Using 50-Ohm Coax From DUT to Oscilloscope

Figure 1: A coaxial cable presents high impedance at low
frequencies but acts as a transmission line at higher frequencies

In our recent exploration of 10x passive probes, we've determined that while these types of probes are great general-purpose tools, they're not necessarily going to do the job in specialized measurement circumstances. They're relatively low-bandwidth, low-SNR probes that impose some limitations and, in some scenarios, can deliver potentially misleading or erroneous measurement results if used without clear understanding of their capabilities.

Putting Probes in Perspective

Figure 1: Probe, cable, and oscilloscope form a system
that makes or breaks the accuracy of signal acquisitions

Few aspects of using an oscilloscope are as important as the probe: after all, the probe forms both the mechanical and electrical interfaces between the device under test (DUT) and the oscilloscope itself. To feed a signal into an oscilloscope, we're limited to a coaxial connection. Thus, we need a geometry transformer that picks up the signal of interest from the DUT and transfers it to the oscilloscope's coaxial connection.

Transmission Lines (Part V): Reverse-Engineering the DUT

Figure 1: Every DUT can be thought of as a Thevenin
voltage source with some internal resistance

There are always two primary elements of any test and/or measurement application: the oscilloscope and the device under test (DUT). Getting valid measurement results depends, first and foremost, on the oscilloscope's capabilities given the task at hand. It also depends on what we'll call "situational awareness," or the operator's understanding of the oscilloscope and of the characteristics of the DUT.