Howtosignalprocessing
An oscilloscope is an instrument that graphically displays electrical signals and shows how those signals change over time. Engineers use oscilloscopes to measure electrical phenomena and quickly test, verify, and debug their circuit designs.
- Do I really need an oscilloscope?
- What can you not do with an oscilloscope?
- Are oscilloscopes worth anything?
- Why use an oscilloscope instead of a multimeter?
- What can oscilloscopes display?
Do I really need an oscilloscope?
For general-purpose maintenance or general electronic testing, a digital multimeter is fine, but when testing or troubleshooting machine controls or other complex systems, or doing electronic design work, an oscilloscope is needed.
What can you not do with an oscilloscope?
Do not exceed the stated voltage. Always set the scale to its maximum setting before changing any inputs, to prevent overdriving the oscilloscope. Avoid damage by being prepared with some idea of the signal level to be connected with the oscilloscope. Overdriving the inputs can damage the front-end components.
Are oscilloscopes worth anything?
oscillographs and oscilloscopes are sought after by collectors and can range in value anywhere from $70 to several hundred dollars depending on model and condition.
Why use an oscilloscope instead of a multimeter?
A multimeter can measure voltage, current, and resistance, but not frequency. That's where oscilloscopes come in handy. Oscilloscopes can measure both the amplitude and the frequency of a signal, which is very useful for troubleshooting electrical problems.
What can oscilloscopes display?
Oscilloscopes (or scopes) test and display voltage signals as waveforms, visual representations of the variation of voltage over time. The signals are plotted on a graph, which shows how the signal changes. The vertical (Y) access represents the voltage measurement and the horizontal (X) axis represents time.
