PC based oscilloscopes are the modern alternative to the traditional bench top oscilloscope. All data and configurations measured on these oscilloscopes can be saved into a PC for further data analysis.
One of the key factors involved is the USB connection. The USB (universal serial bus) is intended for communications between interfaces, such as the oscilloscope and the PC in this instance.
PC based oscilloscopes come in either internal or external versions.
The external version(s) is a small unit that connects to a PC, usually by a USB. They can be used by a laptop or a desktop computer.
The internal version(s) usually come with a plug in card that is PCI format. This does not allow for portability and being that the card is placed in the actual PC, there is a lot of noise which could interfere with the results that are being measured.
What is an Oscilloscope?
An Oscilloscope is an instrument that is used as a graph displaying device of an electrical signal. The graph will show how signals change over time. The vertical (Y) axis represents voltage and the horizontal (X) axis represents time. The horizontal sweeps at a constant rate. The (Z) axis, although not that common, can display brightness or intensity of the display. With a proper transducer, an oscilloscope can measure just about anything. A transducer is a device that creates an electrical signal in response to physical stimuli such as, sound, pressure, light, heat, etc.
When graphing a signal, what do you want to find out?
- The time and voltage value of a signal
- The frequency of an oscillating signal
- How much of a signal is direct current (DC) or alternating current (AC)
- How much of the signal is noise and if the noise is changing over time
- To see the “moving parts” of a circuit represented by the signal
- To tell if a malfunctioning component is distracting the signal
Oscilloscopes come in many different versions
- Analog
- Digital
- Mixed signal
- Portable
- PC based versions
If the recording of a waveform is required, a digital scope will be applicable. If you need to see the waveform in real time, or to see the original intensity an analog scope would better suit that requirement. The higher the input signal frequency is, the higher the bandwidth that will be required. If you do not have the appropriate amount of bandwidth, you risk the possibility of not getting accurate results.
If there is doubt about the amount of bandwidth that is required, then you should go the next step up. The bandwidth can usually be calculated by this formula: BANDWIDTH = (0.35 / rise time of the signal)
The higher the sampling rate, the more accurate and precise the captured waveform is. As the sampling rate increases, it allows for more samples a captured waveform has, for any given period of time.
In almost every electric application, including lab use, research and development, and product development there is a need for an oscilloscope to provide waveform analysis.
Here is the best guide we can recommend on getting to know everything about oscilloscopes. This is the XYZs of oscilloscopes by Tektronix. It has 64 pages packed with information. Click the picture below to download.