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2.1 oscilloscope menu

Press the MENU button to bring up the menu options for the active channel. The far left option is the Couplingbutton.

  • AC coupling only displays the AC (or changing) components of a wave.
  • We will typically use DC coupling, which displays both DC (constant) and AC (changing) components.
  • The Ground coupling option shows the ground level (0 volts) for channel 1.

When finished with the MENU: push the MENU button, followed by the Off button.

2.2 setting the vertical sweep

The vertical SCALE knob (under the VERTICAL heading) is used to adjust the vertical range of the oscilloscopetrace. The number next to CH1 in the lower left corner of the LCD screen shows how many volts are represented by each horizontal lineon the screen.

  • Turn the SCALE knob and note that the highlighted value changes. (To determine the amplitude of a signal, it is necessaryto know how many volts each division represents.)
  • Adjust the VERTICAL POSITION knob to move the entire trace up and down. The number 1 and the right arrow on the left side of thedisplay indicate the ground level for channel 1.
Oscilloscope adjustments

2.3 setting the horizontal sweep (refer to figure 1)

The SCALE knob under the HORIZONTAL heading is used to set the horizontal sweep speed.

  • Turn this SCALE knob and observe how it changes the appearance of the signal on the o-scope.
  • The number of seconds (usually milliseconds or microseconds) between each vertical line on the LCD screen is shown at the bottomcenter of the screen.

The HORIZONTAL POSITION adjustment moves the trace horizontally.

2.4 measure features (refer to figure 2)

  • Push the MEASURE button to bring up the MEASURE menu.
  • Select the Select Measurement for Ch1.
  • Scroll through the new menu that appears on the right side of the screen. Measure the frequency, period, and mean value of yourinput signal. Compare these measured values with the settings of the function generator.

Turn off the measurements you selected by pushing the Remove Measurement button from the MEASURE menu.

Measure, Cursor, and Save/Recall

2.5 trigger options

The Trigger makes signals appear to standstill on the screen rather than dancing all over the place. When the signal reaches a designated trigger level, the o-scope beginsacquiring data. We will be using the Trigger MENU to adjust the triggering of the sweep of the oscilloscope display.

2.5.1 types of triggers

  • Auto triggering:the scope will free-run in the absence of an adequate trigger signal. Useful for capturing periodicsignals.
  • Normal triggering: In the absence of an adequate trigger, no baseline trace will be present. Useful for capturing periodicsignals.
  • Single triggering: A single sweep is displayed when an acceptable trigger is detected. Useful for capturing a one-timeevent.
  • Force triggering: Causes a trigger to occur even if there is not a signal of adequate magnitude.
Triggering Options

2.5.2 adjusting the trigger

  • The TRIGGER LEVEL knob selects the amplitude of the trigger level. This value is indicated by a left arrow on the right side ofthe display.
  • Bring up the trigger menu options by selecting the TRIGGER MENU button.

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Source:  OpenStax, Introduction to mechanical measurements. OpenStax CNX. Oct 18, 2006 Download for free at http://cnx.org/content/col10385/1.1
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