DUAL TRACE OSCILLOSCOPE

Front Panel details of Dual Trace Oscilloscope

The features of single beam dual trace oscilloscope are as follows:

1. Power Switch: To switch ON or OFF the power to the CRO.
2. Intensity Control: To adjust the brightness of the display on the screen.
3. Focus Control: To focus the display to a fine line.
4. Beam Finder: Its a push button used to locate the display which has been shifted out of
the screen.
5. Vertical Controls:
i. Input Channel A and Channel B: To facilitate the display of the two
waveforms.
ii. Position Controls: To move each waveform up or down on the screen.
iii. Volts/ div Selector: Its a switch used for each channel which determines the
sensitivity of the display to input voltages. The volt/ div setting is correct only
when the vernier knob at its centre is in the calibrated position. The vernier
control provides continuous volts/ div adjustment to reduce the display amplitude
iv. AC DC Button: The two push buttons immediately above each input terminals
facilitate the connection of ac or dc input voltage. When the button is set to AC, a
coupling capacitor passes the ac quantity and blocks the dc.

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 v. GND Button: It disconnects the input voltage and grounds the input terminal.
When an input voltage is displayed, its dc level may be measured with respect to
zero position.
vi. Vertical display push buttons A and B: It allows channel A input, channel B
input or both to be displayed on the screen.
vii. B INV button: Inverts the channel B input.
viii. A + B button: It displays the waveforms of channel A and channel B added
together. When both A + B and B INV buttons are pressed, the displayed
waveform is the difference of the input voltages of channel A and channel B.
6. Horizontal Controls:
i. Time/ div Selector: Its a switch that determines the number of horizontal
divisions occupied by each cycle of the displayed waveform. The time/ div setting
is correct only when the vernier knob at its center is kept in CAL position. The
vernier control provides continuous time/ div adjustment, so that one cycle of the
displayed waveform may be widened as desired upto 10 times the horizontal time
/ div setting.
ii. Position Knob: The displayed waveforms may be moved horizontally about the
screen as desired.
7. Trigger Level knob: Continuously adjusts the triggering point of the input wave.
8. Probe Adj: Its a terminal used to give a 2 kHz, 0.5 V square wave output to the
calibrating attenuator probes.
9. Trigger source: It is selected using three push button switches
i. Int button: It selects an internal trigger source i.e. the time base is triggered by
one of the input waveforms. When the inputs of both channel A and channel B are
displayed, the internal trigger source is channel A.
ii. Ext button: The time base is triggered from an external source connected to the
ext trigger terminal.
iii. Line: The time base is triggered from the line.
10. TV Normal push button: Its kept in normal position for most purposes. This button is
placed in the TV position for studying the TV video signals.
11. - + button: To commence the waveform at the beginning of the positive half cycle or at
the beginning of the negative cycle.

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 12. A B SWP button: Its usually set in the SWP position, when it allows the internal time
base to sweep the electron beam horizontally across the screen for the display of the
waveform. When the button is in the A B position, the signals applied to channel B
input terminal produce vertical deflection and channel A inputs produce horizontal
deflection.

CRO Measurements
The various parameters of the input signal that can be measured using a CRO are voltage,
current, frequency, phase, duty cycle etc.
1. Measurement of voltage:
The input waveform is adjusted on the screen by using shift controls and the display is
obtained on the screen. The central vernier on volts/ div control is put in the calibrated position
and is set at a particular value. The peak to peak voltage of the waveform is measured in terms of
the divisions on the screen.
The peak to peak voltage measured is given by,
V p - p = number of divisions X volts/ div
The amplitude is given by,

If the waveform is sinusoidal, then the r.m.s value of the voltage measured is given by

The figure shows the display of two different waveforms simultaneously in a dual trace
oscilloscope. The volts/ div is set at 100 mV/ div. the voltages of the two waves are calculated as
follows:

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Wave A:

Wave B:

2. Measurement of time period and frequency:

The time period of the input wave is the time for one cycle of the waveform. The time/ div
control is set to a particular value and the numbers of divisions per cycle of the waveform are
noted down. Then the time period of the waveform is given by,
Time period = (Horizontal divisions/ cycle) X Time/ div
Then knowing the time period T, the frequency of the waveform is obtained by,

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For the waveforms shown in the figure, the time period and frequency are calculated as follows.
The time/ div is set at 0.5 mS
Wave A: this waveform completes 2 cycles in 8.8 divisions

Wave A: this waveform completes 6 cycles in 8.8 divisions

3. Measurement of phase difference:

The measurement of phase difference between the two waveforms is illustrated as shown in
the figure which displays two different waveforms having a phase difference.

As per the displays in the figure, the phase difference between the two waveforms is 1.4
horizontal divisions. As both of them are having the same frequency, the time periods of both the
waves are also same and are equal to 8 horizontal divisions. One cycle of voltage corresponds
3600.
8 horizontal divisions = 3600
1 division = 3600 / 8 = 450
The phase difference = 450 X 1.4 = 630

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Lissajous Figures
When the oscilloscope time base is disconnected and sine waves are applied to both
horizontal and vertical plates, the resulting display depends on:
i. Amplitudes of the two waves
ii. Phase differences between the two waves
iii. The ratio of the frequencies of the two waves
Such displays obtained are known as Lissajous figures or Lissajous patterns. Very simple
displays occur when the waveforms have same frequency. However complex displays are
produced with the waves having different frequencies. Lissajous figures help in the measurement
of phase difference between the two sine wave inputs and also that frequency of one waveform,
when the frequency of the other waveform is known.
The various types of sine wave inputs are:
1. Vertical input: when only one input is applied to a vertical line.

2. Horizontal input: when only one input is applied to a horizontal line.

3. Two in phase: when two perfectly in - phase sine waves with equal amplitudes are
applied, a straight line at an angle of 450from horizontal is produced

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 4. Anti phase: when the waveforms are in anti phase, a line is traced at an angle 1350
with the horizontal.

5. 900 phase difference: when 900 phase difference exists between the two input
waveforms, a circular display is produced.

6. Phase difference greater than 00but less than 900: When the phase difference lies
between 00 and 900, then the display will be elliptical. An ellipse tilted in the opposite
direction is obtained, when the phase difference between the two waveforms lie between
900 and 1800

a) Measurement of phase difference:

When two sine wave inputs of same frequency and amplitude but having a phase difference d
is applied to the CRO, the display will be in the form of an ellipse as shown in figure.

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The parameters y1 and y2 can be measured. Then the phase difference between the two
waveforms is given by,

b) Measurement of frequency:
When the vertical and horizontal input waveforms have different frequencies, the displays on
CRO are as shown in figures.

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If f1 is the frequency of the vertical input waveform and f2 is the frequency of the horizontal
input waveform, then

Normally, the frequency of the input waveform applied to the vertical plates is f1 is not known
and the frequency of the input waveform applied to the horizontal plates i.e. f2 is known, then

Digital Storage Oscilloscope

In a digital storage oscilloscope, the waveform to be stored is digitized and stored in a digital
memory. The CRT used is conventional and hence the digital storage oscilloscope is cheap. The
power required by the memory is small and hence the stored waveform can be displaced for long
time. The digitized waveform can be loaded into computer and analysed.

Block diagram:

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Construction and working:
The input signal is given to the amplifier and attenuator. The attenuated signal is given to
the vertical amplifier.
This signal is digitized using an analog to digital (A/ D) converter. The successive
approximation type of A/ D converter is used.
For digitizing the analog input signal, the samples of the input signals are taken at
periodic intervals.
As per the sampling theorem, the rate of sampling should be at least two times as fast as
the highest frequency present in the input signal, which ensures no loss of information.
The sampling rates as high as 100000 samples per second.
Hence the A/ D converter should have high rate of conversion. Normally flash A/ D
converters are used, whose resolution decreases when the sampling rate increases.
The sampling rate and memory size are selected depending on the duration of the
waveform to be stored.
Once the input signal is sampled, the A/ D converter digitized it and then the signal is
captured by the memory.
Once it is stored in the memory, the memory can be read without being erased and many
manipulations are possible.

Modes of operation:
1. Role mode: Very fast varying signals are displayed clearly and the fast varying signal is
displayed as if it is changing slowly on the screen. The input signal is not triggered.
2. Store mode: The input initiates trigger circuit. The memory write cycle starts with
trigger pulse. When memory is full, the write signal stops. Then using D/ A converter, the
stored signal is converted to analog and displayed. When next trigger occurs, the memory
is refreshed.
3. Hold or save mode: This is an automatic refresh mode. When new sweep signal is
generated by time base generator, the old contents get overwritten by the new one. By
pressing hold or save button, overwriting can be stopped and previously saved signal gets
locked.

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Advantages:
1) The waveform can be stored for a very long time
2) The power required by the memory for storage is very small
3) The stored waveform can be loaded into a computer for analysis
4) By increasing the size of the memory, any waveform can be stored
5) The characters can be displayed along with the waveforms so that the information such as
minimum, maximum, frequency, amplitude etc may be obtained.
6) The X Y plots, B H curves, P V diagrams can be displayed.
7) Signal processing is possible which includes the translating of raw data into finished
information.

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