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Cathode Ray Oscilloscope(CRO)

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Cathode Ray Oscilloscope(CRO)
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 Very useful and versatile laboratory instrument (diagnostic

lab equipment).
 Used for display, measurements and analysis of waveforms
(signals) in electrical and electronic circuits at frequencies
ranging from dc to GHz.
 Basic instrument for the study of all types of signals.
 Very fast in displaying/plotting (X-Y plotters).
 Capable of generating a graph of an input signal versus time
(voltage-time mode) or a second variable (X-Y mode).
 Can be employed to measure quantities such as peak
voltage, frequency, period, phase difference, pulse width etc.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Parts of a CRO:
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1) Cathode Ray Tube (CRT) and its associated controls.

An electron gunI.
II. Deflection plates
III. Phosphorescent screen
2) Input circuitry (a time-base generator, vertical and
horizontal amplifiers).

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Simple CRO construction:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 CRO construction:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Block diagram of a basic CRO :
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Operation: Vertical Deflection Plates(VDP)
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 Electron beam generated from electron gun will be

accelerated towards phosphorous screen.
 Beam passes through a set of parallel plates (vertical
deflection plates) oriented horizontally.
 Voltage to be displayed is amplified by a vertical amplifier
and produce an electric field which deflects the path of the
electron vertically.
 The polarity of the signal determines whether the
deflections will be up or down.
 Magnitude of the signal determines the vertical
displacement of the electron.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Operation: Horizontal Deflection Plates(HDP)
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 After passing through vertical deflection plates, the beam

passes through a set of similar plates (horizontal
deflection plates) which are oriented vertically.
 The potential difference applied to these plates produce an
electric field which deflects left or right.
 Under normal configuration these HDP are connected to a
time-base circuitry.
 This circuit can control how fast the electron beam
sweeps from the left to right

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Operation:
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 If two deflection voltages were held constant, the electron beam would
strike a point on the phosphorescent film and a stationary point would
visible on the screen.
 Most voltages of interested are time-varying and so the voltage applied
to the HDP is varied with time in such a way that the spot moves from
left to right on the screen as time passes.
 The phosphorescent material has the property of emitting light for
several milliseconds after the electrons have passed, the total effect is
for the electrons to leave behind a visible trail –a time-varying signal.
 The horizontal deflection voltage is also varied in such a way that
when the beam reaches the right-hand edge of the screen, it starts over
at the left-right side.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Displaying a signal on the screen:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Displaying a signal on the screen:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 CRO in X-Y Mode:
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 Beside showing a time-varying signal, the oscilloscope

lets you display an input signal rather than the time base
on the horizontal axis. This is called X-Y mode as both
the X and Y axis are tracing input voltage.
 The waveform resulting from XY arrangement of two
periodic signals of different periods is called Lissajous
Pattern.
 From the shape of Lissajous pattern we can determine
relative phases of the signals as well as frequency ratio.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 CRO controls:
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1. Y-Gain: Amplifies Y-deflection (small voltages are

amplified by built-in amplifiers before applying Y-plate)
Y-Gain=0.5V/Div
2. Time-Base: A saw-tooth wave is applied internally
across X-plates.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 CRO control: 2.Time-Base
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 Controls the speed at which the spot sweeps across the

screen horizontally from left to right.


Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 CRO control: 2.Time-Base
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 CRO control: 2.Time-Base
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 Helps to display the actual waveform applied across Y-

plates.
 Calibrated in s/cm or ms/cm or µs/cm.
 Gives the time required for the spot to sweep 1cm
horizontally across the screen.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Most Common Oscilloscope Controls:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Measurement of frequency:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Measurement of phase difference:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Lissajous Figures:
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 Can be displayed by applying two a.c signals

simultaneously to X-plates and Y-plates of a CRO.
 As the frequency, amplitude and phase difference are
altered, different patterns are seen on the screen of the
CRO.
 Obtained when operated in X-Y mode.
 If the ratio of the two frequencies of the voltages is just
equal to a rational number, standing figures appear on the
oscilloscope (Lissajous’ figures); if the frequency ratio,
however, deviates slightly from a rational number, these
figures are moving.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Measurement of phase difference using Lissajous Pattern:
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Obtained by applying two sinusoidal signals to

be compared at the vertical and horizontal plates.
The phase difference then measured from
resulting Lissajous pattern.
The pattern may be either a straight line or a
circle or an ellipse depending on the amount of
phase difference.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

Measurement of phase difference using Lissajous Pattern:

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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

Measurement of phase difference using Lissajous Pattern:

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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

Measurement of phase difference using Lissajous Pattern:

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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Measurement of frequency using Lissajous Pattern:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Measurement of frequency using Lissajous Pattern:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Measurement of frequency using Lissajous Pattern:
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Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Storage type oscilloscope:
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 Used for presentation of very slowly swept signals.

 Used in mechanical and biomedical fields.
 In conventional CRO the persistence of the screen is
smaller than the rate at which the signal sweeps across the
screen (the display will disappear within µs to seconds).
 The persistence of the screen can be adjusted to match
with the sweep time. So the display stays for few seconds
or even hours.
 A special CRT called storage tube is used which is same
as conventional CRT but with additional number of
special electrodes.

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Storage type oscilloscope:
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1) Two special guns called flood guns

2) Collimation electrodes
3) Collector mesh
4) Storage mesh or storage target

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Example1:
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 Horizontal frequency=50Hz
 Vertical frequency=?

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20

 Example2:
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 Phase difference=?

Mr.P.Krishna, EEE Department, IIITN 19-Feb-20