Subject: Electronics

Semester: 5th
Paper Title: Electronic Instrumentation
Unit II: Power Supply and Oscilloscope

Topic: CATHODE-RAY OSCILLOSCOPE (CRO)

Applications of CRO
The general-purpose CRO, used as a test-equipment in a laboratory, has following
important applications.
Study of Waveforms. To study the waveform of an ac voltage, sinusoidal or otherwise, it is fed
to the Y-input. The size of the figure displayed on the screen can be adjusted suitably by
adjusting the gain controls. The time-base frequency can be changed so as to accommodate one,
two, or more cycles of the Y-input signal. Some oscilloscopes have the provision of expanding
only a part of the cycle of the signal, so as to examine this part in greater detail.
In modern oscilloscopes, automatic triggering is used. The beginning of each oscillation of the
sawtooth-wave oscillator is controlled by the incoming Y-input signal. This makes the proper
synchronization of the signal much easier and much more stable. In addition, it is also possible to
start the horizontal oscillator on any part of the incoming signal.
The dual beam CRO uses a special CRT, which produces two completely independent beams.
This CRT has two electron guns and two independent sets of vertical and horizontal deflection
plates. With this CRO, we can display two signals simultaneously, and compare their
waveforms. A similar function is achieved in a dual trace CRO. It uses the ordinary single-beam
CRT, but has the capability to display two separate vertical input signals simultaneously. This is
achieved by "time-sharing" of the electron beam by the two vertical input signals.
The storage CRO is very useful in the presentation of very slowly swept signals. It finds many
applications in the mechanical and biomedical fields. It can store the events on the CRT.
Measurement of Voltages A dc voltage is measured by applying it between a pair of deflection
(usually vertical) plates. The displacement of the spot on the screen is measured. Usually, the
gain control (attenuator) of the verticalamplifier is calibrated in terms of deflection sensitivity.
The deflection sensitivity of a CRO can be defined as the amount of displacement of the spot on
the screen when a potential of one volt is applied to its deflection plates. In most CROs, the
deflection sensitivity is expressed as the ratio of input voltage to the length of the trace.
Accordingly, it is marked on the attenuator in V/cm, so that by multiplying the displacement of
the spot by the deflection sensitivity directly gives the magnitude of the dc voltage.
An ac (sinusoidal) voltage is measured by applying it to the vertical deflection plates. If no
voltage is applied to the X-plates, a straight-line trace is obtained. Measuring the length of this
straight-line trace and multiplying this length with the deflection sensitivity (given in V/cm)
gives the peak-to-peak value of ac voltage. Half of this is the peak or maximum value of ac.
Dividing it by √2, gives the rms value.
Example The vertical gain control of a CRO is set at a deflection sensitivity of 5 V/cm. An
unknown ac voltage (sinusoidal) is applied to the Y-input. A 10 cm long straight-line trace is
observed on the screen. Determine the ac voltage.
Solution: The deflection sensitivity of the CRO is set at 5 V/cm. It means a potential of 5 V will
displace the electron spot on the screen by 1 cm. Since the trace is a line of length 10 cm, the ac
voltage must have a peak-to-peak variation of 10 x 5 = 50 V. Therefore, the peak (or maximum)
value of ac input voltage
= 20 = 25v
Dividing it by √2, we get rms value,
V= 25 / √2 = 17.677 V