INSTRUMENTATION & MEASUREMENT

Chapter 4: Introduction to Oscilloscope

CRO
The cathode-ray oscilloscope, generally referred to as the oscilloscope or simply scope, is probably the most versatile electrical measuring instrument available.

What is Oscilloscope?
A device for viewing oscillations, as of electrical voltage or current, by a display on the screen of a cathoderay tube. An electronic instrument used to observe and measure changing electrical signals.

Are used in the sciences, medicine, engineering, and telecommunications industry.

What can be observed through Oscilloscope

Some of the electrical parameter that can be observed with the oscilloscope are: AC/DC Voltage Indirect measurement of AC or DC Current Time Frequency Phase relationships Wide range of waveform evaluations such as rise time, fall time, ringing, and overshoot.

Subsystems of Oscilloscope
The oscilloscope consists of the following major subsystems: 1. Cathode-ray tube, or CRT 2. Vertical amplifier 3. Horizontal amplifier 4. Sweep generator 5. Trigger circuit 6. Associated power supplies

Function/Sweep

CATHODE RAY TUBE (CRT)

ELECTRON GUN

Cathode-ray Tube
The cathode-ray tube used in an oscilloscope is very similar to the picture tube in a television set. Cathode-ray tube are manufactured in various sizes ranging from screen diameter of approximately 1 to 25 in. or larger. The major components general-purpose CRT are: Evacuated glass envelope Electron gun assembly Deflection plate assembly Fluorescent screen

Cathode Ray Tube Components

Evacuated glass envelope: vacuum condition to permit the electron beam to traverse the tube easily. Electron gun: combination of anode and cathode. to provide a source of electrons, converge and focus them into a well-defined beam, and accelerate them toward the fluorescent screen. (heating cathode control grip focusing anode accelerating anode)

Cathode Ray Tube Components

Deflection plate: two pairs of charged deflector plates are placed horizontally and vertically to the screen. The electric fields between plates are charged accordingly, to allow the flow of electrons to swept either way. Fluorescent screen: illuminates when the electrons hit it. Brightness depends on rate of flow of electrons

CRT
The section of the CRT just beyond the electron gun assembly is the deflection system. Waveform can be displayed on the CRTs fluorescent only if there is some means of deflecting the electron beam both horizontally and vertically. This is the function of the deflecting plates. If the voltage supply is connected between the Y plate (vertical), the electrons in the beam will be pulled toward the positive plate and the beam will deflect above.

CRT
If one alternating voltage is connected, the beam will be deflected alternatively up and below and will plot vertical line on the screen. If alternating voltage is supplied to the X plate (horizontal), it will plot out a horizontal line.

Given the deflection, D by equation: L d E D D 2dE A

Where
D = deflection on the fluorescent screen (m) d = effective length of the deflection plates (m) L = distance from centre of the deflection plates to screen (m) d = distance between the deflection plates (m) ED= deflection voltage (V) EA =accelerating voltage (V)

(m/V)

Deflection Factor, G
And the deflection factor, G is

1 2dE A G S L d

V/m

(V/m)

Deflection Sensitivity, S
The deflection sensitivity, S given

L d D S ED 2dE A

m/V

Exercise
The accelerating anode voltage of a cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO) is 1 kV and the deflection voltage is 2 kV. The distance from midpoint of the plate to the screen is 30 cm and the length of the deflection plate is 5 cm. the separation between the two plates is 40 mm. determine: i. The deflection of the beam. ii. The deflection factor. iii. The deflection sensitivity.

Exercise
An electrical deflected cathode ray tube has a final anode voltage of 2000V and parallel deflecting plates 1.5 cm long and 0.5 cm apart. If the screen is 50 cm from the centre of deflecting plates, find: a) The deflection sensitivity of the tube. b) The deflection factor of the tube.

Graticule
The graticule is a grid of lines that serves as a scale when making time and amplitude measurement with an oscilloscope. The graticule may be etched or silkscreened on a plastic CRT faceplate. Although different-size CRTs may be used, graticules are usually laid out in an pattern.

The CRT Graticule

Basic Oscilloscope
For the CRT to be of practical use as part of measuring instrument, we must connect to it additional electronic circuitry that can quickly deflect and control the electron beam. The purpose of the electronic circuit is to make the beam trace on the CRT screen a reproduction of the signal we apply to the input terminals of the oscilloscope. General-purpose oscilloscope, the left horizontal deflection plate (looking toward the screen) and the lower vertical deflection plate are connected to ground.

Basic Oscilloscope
The beam is deflected upward and to the right by signal applied to the upper vertical deflection plate or the horizontal deflection plate. A signal to be displayed on the CRT screen is applied to the vertical input terminal where it is fed into the vertical amplifier. The signal is amplified and applied to the vertical deflection plate. Which causes the beam to be deflected in the vertical plane. With the switch set to internal sync, as it is for normal operation of the oscilloscope, the output of the vertical amplifier is applied to the sweep generator.

Basic Oscilloscope
The signal triggers the sweep generator. The purpose of the sweep generator is to develop a voltage at the horizontal deflection plate. The input signal to the horizontal amplifier depends on the position to which switch is set. In normal operation of oscilloscope, the switch is set to internal sweep. When the instrument is used in the X-Y mode, for phase-shift measurement or to determine the frequency of a signal that is applied to the horizontal input terminal is amplified by the horizontal amplifier.

Function/Sweep

Sweep Generator
Most of the oscilloscope is used to display a waveform that varies as a function of time. The beam must have a constant horizontal velocity. Since the beam velocity is a function of the deflecting voltage, the deflecting voltage must increase linearly with time. A voltage with this characteristic is called a ramp voltage. The waveform applied to the vertical deflecting plates is displayed on the oscilloscope screen if a sawtooth voltage is simultaneously applied to the horizontal deflecting plates. The circuit which develop these ramp voltages are called time base generator or sweep generator.

Attenuators
The voltage at the input terminal of the vertical amplifier, which causes the beam to the deflected off the CRT screen, is quite low in amplitude. So the high amplitude signals may be displayed, an attenuator network is placed between the vertical input terminal and the input terminal of the vertical amplifier. The term attenuate means to reduce in size. The

purpose of the attenuator is to reduce the amplitude of the vertical input signal before applying it to the vertical amplifier.

Voltage Measurement
The most direct voltage measurement made with an oscilloscope is the peak-peak value. The rms value of the voltage can easily be calculated from the peak to peak measurement if desired. The peak to peak value of voltage is computed as

Voltage Measurement

Voltage/Period Measurement
5 Div

4 Div

A typical display with correct settings: Multiply 4 Div x Volts/Div to obtain the peak-to-peak amplitude. Multiply 5 Div x Time/Div to obtain the period.

Time and frequency measurement

The time period of a sine wave is determine by measuring the time for one cycle in horizontal divisions and multiplying by setting of the time/div control.

Frequency, f = 1/T