Oscilloscope to Digital Voltmeter

Thread Starter

jefferj54

Joined Feb 24, 2019
4
Keeping things as simple as possible, if I inject an (A.C.) 4 volt peak to peak sine wave to an oscilloscope, what would the output read on a digital voltmeter? Thanks, joe.
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Not to mention an answer that can easily be found in a google search. Back in the day us old folks used something called google instead of being lazy and just asking on a forum. .
 

OBW0549

Joined Mar 2, 2015
3,566
Back in the day us old folks used something called google instead of being lazy and just asking on a forum.
And before that we used libraries and bookstores, subscribed to periodicals and paid attention in class, and put forth the unavoidable hard work it took to figure things out for ourselves.
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Then this site should be closed, because everyone will learn more if they figure it out for themselves.
That is simply ridiculous. There are probably hundreds of questions that never get asked here because people take 10 seconds of initiative and go and serch for the anwer. The questions that get asked here are are worthy of the time of others are those that can't be easily found in a search.
 

ElectricSpidey

Joined Dec 2, 2017
2,758
Who died and left you in charge of what kinds of questions get asked here?

Nobody puts a gun to your head and forces you to “waste your time”.

Searching can be a frustrating affair, and there is no way of knowing how long a poster spent doing it before coming here. Heck…half the time a search leads the person right here. How do you think people find this place?
 

spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Who died and left you in charge of what kinds of questions get asked here?

Nobody puts a gun to your head and forces you to “waste your time”.

Searching can be a frustrating affair, and there is no way of knowing how long a poster spent doing it before coming here. Heck…half the time a search leads the person right here. How do you think people find this place?

Your are the one that thinks no one want to answer any questions and wants to shut down the forum. My point is that most people don't need to ask because they take 10 seconds to search first. They know that the forum is for the tough questions that can't be answered on their own.

Something can't be frustrating if you don't even take the time to try. Dozens of answers on this one. Oh yeah it was real difficult. :rolleyes:
https://www.bing.com/search?q=difference+between+oscilloscope+and+voltmeter+measurement&FORM=AWRE
 
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spinnaker

Joined Oct 29, 2009
7,830
Not to mention this is likely a homework question that the TS needs to answer. It is irrelevant why the mods have not yet moved it.
 

Thread Starter

jefferj54

Joined Feb 24, 2019
4
I want to thank "crutschow," for the answer without spoon-feeding me, and ElectricSpidey and MisterBill2 for reminding these folks to be civil. The assumption that this is a homework assignment is exactly THAT, an assumption. I am 64 year old retired man who finished college some time ago. I asked this question because I was seeking knowledge. I see that will have to purchase an oscilloscope, so I promise that in the future, I will not have to bother you haters. P.S.: I came to this forum not to use it as an excuse for "laziness," but because I could not find an explanation on the web that was easy enough for a 5th grader to understand.
 

Thread Starter

jefferj54

Joined Feb 24, 2019
4
I want to thank "crutschow," for the answer without spoon-feeding me, and ElectricSpidey and MisterBill2 for reminding these folks to be civil. The assumption that this is a homework assignment is exactly THAT, an assumption. I am 64 year old retired man who finished college some time ago. I asked this question because I was seeking knowledge. I see that I will have to purchase an oscilloscope, so I promise that in the future, I will not have to bother you haters. P.S.: I came to this forum not to use it as an excuse for "laziness," but because I could not find an explanation on the web that was easy enough for a 5th grader to understand.
 

crutschow

Joined Mar 14, 2008
34,285
I apologize for some of my other forum members who can be a little cranky/insulting at times when making incorrect assumptions about questions posted on this forum. :rolleyes:
Trust you will be back if you have any other questions (and just ignore any inappropriate responses). :)
 

danadak

Joined Mar 10, 2018
4,057
I had an earlier post removed recommending you look at your voltmeter manual.
Usually that tells you if it is measuring RMS or Average or both....Some will even do
peak reading. But if its sinusoidal once you get any one of these readings you can
compute the rest.

https://www.electronics-tutorials.ws/accircuits/average-voltage.html

There are additional factors involved like crest factor when dealing with non sinusoidal
waves, search the net on that topic as well.


Regards, Dana.
 

crutschow

Joined Mar 14, 2008
34,285
Usually that tells you if it is measuring RMS or Average or both
Generally, even if the meter circuitry responds to the average value (of the full-wave rectified signal), the output is designed to display the RMS of a sinewave (.707/.637 = 1.11 of the average value).
So whether the meter is average responding or true RMS responding, it will read the same RMS value with an undistorted sinewave input.

When reading other than a sinewave with an average responding meter there will be an error in the reading, depending upon the waveform shape and crest factor.
For example, a square-wave will read about 11% high on an average responding meter.
 
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