Why can an oscilloscope have the probes changed in position and have a

  • #1
149
0
Why can an oscilloscope have the probes changed in position and have a dc current reading but not for an ac current? I put the oscilloscope leads with the probe at D and the ground side at A, and there was no waveform, why is this?
 

Answers and Replies

  • #2


Scopes measure voltage so unless you had a current transducer I am not sure what you measured.
 
  • #3


I turned the input selector switch to DC and the trace moved downward about 5 divisions, representing -10 V. When I did it with the selector switch on AC, there is no waveform apart from the horizontal trace. Why was it possible to reverse the oscilloscope leads with the DC circuit switch but not with the AC circuit switch?
 
  • #4


There is a capacitor that filters out the DC of the signal when AC is selected. So if you send a DC signal to a scope the only way to measure it is with DC selected. To measure an AC signal, either AC or DC will work.
 

Suggested for: Why can an oscilloscope have the probes changed in position and have a

Replies
53
Views
1K
Replies
1
Views
451
Replies
27
Views
533
Replies
10
Views
614
Back
Top