
Glossary
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ps3000abpg.en r9
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Glossary
AC/DC control.
Each channel can be set to either AC coupling or DC coupling. With DC
coupling, the voltage displayed on the screen is equal to the true voltage of the signal.
With AC coupling, any DC component of the signal is filtered out, leaving only the
variations in the signal (the AC component).
Aggregation.
The PicoScope 3000 driver can use a method called aggregation to
reduce the amount of data your application needs to process. This means that for
every block of consecutive samples, it stores only the minimum and maximum values.
You can set the number of samples in each block, called the aggregation parameter,
when you call
for real-time capture, and when you call
ps3000aGetStreamingLatestValues
to obtain post-processed data.
Aliasing.
An effect that can cause digital oscilloscopes to display fast-moving
waveforms incorrectly, by showing spurious low-frequency signals ("aliases") that do
not exist in the input. To avoid this problem, choose a sampling rate that is at least
twice the frequency of the fastest-changing input signal.
Analog bandwidth.
All oscilloscopes have an upper limit to the range of frequencies at
which they can measure accurately. The analog bandwidth of an oscilloscope is defined
as the frequency at which a displayed sine wave has half the power of the input sine
wave (or, equivalently, about 71% of the amplitude).
Block mode.
A sampling mode in which the computer prompts the oscilloscope to
collect a block of data into its internal memory before stopping the oscilloscope and
transferring the whole block into computer memory. This mode of operation is effective
when the input signal being sampled is high frequency. Note: To avoid
the maximum input frequency must be less than half the sampling rate.
Buffer size.
The size, in samples, of the oscilloscope buffer memory. The buffer
memory is used by the oscilloscope to temporarily store data before transferring it to
the PC.
ETS.
Equivalent Time Sampling. ETS constructs a picture of a repetitive signal by
accumulating information over many similar wave cycles. This means the oscilloscope
can capture fast-repeating signals that have a higher frequency than the maximum
sampling rate. Note: ETS should not be used for one-shot or non-repetitive signals.
External trigger.
This is the BNC socket marked
EXT
or
Ext
. It can be used as a
signal to start data capture, but not as an analog input.
Flexible power.
The 4-channel 3000 Series oscilloscopes can be powered by either
the USB port or the AC adapter supplied. A two-headed USB cable is supplied for
obtaining power from two USB ports.
Maximum sampling rate.
A figure indicating the maximum number of samples the
oscilloscope is capable of acquiring per second. Maximum sample rates are given in MS/
s (megasamples per second). The higher the sampling capability of the oscilloscope,
the more accurate the representation of the high frequencies in a fast signal.
MSO (Mixed signal oscilloscope).
An
oscilloscope
that has both analog and digital
inputs.
Overvoltage.
Any input voltage to the oscilloscope must not exceed the overvoltage
limit, measured with respect to ground, otherwise the oscilloscope may be permanently
damaged.