I want to see some stuffs on my oscilloscope to get the feel for it. I have lying around the box an AC adapter, transformer or whatever you call it. This AC adapter plugs into the wall outlet of 120V 60Hz. And out of the other ends comes 16V AC (that's right AC not DC). So I figure if its AC then it should be oscillating and I can see it on the scope. Now let me say that I am quite inexperience with an oscilloscope. Ok. To display this sine wave on my scope, I take it all I have to do is take the two ends from the AC Adapter output and put it as input into the scope right? ie. feed it as input into the probe? correct? Set the volt division to say 0.2V, then flip the time base division until I see a sine wave, I know you can probably calculate but I am not sure if the output of 16VAC is at 60Hz or not. Sounds about right? By the way, what are special about the probes, does it do anything to the signal of 16VAC before its fed into the scope (plugin 7A13 of my Tek7904). Does 16VAC amplitude get fed in or does the probe de-magnify it into something much smaller (to protect the scope perhaps). Any taker?
While you could blindly go ahead with this project, it would be far wiser to learn about electronics and electronic test equipment FIRST. You would not futz around with nitoglycerine, gunpowder, and such other compounds before learning about explosives and the proper handling thereof. Or "experiment" with a strange four-wheeled device that others call a "car" if you knew absolutely nothing about them. Or take a clear, pretty rock that you have heard that diamond cutters make valuable cuts therefrom and chip away until the nice looking gem "hiding inside" was exposed? Yes, a number of ignorant people have done such things because they knew just enough to be (literally) dangerous and were too self-centered, boastful, and unwise to *know* that they in fact did NOT know spit and leave things alone. I have met a number of people that had only 8th grade or less of education, but were long on wisdom. And others with college degrees that were (to be blunt) STUPID. And i would implicitly trust the first group and use armed guards to protect things from the second group.
I want to see some stuffs on my oscilloscope to get the feel for it. RB's right. 1st, break out the operator's manual that came with the instrument. Once you understand Vertical scaling, Timebase scaling, and Triggering (especially auto-triggering) then (and only then) do you start touching the hardware.
blah blah blah Your two comments here, in my uneducated opinion, don't mesh. The "8th grade educated" is more likely to have real hands on experience, learned from trial and error, learned from working with mentors, and in general learned from "doing". The "College educated" is much more likely to be "book smart" - having learned all they could by studying and reading - but not having the experience to know how things "really work". It appears your comments are saying "be book smart - but I wouldn't trust you if you were." Having said that, despite my college degree, I think it's perfectly acceptable to start doing what comes natural - experiment and ask questions. Personally I wouldn't be able to sit through an oscilloscope manual or any other book that makes me yawn in 30 seconds. This is how my father presented electronics to me when I was 13. He some how thought that me knowing which soldering compound to choose was more important than letting me play with a soldering iron. I didn't touch an electronics book again until I graduated from college when I started "doing" and experimenting with a PIC. My father has a wealth of information when it comes to electronics - but has done virtually nothing with it. Meanwhile I don't know shit but I've somehow managed to have a PCB created - and then populated by another company - and it all works as planned. In my opinion its the book readers who are "Holier than thou" and who believe there is only one way learn about electronics - and that is to memorize "Horrowitz and Hill" before you dare step into an electronics lab. Bah! It took me a grand total of 15 minutes sitting down with my father-in-law, (another hands first type of guy) to finally "get" how to use an oscilloscope. The book route I never would have "gotten" because I would have lost interest. CF
