Chapter 10 - Accessories for use with digital storage oscilloscopes

Abstract

There are many accessories available for use with oscilloscopes. Most of these were originally designed for use with analog oscilloscopes, but they are equally of use with digital storage oscilloscopes. There is just one major exception—oscilloscope cameras. While one of the oscilloscope cameras can always be used to record the screen display, virtually all digital storage oscilloscopes (DSOs) have a built-in interface to allow the screen display to be dumped out on a printer (Epson quad density graphics being a common format for dot matrix printers), or downloaded to a PC over RS232, Centronics, or HPIB interface. Nevertheless, some workers prefer a photograph of the screen display for use in reports. So, oscilloscope cameras are occasionally used (quite unnecessarily, many would argue) with digital storage oscilloscopes. This chapter discusses not only the theory of operation of passive divider probes, but also their use because they are by far the commonest—and to that extent the most important—oscilloscope accessory.