Physics Education:Oscilloscope Probe



Computer based Oscilloscopes represent another great application of computers to science technology. They fall into two categories –

1. USB and
2. sound card

USB Oscilloscopes use electronics to connect to the USB of the computer and then software to control and acquire data. An example is the Pasco 850 interface and Capstone software. It has a frequency Range: 0.001 Hz to 500 kHz; 1 mHz resolution and amplitude Range: ±10 V. For more information about Capstone go to

http://www.microscope-shop.com.au/catalogue/html/search.aspx?Model=capstone




Dual Channel Computer Oscilloscope

Sound card oscilloscopes take advantage of the
computer’s sound card electronics and similarly use software to control and acquire data. As they don’t require additional equipment they are considerably cheaper, however are limited by the performance of the sound card. Notably their sampling rate is limited to 44,100 Hertz from the Microphone Input and they are AC coupled.
An example of a computer based oscilloscope and signal generator is TLI WaveLab. For more information go to
http://www.logint.com.au/wavelab.html



Dual Channel Signal Generator

It is possible to get an interface for sound card
signal generation and for oscilloscope input. These extend the applications of sound card signal generators and computer based oscilloscopes