Test Equipment Guide.com: Information on Network Analyzers & Spectrum Analyzers

Digital Test Equipment Glossary A-G

Acquisition Mode – Modes that control how waveform points are produced from sample points. Some types include sample, peak detect, hi res, envelope, and average.

Amplitude – The magnitude of a quantity or strength of a signal. In electronics, amplitude usually refers to either voltage or power.

Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) – A digital electronic component that converts an electrical signal into discrete binary values.

Attenuation – A decrease in signal amplitude during its transmission from one point to another.

Averaging – A processing technique used to reduce noise in a displayed signal.

Bandwidth – The frequency range, usually limited by –3 dB.

Coupling – The method of connecting two circuits together. Circuits connected with a wire are directly coupled (DC); circuits connected through a capacitor or transformer are indirectly (AC) coupled.

Cursor – An on–screen marker that you can align with a waveform to make more accurate measurements.

Delayed Time Base – A time base with a sweep that can start (or be triggered to start) relative to a pre-determined time on the main time base sweep. Allows you to see events more clearly and to see events that are not visible solely with the main time base sweep.

Envelope – The outline of a signal’s highest and lowest points acquired over many displayed waveform repetitions.

Frequency – The frequency equals 1/period.

Frequency Response – A Bode plot of input to output response of an amplifier or attenuator for sine waves with constant amplitudes at different frequencies over a frequency range.

Gain Accuracy - An indication of how accurately the vertical system attenuates or amplifies a signal, usually represented as a percentage error.

Glitch - An intermittent, high-speed error in a circuit.

Graticule - The grid lines on a screen for measuring signal traces.

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