O-scope square waveform basics?

Question

I recently picked up a used two chan 20MHz 1020 Leader scope, very similar to

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I'm using (cheap?) Avex 10:1 passive probes

With probe tip at front ref signal 0.5V @ 1kHz (I think I properly compensated the probe for LF), or trying to scope my car's Hall-Effect sensor, I am getting the expected square wave, but sans any vertical traces, like

_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-

or like the lower pattern on 8022 pic above.

I'm a scope newbie, so I first and foremost expect pilot error, and/or I don't know what a square waveform should look like...

When I just place my finger on the probe tip, at some settings I can get either a sine wave, or something roughly like an (inverted) catenary curve

Or is something possibly wrong w/the scope not registering seeing square pulses? or w/the CRT's deflection on one axis?

Thank you, Lance

Lance Morgan · Accepted Answer

Thanks. I'm carefully fiddling w/the settings, including CRT, but it makes it difficult to see if square wf is really square - hard to ck for rounded corners/distortion. I was hoping to see a nearly frozen/slow "showcase" pattern

I'll try to make better use of the graticule and keep acclimatizing

Lance Morgan · Answer