University of Portland - p. 7 of 9 - Oscilloscope - TDS3012B.docx
It is often difficult to trigger properly on noisy signals. Fortunately, the oscilloscope has a mode
where it passes the trigger signal through a lowpass filter (LPF), which eliminates high
frequency noise. (This LPF only affects the trigger signal, not the displayed signal.) To activate
this mode, press the Trigger Menu button, then Coupling, then HF Reject.
If it is impossible to trigger on a signal for some reason, another option is to temporarily freeze
the display by pressing the Run/Stop button, which will also cause “Stop” to be displayed in the
upper left-hand corner of the display. Press the Run/Stop button again to restart the oscilloscope.
Measurements using the Cursors
The cursors can be used to measure time differences or voltage levels on the oscilloscope.
Measuring Time Difference
As mentioned above, one way to measure the time difference is to multiply the number of
horizontal divisions by the seconds/division value. This method is often quick and easy, but it is
sometimes difficult to measure the number of divisions accurately. An alternative approach is to
use the vertical cursors, which are sometimes more accurate. Activate the vertical cursors by
pressing the Cursor button (see Figure 12), and then pressing the V Bars button (Figure 13).
Figure 12: Cursor Button Figure 13: V Bars Button
Turning the knob (see Figure 14) moves one of the cursors. To move the other cursor, press the
Select button and then turn the knob. The time difference between the cursors is displayed after
the Δ symbol in the top right of the screen (see Figure 13). The time measurement will be most
accurate if the horizontal scale is adjusted so that the time difference is as wide as possible.
Figure 14: Cursor Knob and Select Button
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