EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory

Exp. No #0 Date:
OSCILLOSCOPE AND DIGITAL MULTIMETER

OBJECTIVE
To understand the operation of cathode ray oscilloscope (CRO) and become familiar with its usage. Also
perform an experiment using function generator to measure amplitude, time period and frequency of the
time-varying signals using a calibrated cathode ray oscilloscope and to compare the measured values with
that of a digital multimeter.

EQUIPMENT USED
30 MHz Dual Channel Cathode Ray Oscilloscope

3 MHz Function Generator

4 ½ digit Digital Multimeter

BNC Cables and Probes

THEORY

Introduction

The Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO) provides a visual presentation of any waveform applied to the
input terminal. The oscilloscope consists of the following major subsystems.
 Cathode-ray tube(CRT)

 Vertical amplifier

 Horizontal amplifier

 Sweep Generator

 Trigger circuit

 Associated power supply

It can be employed to measure quantities such as peak voltage, frequency, phase difference, pulse
width, delay time, rise time and fall time.
Cathode Ray Tube (CRT)
The CRT is the heart of the CRO providing visual display of an input signal waveform. A CRT contains four
basic parts:
 An electron gun to provide a stream of electrons.

 Focusing and accelerating elements to produce a well define beam of electrons.

 Horizontal and vertical deflecting plates to control the path of the electron beam.

 An evacuated glass envelope with a phosphorescent screen which glows visibly when
struck by electron beam.
A cathode containing an oxide coating is heated indirectly by a filament resulting in the release of electrons
from the cathode surface. The control grid, which has a negative potential, controls the electron flow from
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the cathode and thus controls the number of electron directed to the screen.
Once the electron passes the control grid, they are focused into a tight beam and accelerated to a higher
velocity by focusing and accelerating anodes. The high velocity and well-defined electron beam then passed
through two sets of deflection plates.

Y plates
electron gun

cathod
fluorescent screen
electron beam
anode

X plates

Basic construction of CRT

The first set of plates is oriented to deflect the electron beam vertically. The angle of the vertical deflection is
determined by the voltage polarity applied to the deflection plates. The electron beam is also being deflected
horizontally by a voltage applied to the horizontal deflection plates. The tube sensitivity to deflecting voltages
can be expressed in two ways that are deflection factor and deflection sensitivity.
The deflected beam is then further accelerated by very high voltages applied to the tube with the beam
finally striking a phosphorescent material on the inside face of the tube. The phosphor glows when struck by
the energetic electrons.

Control Grid: Regulates the number of electrons that reach the anode and hence the brightness of the spot
on the screen.
Focusing anode: Ensures that electrons leaving the cathode in slightly different directions are focused
down to a narrow beam and all arrive at the same spot on the screen.
Electron gun: Cathode, control grid, focusing anode, and accelerating anode.

Deflecting plates: An electric field between the first pair of plates deflects the electrons horizontally, and an
electric field between the second pair deflects them vertically. If no deflecting fields are present, the
electrons travel in a straight line from the hole in the accelerating anode to the center of the screen, where
they produce a bright spot. In general-purpose oscilloscopes, amplifier circuits are needed to increase the
input signal to the voltage levels required to operate the tube because the signals measured using CRO are
typically small. There are amplifier sections for both vertical and horizontal deflection of the beam.
Vertical Amplifier: amplify the signal at its input prior to the signal being applied to the vertical deflection
plates.
Horizontal Amplifier: amplify the signal at its input prior to the signal being applied to the horizontal
deflection plates.
Sweep Generator: develop a voltage at the horizontal deflection plate that increase linearly with time.

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EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory
Operation
The four main parts of the oscilloscope CRT are designed to create and direct an electron beam to a screen
to form an image. The oscilloscope links to a circuit that directly connects to the vertical deflection plates
while the horizontal plates have linearly increasing charge to form a plot of the circuit voltage over time. In
an operating cycle, the heater gives electrons in the cathode enough energy to escape. The electrons are
attracted to the accelerating anode and pulled through a control grid that regulates the number of electrons
in the beam, a focusing anode that controls the width of the beam, and the accelerating anode itself. The
vertical and horizontal deflection plates create electric fields that bend the beam of electrons. The electrons
finally hit the fluorescent screen, which absorbs the energy from the electron beam and emits it in the form
of light to display an image at the end of the glass tube.

Front-panel controls

12

13
16 17

14 15 18 19
2 3 10 11

1. POWER Pushbutton switch to turn scope ON and OFF.

LED indicates ‘POWER ON’ condition
2. INTENS. Intensity control to adjust brightness of CRT screen.
3. FOCUS Focus control to adjust Sharpness of CRT display.
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EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory
4. TR Trace Rotation Pot.
Screw driver adjustment for alignment of trace.
5. X – POS Controls Horizontal Position of trace.
6. HOLD OFF Controls Hold OFF time between Sweeps in the ratio 1:10 approx.
7. TIME/DIV Selects Timebase speeds from 0.5us/div to 0.2s/div.
8. AT/NORM. Switch in out position: Automatic Triggering (Trace visible without signal)
Switch Pressed: Normal Triggering with Level control. (Trace invisible without signal)
9. LEVEL Adjusts trigger point of the signal from +ve peak to –ve peak, if at/NORM PB switch
is pressed
10. X-MAGx10 Switch when pressed magnifies Trace or Signal 10 times in X-direction.
11. CT Switch when pressed converts the instrument from oscilloscope to Component
Tester mode. One test lead is connected to CT socket and the second test lead
connected to ground socket.
12. Y-POS. Controls Vertical position of CH.I trace
13. INVERT (CH.I) Switch when pressed, inverts the polarity of CH.I signal.
In combination with ADD switch, used for algebraic addition or difference of two
channels.
14. CH.I Signal input for CH.I
15. GROUND Separate Ground socket
16. AC/DC/GD Input coupling switches for CH.I
AC: Both switches in out position.
Signal is capacitively coupled, DC is blocked
DC: AC/DC switch when pressed, GD switch in out position.
All components (AC & DC) of the signal are passed.
GD: GD switch pressed. AC/DC switch may be at any position. Signal is
disconnected, input of vertical amplifier is grounded.
17. VOLTS/DIV. CH.I Input attenuator. Selects input sensitivity in mV/div or V/div in 1-2-5 sequence.
18. DUAL Switch in out position: Single Channel separately.
Switch pressed: CH.I & CH.II in alternate mode
DUAL + ADD switches pressed: CH.I & CH.II in CHOP mode.
19. ADD Only ADD switch is pressed: Algebraic addition or difference of CH.I & CH.II in
combination with INVERT switches.

PRECAUTIONS
 Do not leave a ‘bright spot’ on the screen for any length of time.

 Do not apply signals that exceed the scope’s voltage rating.

 Do not try to make accurate measurements on signals whose frequency is outside the
scope’s frequency specifications.

 Be aware that the scope’s input circuitry can cause loading effects on the circuitry under test
- Use correct probe for the work.

PRACTICE PROCEDURE

1. Measurement using CRO

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EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory

1. Switch on the CRO. Turn the AC-GND-DC to GND. Check if a horizontal trace appears
after the CRO warms up. Set the trace centrally in position on the screen.
2. Become accustomed to the operation of the oscilloscope. Move the focus, intensity, and
position controls to see the effects produced.

Measurement of Frequency
3. Connect the function generator output to one vertical input of the CRO.
4. Set the function generator in sinusoidal mode and adjust the amplitude of the signal so that
it just about fills the screen.
5. Set the signal generator dial at any particular frequency and move the dial until you have
only a few complete cycles across the CRO face in the horizontal direction.
6. Measure the period T of the signal. To do so, measure (in divisions & subdivisions) the
horizontal distance between two successive peaks and multiply this distance by the reading of the
“TIME/DIV” button which is the scale of the time axis. Record your data.
7. This gives the period T of the AC signal; its frequency is then f = 1/T.

Measurement of Voltage
8. Use the volts/div selector to convert vertical readings on the oscilloscope into actual voltages.
9. In measuring the voltage, always measure the value from the center of the trace to its peak. This
"peak voltage" is half the peak-to-peak voltage, which is the full height of the trace on the CRO
screen.
Repeat the above procedure of frequency and voltage measurement for continuous signal, triangular wave
and square wave also.

OBSERVATION
a) Measurement of continuous signal

Amplitude, A = ____ div x _____ V/div

= ________

Period for the waveform, T = ____ div x _____ ms/div

= ________

Frequency, f = 1/T = ________

b) Measurement of sinusoidal signal

Amplitude, A = ____ div x _____ V/div

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EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory
= ________

Period for the waveform, T = ____ div x _____ ms/div

= ________

Frequency, f = 1/T = ________

c) Measurement of triangular signal

Amplitude, A = ____ div x _____ V/div

= ________

Period for the waveform, T = ____ div x _____ ms/div

= ________

Frequency, f = 1/T = ________

d) Measurement of rectangular signal

Amplitude, A = ____ div x _____

V/div = ________

Period for the waveform, T = ____ div x _____

ms/div = ________

Frequency, f = 1/T = ________

Table 1
Oscilloscope Make: ___________________
Frequency Specification: _______________
Frequency
S. Waveform Amplitude Time period Calculated
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EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory

frequency,
No
on f=1/T
Function
generator
1. Continuous signal

2. Sinusoidal signal

3. Triangular signal

4. Rectangular signal

Inference
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2. Measurements using Digital Multimeter

1. Connect a +4V DC voltage to oscilloscope and measure the signal with voltage
knobs at 1V/div, 2V/div, 5V/div. Also measure the voltage with the DMM in both AC and DC
settings.

Table 2
Oscilloscope DMM

Signal 1V/div 2V/div 5V/div AC Set DC Set

+ 4V DC

- 4V DC

Inference
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EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory
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2. Connect a 1 V peak-to-peak sine wave at 1 kHz from function generator to

oscilloscope. Use the oscilloscope to measure the peak-to-peak voltage of the signal and,
hence, calculate the corresponding rms voltage. Now measure with the DMM in AC and DC
settings.

Table 3
Oscilloscope DMM

Signal Vpp (Volts) Vrms (Volts) AC Set DC Set

Sine wave
4V, 1 kHz

Sine wave
4V, 100 kHz

Sine wave
4V, 1 MHz

Inference
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RESULTS AND CONCLUSION

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EC8361 Analog and Digital Circuits Laboratory

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