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Oscilloscope class - online AK training

Fisherdude said:
I'm going to take a look at that one as well.
Click to expand...

I don't know, maybe this is just not for me :no:

I sat through 45 minutes of this video and I was trying to recall what was said 20 minutes prior...but to no avail.

I need to sit and watch someone who knows how to use a scope and watch its practical application and then ask "Why are you probing there?" or "okay...now explain what those lines mean and what are you looking for" or "they are not supposed to look like that...what does that mean, what is bad, a cap or so and so"

Still clueless :confused:
 
Sounds way too good to pass up.
I'm in, but could someone describe what type/features of scope would be most likely needed for someone using the scope mostly for audio and maybe home appliance repair? No sense Ebaying a very technical scope when a basic unit is better suited. Pretend I don't know the first thing about what to get, which is completely true.
 
Steelman said:
I don't know, maybe this is just not for me :no:

I sat through 45 minutes of this video and I was trying to recall what was said 20 minutes prior...but to no avail.

I need to sit and watch someone who knows how to use a scope and watch its practical application and then ask "Why are you probing there?" or "okay...now explain what those lines mean and what are you looking for" or "they are not supposed to look like that...what does that mean, what is bad, a cap or so and so"

Still clueless :confused:
Click to expand...

The most significant issue that folks struggle with when trying to learn how to use an oscilloscope is that using the scope is only about 25% of the focus, and knowing how the circuit you're looking at is supposed to work is the other 75%. If you don't understand the circuit and what it's supposed to be doing, then looking at the trace is simply an academic exercise without an objective.
 
Fisherdude said:
The most significant issue that folks struggle with when trying to learn how to use an oscilloscope is that using the scope is only about 25% of the focus, and knowing how the circuit you're looking at is supposed to work is the other 75%. If you don't understand the circuit and what it's supposed to be doing, then looking at the trace is simply an academic exercise without an objective.
Click to expand...

A major +1 on this. A scope is far and away one of the most useful tools an electronics hobbyist can own, but if you don't understand the basics of signal flow through a circuit, well-- I can't put it better than Fisherdude did.

As to this question:

Could someone describe what type/features of scope would be most likely needed for someone using the scope mostly for audio and maybe home appliance repair? No sense Ebaying a very technical scope when a basic unit is better suited. Pretend I don't know the first thing about what to get, which is completely true.

For audio, you should have three things:

1) Dual trace capability
2) Triggered sweep
3) Bandwidth of at least 100 KHz

The latter is almost guarenteed-- even cheap, old scopes typically have bandwidth to at least 5 MHz, and 10 to 25 MHZ is common-- way, way more than you need for audio. The only reason you want more than 20KHz is the ability to see out of band noise and spurious signals that could be intermodulating with the signals in the 20-20K region or if you just want to see what the upper response limit of your preamp or power amp is.

Triggered sweep isn't technically necessary, but I wouldn't recc getting a scope without it-- recurrent sweep is just too annoying to work with on any regular basis.

A possible 4th item to consider would be vertical sensitivity of at least 10 millivolts; lower is better. Vertical sensitivity is a measure of how small a voltage can be clearly observed on the CRT / display screen.
 
I have checked the local colleges for even a intro to electronics course...no luck.

Fisherdude,

What you said is exactly what I was trying to convey...the whats and whys explained as a actual repair or diagnosis of a suspected problem is taking place. Then having it explained " I am placing the probe in location "A" in order to see "B" on the scope and why.

I really hope this thread takes off. With the local colleges a bust, I am losing confidence that I will ever learn how to use my scope.
 
Another late guy signing in. :D DCinDC, some of us really are pretty clueless about this stuff, so the more you can "dumb it down", the better. Thanks much, to you & any other contributors. :thmbsp:
 
I just got my first scope, and plan on starting to experiment soon. If this training comes off it would be perfect timing.

Allan
 
Such a great offer, DCinDC! I have a scope and I learned a little bit how to use it with some Web tutorials; however, I've never had any systematic training. Count me in, too.
 
I'm in too. I have a scope, and have gotten it to make funny lines at limes, but am far from being even at beginner stage.

Circuits I somewhat understand, I designed PWBs for years (Not an EE, laying out the boards to the schematics...), and do understand that, and can (and have) trace and debug to a limited extent, but the lack of scope knowlage limits that.
 
Well I am late to the party as usual, but I think the offer to do a training class on oscilloscopes is just what the doctor ordered. Many thanks to DCinDC for expressing a willingness to do it. His statement that owning a scope is not necessary is very good to hear because I don't have a scope. My dad used to fix our tv by himself with the help of the tube tester at the drugstore, and built an amp and a Heathkit receiver with just a multimeter, but clearly there is much more to be gained from the ability to use a scope.

So I am happy to join the class. I wish there was someway I could help. I have about 25 years of experience teaching adults. But none of it online. I have conferenced online and taken a very technical class online. But I have not taught online. Further what I learned about electronics was minimal and a long time ago. Maybe I could bring the donuts.
 
http://tone-lizard.com/Oscilloscopes.htm

This guy may be a guitar amp guy but the theory applies to hi-fi amplification.
At the bottom of the page is links to virtual trainers and tutorials. The rest of the site helped me decide on what tools I wanted to get to be able to fully diagnose, rebuild and repair my tube equipment.
 
I have two scopes.....

a Sencore and an H-P and don't know much about either. All I've ever done was trace down some 120hz hum on the Sencore, but do not have the knowledge to make the scope useful for troubleshooting or verifying proper functioning. I have plenty of projects to work on, but not much knowledge to get many of them completed.
I have a couple function generators, digital counter, cap/inductor analyzer, & various power supplies and would love to know how to put them into regular use. There's a guy locally who I thought was going to have time to help teach me about using these, but it turned out that he's been too busy with other things to spend much time with me, so yeah, I'm in too!
I know I only need one frequency generator & scope, but I need to use them to figure out which of them I'd like to keep. I understand how to use the power supplies and the cap/inductor analyzer, but the scope is still a widely unknown piece of equipment to me.
Like Spaceman said, "dumb it down", because once you get too technical and start speaking in terminology that I don't understand, you may as well be speaking in Chinese (which I do not understand at all). Not that we can't learn new terminology, we can, but consider the 'electronically challenged' part of your audience.
Looking forward to see what you come up with. I'm ready!

Larry
 
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