OSCILLOSCOPE FUNDAMENTALS

3 dB-bandwidth
BANDWIDTH
Bandwidth is the most important oscilloscope attribute. 0 dB
► Oscilloscopes can only accurately measure signals with frequencies less than the rated oscilloscope bandwidth;

Attenuation
–3 dB
input signals greater than the oscilloscope bandwidth will not be captured and displayed
► The bandwidth of an oscilloscope is the frequency at which an input signal is attenuated by 3 dB;
at this frequency, a sine wave will have a displayed amplitude of 70.7 % of the real signal amplitude
► To correctly measure digital signals, the oscilloscope’s bandwidth should be at least 5 times the signal frequency to capture the
fundamental frequency plus the 3rd and 5th harmonic
f Bandwidth Frequency

SAMPLING RATE ADC – Aliasing (sampling too slow)

Input signal
An oscilloscope’s sampling rate is the number of samples/s that the instrument can acquire.
► The oscilloscope’s ADC (analog to digital converter) determines the sampling rate
► To accurately reconstruct signals, the sampling rate needs to be at least twice the signal frequency; Alias
most scopes have a maximum sampling rate of 2.5 times the oscilloscope’s rated bandwidth
► Aliasing occurs when the sampling rate is too slow

MEMORY DEPTH
Memory depth is the number of ADC samples stored per acquisition.
memory depth
► Captured time =
sampling rate
► The more memory depth, the more time can be captured in an acquisition
► When sampling at the fastest rate and using all memory, the oscilloscope is forced to
reduce the sampling rate when you acquire more time
► More memory is always better, but it can require additional processing time and slow down the acquisition rate

VERTICAL RESOLUTION 10-bit A/D converter:

uncovers even small signal details
The vertical resolution of an oscilloscope is determined by the oscilloscope’s ADC.
► An 8-bit ADC can place an input signal into any of 256 (28) vertical levels, while a 10-bit ADC has 1024 (210) vertical levels
► Oscilloscope noise produces vertical values that deviate from the actual signal values by the amount of inherent noise
► For repetitive signals, averaging of acquisitions reduces noise 4 mV
► The high resolution mode averages adjacent signals and can be used on all signals 1 mV

ACQUISITION RATE Acquisition rate

Display "Effective" Display

The acquisition rate is the number of times/s the oscilloscope can capture and display waveforms. window dead-time window
► Oscilloscopes with faster acquisition rates have less dead time between acquisitions
► Oscilloscopes with faster acquisition rates feel more responsive when you turn knobs or push buttons
► Acquisition rate slows down as the acquisition memory depth is increased, due to additional processing time
► Acquisition rate slows down when measurements and math are enabled

Acquisition "Real" Acquisition

time dead-time time

OSCILLOSCOPE INNOVATION. MEASUREMENT CONFIDENCE.

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