Experiment #09: Introduction to Oscilloscope and to measure DC/AC voltages

through it

Equipment Required:

• Oscilloscope (DSO)
• Variable DC power source
• Function Generator
• Connecting wires
• Digital multimeter
Theory:
It is a type of electronic test instrument that allows observation of constantly varying signal, usually
as a two-dimensional plot of one or more signals as a function of time. Other signals (such as
sound or vibration) can be converted to voltages and displayed.
They are commonly used to observe the exact wave shape of an electrical signal. In addition to
the amplitude of signal, an oscilloscope can show distortion, the time between two events (such
as pulse width, period, rise time).

There are two types of oscilloscopes:

1. Analog oscilloscope (Known as cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO))
2. Digital oscilloscope (known as digital storage oscilloscope (DSO))

Cathode Ray Oscilloscope Digital storage oscilloscope

Digital Storage Oscilloscope:

A digital storage oscilloscope (often abbreviated DSO) is an oscilloscope which stores and
analyses the signal digitally rather than using analog techniques. The basic mechanism behind
digital oscilloscopes / DSOs is the conversion of the incoming analogue signal into a digital format
where it can be processed using digital signal processing techniques. It is now the most common
type of oscilloscope in use because of the advanced trigger, storage, display and measurement
features which it typically provides.

An oscilloscope graticule

How to use Digital Storage Oscilloscope:

Digital oscilloscope offers user-friendly front panel with clear indications to allow access to all
basic functions for easy operation. For faster adjustment to ease testing there is an AUTO key to
instantly display the appropriate waveform and range position.
The main purpose of an oscilloscope is to graph an electrical signal as it varies over time.
Most scopes produce a two-dimensional graph with time on the x-axis and voltage on the y-
axis.
Controls surrounding the scope's screen allow you to adjust the scale of the graph, both vertically
and horizontally also allowing you to zoom in and out on a signal. There are also controls to set
the trigger on the scope, which helps focus and stabilize the display.

What Can Scopes Measure:

In addition to those fundamental features, many scopes have measurement tools, which help to
quickly quantify frequency, amplitude, and other waveform characteristics. In general, a scope
can measure both time-based and voltage-based characteristics:

• Frequency and period -- Frequency is defined as the number of times per second a
waveform repeat. And the period is the reciprocal of that (number of seconds each
repeating waveform takes). The maximum frequency a scope can measure varies, but it's
often in the 100's of MHz (1E6 Hz) range.
• Amplitude -- Amplitude is a measure of the magnitude of a signal. There are a variety of
amplitude measurements including peak-to-peak amplitude, which measures the absolute
difference between a high and low voltage point of a signal. Peak amplitude, on the other
hand, only measures how high or low a signal is past 0V.
• Maximum and minimum voltages -- The scope can tell you exactly how high and low
the voltage of your signal gets.
• Mean and RMS voltages -- Oscilloscopes can calculate the average or mean and RMS
(Root mean square) of your signal.
 • Math Function: the DSO in our lab has two input channels so using Math function we
can perform addition, subtraction and multiplication.

What is Function Generator?

Function Generator can produce waves of different Shape, frequency and amplitude. It may be in
the form of a separate unit or a part of electronic circuit board. The waveform generated by
function generator is fed into the oscilloscope for display.
RMS Voltage of an AC Waveform:

A periodic sine wave signal with time period T is given by the expression

𝑉(𝑡) = 𝑉𝑚 cos(⍵𝑡)

Where ω = 2π / T

The RMS voltage can be calculated as

𝑇
𝑉𝑅𝑀𝑆 = √ [1/𝑇 ∫ 𝑉𝑚 2 cos2 (𝑤𝑡)𝑑𝑡]
0

1 + cos(2𝑤)
cos 2 (𝑤𝑡) =
2

𝑇
𝑉𝑅𝑀𝑆 = √ [𝑉𝑚 2 /2𝑇 ∫ ( 1 + cos(2𝑤))𝑑𝑡
0

For one complete cycle or period of the wave form, the integration limits are 0 to 3600. So,
integrating through the lower and higher limits, we get

1
𝑉𝑅𝑀𝑆 = √ [𝑉𝑚 2 /2𝑇[𝑡 + ( )sin (2𝑤𝑡)]𝑇0
2𝑤

The complex equation can be further simplified by dividing it with ω = 2π / T. Then, the reduced
equation for the RMS voltage is

𝑉𝑚 2
𝑉𝑅𝑀𝑆 =√ [𝑇]
2𝑇

𝑉𝑚
𝑉𝑅𝑀𝑆 =
√2

𝑉𝑅𝑀𝑆 = 𝑉𝑚 ∗ 0.707
Task 1:
Using variable DC power source observe the input DC signal on Oscilloscope. Using AUTOSET
key observe how scale automatically adjust for different values of input signal.

Task 2:
Using Function Generator measure the AC signal for different amplitudes and frequencies.
Complete the following Table.
peak to peak Time/Di Time Frequ Peak Voltage/ Peak Peak to VRMS=
horizontal distance vision period ency vertical Division Voltage peak VP/√2
(# of divisions) Distance voltage
X Y T=XY F=1/T X’ Y’ VP=X’Y’ VP-P=2VP

Task 3:
Using Math function of Oscilloscope add a 10V DC signal with AC=10V. Also save your results
using Save/Recall button and take a print out.