A broken line indicates the waveform display no longer matches the controls

This happens when you stop the acquisition, and change a control setting that the oscilloscope is not able to apply to the displayed waveform. For example, changing the trigger controls on a stopped acquisition causes a broken-line waveform.

Key Points Persistence. The oscilloscope displays persistence waveform data with less intensity than "live" waveform data. With Persistence set to Infinite, record points accumulate until a control is changed.

Option Comments

Off Removes default or old waveforms whenever new waveforms display

Time limit Displays new waveforms at normal intensity and old waveforms at a lower intensity; erases old waveforms when they reach the time limit

Infinite Older waveforms become less bright but always remain visible;

use Infinite persistence to look for infrequent events and to measure long term peak-to-peak noise

XY Format. Use the XY format to analyze phase differences, such as those represented by Lissajous patterns. The format plots the voltage on channel 1 against the voltage on channel 2, where channel 1 is the horizontal axis and

Reference

channel 2 is the vertical axis. The oscilloscope uses the untriggered Sample acquisition mode and displays data as dots. The sampling rate is fixed at 1 MS/s.

NOTE. The oscilloscope can capture a waveform in normal YT mode at any sampling rate. You can view the same waveform in XY mode. To do so, stop the acquisition and change the display format to XY.

In XY format, the controls operate as follows:

The channel 1 Vertical Scale and Vertical Position controls set the horizontal scale and position.

The channel 2 Vertical Scale and Vertical Position controls continue to set vertical scale and position.

The following functions do not work in XY display format:

Autoset (resets display format to YT) Autorange

Automatic measurements Cursors

Reference or Math waveforms Save/Recall ► Save All Time base controls Trigger controls

Help

Push the Help button to display the Help menu. The topics cover all the menu options and controls of the oscilloscope. (See page xiv, Help System.)

Horizontal

You can use the horizontal controls to set up two views of a waveform, each with their own horizontal scale and position. The horizontal position readout shows the time represented by the center of the screen, using the time of the trigger as zero. When you change the horizontal scale, the waveform will expand or contract around the screen center.

Options Comments

Main The main horizontal time base setting is used to display the waveform

Reference

Options Comments

Window Zone Two cursors define a window zone

Adjust the window zone with the Horizontal Position and Horizontal Scale controls

Window Changes the display to show the waveform segment (expanded to screen width) within the window zone

Set Holdoff Displays the holdoff value; push the option button and use the multipurpose knob to adjust

NOTE. You can push the horizontal option buttons to switch between an entire waveform display and a zoomed part of it.

A readout near the top right of the screen displays the current horizontal position in seconds. An M indicates the Main time base and a W indicates the Window time base. The oscilloscope also indicates horizontal position with an arrow icon at the top of the graticule.

Knobs and Buttons Horizontal Position Knob. Use to control the position of the trigger relative to the center of the screen.

The trigger point can be set to the left or the right of the center of the screen. The maximum number of divisions to the left depends on the Horizontal Scale (time base) setting. For most scales, the maximum is at least 100 divisions. Placing the trigger point off the screen to the left is called Delayed Sweep.

Set To Zero Button. Use to set the horizontal position to zero.

Horizontal Scale Knob (seconds/division). Use to change the horizontal time scale to magnify or compress the waveform.

Key Points Horizontal Scale. If waveform acquisition is stopped (using the Run/Stopor Single button), the Horizontal Scale control expands or compresses the waveform. Use to zoom in on a detail of the waveform.

Scan Mode Display (Roll Mode). When the Horizontal Scale control is set to 100 ms/div or slower and the trigger mode is set to Auto, the oscilloscope enters the Scan acquisition mode. In this mode, the waveform display updates from left to right. There is no trigger or horizontal position control of waveforms during scan mode. (See page 77, Scan Mode Display.)

Window Zone. Use the window zone option to define a segment of a waveform to see in more detail (zoom). The Window time base setting cannot be set slower than the Main time base setting.

Reference

Vertical bars define Window Zone

Main time base displayed Window zone displayed

Window. Expands the Window Zone to cover the entire screen. Use to change between two time bases.

NOTE. When you change between the Main, Window Zone, and Window views, the oscilloscope erases any waveform saved on the screen through persistence.

Persistence is erased with Horizontal menu changes.

Holdoff. Use holdoff to help stabilize the display of complex waveforms. (See page 100, Holdoff.)

Math

Push the Math button to display waveform math operations. Push the Math button again to remove math waveforms. (See page 104, Vertical Controls.)

Options Comments

+, -, ×, FFT Math operations; see the next table

Sources Sources used for the operations; see the next table Position Use the multipurpose knob to set the vertical position of the

resultant Math waveform

Vertical Scale Use the multipurpose knob to set the vertical scale of the resultant Math waveform

The Math Menu includes Sources options for each operation.

Operation Sources option Comments

CH1 + CH2 Channels 1 and 2 are added

together + (addition)

CH3 + CH4¹ Channels 3 and 4 are added together

Reference

Operation Sources option Comments

CH1 - CH2 The channel 2 waveform is

subtracted from the channel 1 waveform

CH2 - CH1 The channel 1 waveform is

subtracted from the channel 2 waveform

CH3 - CH4¹ The channel 4 waveform is subtracted from the channel 3 waveform

- (subtraction)

CH4 - CH3¹ The channel 3 waveform is subtracted from the channel 4 waveform

CH1×CH2 Channels 1 and 2 are multiplied together

× (multiplication)

CH3×CH4¹ Channels 3 and 4 are multiplied together

FFT (See page 55.)

1 Available only on a 4-channel oscilloscope.

Key Points Waveform Units. The combination of source waveform units determine the resulting units for the Math waveform.

Waveform unit Waveform unit Operation Resulting Math unit

V V + or - V

Push the Measure button to access automatic measurements. There are eleven types of measurements available. You can display up to five at a time.

Push the top option button to display the Measure 1 Menu. You can choose the channel on which to take a measurement in the Source option. You can choose the type of measurement to take in the Type option. Push the Back option button to return to the Measure Menu and display the selected measurements.

Key Points Taking Measurements. You can display up to five automatic measurements at a time. The waveform channel must be on (displayed) to make a measurement.

Reference

Automated measurements cannot be taken on reference waveforms, or while using XY or scan mode. The measurements update about two times per second.

Measurement type Definition

Freq Calculates the frequency of the waveform by measuring the first cycle Period Calculates the time of the first cycle

Mean Calculates the arithmetic mean amplitude over the entire record

Pk-Pk Calculates the absolute difference between the maximum and minimum peaks of the entire waveform

Cyc RMS Calculates a true RMS measurement of the first complete cycle of the waveform

RMS Calculates a true RMS measurement for all 2,500 samples from one frame of the waveform data Cursor RMS Calculates a true RMS measurement of the waveform data from the selected starting to the ending

point

Min Examines the entire 2500 point waveform record and displays the minimum value Max Examines the entire 2500 point waveform record and displays the maximum value Rise Time Measures the time between 10% and 90% of the first rising edge of the waveform Fall Time Measures the time between 90% and 10% of the first falling edge of the waveform

Pos Width Measures the time between the first rising edge and the next falling edge at the waveform 50% level Neg Width Measures the time between the first falling edge and the next rising edge at the waveform 50% level Duty Cyc Measures the ratio of the positive pulse duration to the whole cycle

Phase Calculates the phase angle difference of signals from two different channels, using the rising edge of the first signal compared to the rising edge of the second signal

Delay Calculates the time difference from two different channels using the rising edge of the first signal compared to the rising edge of the second signal

None Does not take any measurement

Print

When the Save All ► PRINT Button option is set to Prints, you can push the print button to send the screen image to a printer.

You can set up the oscilloscope to send a screen image to your printer through the Utility ► Options ► Printer Setup menu.

Option Setting Comments

Ink Saver On, Off Prints the screen image on a

white background when you select On

Layout¹ Portrait, Landscape Printer output orientation

Abort Printing Stops sending the screen image

to the printer

Reference

Option Setting Comments

Paper Size² Default, L, 2L, Hagaki Postcard, Card Size, 10 x 15 cm, 4" x 6", 8"

x 10", Letter, 11" x 17", A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6, A7, A8, A9, B0, B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, B6, B7, B8, B9, 89 mm Roll (L), 127 mm Roll (2L), 100 mm Roll (4"), 210 mm Roll (A4)

Displays settings available on your PictBridge compatible printer

Image Size² Default, 2.5 x 3.25 in, L (3.5 x 5 in), 4 x 6 in, 2L (5 x 7 in), 8 x 10 in, 4L (7 x 10 in), E, Card, Hagaki card, 6 x 8 cm, 7 x 10 cm, 9 x 13 cm, 10 x 15 cm, 13 x 18 cm, 15 x 21 cm, 18 x 24 cm, A4, Letter Paper Type² Default, Plain, Photo, Fast Photo

Print Quality² Default, Normal, Draft, Fine Date Print² Default, Off, On

ID Print² Default, Off, On

1 The printer may override your selection for best fit.

2 If your selection is not supported by the printer, the oscilloscope uses the Default setting.

The alternative function of the print button is to save data to a USB flash drive.

(See page 63, USB Flash Drive and Device Ports.)

The oscilloscope was designed to print to any PictBridge compatible printer.

Refer to the product documentation for your printer to determine if the printer is PictBridge compatible.