7 Common Oscilloscope Probing Pitfalls to Avoid
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Understanding common probing pitfalls and how to avoid them is crucial in to making better measurements. In an ideal world, all probes would be a non-intrusive wires attached to your circuit having with infinite input resistance with and zero capacitance and inductance. They would provide exact replicas of the signals you are measuring. But the reality is that probes introduce loading to the circuit. The resistive, capacitive, and inductive components on the probe can change the response of the circuit under test.
Every circuit is different and has its own set of electrical characteristics. Therefore, every time you probe your device, you should consider the characteristics of the probe and choose one that will have the smallest impact on the measurement. This includes everything from the connection to the oscilloscope input down through the cable to the very point of connection on the device under test (DUT), including any accessories or additional wiring and soldering used to connect to the test point.
Learn about pitfalls you might be making in your tests and how to improve your measurements with better practices.