OPERATION
35
Crest Factor Table
Background
Crest factor is the ratio of the peak signal
amplitude to the RMS value of the signal. It
determines the accuracy of AC measurement.
If the crest factor is less than 3.0, voltage
measurement will not result in error due to
dynamic range limitations at full scale.
If the crest factor is more than 3.0, it usually
indicates an abnormal waveform as seen from
the below table.
Crest Factor Table
Waveform
Shape
Crest factor
Square wave
1.0
Sine wave
1.414
Triangle sawtooth
1.732
Mixed frequencies
1.414 ~ 2.0
SCR output
100% ~ 10%
1.414 ~ 3.0
White noise
3.0 ~ 4.0
AC Coupled pulse
train
>3.0
Spike
>9.0