USE OF THE OSCILLOSCOPE

Science Learning Center

University of Michigan Dearborn

Modified from a presentation written by David Matzke by: Donald

Wisniewski, Dawn Wisniewski, Huzefa Mamoola, and Angela Nolte

Under the direction of: Dr. Ruth Dusenbery and Dr. Paul Zitzewitz,
with funds from the Office of the Provost, UM-D, and NSF CCLI
grant DUE#9952827 to RD and PZ.

Further reviewed and edited by: Dr. Jim Hetrick and Dr. Annette Sieg
 OBJECTIVES
In this module you will learn how to use an
oscilloscope to:

measure direct current (D.C.) voltage and

measure alternating current (A.C.) voltage.

 Equipment
Make sure that you
have the following
before you begin:

a function generator
an oscilloscope
a six volt battery
two cables
 Screen Control Panel

Input Channel Selector

The SLC oscilloscopes consist of a Screen, Control
Panel, & Input Channel Selector
 The oscilloscopes you use in Phys 151 (above) and
Phys 126 (next slide) have a very similar setup
 Phys 126 oscilloscopes
 Oscilloscope Screen

Notice that the screen

has ruled divisions
both horizontally and
vertically.
The major divisions
are marked off in
centimeters, the
middle lines also
have minor divisions
every 0.2 of a
centimeter.
 Input Channel Selector
The Input Channel Selector has a left half for
channel A and a right half for channel B.
In the center of the Selector lies the mode switch
that determines which channel will serve as an
input to the oscilloscope: A, B or Dual.
For this module we will only be concerned with
Channel A.
Channel A Channel B
 Control Panel
The Control Panel
contains the controls
necessary to adjust the
triggering and sweep
time to stabilize the
waveform.
This section is generally
used when measuring
A.C. waveforms.
 Turning the Oscilloscope ON
Now turn the power
switch located to the
right of the screen to the
ON position.

Make sure the triggering

level knob is pulled out
for AUTO operation.

A line or dot should

appear on the screen.

If not, check that the

position switches and
intensity dial point up.
 Set Mode Switch
The oscilloscope is
capable of measuring
voltages from two
different sources.

The mode switch is used

to alternate between
sources.

For the purposes of this

module, set the mode
switch to Channel A.
 Connect Cable
A cable should be
connected to the input
of Channel A.

The other end of the

cable has 2 leads with
alligator clips. These
should not be
connected to anything
at this point (if they
are, then disconnect
them).
Sweep Time per Centimeter Switch

Look at the sweep

time per centimeter
knob.

Turn the outer dial of

the sweep time per
centimeter to 2
milliseconds (ms).
 Horizontal Position
The horizontal line
should be centered
using the horizontal
and vertical position
knobs.

Make sure the

horizontal position
knob is pushed in.
 Intensity and Focus Dials

The intensity dial

controls the
brightness of the line.

The focus dial

controls the
sharpness of the line.
Summary Measuring DC Voltage
To get started you should follow these steps:
Set mode to channel A.

Connect cable to input. Leads should be free.

Turn power ON and wait for dot or line to appear.

Pull Triggering level knob out.

Adjust intensity and focus as needed.

Set sweep time /sec knob until the line on the

screen is seen to be clear and steady.
Adjust horizontal and vertical position knob to
make sure that the line is fully visible.
 Measuring a Direct Current Voltage

Switch the A.C.-GND-D.C.

switch to the D.C. position.

Set the volts/cm dial on 1.

Turn the beige dial

clockwise all the way to
put the volts/cm dial in the
calibrated position.
 Volts/cm Dial
The volts/cm dial tells
you the number of
volts to be
represented by each
centimeter vertically
on the screen.

Here the outer dial is

set to one, so each
centimeter equals
one volt.
 Checking Oscilloscope Calibration
Use the vertical
position dial to move
the baseline near the
bottom of the screen.
 Connect Cables
Now take the cable
connected to the
input and connect the
black lead to the
negative terminal of
the 6 volt battery.

Take the red lead and

touch it momentarily
to the positive post of
the battery.
 The line on the
oscilloscope should
deflect upwards when the
positive connection is
made.

The amount that the line

deflects vertically tells us
the voltage of the battery.

Fasten the red lead to the

positive post of the battery
and read the voltage.

The line should have

deflected up about 6 cm
(corresponding to 6 v).
 Disconnect the red lead.

Set the baseline to the

center position.

Turn the volts/cm dial to 2.

Fasten the red lead to the

positive terminal again.

The line on the

oscilloscope should now
deflect about 3 cm since
each cm represents 2 v.
 Notice that the volts/cm dial does not change
the voltage.

It is a sensitivity dial that allows us to measure a

wide range of voltages by telling us how much
voltage is represented by each centimeter along
the Y-axis.

Disconnect the battery from the leads on the

input cables.
Measuring a Time Varying (A.C.) Voltage

Now look at the Function Generator. This

device produces a voltage that changes over
time.
 Initial Setup
Before any work is to
be done on the
function generator, be
sure that all the dials
are turned completely
clockwise and all
buttons are in their
outward position.
There should also be a
set of leads connected
to the Main Output.
 Amplitude Dial

This dial is used to adjust the peak to peak voltage of

the AC waveform from 0 to 25.

Set the amplitude to max by turning the dial completely

clockwise.
 ATT Button
This is the attenuation button. It is used to set the
amplitude of the signal to a significantly smaller
range.

This button should be in the OUT position unless

otherwise directed.
 Function Buttons

These button are located

at the upper right corner
of the generator.
Selecting a button sets
the type of voltage
change over time as a
square, triangular or sine
wave.
Press the button for the
sine wave.
 Frequency Dial and Range Buttons

The frequency dial

and range buttons are
used in conjunction
when setting the
frequency of the
waveform.
Pressing a range
button will multiply
the value of the
frequency dial by that
of the range button.
 Frequency Dial and Range Buttons
Set the FREQUENCY dial to 1.0 and press the range
button 10.
The resulting frequency is 10 cycles/sec.
 Frequency and Frequency Multiplier
Now set the FREQUENCY dial to 0.8 and the
FREQUENCY MULTIPLIER to 1k.
The resulting frequency is 800 cycles/sec.
 Connecting the Function Generator
to the Oscilloscope
Connect the
alligator clip of
the black lead
from the function
generator to the
alligator clip of
the black lead
from the
oscilloscope.

Do the same with

the red leads.
Measuring a Time Varying (A.C.) Voltage
Set the volts/cm dial to 5,
making sure the inner
beige dial is turned fully
clockwise.
Remember each cm in the
Y-axis represents a certain
number of volts, in this
case, 5/cm.
Change the AC-GND-DC
switch to A.C. and raise
the image by adjusting the
vertical position switch.
 Setting the Sweep Time
The sweep time/cm knob
contains two dials.
The inner beige dial is a fine
adjust and should be turned
fully clockwise.
The numbers corresponding
to the outer dial represent the
amount of time per cm in the
X-direction.
Set this to .2 ms.
 Now use the triggering
level dial and the sync
and source switches
to steady the picture if
necessary.

Flip the source switch

to INT in order to
ensure that the sine
wave starts from the
same spot every time
the electron beam
sweeps across the
screen.
 Measuring Voltage
Position the wave so
that the bottom of a
wave is lined up with
one of the cm
markings.

Measure the number of

cms from the bottom
of the wave to the top.

Multiply the number of

cms by the volts/cm
sensitivity to get the
maximum peak
voltage. This should
be about 20-25 volts. 4.3 cm x 5 V/cm = 21.5 V
 Measuring Frequency
Position the sine wave
so that the beginning of
the wave lines up with
the cm position along
the x-axis.
Count the number of
cms along the x-axis of
one cycle and multiply
by the sweep time per
cm.
You should get 1.1 ms
or 0.0011 sec. The
inverse of this is the
frequency, which is 900
cycles/second.
~5.5 cm x 0.2 ms/cm = 1.1 ms
 Changing the Oscilloscope Settings

Remember that the

function generator is
producing the voltage
and frequency. The
oscilloscope is merely
measuring the output.

Change the volts/cm

dial to 10 and the
sweep time/cm dial to
.5 ms/cm.
 Changing the Oscilloscope Settings.
Watch the wave form
change as you change
the volts/cm dial to 10
and the sweep time/cm
dial to .5 ms/cm.

Adjust the triggering

level knob if necessary
to get a stable image.

You should still be

reading 20-25 V and 900
cycles/sec.
Using the 5X Feature on Horizontal Knob
Pull the horizontal
knob OUT.

Notice that it spreads out

the wave magnifying it 5
times. We can use this
feature to zero in on part
of the wave.

Push it back in before

continuing.
Changing Function Generator Settings
Now change the AMPLITUDE dial on the
function generator.

Notice that the reading on the

oscilloscope changes.

Dial in a different frequency.

Remember that this changes the time for

one wave on the oscilloscope.
 Attenuation
The attenuation button is used to output small
voltages.
Press the ATT button on the function generator to the
IN position and observe the voltage on the
oscilloscope.
Adjust the controls on the oscilloscope if needed to
properly observe the signal.
 Summary Measuring AC Voltage
Turn on the function generator by pressing in the power
button.
Turn all dials completely clockwise and ensure all
buttons are in the outward position.
Press the function button of the desired wave function,
i.e., triangle, square, or sine wave.
Set the frequency dial and then press the range button of
the function generator to achieve the desired frequency.
Connect the leads of the function generators output to
the leads of the oscilloscopes input; red lead to red lead
and black lead to black lead.
 Summary Measuring AC Voltage
Flip the AC-GND-DC switch to AC on the oscilloscope.
Set the VOLTS/CM dial to proper sensitivity; remember to
twist the inner dial clockwise as far as possible.
Set the sweep TIME/CM dial to proper sensitivity. Twist
the inner dial clockwise as far as it will go.
Make sure the picture is centered on the screen using the
vertical and horizontal position dials.
Flip the source switch to internal.
If necessary, adjust the triggering level knob until you get
a steady picture. The triggering level knob should be
pulled out.
Adjust the intensity and focus to get a good sharp image.
 Practice Problem #1

Set frequency to 100 Hz.

Find the peak to peak voltage and
Find the time or period for one cycle.
 Answer to #1

Peak to peak voltage = 25 volts

The time or period = 8.6 ms.
 Practice Problem #2

Set frequency to 1300 Hz.

Find the peak to peak voltage and
Find the time or period for one cycle.
 Answer to #2

Peak to peak voltage = 22.5 volts

Time or period = 0.78 ms.
 You have now completed the
Oscilloscope Module.

Obtain a Post Test and make

measurements using the assigned
Function Generator settings