal drops to a low level whereas in auto mode$ it is
still present. @ormal mode is very easy to handle since the signal gets triggered as the trigger
enters a certain range but there is no signal if it is not triggered. Concluding$ in normal mode one
has to vary the trigger himself at each reading but in auto mode$ the oscilloscope does it for us.

A&B
Pro<e Attenuation
.actor
Range/V Voltage/V .re?uenc7/MHz
'M /.7 2./9 '2./7
'/M<C/ degrees
rotated1
' ''.6 '2./2
'/M<,urther C/ degrees
rotated1
' :.'2 '2./2
'/M<Compensated1 ' 7.// '2./7
21 The compensated value is 7.//.
3rror I N<<<measured1(<theoretical11%<theoretical11NJ'//
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
At 'x(:
N<<2./9(71%71J'//NI7E.EG
At '/M<C/ degrees rotated1(:
N<<''.6(71%71J'//NI'2EG
At '/M<,urther C/ degrees rotated1(:
N<<:.'2(71%71J'//NI62.6G
41 This is because the probe acts as a low pass filter. Therefore$ it bloc#s off high fre-uency waves.
That0s why wave ' loo#ed distorted and didn0t have a proper curve li#e in the top of wave 2. In
wave '$ the extra high fre-uencies added to the signals and smoothed it out to a more straighter
line. ?owever$ when the attenuation was set to '/x$ those signals were bloc#ed and a slightly
different wave was shown.
61 The value in the objective section is :('/=h". ?owever$ this is at 'x mode so I0ll say :=h". The
data sheet gives
.
The value is accurate since there are no DC values in this experiment.
71 I conclude that it all depends on what #ind of experiment is being performed. If the experiment
involves filtering low fre-uencies then a 'x probe should be used and if high fre-uencies then a
'/x or '//x further depending on the re-uirement. A possible human error possible could be to
forget to set the same attenuation level in the vertical menu of the oscilloscope as on the probe.
There could also be errors in exact compensation of a wave through manually using the wave
compensation tool.
A1B
'1 Taw I *esistance J Capacitance
T I '//// J '//J'/L(C
T I /.//' seconds
21 A tangent is to be drawn from tI/. The time constant will be at the x(axis. Fsing the distance of
7//Fs%div$ we can calculate the distance till the intersection point.
It loo#s li#e it is 2.' units away from the / point.
Therefore(:
7//J'/L(9 J 2.' I /.//'/7seconds.
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
41 FIF</1JeL(t%*C
.n u I .nF/(t%*C
.n F I .n<'/1(/%/.//'
I2.4

Ti,e/+ Ln U
/ 2.4
/.//' '.4
/.//2 /.4
/.//4 (/.:
/.//6 ('.:
61 The gradient of the graph above is ('%*C.
&radient I ('///
<Calculated for online software when in(putted values in else formula is <y2(y'%x2(x'11
*C I Taw
Taw is the time constant.
0 0.001 0.002 0.00" 0.004
!2
!1.5
!1
!0.5
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
"
6n 7
/ime/8
6
n
,
7
-
/
a
#
9
i
t
#
a
#
+

u
n
i
t
s
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
('///I('%Constant
Time Constant I '%'///
Time Constant I /.//'
71 In my opinion$ its best to get the time constant from the graph since the errors in the curve
average out when we ta#en the gradient. If we ta#e it directly from the oscilloscope it presents us
with an unreliable value since ta#ing the exact gradient of a curve at a certain point is difficult and
very error prone without the e-uation of the curve. >e could also of course directly calculate the
time constant as done in the part ' of this series0 evaluation but the tolerance of the capacitor and
the resistor affects the value.
CONCLUSION
The C*) is a device which can display a waveform and give new
perspective to it thereby increasing the scope of the
interpretation of a wave. It can be seen that using the cursors and
the measure function are much more accurate then using the
method of graticule divisions. 8econdly$ we should ta#e maximum
advantage of the units%div switch or sensitivity switch since it
allows a larger wave form which further allows more accurate
cursor placement on curves and more accurate readings.
Triggers are very useful for measuring the -uality of a signal or
rather specific parts of the signal. ?owever they need to be
adjusted for different waves and modes. Care should be ta#en as
to use an appropriate form of mode.
+robes allow for greater accuracy since they compensate the
capacitance in the wires. A 'x probe is best for lower fre-uencies
and '/x for higher fre-uencies. +robes must be calibrated before
an experiment else they might produce errors and the
attenuation be according to the magnitude of the fre-uency else
USAGE OF OSCILLOSCOPE
there might be a significant error.
The last experiment involved calculating the time constant of a
capacitor most accurately by 4 ways but the logarithmic scale one
proved to be the most accurate since it cancels out the systematic
error. ,urthermore$ the curve on the oscilloscope is blurred and
not that accurate to draw a tangent on. The tolerance of the
resistor and capacitor add error to the direct formula method.
Therefore I concluded on this base that the logarithmic scale
method is the best.
RE.ERENCES
'1 Capacitor +icture
http:%%www.tvrepair#its.com%xcart%images%+%aluminumOelectrolyticOcapacitor.jpg
21 >ave Components &raph
http:%%www.electronics(tutorials.ws%accircuits%AC(waveform.html
41 .ab =anual
61 )scilloscope<?ard copies1
71 >i#ipedia
91 +revious .ab *eports