An oscilloscope is a device intended for studying (observing, recording, measuring) the amplitude and time parameters of an electrical signal fed to its input, either directly on the screen or recorded on a phototape.
An oscilloscope is highly desirable, if not mandatory, in the workshop of an electronics or electrical engineer. It is used along with simple measuring instruments: ammeter, voltmeter, ohmmeter, eventually a multimeter.
An oscilloscope is the same as a voltmeter, only the screen shows not the voltage value of the signal, but its shape and behavior. The waveform is displayed with a scale graduated in volts (vertical) and seconds (horizontal) for detailed study.
Such measurements are extremely important in many areas:
– In all areas of electronics;
– When studying the parameters of electrical equipment;
– In the diagnosis and adjustment of vehicle systems and others.
what can be done with an oscilloscope?
Oscilloscope in electronics – you can not visually see if a transistor has opened, and how often it does so. In addition, when designing modern fast-acting devices, it is important to know not only about the very fact that the semiconductor switches are actuated, but also about the shapes of the current and voltage rise and decay fronts.
Oscilloscope in repair – Individual components such as transistors, resistors, inductors and capacitors can often be checked with a multimeter or a universal transistor tester. But this is not the case with microcircuits. When repairing power supplies you cannot visually check the operation of the PWM controller, the heart of pulse converters. There is no other way with which you can reliably verify its functionality.
