Counting wave cycles has traditionally been done with a sound sensor and a data logger, but you

can now measure tone frequencies with your computer.

Instructions
1
Open a sound analysis program on a computer with a sound card. Sound programs
are available for free or inexpensive download (see Resources).
2
Adjust the sampling parameters of the analysis software to fit your preferences. A
sound can be mathematically represented as sine waves in the Fourier transform;
there are many ways to calculate a Fourier transform, but the quickest of these
programs use a Fast Fourier Transform algorithm to analyse the components of your
tone. Some programs include an oscilloscope to further analyse the sound.
3
Play the tone into the computer's microphone or open it as a .wav file in the analysis
program. Launch the analysis.
4
Read the graph of the sound sample to find the frequency of your tone.
To get an accurate reading, you may have to take several measurements of the tone and average the
results.

https://www.relisoft.com/Freeware/freq.html
http://www.fileguru.com/Real-Time-Audio-Analyzer/download
http://www.purebits.com/scoverview.html

How to Use the Oscilloscope

An oscilloscope is a device that displays the voltage of an input signal or some quantity that can be
converted into a voltage. It typically shows the amplitude of this voltage on the vertical axis and
shows time on the horizontal axis. An oscilloscope is most effective for showing a signal that
repeats itself or changes slowly over time. The first uses of an oscilloscope are usually to observe
the waveforms of simple signals.

Instructions
1
Connect a lead from an electrical source to the oscilloscope's input terminals. Many
oscilloscopes have more than one pair of input terminals, so you'll typically connect
the signal to channel 1. Turn the oscilloscope on.
2
Select a scale on the oscilloscope that's appropriate for the input signal. The scale is
the amount of time that's represented by a horizontal length on the oscilloscope. For a
1,000 Hz (1 kHz) signal, the signal is repeating itself 1,000 times per second. To see
a complete cycle of the signal, you'll need to set the oscilloscope to show at least a
millisecond of data.
3
Choose the range on the oscilloscope that matches the input signal. The range is the
minimum and maximum voltages that the oscilloscope can display. For a signal that
varies between +1 and -1 volts, you would need to set the range to at least 1 volt.
4
Set the oscilloscope's threshold. An oscilloscope must receive a signal that's higher
than its threshold value before it will begin displaying the signal. For a 1-volt signal,
you might set the threshold trigger on channel 1 to 1/2 volt.
5
Observe a simple voltage signal. The dot on the oscilloscope moves in an up-anddown pattern resembling a sine wave. The minimum and maximum heights of the
signal indicate the voltage range, and the amount of time required for the signal to
repeat itself is the signal's frequency.

How to Calibrate Your Oscilloscope

If you're going to use an oscilloscope, then you're going to need to know how to calibrate it. Just
follow these simple steps ...

Instructions
1

Oscilloscopes have an x axis and a y axis. The x axis is horizontal and represents
time in seconds (s). The y axis is vertical and represents voltage in volts (v).
2
First, set all of the buttons and switches to their normal positions. This means, all
push button switches should be in the out position, all slide switches in the up
position, all rotating dials are centered, and the TIME/DIV and VOLTS/DIV and the
HOLD OFF are in the Calibrated (CAL) position.
3

Set the VOLTS/DIV to 1V/DIV.

4
Set the TIME/DIV control to 2s/DIV
5
Switch the power to ON. You should now see the trace moving across the screen.
6

Locate the Y-POS control. This will allow you to move the trace up or down the
screen. Adjust the trace so that it runs horizontally across the center of the screen.
7
Now locate the INTENSITY and FOCUS controls. These will allow you to control
how bright the trace is and whether it is sharp or blurry.
8

The TIME/DIV will control the horizontal scale of the graph. As you change this
setting to a smaller number, the trace will move across the screen faster.
9
The VOLTS/DIV control will determine the vertical scale of the graph. Set the
control to where you can see the entire vertical motion on the screen.
Frequency is a measurement of the speed at which an object can pass from one point to another and
back again. It is effectively a measure of how quickly a motion is repeated. Frequency is measured
in Hertz, a calculation that is effectively "repetitions per second." The precise method of measuring
frequency will vary depending on what is being measured, but the core process remains the same.
Things You'll Need
Stopwatch
Pen and paper
Calculator

Instructions
1
Observe the object whose frequency you wish to measure, to determine an easilyobservable point in its motion. Wait for this point to occur again and start the
stopwatch. Count out ten more occurrences of this "observable point." Stop the
stopwatch when you witness the tenth occurrence. Note the time on the stopwatch
with your pen and paper.
2
Divide the time on the stopwatch by ten to find the average time between observable
points. This is the average period of the object. Record this period, which is denoted
as "T" in frequency calculations. Repeat the observation at least twice more, in order
to calculate two more values for T.
3
Add together your recorded "T" values. Divide the total by the number of values, to
find the average. For example, if you have "T" values of 3.2, 3.3 and 3.4, divide their
total by 3 to find 3.3 as the average. As T=1/f, T is the inverse of frequency. Divide 1
by T to find the frequency. For example, the frequency of T=3.3 is 1 / 3.3 = 0.3 Hertz
Not all periods are instantly observable, so you may require specialist instrumentation. For
example, the frequency of a sound wave is easier to determine by observing it as a
displacement wave on an oscilloscope. This will also allow you to calculate the frequency
without room for human error.
If observing an object such as the pendulum in a grandfather clock, do not make the mistake
of taking the mid point of its swing as the "observable point". The pendulum swings through

this mid point twice during each period, as it passes from one end of the swing to the other
and back again. Instead, calculate its period from the time at which it reaches the highest
point at either side of its swing.

How to Measure Frequency Response With an

Oscilloscope
The frequency response commonly known as the amplitude response of a system is the measure of
variation in the output amplitude of the signal when a signal of constant amplitude with varying
frequency is applied at the input. A frequency response of a system tells you how the system output
will vary when the frequency of the input signal changes, even if its amplitude remains constant.
For example, in the case of an amplifier, frequency response will tell you at what frequencies of the
input signal the amplification will remain constant. The easiest way to measure the frequency
response of a system is by observing the output signal from a system on an oscilloscope.
Things You'll Need
Sine wave signal generator

Instructions
1
Connect the output of the sine wave signal generator to the input of the system for
which you are performing the frequency response. Connect the output of the system
to the input of the oscilloscope. A sine wave has a single frequency component that
gives the best frequency response results.
2
Turn on the power to your system, the signal generator and the oscilloscope. Set the
output frequency of the sine wave signal generator to its minimum setting. For
example, some signal generators start from a minimum frequency of 10Hz.
3
Prepare a table with two columns and multiple rows. Name the first column as
"Frequency of input signal" and the second as "Amplitude of output signal." Measure
the amplitude of the output signal from your system on the oscilloscope. Note this
value in the table against the frequency of the output signal from the signal generator.
4
Ramp up the frequency of the sine wave signal in small steps of 10Hz. For each step,

measure the amplitude of the output signal from your system on the oscilloscope.
The amplitude of the output signal being measured on the oscilloscope will start
rising from a certain frequency value, remain constant over a certain range of
frequencies and then start falling again.
5
Note the range of frequencies for which the output amplitude remained constant.
This is the ideal range of frequencies at which your system will deliver optimum
performance.

How to Determine the Frequency of a Signal

on an Oscilloscope
Electronic devices that range from alarm clocks to computers require test equipment that is capable
of monitoring and measuring signal amplitudes and frequencies. The oscilloscope is capable of
fulfilling this need. Measuring the frequency of a signal is straightforward but does require a certain
amount of training. Once you adjust the oscilloscope settings, the calculation of the numeric
frequency is just a matter of reading a few dials and performing a bit of basic math

Instructions
Learning Oscilloscope Controls
1
Familiarize yourself with the various sections of the controls for the oscilloscope.
The sections are broken down into Vertical, Horizontal and Trigger. In the Vertical
section, distinguish between the controls for channel 1 and channel 2. Find the
Volts/Div knob for each channel. The two knobs at the top of the section will adjust
the waveform up or down on the screen. In the Horizontal section, locate the time
base knob that indicates the Sec/Div. The knobs at the top of this section adjust the
waveform to the right or left on the screen. The trigger section of the controls is for
specialized measurements of transient signals.
2
Examine the screen and notice there is a graph superimposed on the surface. By
counting the divisions up and down and from right to left, amplitude and frequency
are determinable for any waveform you display. Each major division on the graph
counts as one division. Each division has five smaller divisions to aid making a finer
measurement.
3
Enlarge the waveform of interest to the point where one period fills the screen. This
enlargement will give the greatest accuracy in the determination of the frequency of
the signal.

Measurement of Frequency
4
Adjust the Sec/Div knob to provide a display of between 5 and 10 peaks in the
waveform. The final adjustment to look at only one cycle will occur later.
5
Use the Horizontal and Vertical controls to centre the middle of the waveform over
the centre of the screen.
6
Rotate the Sec/Div knob to narrow the view to display only one cycle. The definition
of a cycle is from one peak to the next peak in the waveform. Adjust the wave to
begin at a point on the left side of the graph.
7
Rotate the Volts/Div knob until the amplitude of the waveform fills the screen. This
will yield the largest image of a single cycle it is possible to obtain.
8
Count the number of large divisions to span the distance from a point on the rising
edge of the waveform to the same point on the next rising edge.
9
Multiply the number of divisions by the range on the Sec/Div knob to determine the
number of seconds for one cycle of the waveform. For example, if the waveform is 9
divisions peak-to-peak and the Sec/Div knob is set on .2 msec, then the time of one
cycle is 9 x .2 msec = 9 x .0002 sec = 0.0018 seconds.
10
Convert the time for one cycle into a frequency. Frequency = 1 / seconds for cycle =
1 / 0.0018 = 555.56 Hz in the example.

How to Measure Oscilloscope Amplitude

Frequency
Asking electrical engineers to work in the lab without an oscilloscope is like asking them to wear a
blindfold. The oscilloscope is the tool that brings the hidden world of electronic signals into
visibility. Oscilloscopes present a visual display of the voltage level at a selected point within a
circuit, or the signal output from a sensor. Since so many of the signals in our world are cyclical in
nature---that is, they repeat a pattern in a well-defined time---it's often helpful to know the
frequency at which the signals repeat.
Things You'll Need

Oscilloscope
Cyclic signal source
Input probe or cable
Calculator or paper and pencil

Instructions
1

Put the signal into the input port of the oscilloscope.

2
Set a trigger source for the oscilloscope scan, which is the signal the oscilloscope
uses to start displaying a trace. The trigger can come from a threshold level or change
in slope of the signal itself, or it can come from another source.

3
Set the voltage scale so that the full vertical range of the signal is displayed as large
as possible while still fitting within the oscilloscope screen.
4

Set the timebase to spread the display of at least a full cycle of the signal from left to
right across the screen.
5

Decide upon a start and finish point for a full cycle. This point can be where the
voltage crosses zero on its way from positive to negative, it can be from point of
maximum voltage to the next maximum, or any other convenient identifying feature
on the signal.
6
Identify or "mark" the start and finish point. Depending upon the oscilloscope, this
marking might be accomplished by taking a photo of the screen, by just looking at
the display, by setting "markers" on the oscilloscope, or even done internally by an
oscilloscope that will automatically measure frequency.
7
Measure the number of horizontal divisions between the start and finish point.
Multiply the number of divisions by the timebase to get the period of the signal.
8
Take the inverse of the period to get the frequency. For example, a measured value of
2.5 ms (2.5 milliseconds, or 2.5 millionths of a second) would be a frequency of 1/
(2.5 X 10^-6 sec), or 400 kilo Hertz, or 400,000 cycles per second. Depending upon

the oscilloscope, this calculation might be done with paper and pencil, or
automatically determined and statistically analysed for thousands of pulses and
presented as part of the display.

Before settling on a measurement of frequency, make sure that you have examined the signal
thoroughly enough to know that the measurement is representative of the entire signal, and
not an artefact of the particular trigger or signal features selected.