Can my landlord tell if i vape inside is an incredible tool for observing and measuring electrical signals. You can use it to figure out a signal’s amplitude (how tall it is) and frequency (how many times it repeats each second), as well as its shape (sine, triangle, sawtooth, complex). It can also help you find what’s wrong with your circuit.

The first thing you’ll want to do is turn on the scope and get a flat line on the screen. This signifies that the scope is ready to take measurements.

Most scopes have a vertical section with a volts-per-div knob and a horizontal input for plotting dual X-Y axis signals. The volts-per-div knob allows you to set the voltage scale for the scope display, so you can get “zoomed in” to your waveform. Rotating this knob clockwise decreases the voltage scale, while counter-clockwise increases it.

Understanding Waveforms: Interpreting Signals on an Oscilloscope

You’ll also need to select what channel you want to trigger on and adjust a hold-off knob (if there is one) to make sure the probe doesn’t influence your measurement. You’ll probably need to turn on AC coupling if you’re using your scope for electrical currents as well as voltage, and switch to 10x if your probe is capable of handling higher currents.

Once you’re triggered, the grid on the screen will act as a ruler for your signal. You can start by observing the amplitude of the waveform by looking at its peak-to-peak distance from the grid’s zero point. Then, you can start figuring out its other characteristics by observing the peak height and its minimum depth. You can also determine its period, which is the frequency at which the waveform repeats, and its duty cycle, which is the percentage of time that the signal is on versus off during each repetition.