Electrical Engineering Stack Exchange
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Questions tagged [oscilloscope]

A piece of measurement equipment which can visualize one or more signals simultaneously on a time scale.

Further reading:

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Why on earth are o-scopes earth referenced?

Thinking about it: You would never find a "Grounded" multimeter as robust and useful if a path to ground through the multimeter were introduced, modifying the circuit's behaviour and possibly damaging the multimeter with currents. Why are so many…
Transient
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Why do we need an isolation transformer to connect an oscilloscope?

My professor always insists that I provide power to an oscilloscope thorough an isolation transformer. What is the necessity of this? What is the risk if I don't connect it?
noufal
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Why are digital oscilloscopes still so expensive?

I'm a beginner in hobby electronics and I am wondering why digital oscilloscopes are still so expensive? In times of cheap GHz CPUs, USB 3, ADSL modems, DVB-S receivers, blu-ray players which all of them have remarkable clock frequencies/sampling…
MRalwasser
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My scope detects a 50Hz signal when the probe is not connected to a circuit, is this normal?

Having no prior experience with scopes, it seems strange to me that when the probe is not measuring anything (~ not connected to a circuit) it measures a small 50Hz (~ my mains are running at 230V 50Hz) signal instead of some random noise. Is this…
damd
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Building a hobbyist oscilloscope

I have a project that I've been thinking about for a little while, and I've come to the realization that at some point during its development, I'm going to need an oscilloscope. Okay, not a problem. Instead of purchasing an oscilloscope, I've…
kestrel
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What do I need to know about oscilloscope probes?

I've run across a Hitachi V-355 oscilloscope, and a friend who's willing to give me a deal if I want it. Unfortunately, there are no probes that come with it. I was searching for probes, only to learn that they're STUPID expensive (either that or…
dwwilson66
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Opinions on an oscilloscope suitable for hobby electronics on a budget

I'm thinking about getting an oscilloscope as my next tool purchase but I don't really know what I should be looking for or what the options are. Ideally I'd prefer something that was stand alone, but I expect a device that hooks up to a PC for the…
Len Holgate
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Can an oscilloscope be used as an EKG?

I was at my doctor's office and noticed an EKG machine that looked like a standard oscilloscope. In fact, its case was almost identical to my dual channel Tektonix 1104b. The main difference was that it had more probes, but I didn't check if they…
user148298
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What to look for in an oscilloscope?

I'm getting back into basic electronics with an Arduino after many years away from the hobby, and I've forgotten a lot of my knowledge. One thing I'm finding is that I really need to get an oscilloscope to assist in designing filtering circuits to…
Mark Henderson
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Help learning from a mistake connecting an oscilloscope

I have built this circuit to dim a lamp with a PWM signal. It had an issue where the MOSFET was getting really hot. So I wanted to know what was happening on the gate of the MOSFET. I turned the PWM signal off and with my multimeter I measured…
cyrili101
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Review request: DIY DC to 50MHz differential oscilloscope probe

Given the cost of proper differential probes, i've decided to make my own. The requirements are: DC to 50 MHz 3db bandwidth A few selectable input voltage ranges, from 3V pk-pk to 300 V pk-pk Better than 1/500 common mode rejection ratio A…
jms
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How did old WW2-era radars accurately measure time delay and integrate this into an oscilloscope?

The speed of light is about 300,000 km per second. An error of just 1 ms would result in being off by about 300 km, which is far too much error for a radar. I would guess it needs accuracy on the order of 10 microseconds in order to get range…
DrZ214
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What is the best USB transfer type (bulk, interrupt, Isochronous Transfers) to be used for implementing a USB oscilloscope?

I want to build a USB oscilloscope. I was reading about different USB transfer types. Which transfer type is best to transfer the collected ADC samples from a USB oscilloscope to a PC? Below are a few of my findings. Please correct me and also it…
robomon
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Cheap 1MHz oscilloscope

I'm learning electronics (and basic electricity) and I wondered if a 1MHz oscilloscope like the DSO Nano is enough for (very) basic electrical and/or electronic circuits. I'm almost broke and I need a cheap portable oscilloscope to try various…
interlol
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Why can't I see bouncing of a switch on an oscilloscope?

I'm trying to view the bouncing of a simple switch on an oscilloscope. I have prepared a simple breadboard circuit (power → switch → resistor → ground). The problem is, it is displayed as a perfect square/rectangle on the scope. I have attached a…
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