Question
How is compensation of an oscilloscope probe performed?
Answer Options
- A) A square wave is displayed, and the probe is adjusted until the horizontal portions of the displayed wave are as nearly flat as possible
- B) A high frequency sine wave is displayed, and the probe is adjusted for maximum amplitude
- C) A frequency standard is displayed, and the probe is adjusted until the deflection time is accurate
- D) A DC voltage standard is displayed, and the probe is adjusted until the displayed voltage is accurate
Correct Answer: A
Explanation
An oscilloscope probe, especially a compensated 10x probe, contains internal capacitors that form an attenuator and a voltage divider network with the oscilloscope input capacitance. For the probe to accurately reproduce the shape of a high-frequency waveform, the time constant of this probe/scope combination must be correctly matched, or ‘compensated.’
Compensation is performed by inputting a known, clean square wave (often available from a dedicated terminal on the oscilloscope itself) and adjusting the probe’s small variable capacitor until the corners and horizontal portions of the displayed square wave are as nearly flat as possible. If the probe is under-compensated, the leading edge of the square wave will appear rounded; if over-compensated, it will appear peaked (with overshoot). Correct compensation ensures accurate measurement of high-frequency pulse characteristics.
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