Keywords and Tutorials

Its a good suggestion to read the manuals that came with your scope and every manufacturer's relevant application notes that address how to use any scope (and other instruments) for your application.

My favorite text book reference is The Art of Electronics by Horowitz and Hill - Cambridge Press.

Another is "The ARRL Handbook for Radio Amateurs" published by the American Radio Relay League.

DSP Primer A Free Book Download

Wikipedia Wiki Scope Perspectives

Scope KEYWORDS/Phrases: Google Search

• 1 Meg Ohm Termination
  
• 50 Ohm Termination
  
• Absolute Values (Your Digitized Measured Values)
  
• AC (Alternating Current)
  
• Acquisition - Modes
  
• Acquisition - Controls
  
• Acquisition - Systems
  
• Active Probes (Such As FET Voltage Probes - Offering High BW, Low Loading)
  
• ADC (Analog-to-Digital Converter)
  
• ADC Resolution (Number Of Bits Of Vertical Resolution)
  
• Add Mode (Adding 2 Channels)
  
• Aliasing (Corrupting Data Via Undersampling)
  
• Amplifier (Typically Referring To The Scope's Front End Preamplifier)
  
• Analog Persistence
  
• Analog
  
• AND (Logical TRUE output when all inputs are TRUE)
  
• Angstrom (10 to the -8 of a centimeter)
  
• Aperture Jitter
  
• Aperture Uncertainty
  
• Archivals (Storage to Disk, Paper, Video, Memory Card, Etc.)
  
• Artifact Rejection (Excluding some samples from acquisition process)
  
• ATE (Automatic Test Equipment)
  
• Attenuator
  
• Auto Setup (Sets The Scope Up Automatically On Repetitive Waveforms)
  
• Auto Trigger
  
• Averaging Mode
  
• Bandwidth (BW)
  
• Bandwidth Limiting
  
• Binning
  
• Bit Error Rate
  
• Bit
  
• Calibration (NIST, MIL, ISO-9000 Issues Are Good To Know)
  
• CANBUS - Serial Decode and Trigger function
• Capture
  
• CCD (Charge Coupled Device)
  
• Centronics Printer Port (Parallel Port)
  
• Chaining Functions (More Than 1 Math Function Per Sweep)
  
• Channel Invert
  
• Channel
  
• Circuit Loading
  
• CMRR (Common Mode Rejection Ratio)
  
• Coherent Gain
  
• Color Graded Persistence
  
• Common Mode Range
  
• Common Mode Signal (Noise)
  
• Compliance Test
  
• Continuous Averaging (Exponential Averaging)
  
• Control Settings
  
• Coupling AC
  
• Coupling DC
  
• CPU (Type, Number Of Bits, and Clock Rate Are Important Specs)
  
• Crosstalk
  
• CRT (Cathode Ray Tube - a common scope display)
  
• Current Probes
  
• Cursors
  
• Cycles
  
• DAC (Digital-To-Analog Converter)
  
• DC Level Shift
  
• DC Offset
  
• DC
  
• DCD (Duty Cycle Distortion)
  
• Dead Time (Time From The End Of One Acquisition Of Data To The Start Of The Next Acquisition)
  
• Derived Measurements (DSP Math + Measurements)
  
• Deskew (Negating Propagation Effects To Measure Instantaneous Power)
  
• Differential Non-Linearity
  
• Differential Output
  
• Differential
  
• Digital Filtering
  
• Dj (Deterministic Jitter)
  
• DPO (Digital Phosphor Oscilloscope - a Persistence Display Mode)
  
• Dropout Trigger
  
• DSO (Digital Storage Oscilloscope)
  
• DSP (Digital Signal Processing)
  
• Duty Cycle
  
• Dynamic Range (The Ratio Of The Largest To Smallest Signal Within A Common Range)
  
• ECL (Emitter-coupled logic)
  
• Effective Bits (A Measure Of Digital Accuracy As A Function Of Freqency)
  
• EMI (Electromagnetic Interference)
  
• Envelope
  
• Equivalent Time Sampling (See RIS or ET)
  
• Error Source - ADC Effective Bits
  
• Error Source - ADC Non-linearities
  
• Error Source - Aliasing (Undersampling)
  
• Error Source - Amplifier - BW Rolloff, Noise, Non-Linearity
  
• Error Source - Amplifier - DC Offset
  
• Error Source - Aperture Jitter
  
• Error Source - Interpolation (Using Linear Vs. SIN X/X Near Nyquist Frequencies)
  
• Error Source - Misinterpreting Causes and Effects
  
• Error Source - Misinterpreting Instrument Setup That Negates Or Changes Intended
  
• Error Source - Misinterpreting/Misreading Values Displayed
  
• Error Source - Noise In Scope
  
• Error Source - Noise In Signal
  
• Error Source - Probe Effects (Loading, Propagation Vs. Length, Compensation, Grounding)
  
• Error Source - Timebase Drift/Jitter
  
• Error Source - Trigger Jitter
  
• Error Source - Triggering Under The Wrong Conditions
  
• Error Source - Under Utilized Dynamic Range (not Filling The Screen)
  
• Error Source - Undersampling (too Few Samples/Sweep)
  
• Error Source - Undersampling (too Few Sweeps To Know What Is Actually Happening)
  
• ESD (Electro Static Discharge)
  
• ET (Equivalent Time Sampling - See also RIS - Repetitive Sampling for Higher X Scale Resolution)
  
• Evidence
  
• External Sample Clock
  
• Fall Time
  
• False Triggering
  
• FFTs (Fast Fourier Transform - A Function That Displays a Frequency Spectrum)
  
• Filter
  
• Firmware - Operating System
  
• FlexRay - Serial Decode and Trigger Function
• Front Panel Controls
  
• Front Panel Presets
  
• Gain Accuracy
  
• Gate
  
• Gigahertz (GHz - Usually Referring To A Front End Bandwidth)
  
• Gigasamples Per Second (GS/s - Usually Referring To A Sample Rate)
  
• Glitch
  
• GPIB (General Purpose Interface Bus)
  
• Graded Persistence - Color
  
• Graded Persistence - Intensity
  
• Graticule
  
• Ground - Chassis
  
• Ground - Earth
  
• Hertz (Hz)
  
• HF Sync
  
• High Frequency Reject
  
• High Resolution (Hi Res)
  
• Histogramming
  IC (Integrated Circuit)
  
• IEEE-488
  
• Impedance
  
• Input Connectors (typically BNCs)
  
• Input Coupling
  
• INSTA-VUE (Fast Acquisition Mode Pioneered By Tektronix)
  
• Integral Non-Linearity (Deviations in ADC response)
  
• Intensity Control (brightness)
  
• Intensity Graded Persistence
  
• Interpolation (Values Between Measured Samples - Time Is Accurate and Amplitude Is Approximated)
  
• Invert
  
• ISI (Intersymbol Interference)
  
• IsoBER
  
• Jitter (Frequency variations > 100 Hz)
  
• JitterTrack (A Time Correlated Trace Of Jitter Measurements Pioneered By LeCroy)
  
• JTA2 (Jitter and Timing Analysis)
  
• Kilohertz (KHz)
  
• Lissajous Patterns
  
• Load
  
• Low Frequency Reject
  
• Magnification, Horizontal Zoom
  
• Magnification, Vertical Zoom
  
• Manual - Getting Started
  
• Manual - Operators
  
• Manual - Remote
  
• Manual - Service
  
• Manuals - Replacement - Fair Radio In Lima, Ohio 419-227-6573 - Fairadio@wcoil.com
  
• Manuals - Replacement - Manual Merchant San Diego, CA 619-490-9076 Linda_p@ix.netcom.com
  
• Manuals - Replacement - W.J. Ford Surplus Enterprises - Smith's Falls, Ont Canada 613-283-5195 - Testequipment@falls.igs.net
  
• Math Operations
  
• Math-on-Math (Chained or sequential math functions after each trigger)
  
• Maximum Sample Rate Window (Maximum Time Recorded At Fastest Rate)
  
• Maximum
  
• Measurement Amps (AC, DC)
  
• Measurement Averages (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Comparisons (Math, Masks, Persistence Plots, Trends, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Data Logging (Voltage, Current, Events)
  
• Measurement DBM Values
  
• Measurement Differences (Voltage, Time, Frequency, Triggers, Features)
  
• Measurement Disk/Tape Drive (PW-50, TAA, NBPWR, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Disk/Tape PRML (NLTS, ACSN)
  
• Measurement Dynamic Responses (PLL Trend Plots)
  
• Measurement Energy (Integration Of Watts (Joules) Trace)
  
• Measurement Envelopes (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Error (vs. Masks, Vs. Specs., Vs. NRZ Patterns, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Exponential Slope Decays
  
• Measurement FFTs (Magnitude, Phase, Power Spectrums, Power Densisites, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Filtering (Bandpass Characteristics)
  
• Measurement Frequency (Crossings, FFTs, Cycles)
  
• Measurement Histograms (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Intervals (Edges, Features, Triggers)
  
• Measurement Jitter (Cycle To Cycle, Trigger To Edges, Max. Incremental, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Maximum (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Minimum (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Modulation (Percent, Variation)
  
• Measurement Percent (Of Level, Of Population)
  
• Measurement Phase (Degrees, Radians)
  
• Measurement Power Spectral Densities ( Noise, Harmonics, Spot Values)
  
• Measurement Power/Watts (In-rush, Peak, Average, Phase, Noise, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Pulse Parameters (Rise and Fall, Widths, Peaks, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Pulse Periods (Single Period, Average, Cycle To Cycle Variations, Etc.)
  
• Measurement Pulse Widths
  
• Measurement Scalar Statistics (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Setup/Hold (Times, Violations, Statistics)
  
• Measurement Standard Deviation (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Time Of Events (Triggers, Features, Between Features)
  
• Measurement Trends (All Data, All Measurements)
  
• Measurement Variation Analysis (Trends, Histograms, Persistence)
  
• Measurement Voltage (Amplitude, Peak-to-Peak, RMS, Etc.)
  
• Measurement X Vs. Y Plots (Constellations, I&Q)
  
• Megahertz (MHz)
  
• Megasamples Per Second (MS/s)
  
• Memory - Acquisition
  
• Memory - Processing
  
• Memory - Reference
  
• Memory - Upgrades
  
• Memory - Value
  
• Metrology
  
• Microsecond (us)
  
• Millisecond (ms)
  
• Nanosecond (ns)
  
• NIST National Institute Of Standards
  
• Noise Rejection Methods
  
• Noise
  
• Normal
  
• Nyquist (Sampling Frequency divided by 2 f/2)
  
• Offset
  
• Optical to Electrical Converter (O to E)
  
• Oscilloscope Tutorials
  
• Oscilloscope FAQ
  
• Overshoot
  
• PCI-E (Serial Standard at 2.5 Gbits per lane)
  
• Peak Detection
  
• Peak-to-Peak
  
• Peak
  
• Period
  
• Persistence (Display mode where traces aren't erased for some period of time)
  
• Phase Locked Sample Clock (For Phase Synchronous Measurements)
  
• Phase Shift Measurements
  
• Phase
  
• PLL (Phase Lock Loop)
  
• Power
  
• Preamplifier
  
• Pretrigger (Placing Trigger In Memory At An Address Before The First Sample)
  
• Printer Interfaces
  
• Probes - Active
  
• Probes - Compensation
  
• Probes - Current
  
• Probes - Differential
  
• Probes - Ground Clips
  
• Probes - Passive
  
• Probes - Voltage
  
• Real-time
  
• Record Length
  
• Record
  
• Reference Memory
  
• Reflections
  
• Remote Control Interfaces
  
• Resistance
  
• Resolution (Minimum measurement increment)
  
• RIS (Random Interleaved Sampling - Repetitive Waveform Sampling)
  
• Rise Time (10% To 90% Of A Pulse's Settled Value on Top)
  
• RMS (Root Mean Square)
  
• RS-232 - Serial Decode and Trigger Function
• RS-232C
  
• Safety
  
• Sample Points (Actual Values)
  
• Sample Rate (Measured in Samples/second)
  
• Sample Value (Literal value of a specific sample)
  
• Sampling Modes - Equivalent Time Sampling
  
• Sampling Modes - Random Interleaved Sampling
  
• Sampling Modes - Real-time (Single Shot)
  
• Sampling Modes - Roll (Chart Recorder Emulation)
  
• Scale
  
• Screen (Size, Refresh Rate, and Resolution)
  
• Screen Dumps To Printer
  
• Seconds Per Division
  
• Sequential Sampling
  
• Sequential Triggering
  
• Serial Standards Compliance Tests (Ethernet, SAS, PCI-E are examples
• Signal Generator
  
• SIN X/X
  
• Single Shot
  
• Single Sweep
  
• Slew Rate
  
• Slope
  
• Smoothing, N-Point (Displaying a moving "N" point average through a data set)
  
• SMT (Surface Mount Technology) Emulation Technology Surface Mount Kits
  
• SNR (Signal-to-Noise Ratio is the ratio of the magnitude of the signal to that of the noise)
  
• Standard Deviation (The standard deviation of the measured points from the mean)
  
• Static Electricity
  
• Sweep Speed
  
• Sweep
  
• TDC (Time-to-digital converter)
  
• TDR (Time Domain Reflectometry)
  
• Terminate
  
• Terra
  
• Testing - Mask
  
• Testing - Pass Fail
  
• Threshold (Trigger level)
  
• Time Base Accuracy
  
• Time Base
  
• Time Correlated Trend
  
• Time Stamping
  
• Tolerance Mask
  
• Track and Hold
  
• Transducer
  
• Trending (Chart Recorder Emulation - Plotting Of Measured Values)
  
• Trigger Conditionally (Pattern, Slew Rate, Glitch, Interval, Dropout, etc.)
  
• Trigger Controls
  
• Trigger Coupling
  
• Trigger Delay
  
• Trigger External
  
• Trigger Feedthru
  
• Trigger Holdoff
  
• Trigger Level
  
• Trigger Modes
  
• Trigger Position, Horizontal
  
• Trigger Position, Vertical
  
• Trigger Rate
  
• Trigger Scan - LeCroy feature to automate triggering on anomalous waveform detection
• Trigger Slope
  
• Trigger Source
  
• Trigger
  
• TTL
  
• User Interface
  
• Values - Absolute
  
• Values - Relative
  
• Variable Gain
  
• Vertical Controls
  
• Vertical Resolution (bits)
  
• Vertical Scale (Range of Full Scale Voltage)
  
• Vertical Sensitivity (mv Per Division)
  
• VGA (Video Output)
  
• Voltage - Full Scale and Highest Frequency
  
• Wander (Frequency variations < 100 Hz)
  
• WaveAce
  
• Waveform Processing
  
• Waveforms - Repetitive
  
• Waveforms - Transient
  
• WaveJet
  
• WaveMaster
  
• WavePro
  
• WaveRunner
  
• WaveSurfer
  
• X Vs. Y Display Mode
  
• X-Stream (Patented Streaming Pipeline Architecture from LeCroy)
  
• Z-axis