Velleman projects EDU09 Assembly instructions - Manual (Page 14)

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Oscilloscope terminology
OSCILLOSCOPE TERMINOLOGY
1. Volts/div: Determines how many volts the signal at the input must swing for the trace to move one division.
2. Time/div: Determines the time the trace needs to scan from the the left hand side to the right hand side of a division.
3. Division: Imaginary or visible grid on the oscilloscope screen. It helps estimating signal amplitude and period.
4. Period (T): Duration of one cycle of the AC waveform (= 1/f)
5. Frequency (f): The number cycles of the AC waveform per sec.
6. Trace: ‘line’ that is drawn on the screen, which represents the signal
at the input.
7. Amplitude: How far does the signal ‘swing’in a direction. Expressed
in mV or V. For repetitive signals: Vpeak.
8. Peak-to-peak: Difference between most positive and most negative
swing of the signal. 2xVpeak for sinusoidal signals.
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AC coupling: The oscilloscope only displays the AC component of a signal, any DC level is ignored.
Analog:
Analog scopes use the incoming signal to deflect an electron beam, which scans from left to right on the screen. The electron beam
leaves an image on the screen which represents the signal you’ve applied. Analog signals are continuously variable. See also ‘Digital’.
‘Auto-setup’ mode: The oscilloscope automatically selects a setting for Volts/div and Time/div in such a way that one or more periods
of signal are displayed correctly.
Clipping: When the ‘top’ or ‘bottom’ or both extremes of a signal are cut-off (‘clipped’), e.g. because the
signal cannot swing any further due to power supply limitations. An undesired property of amplifiers that
are driven beyond their specs.