How to Make an Oscilloscope Card
An oscilloscope is a device used to measure the properties of electrical signals, including their voltage and frequency. It is therefore capable of showing how an electrical signal changes over time. The information captured with an oscilloscope is typically displayed on a screen through a trace graph. Oscilloscopes are used for a wide range of applications in the medical, telecommunications and engineering industries, among others. While these instruments are often very expensive to purchase, it is possible to make one inexpensively using a computer's sound card.
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Things You'll Need
- Three conductor shielded cable with 3.5 millimeter stereo phono plug
- Computer sound card
- Display screen
- Audio-capturing software
Instructions
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Making an Oscilloscope
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1
Find a computer sound card. These may be purchased at any computer store. If you do not want to purchase a sound card, and you have a computer lying around that is no longer in use, carefully unscrew the appropriate compartment and pull out its sound card.
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2
Purchase a three-conductor shielded cable with a 3.5-millimeter stereo phono plug. Take the 3.5-millimeter stereo phono plug and plug it into the "line in" jack on your sound card. On most sound cards, this is the blue jack.
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3
Connect the sound card to the computer in the usual way. If the sound card you are using is an internal sound card, it connects to the computer by sliding into an expansion slot. If it is an external sound card, it connects to the computer through a universal serial bus port. In both cases, the computer will prompt you to install the sound card when the computer detects it. Follow the onscreen instructions.
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4
Purchase and install software that will allow you to read the data. Some of these programs are free and others cost just a few dollars. GoldWave is one example of these programs.
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5
Conduct experiments using the "right," "left," and "ground" conductors, which are the three conductors on the end of the shielded cable.
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