Cathode Ray Tube (CRO)

Cathode Ray Oscilloscope(CRO)

Historically the CRO is one of the most
important scientific instruments ever
developed.
It contains a cathode ray tube that has
three main parts:
Electron gun
Deflecting system
Fluorescent screen
 Electron gun
This consists of a heater H, a cathode C, another
electrode called the grid G and two or three
anodes A.
G is at a negative voltage with respect to C and
controls the number of electrons passing through
its central hole from C to A; it is the brilliance or
brightness control.
The anodes are at high positive voltages relative to
C; they accelerate the electrons along the highly
evacuated tube and also focus them into a narrow
beam.
 Fluorescent screen
A bright spot of light is produced on the screen
where the beam hits it.
 Deflecting system
Beyond A are two pairs of deflecting plates to
which p.d.s can be applied.
The Y-plates are horizontal but create a vertical
electric field which deflects the beam vertically.
The X-plates are vertical and deflect the beam
horizontally.
The p.d. to create the electric field between the
Y-plates is applied to the Y-input terminals.
It can then be made large enough to give a
suitable vertical deflection of the beam.
 X-plates
The p.d. applied to the X-plates can either be from an
external source connected to the X-input terminal or, more
commonly, from the time base circuit in the CRO.
The time base deflects the beam horizontally in the X-
direction and makes the spot sweep across the screen
from left to right at a steady speed determined by the
setting of the time base controls. It must then make the
spot fly back very rapidly to its starting point, ready for the
next sweep. Since AB is a straight line, the distance moved
by the spot is directly proportional to time and the
horizontal deflection becomes a measure of time, i.e. a
time axis or base.
 Uses of CRO
1. Measuring p.d.s
A CRO can be used as a d.c./a.c. voltmeter if the
p.d. to be measured is connected across the Y-
input terminals; the deflection of the spot is
proportional to the p.d. For example, if the Y-amp
gain control is on, say, 1 V/div, a deflection of one
vertical division on the screen graticule (like graph
paper with squares for measuring deflections)
would be given by a 1 V d.c. input.
2. Displaying waveforms
In this widely used role, the time base is on
and the CRO acts as a graph-plotter to
show the waveform, i.e. the variation with
time, of the p.d. applied to its Y-input.
3. Measuring time intervals and frequency
These can be measured if the CRO has a
calibrated time base. For example, when the time
base is set on 10 ms/div, the spot takes 10
milliseconds to move one division horizontally
across the screen
CRO looks complicated, but its really a piece
of electronic graph paper to show
amplitude

time
 How a CRO works
Cathode Ray Oscilloscope. The beam is
deflected by
changing the pd
across the plates.

The CRO can be used

to show AC and DC
voltage as well as
measuring frequency.
The y plates The x plates
affect the affect the Time
voltage sensitivity base .
 How to use a CRO
1. You should see a small bright spot, or trace, moving
fairly slowly across the screen. Find the Y-POS 1 control.
What happens when you adjust this?

Y-POS 1 allows you to move the trace up and down the screen
 How to use a CRO
2. Adjust the INTENSITY and FOCUS controls.
What happens to the trace now?

The trace changes its brightness and how spread out it is

 How to use a CRO
3. Adjust the TimeBase control to 0.2s/div. How long
does it take for the spot to cross the screen?

Time to cross screen = 0.2s/div x 10div = 2 s.

 How to use a CRO
4. Adjust the TIME/DIV control to 50ms/div. How
long does it take for the spot to cross the screen?

Time to cross screen = 50ms/div x 10div = 0.5 s.

 How to use a CRO
5. Adjust the TIME/DIV control to 1ms/div. How long does it
take for the spot to cross the screen? What happens to the spot?

Time to cross screen = 1ms/div x 10div = 0.01 s.

The spot is no longer separately visible. Instead, there is a bright line across the
screen!
 How to read a CRO
9. What is the a)peak voltage b)Time period c) frequency?
Y gain Time base
= 1V/div = 2ms/div

The Y voltage
gain is in
Volts/division

The time base is in

milliseconds/division
Frequency =
Peak voltage = Time period = 1/Time period
Amplitude x Y gain Distance of 1 wave x Time base =1/16ms
=2cm x 1V/cm = 2V =8cm x 2ms/cm =16ms = 63Hz
The diagram shows a cathode-ray oscilloscope
trace of a sound wave. The time-base is calibrated
at 2.0ms cm1.

What is the frequency of the sound wave?

A 62.5 Hz B 125 Hz C 250 Hz D 500Hz
The diagram shows a cathode-ray oscilloscope (c.r.o.)
being used to measure the rate of rotation of a
flywheel.

The flywheel has a small magnet M mounted on it. Each

time the magnet passes the coil, a voltage pulse is
generated, which is passed to the c.r.o. The display of the
c.r.o. is 10 cm wide.
The flywheel is rotating at a rate of about 3000
revolutions per minute. Which time-base setting will
display clearly separate pulses on the screen?
A 1 s cm1 B 10 ms cm1 C 100 s cm1 D 1 s cm1
One wave occupies 4cm.
4cm takes (2 4)ms = 810-3 sec. =T
Frequency(f) =1/T =1/8 10-3 =125Hz.
2. The diagram shows a square-wave trace on the
screen of a cathode-ray oscilloscope. A grid of 1 cm
squares covers the screen. The time-base setting is
10 ms cm1.

What is the approximate frequency of the

square-wave?
A 70 Hz B 140 Hz C 280 Hz D 1400Hz
The diagram shows an oscilloscope screen
displaying two signals.

Signal X has a frequency of 50 Hz and peak

voltage of 12 V.
What is the period and peak voltage of signal Y?
3. The time base and y-gain settings of an
oscilloscope are 0.25ms per cm and 2mV per cm
respectively. Draw an oscilloscope screen grid and
draw a wave with a frequency of 1000Hz and an
amplitude of 15mV.
 Review questions
11. Calculate the frequency of waveforms with periods of
(a) 10s, (b) 5ms, (c) 200s
Use formula: = 1/T
(a) 0.1 Hz, (b) 200 Hz, (c) 5 kHz
12. What is the period of waveforms with frequencies of
(a) 20Hz, (b) 150kHz, (c) 0.5hz?
Use formula: T= 1/
(a) 50 ms, (b) 6.7 s, (c) 2 s
13. Find values for the period, frequency, peak amplitude,
peak-to-peak amplitude for the sine wave shown below:
period = 4 ms
frequency = 250 Hz
peak amplitude = 2.4 V
peak-to-peak amplitude = 4.8 V