This is a function or AC or signal generator. A signal generator is capable of giving different signals, like different frequencies that can be seen on the oscilloscope. When it is set at 1.556 K Hz., (K means kilo which stands for 1000) there are 1556 hertz or cycles or frequencies or signals per second. This number tells us that the sign wave will go through a 360 degree cycle 1556 times every second. The frequency can be adjusted by the adjustment knob or by selecting a band. The bands are 1 MHz, 100 kHz, 10 kHz, 1 kHz, 100 Hz, 10 Hz and 1 Hz. (M stands for mega which means million). Also with this generator, the type of sine wave can be change from a normal sine wave to a saw tooth wave or a square wave. These are discussed in more depth under oscilloscope.
This is a DC power supply. Under certain circumstances especially when working with Digital Equipment, you will need DC power. DC is the same type of energy in a car battery. All batteries are pure DC power. This DC power supply is designed to give a straight line of power that does not fluctuate between negative and positive. It stays at the same level all of the time. There are dials that will change the voltage and current output A and B. Also, there is a fixed 5V source that can be used.
A multimeter is capable of measuring current, resistance and voltage within a circuit. This meter gives a digital reading so that there’s no guessing as to what the value it is. When a AC power supply is connected to a digital multimeter, it is necessary to make sure that AC is selected on the meter. Now the AC voltage can be measured and it will be displayed in RMS. RMS means route mean square and it is approximately .707 of the peak value. This voltage is basically equivalent to DC voltage. For example, if you had 7 volts of DC flowing through a light bulb, 7 volts AC RMS would be essentially the same. The only difference would be that if you are to check the peak to peak value the AC voltage would be significantly higher. Peak to peak means measuring the voltage between the top and bottom of a sine wave. Measuring resistance and current can also be done within different scales. The best scale to use is the smallest scale that you can use in order to get the maximum amount of voltage. Basically the smaller the scale the more accurate but if you go too far it goes off scale and an analysis can’t be done.
This oscilloscope gives a digital picture of AC or DC sign wave. There are many advantages to using the oscilloscope. One is that you can actually seeing a picture of the signal that you’re trying to read. On this oscilloscope, there is an auto set which makes it very easy to find a sine wave but the sign wave can still be adjusted to meet a particular situation. Now two signals can be put in from our generator into Channel 1 and/or Channel 2. The blue one is Channel 2 and the yellow one is Channel 1. Having these two channels is a great advantage because two different points on a circuit can be analyzed and compared. This is great when troubleshooting a piece of equipment. It allows you to see whether or not the signal is coming through and looks the way it is supposed to. A regular sine wave can be changed by switching the signal on the function generator, to get a saw tooth or a square wave. A saw tooth wave looks just like the teeth on a saw, as you can see. A square wave can be square shaped or rectangular shaped. In some cases, the square wave doesn’t look very square because up-and-down movement of the voltage is not seen. All you can see is the top and the bottom voltages. You can also use the oscilloscope to determine the voltage, the frequency, the period and other measurements that can be found on a menu.
Resistors are shown in Fig.1 above. They reduce the current flow within a circuit. The value of a resistor is in Ohms and is determined by its color-coded bands. For more information on color-codes visit the following site: Math for Electronics
Fig. 2A shows an electrolytic capacitor. Its polarity is shown by markings on the negative side and the values are usually listed directly on the device.
Fig. 2B shows a ceramic disc capacitor. The disc capacitor is a two lead bidirectional device which means it can be installed in the circuit without concern for the direction in which it is installed. Disc capacitors are normally smaller than electrolytic, so their values are normally given with a three digit code in picofarads. Fig. 3 shows how to read the code on a disc capacitor.
The diode is a two lead unidirectional device. Care must be taken to insure that the diode is installed in the correct direction. It is normally in the shape of a cylinder, as shown in Fig. 4A, with leads coming out of both ends. The diode will have a band around one end which is called the cathode. The opposite-end is called the anode.
Fig. 4B shows an LED (Light Emitting Diode). Like the normal diode, the LED also has two leads. One lead is called the cathode and the other is called the anode. As can be seen in Fig. 4B, the cathode lead is nearest the flat edge on the rim of the LED. The other lead is the anode.
