Digital Oscilloscope Course

Lesson 1 • What an Oscilloscope Does

Defines the oscilloscope's role in visualising voltage over time. Establishes the conceptual baseline for all subsequent measurement techniques.

Lesson 2 • Anatomy of a Digital Oscilloscope

Identifies every major hardware block and its function. Connects physical layout to signal-flow understanding used throughout the course.

Lesson 3 • Signal Acquisition Basics

Explains how the instrument samples and digitises an analogue signal. Provides the technical grounding needed to interpret waveform accuracy.

Lesson 1 • Active and Differential Probes

Introduces high-impedance active probes and floating differential probes for demanding signals. Extends measurement capability beyond passive probe limitations.

Lesson 2 • Current and High-Voltage Probes

Explains clamp-on current probes and high-voltage divider probes for power measurements. Builds safety awareness alongside expanded measurement range.

Lesson 3 • Passive Probe Fundamentals

Covers 1X and 10X passive probe construction and attenuation ratios. Directly impacts measurement accuracy introduced in Chapter 1.

Lesson 4 • Earthing and Signal Integrity

Addresses earth-lead inductance, loop area, and connection best practices. Prevents noise and ringing artefacts that corrupt waveform data.

Lesson 1 • Horizontal Time Base Settings

Covers seconds-per-division, delay, and zoom controls for time-axis management. Accurate time-base setup is prerequisite for all timing measurements.

Lesson 2 • Display Modes and Persistence

Explores YT, XY, and variable-persistence display modes for different analysis needs. Connects display choice to the type of signal behaviour being investigated.

Lesson 3 • Vertical Scale and Position

Explains volts-per-division settings, offset, and coupling modes. These controls determine how amplitude information is displayed on screen.

Lesson 1 • Pulse Width and Runt Triggers

Teaches time-qualified triggers that isolate pulses by width or amplitude anomalies. Enables detection of glitches invisible to simple edge triggering.

Lesson 2 • Trigger Noise Rejection and Coupling

Explains trigger coupling modes and noise-reject filters that stabilise triggering on noisy signals. Prevents false triggers that produce unstable displays.

Lesson 3 • Advanced Trigger Types

Introduces pattern, timeout, and sequence triggers for complex digital signals. Extends trigger capability to multi-channel and protocol-level events.

Lesson 1 • Statistical Analysis of Measurements

Introduces min, max, mean, and standard-deviation statistics over multiple acquisitions. Reveals signal variability and long-term drift invisible in single captures.

Lesson 2 • Cursor Measurement Techniques

Covers horizontal, vertical, and waveform-tracking cursors for manual parameter extraction. Provides precise control when automated measurements are insufficient.

Lesson 3 • Automated Voltage Measurements

Explains amplitude, peak-to-peak, RMS, and DC-level automated readouts. Connects measurement definitions to the vertical-scale concepts from Chapter 3.

Lesson 1 • FFT Setup and Configuration

Explains FFT source selection, span, centre frequency, and windowing options. Correct setup is essential for meaningful spectral results.

Lesson 2 • Interpreting FFT Spectra

Teaches identification of fundamental, harmonic, and spurious components in FFT displays. Connects spectral features to time-domain signal characteristics.

Lesson 3 • Built-In Maths Function Operations

Covers integration, differentiation, and square-root maths waveforms available on modern oscilloscopes. Extends analysis beyond raw voltage traces.

Lesson 1 • Serial Decoding Fundamentals

Introduces the oscilloscope's serial decode engine and overlay annotation system. Establishes the workflow common to all supported protocol decoders.

Lesson 2 • I2C Protocol Decoding

Configures SCL and SDA channels for I2C address and data decoding. Identifies ACK, NACK, and bus-contention conditions in decoded frames.

Lesson 3 • Triggering on Protocol Events

Uses protocol-aware triggers to isolate specific addresses, data values, or error conditions. Combines decode and trigger for targeted fault isolation.

Lesson 4 • UART and RS-232 Decoding

Configures baud rate, data bits, parity, and stop bits for UART decode. Demonstrates framing error and parity error detection in real captures.

Lesson 1 • Signal Integrity and Eye Diagrams

Constructs eye diagrams using infinite persistence or mask testing to evaluate digital link quality. Connects jitter and noise metrics to system bit-error performance.

Lesson 2 • Timing and Glitch Capture

Uses fast sample rates and glitch triggers to capture narrow transient events. Addresses the challenge of capturing rare, intermittent faults reliably.

Lesson 3 • Power Integrity Measurements

Measures power-rail ripple, noise, and transient response using AC-coupled high-gain setups. Identifies supply-induced failures in digital and analogue circuits.