Oscilloscope Basic Principles VI: Basic Control of Oscilloscope

Many oscilloscopes on the market today have their own control methods, including using the front panel, touch screen, or soft keys. The basic controls found on most oscilloscopes include:

Horizontal Controls: The horizontal controls of an oscilloscope are usually grouped in a section of the front panel labeled Horizontal. These controls allow you to make adjustments to the horizontal scale of the display. There will be a control to specify time per division on the x-axis. Additionally, reducing the time per division allows you to zoom in on a narrow time range. There will also be a control for horizontal delay (shift). This control allows you to sweep a range of time.

Vertical Controls: The vertical controls on an oscilloscope are usually grouped in a front panel section labeled Vertical. These controls allow you to make adjustments to the vertical orientation of the display. For example, there is a control that specifies V/div on the y-axis of the display grid. You can zoom in on a waveform by decreasing the voltage amplitude per division, or you can zoom out on a waveform by increasing the voltage amplitude per division. There is also a control for the vertical offset of the waveform. This control simply moves the entire waveform up or down on the display.

Trigger Control: Triggering on a signal helps provide a stable, reliable display by letting you synchronize the oscilloscope's acquisition to the portion of the waveform you are interested in viewing. Trigger control lets you select the vertical trigger level (i.e., the voltage at which you want the trigger to trigger) and choose between various trigger functions.