Oscilloscope training class (long)

[w2aew]

Another thank you note from someone who has (I think...) watched every video you've made -- thanks Alan!

I'm in the software biz, but (a long time ago) they did teach me electronics as an undergrad -- including using a 20 MHz single-trace scope with all lettering in cyrillic. I wish I'd paid more attention back then... youth is wasted on the young!

Anyway I found your channel with your excellent video on I-Q signals and mixing. Another great video -- all of your videos are excellent, not just the scope ones. Keep up the good work!

Thank you for the nice comments - much appreciated.  To make it easier to peruse my videos, I maintain a complete hyperlinked index file, arranged numerically and by topic.  It's a PDF file, so easily searchable for the keywords you're interested in.  The latest copy can always be found here:
http://www.dorkage.com/youtube/W2AEW_video_index.pdf

[PCBEnthusiast]

Hi,

I am pretty new to electronics and just wondering if it is a worth while investment to purchase a oscilloscope? I don't need anything too fancy but if anyone can give me any links or personal recommendations on some cheap oscilloscopes that would be great!

Thanks,

[Keysight DanielBogdanoff]

I am pretty new to electronics and just wondering if it is a worth while investment to purchase a oscilloscope? I don't need anything too fancy but if anyone can give me any links or personal recommendations on some cheap oscilloscopes that would be great!

It depends on what you are planning on working with. If you ever need to see more than just "high" or "low" with a DMM, it's generally worth investing in an oscilloscope. You could also look at potential local maker spaces to see if they have one.

As for cheap oscilloscope recommendations, I'm (obviously) partial to the 1000 X-Series we just released: http://bit.ly/1000X-Series

But, if you browse this forum, you're certain to find tons of good advice on which oscilloscope is best for you. Good luck!

[nad007007]

Very nice video for using an oscilloscope

Thanks
Conrad

[w2aew]

Very nice video for using an oscilloscope

Thanks
Conrad

Thank you.  Check out my channel for dozens more videos (hundreds actually).  ;-)

Alan

[CaptainJinx]

Your delay time position video helped me out a ton with my 465! Thanks!

[w2aew]

Your delay time position video helped me out a ton with my 465! Thanks!

Thanks for the nice comment - glad it was helpful!

[Purduephotog]

Is there anyway or anywhere this is offline- that I can download and take with me on the plane for 6 hours?

[bolovan]

Hello,
I read the topic...but I can't find the answer (I miss?) for one question
I am very n00b in electronics...so I have a short question about osciloscopes:
I just both Rigol DS1054Z.
I set my probe to 1x and I set my zoom to 10mv/Division...thare are any damages to osciloscop if I have pulsesc of 10V?
I know that older oscilloscopes they have a mecanical zoom (swich circuits)...and if you put the horizonta/amplitute etc to 10mV/div and have a pulses of 10V...they will damage the input of the oscilloscope
A kind of situation: I probed a audio amplifier...and I wanted to see how is behaving at low signal output (around 2-3mV)...so I put zoom to 1mV/div. But I found that the amplifier had a 10V pules (due some malfunction of pream...). They can damage internal circuit of the oscilloscope?

Thanks for help

[vk6zgo]

Hello,
I read the topic...but I can't find the answer (I miss?) for one question
I am very n00b in electronics...so I have a short question about osciloscopes:
I just both Rigol DS1054Z.
I set my probe to 1x and I set my zoom to 10mv/Division...thare are any damages to osciloscop if I have pulsesc of 10V?
I know that older oscilloscopes they have a mecanical zoom (swich circuits)...and if you put the horizonta/amplitute etc to 10mV/div and have a pulses of 10V...they will damage the input of the oscilloscope
A kind of situation: I probed a audio amplifier...and I wanted to see how is behaving at low signal output (around 2-3mV)...so I put zoom to 1mV/div. But I found that the amplifier had a 10V pules (due some malfunction of pream...). They can damage internal circuit of the oscilloscope?

Thanks for help

Highly unlikely to do any harm to the 'scope with voltages around 10v, certainly with an old analog instrument, & I'm fairly certain with the DS 1054z.
Mostly, you will just get a display which goes over-scale in the vertical direction.

[bolovan]

Thanks for info.
One of my problem was that I traced some singnals on old PLC with odd power source (48V)...and I had the probe on 1x...and the power stabilizer (a liniar one)  ...I pobed some circuits...and I went to smoke a cigar (bad habit)...in the time...the power stabiizier has broken and I had 48V in board...and also in oscilloscope (way off the scale). And something similar has happen 20 years (yea, I know...I am very very old...I still have whizzing in my years from big bang) a go to one of my friends...and the oscilloscope has broken.

[BergRD]

Thank you for this video!

As someone, now aging and hasn't used a scope in a few decades; it helps a great deal!

A great video and start for someone just starting or trying to gain back what time has taken.

Thanks!

[CharlieEcho]

Really appreciate all of W2AEW's videos! At least the twenty or so I've watched so far. 

[w2aew]

Really appreciate all of W2AEW's videos! At least the twenty or so I've watched so far. 

Well, you only have about 257 to go!  I hope you like the rest!

[bolovan]

@w2aew it will like the rest of the videos...trust me
P.S. By the way (and sorry for my terrible english and offtopic) ...I am n00b even between n00bs...but your videos are very well made (and even I was able to understand)...and there are incredible useful..please don't stop...and big big thanks

[JorgeRamos1]

awesome tutorial 

[Francesco Gozzo]

Hi W2aew and you guys all, I just so this posts and I will watch those videos. I was wandering but actually don’t know if it is necessary, if it could be possible to make a post dedicated to a complete list of things that should absolutely not be done with an oscilloscope and that could damage it. I saw an eevblog video on grounding vs oscilloscopes an found it very useful but would like to find out all the other risks if there are.  Let me know if it is useful and I will open a discussion here. Have a good day!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[w2aew]

Hi W2aew and you guys all, I just so this posts and I will watch those videos. I was wandering but actually don’t know if it is necessary, if it could be possible to make a post dedicated to a complete list of things that should absolutely not be done with an oscilloscope and that could damage it. I saw an eevblog video on grounding vs oscilloscopes an found it very useful but would like to find out all the other risks if there are.  Let me know if it is useful and I will open a discussion here. Have a good day!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

There are really just two or three things to be careful of to prevent damage to your oscilloscope. 

Being cognizant of your scope's ground and your circuit's ground is one of them, and the topic is fully covered by Dave's video on the topic. 

Another is to be careful about overdriving the input of the scope.  Take notice of the maximum input signal levels (usually printed on the front panel next to the connectors).  Remember that using a 10x probe will allow you to measure larger voltages, but then you need to take a look at the maximum voltage ratings for the probe.  Also beware that there are different maximum voltage ratings for the scope's 50 ohm termination (if it has one) vs. the 1Mohm input termination.

If you have an analog/CRT type scope, you want to be careful not to burn the phosphor on the CRT via excessive brightness, or using XY mode and leaving a single "dot" in one spot for a long period of time.

Oscilloscopes are generally more physically fragile than something like a DMM, so care should be taken not to drop them of have them get battered about.

These are probably the most common things to be aware of.  Other than that, scopes are pretty robust instruments.

[w2aew]

Here's another take at this talk.  This recording was done at a local ham radio club meeting.  It is slightly updated from the original video that started this thread in that it also includes basic information about digital scopes as well.  The presentation is entitled "Basics of Oscilloscope and their Use in the Hamshack".  However, this video is only "Part 1", covering the basics of oscilloscopes. 

The club used several cameras during the recording, so I think the final product came out quite well.  Video is a little over an hour long:

http://youtu.be/Xqz63nmXf84

[0xff7]

Thank you so much for uploading and sharing this!!! As a noob that is teaching myself through various online resources and experimentation I very much look forward to watching this


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Discotech]

However, this video is only "Part 1", covering the basics of oscilloscopes. 

Is there going to be a "part 2" or did they not film resuming from their break where the video ends ?

[w2aew]

However, this video is only "Part 1", covering the basics of oscilloscopes. 

Is there going to be a "part 2" or did they not film resuming from their break where the video ends ?

There will be a part 2, showing a few examples of oscilloscope usage in the ham radio shack.  This part talks about using a scope as a RF station monitor (transmit rf envelope), as a TDR to measure coax length, impedance, etc., and measuring unknown inductors and capacitors.  These are all topics that I've covered more extensively in previous videos on my channel.  They are still editing the meeting video recordings.

[timber23]

Thank you very much for your tutorials. Its a nice overview and nice explenation 

[Km]

very detailed imformation 

[mohammed al jamal]

thanx informative