EEVblog #926 - Introduction To The Oscilloscope - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 08:11:52 am
content: What is an oscilloscope?What is it useful for?How is it used?What is the difference between an old school analog and a modern digital storage oscilloscope?

author: whitevamp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 08:40:37 am
content: nice vid keep up the good work.ohh and the embedded links in the vid dont work.

author: Markybhoy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 12:43:33 pm
content: Enjoy the beginner videosThere seems to be a gap in the market for a good beginner Oscillosope book.What I'd like to see -A book that focuses on One model of Osicllosope, maybe the cheapest rigol.A tour of all the functions.Some simple projects that you can build to learn the instrument.Some faulty projects you build then use the Oscilloscope to troubleshoot it.

author: Jeff_Birt
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 01:54:13 pm
content: Great starter video. Instead of delving into excruciating detail about how an oscope works you talked about what its purpose is and why you would want to use one. Starting with the 'view from a height' (shameless Asimov plug) allows the viewer/reader to place the information received in the proper perspective before getting buried in a lot of details.

author: eventhorizon
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 02:13:35 pm
content: I agree great video. Like most of your videos it gives me the beginner more questions than answers and sends me off on a learning path to answer all the questions I have.

author: StuUK
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 03:35:34 pm
content: Quote from: Markybhoy on September 24, 2016, 12:43:33 pmTrue! I was looking the other day some very old school books but nothing really up to date for todays scopes...

author: pickle9000
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 05:14:28 pm
content: It'll be interesting to see how the view count goes.

author: strangersound
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 06:46:40 pm
content: Great primer. Continuing from this would make a great series.I was especially impressed with the new flipbook plug-in for DaveCad.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 07:13:14 pm
content: 0:05 “The most essential tool in all of electronics” I’d say that is a multimeter, not an oscilloscope.5:10 “0.1 us per division.” No, it’s 0.1 ms5:20 “0.5 us” No, it’s 0.5 ms

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 07:41:05 pm
content: I liked this video. Not because I learned anything but because it answers the questions that most newbs have about why they need an oscilloscope. As far as a multimeter being the most essential tool, I would argue that if you have a decent scope with at least two channels, you don't need a multimeter. OK, that might be a bit of a stretch, but it is basically true.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2016, 11:08:29 pm
content: Good job not trying to tell people they should try to get an analog scope for their first scope. You could have skipped the analog part for showing what a scope is, but it does make a decent direct comparison for how much more a DSO can do so people won't mistakenly get an analog scope first.For anyone thinking about bringing up the "everyone should start on an analog scope" silliness here....Lets make a silly analogy:You don't go buy a cheap old horse as "training" before getting a drivers license.You don't go hang around the glue factory waiting for someone to throw away or give away an unwanted horse if you can't afford a car....But a horse is a perfectly good mode of transportation you may say.......Think of all the distance traveled by horse before the car was even invented you may say......Plenty of people got where they were going with nothing but their trusty horse old horse!! And even in this world of cars, a horse still works just as well as it always has!I told you it was going to be silly.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 12:03:59 am
content: Quote from: Smokey on September 24, 2016, 11:08:29 pmI disagree.By using the analogue scope, Dave was able to directly - and correctly - translate the measurement process from the single point-in-time (meter) to the continuous. In fact, after the DaveCad flip board plug-in, I would have liked a 15 second description of the spot and deflection process of an analogue scope. Certainly what followed made it the logical conclusion, but it was not explicitly clear. While a lot of people will have worked it out, there may be some who would have benefitted from that stepping stone.The other thing is that I felt there should have been 5 seconds spent being explicitly clear on the need for a repeating waveform for a steady display.However, once the analogue process was covered, then move on to the digital scope. I think Dave did this at the right time.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 12:58:09 am
content: Quote from: pickle9000 on September 24, 2016, 05:14:28 pmI'd expect not many of my existing subscribers will watch it because it's not useful for them, so initial view count will probably be low. But about half my daily youtube views come from people searching for keywords, it's really for those people searching for "what is an oscilloscope" or how and oscilloscpe works

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 01:00:07 am
content: Quote from: PA0PBZ on September 24, 2016, 07:13:14 pmYou did see the very clear annotation on the video?

author: Ampere
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 03:02:24 am
content: Is this a new video format? It's very compact, lots of information in a relatively short time. I like it. In a few of my previous electronics classes, some of my fellow students had problems using the scopes, and it would have been nice to point them to this video.Have you considered doing a video on basic transistor building block circuits? Your video on zener diodes was very good. It would be nice to see that same style of explanation applied to another fundamental component like transistors. I know there's a lot of material out there, but most of it is quite dry and not at all hands-on.

author: nowlan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 03:02:38 am
content: Quote from: Markybhoy on September 24, 2016, 12:43:33 pmhttp://www.tek.com/learning/oscilloscope-tutorialMaybe not beginner, but tek are pushing educational market. Im sure they have labs and exercises to help beginners (somewhere).I think most technical colleges would have their own lab exercise manuals for students to work through.edit:http://instrumentationlab.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/BSC01/xyz_scopes.pdf(primer?)http://info.tek.com/rs/584-WPH-840/images/XYZs-of-Oscilloscopes_03W_8605_7.pdf(full?)

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 06:00:25 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 25, 2016, 01:00:07 amI did.

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 07:55:15 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 25, 2016, 01:00:07 amYes I did, and I think you are mixing up horizontal and vertical here

author: oldway
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 07:55:41 am
content: Quote from: Smokey on September 24, 2016, 11:08:29 pmYour comparison between analog and digital oscilloscope and a driver licence and an old horse is absolutely nonsense.It would be more clever to compare it with buying a Ford model T for training for your driver licence.When you make such nonsense comparison, you loose all your credits because you proved you are not of good sincerityNB: A digital oscilloscope has a lot of features that a beginner simply don't need.But on this forum, there are people who would recommend to a beginner to buy a 6 1/2 digits multimeter...

author: PA0PBZ
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 07:56:45 am
content: Quote from: Lightages on September 24, 2016, 07:41:05 pmGood luck measuring resistance that way, and even current. Yes you can build part of a multimeter to measure that on a scope, but come on...

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 10:32:21 am
content: Dave you need a special edition ds1054z with eevblog branding for such videos.

author: WN1X
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 12:35:38 pm
content: Quote from: Ampere on September 25, 2016, 03:02:24 amI like that idea. Dave could put together a new section of videos covering the basics of electronics, test equipment, etc.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 06:41:01 pm
content: Quote from: oldway on September 25, 2016, 07:55:41 amI love that your name is "oldway". Im really sorry man. Ill get off your lawn.

author: Zbig
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2016, 07:10:58 pm
content: Quote from: Smokey on September 25, 2016, 06:41:01 pmI stopped trying to argue with this "oldway" guy when he stated that "Capturing single shot or low repetition rate signals is something you really don't need often". No point in wasting your time and energy, just leave him alone in his parallel universe.

author: eamoex
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2016, 11:23:13 am
content: Excellent video, the crazy Aussie Bloke at its best. When he educates wannabe nerds like me!

author: Lightages
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 29, 2016, 03:05:28 pm
content: Quote from: PA0PBZ on September 25, 2016, 07:56:45 amYou have a point about resistance, but current is as easy as plugging in a resistor in the circuit and measuring the voltage drop. That is all a multimeter does anyway. If I were given the choice of only having a DS1054Z or a high end multimeter on the bench for electronics work and I could not have any other test instrument, I would go for the scope.

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 12:17:44 am
content: Quote from: Markybhoy on September 24, 2016, 12:43:33 pmDittoI would like to see a video that focuses on all the functions of the Rigol DZ1054Z

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 03:26:12 am
content: Quote from: Markybhoy on September 24, 2016, 12:43:33 pmYou mean ... like... the user manual?

author: ez24
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 05:42:12 am
content: Quote from: Smokey on October 20, 2016, 03:26:12 amYes a play based on the user manual.

author: rrinker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 01:22:51 pm
content: I'd much rather see more concepts stuff like this, that you can then use with the manual that came with your specific instrument. A specific video on a DZ1054Z does me absolutely no good, I have a Siglent SDS1102CML. If you understand the concepts, you should be able to implement them on any model/brand instrument that has the corresponding feature. If the manufacturers want to make specific videos on using their equipment to go along with the user manual, great (Keysight does), but I think someone like Dave is better off covering various concepts and use cases in general terms to appeal to a broad range of viewers and be actually useful.

author: Smokey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 20, 2016, 07:23:24 pm
content: Quote from: rrinker on October 20, 2016, 01:22:51 pmDave just essentially made a post about this. Technical videos get the lowest number of views. I'm guessing people fall into 3 groups:1) Material is "beneath" them so they don't watch.2) Material is "boring" or not relevant to them so they don't watch.3) Material is "above" them so they don't watch.You can't win. At least not without boobs and a low cut shirt.I think he got it right with the "Here is how to not blow up your scope" video, and then send people off to go play. We are engineers after all. That's what we do!Plus if you think about it, a long Youtube video is possibly the worst medium for a "how to" type thing. If you were going to make a series of "This is how an oscilloscope works" videos it really should be a series and you should keep them on a single topic and under 1 minute each. The titles have to be super clear and concise and geared towards what people will be searching for. So when you search, "how do you trigger an oscilloscope" you can get your info and get back to whatever you are doing and not have to watch 2 hours of video. It doesn't have to be a comprehensive deal. Basic concept and move on.Every time I have a "I learned this from a Youtube video" moment, the one I actually watched is always a short targeted video without a bunch of filler and down time. If it has too much of a guy standing there talking and not doing the thing I came for, it get skipped. Unless there are hot chicks...

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 21, 2016, 01:27:04 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on September 24, 2016, 08:11:52 amFixing other oscilloscopes.