Can a scope display more "traces" than "channels"? My very basic understanding is that a "channel" is what has a physical input connector and a "trace" is what appears on the screen. My confusion is about "4 trace, 2 channel" scopes. To me this implies some kind of special probe that takes 2 signals and time shares (?) them into a single signal for a channel's input. Is this right, or does the scope itself somehow have the ability to accept 4 signals?
Thanks, Bob
Could be another case of marketing gone wild.
Trace #3 could be what's variously called "math" or A+/-B. Some scopes can continue to display the source channels (A and B) as well as the sum or difference (or other functions) trace.
Trace #4 might be a saved, or reference, waveform. Might also be the external trigger channel that's sometimes available as a separate display trace.
Only the datasheet knows for sure.
-- Rich Webb Norfolk, VA
Bob Engelhardt wrote in news:FsWdnfEHFbFDnS7anZ2dnUVZ snipped-for-privacy@comcast.com:
there's the trigger signal(ext?) and a delayed sweep that can be the 3rd and 4th traces on the display.
Or,Ch1 and Ch2,and delayed Ch1 and Ch2.
-- Jim Yanik jyanik at kua.net
Scopes of that nature have been around for a bit how ever, what you're looking at is most likely math functions that can be performed on the CH1 and CH2 inputs to be shown in other traces. Also, in delay scan functions. it makes it nice to be able to see the main input and move the cursor where you would like and then see an expected view of a window portion of that on the next line down.
do that with both inputs sampling a signal and then perform some math functions on the expanded views.
When you stop and think about it, it makes things interested.
It's just a way of you seeing more of your information all at once on the screen.
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Most of what i have seen like that is when each input can be displayed as two traces at different timebase speeds. In some ways this is similar and better that standard dual time base scopes.
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