What is an Oscilloscope, and what can you do with it?

When working with electronics, few instruments are as essential as the oscilloscope. Whether you are designing new hardware, troubleshooting a circuit, or validating compliance with industry standards, an oscilloscope gives you direct insight into how signals behave in real time.

What is an Oscilloscope?

An oscilloscope (often simply called a scope) is a test instrument that measures and displays the change in voltage over time. On the display, time is shown on the horizontal (X) axis, while voltage is shown on the vertical (Y) axis. This graphical view makes it possible to analyse how signals vary—whether they are stable, noisy, distorted, or behaving unexpectedly.

Most oscilloscopes offer multiple channels, allowing you to compare signals in parallel. Some advanced models also include digital channels, creating so-called mixed-signal oscilloscopes (MSO), which are ideal for embedded systems and digital circuit debugging.

When selecting an oscilloscope, engineers typically look at key specifications such as:

• Bandwidth (BW): Determines the range of signal frequencies that can be accurately measured.
• Sample rate: Defines how often the signal is measured per second.
• Memory depth: Impacts how long you can capture detailed waveforms at high resolution.

What can you do with an Oscilloscope?

Oscilloscopes are versatile tools used across electronics, telecom, defence, automotive, aerospace, and power industries. Typical applications include:

• Circuit troubleshooting: Detecting faults, shorts, or noise in analogue and digital designs.
• Signal quality checks: Ensuring signals have the expected amplitude, timing, and shape.
• Serial bus debugging: Triggering and decoding data protocols such as USB, Ethernet, CAN, I²C, and SPI.
• Compliance testing: Verifying designs against industry standards.
• Jitter and timing analysis: Measuring clock stability and identifying sources of error.
• Power electronics measurements: Assessing switching behaviour, ripple, and efficiency.
• Mixed-signal analysis: Combining analogue and digital views for embedded systems.
• EMI/EMC pre-compliance analysis: Identifying interference sources before full certification tests.
• Automotive radar and ADAS debugging: Supporting the development of next-generation vehicle systems.
  

With the right probes and software options, oscilloscopes become highly specialised tools, tailored to the exact needs of your project.

Types of Oscilloscopes

Depending on your application, different form factors and models are available:

• General-purpose oscilloscopes – Ideal for electronics labs, R&D, and production testing.
• Portable scopes / scopemeters – Rugged, handheld instruments for field service and maintenance.
• High-performance scopes – Advanced instruments with bandwidths up to several GHz, used in aerospace, defense, and high-speed digital design.

Why rent an Oscilloscope?

High-quality oscilloscopes from leading brands such as Keysight, Rohde & Schwarz, Tektronix, Fluke, and Teledyne LeCroy can represent a significant investment. For many businesses, renting an oscilloscope offers a cost-effective alternative:

• Access the latest models without high upfront costs.
• Scale your test equipment on demand for specific projects.
• Get calibrated, ready-to-use equipment with flexible rental terms.
  

At RentalTec, we are an official rental partner of Rohde & Schwarz and Keysight, and through our partnership with TRS-RenTelco we can offer access to an even wider range of oscilloscope solutions. Whether you need a general-purpose scope, a portable scopemeter, or a high-end mixed-signal analyser, we support your requirements with expert advice and fast delivery.

Looking for an Oscilloscope rental?

Explore our oscilloscopes & probes archive or contact our team to discuss the best solution for your project.