PHYSICS

FORM 5

9.1 Understanding the Uses of The

Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (CRO)
 Chapter 9
Electronics
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- Dr. Abdul Kalam
FORM 5 PHYSICS

Learning Objectives :
1. Understanding the uses of the 3. Understanding transistors
Cathode Ray Oscilloscope (C.R.O.) 4. Analysing logic gates
2. Understanding semiconductor diodes
2016

Analysis of Past Year Questions

2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
P1 4 3 4 1 4 4 4 5
A - 2 1 1 1 1 1 -
P2 B 1 - - - - - - -
C - - - - - - 1 -
A - - - - - - - -
P3
B - - - - - - - -
 Chapter 9
Electronics
Dear brothers and sisters,
STOP searching for strength and willpower.
START creating it !!!
Concept Map
Electronics

Cathode ray Semiconductor Transistors Logic gates

Oscilloscope diodes
AND
Applications
Thermionic p-type and n-type OR
emission semiconductor
diodes NOT

C.R.O Current Electrical NAND

Structure amplifier power
NOR
Half-wave
rectification
Applications Truth Table

Half-wave Controlling systems

rectification
9.1 Cathode Ray Oscilloscope
Thermionic emission
Process of emission of electrons from a heated metal’s surface

How does thermionic emission occur?

e
1. Metal consists of a large number of electrons which are free to
move. e
2. At room temperature, the electrons are free to move but e
remain inside the metal. e
3. The electrons cannot escape at the surface because they are
held back by the attractive forces of the atomic nucleus.
4. If the metal is heated at a high temperature, some of the free Heated filament
electrons may gain sufficient energy to escape from the metal. cathode

Cathode rays Vacuum

Cathode
Fluorescent
6 V a.c Screen
Cathode Ray
Oscilloscope

EHT Anode
Beam of
- + electrons
4
Cathode rays

1. Thermionic emissions can be used to produce a continuous flow of electrons in a cathode ray
tube.
2. When the cathode is connected to the anode by an extra high tension (EHT) voltage supply,
a narrow beam of fast electrons will move to the anode.
3. The beam of electrons moving from the cathode to the anode is called cathode rays.
4. Cathode rays can be used in picture tube of a television, a cathode ray oscilloscope and the
visual display on a radar screen.

Properties Of Cathode Rays

1. Negatively charged particles called electrons.
2. Travel in straight lines and cast sharp shadows.
3. Travel at very high speed and have kinetic energy.
4. Can cause fluorescence. (A process where the kinetic energy of the electrons
is converted into light energy)
5. Deflected by electric and magnetic fields.

5
Investigate the properties of electron streams in a Maltese cross cathode ray tube

Anode Vacuum

Cathode
Fluorescent
6 V a.c Screen

EHT Maltese
cross
- +

Observation on the
Procedure Explanation
fluorescent screen
Connect only A dark shadow of the Maltese When the 6.3 V power supply is switched on,
the 6.3 V power Cross is formed on the screen the filament is heated. The Maltese cross
supply to the shadow is formed on the screen due to the
filament light from the filament.

6
Connect the A darker shadow of the 1. When the EHT power supply is switched on, a
6.3 V and EHT Maltese Cross is seen high voltage is applied between the cathode
to the on the screen. The and anode causing electrons to accelerate at
electrodes shadow is surrounded high speeds from cathode to anode. These
by green light electrons are the cathode rays .
2. The cathode rays blocked by the Maltese Cross
causing a shadow to form on the screen. The
cathode rays travel in straight lines.
3. The green screen formed around the shadow
when the EHT power supply is switched on
shows that the kinetic energy of the electron is
converted into light energy when the electrons
hit the fluorescent screen.

Bring a pole of Two shadow are seen 1. When a strong magnet is placed at the side of
a bar magnet on the screen. The light the Maltese Cross tube, the shadow formed is
near to the shadow remains at the moved and distorted.
neck of the centre of screen while 2. This shows that cathode rays are deflected by a
tube the dark one is shifted magnetic field.

Reverse the The light shadow

pole of the bar remains at the centre of
magnet screen while the dark
one is shifted to the
opposite direction

7
Investigate the properties of cathode rays in an electric field

Vacuum
Anode

Cathode
+
6 V a.c
- EHT 2

- + Plates
EHT 1
1. 2. 3.
No voltage connected to the Top plate is connected to Top plate is connected to EHT
deflecting plates EHT (+) and lower plate is (-) and lower plate is
connected to EHT (-) connected to EHT (+)
No deflection The electron beam will The electron beam will deflect
deflect upward downward

Summary of Investigation
1. Cathode rays are negatively charged.
2. It attracted towards positively charged anode.
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Cathode Ray Oscilloscope

Accelerating
Anode
- EHT
+ Vacuum Fluorescent
Screen
Cathode
Bright spot
6 V a.c

Filament
Focusing Y-plate X-plate
Control grid Anode Electron
Graphite beam
coating

a. Uses a cathode ray tube that converts electronic and electrical signals to a visual display.
b. The graph produced consist of a horizontal axis which is normally a function of time, and a
vertical axis which is a function of the input voltage.
c. The components in a cathode ray tube consists of a vacuum glass tube with
i. an electron gun,
ii. a deflection system for deflecting the electron beam and
iii. a fluorescent coated screen.

9
Electron Gun

The electron gun is used to produce a narrow beam of electrons.

Part Function

Filament Is heated when current flows through it. It is used to heat up the
cathode.
Cathode Heated cathode emits electrons through the process of thermionic
emissions.
Control grid Control the number of electrons in the electron beams.
The more negative the grid, the fewer the electrons are emitted from the
electron gun and the less the brightness of the bright spot on the
screen.
Focusing anode To focus the electrons into a beam and to attract electrons from the area
of the control grid.
Accelerating anode To accelerate the electron beam towards the screen.

10
Deflection System

1. The deflection system allows the electron beam to be deflected from its straight-line path when
it leaves the electron gun.
2. Y-plates is to move the electron beam vertically up and down the screen when an input voltage
is applied across it.

No input voltage
Electron is applied No input voltage.
Screen The electron beam does not deflect
beam
and the bright spot is at the centre

Y-plate X-plate Bright spot

A positive voltage
is applied Bright spot +ve voltage is applied.
+V The electron beam deflect upward.
The bright spot moves to the top.

Screen

Electron
beam
 A positive voltage
is applied
-ve voltage is applied.
-V The electron beam deflect
Screen
downward.
The bright spot moves to the
bottom.

Electron
beam Bright spot

A.C.voltage is a.c voltage is applied.

applied The electron beam deflects up and
Screen
down.
The bright spot moves up and
down to form a bright vertical
trace on the screen

Electron
beam

The function of the X-plates is to sweep the electron beam across the screen
horizontally from left to right at a steady speed. 12
Fluorescent Screen
1. The fluorescent screen is coated on the inside surface with some fluorescent material such as
phosphor or zinc sulfide.
2. When electron beam strikes the screen, the material becomes glows. This enables a bright spot
to appear whenever an electron beam strikes the screen.
3. The moving electrons have kinetic energy. When this electrons strikes the screen, the
fluorescent coating on the screen converts the kinetic energy of the electrons into light energy.

Display wave forms and measuring

voltage from a DC source using a CRO

Application of CRO

Measuring Potential Measure short time intervals

Difference using the CRO

13
Working principle of the cathode ray oscilloscope, CRO

Y-Gain

Time base
Control knob Function

Power switch 1. Control the power supply

Focus 1. Control the sharpness of the bright spot

2. Connected to the focusing anode
3. The sharpness of the bright spot is also affected by the brightness
1. To control brightness or intensity of the bright spot
Brightness 2. Connected to the control grid
3. Brightness level should be set as low as possible to obtain a clear
and sharp trace
1. To adjust the horizontal position of the bright spot on the screen
X-shift
2. Connected to the X-plates
Y-shift 1. To adjust the vertical position of the bright spot or the trace displayed
2. Connected to the Y-plates
1. To control the magnitude of the vertical deflection of the bright spot or
Y gain
the trace displayed on the screen by adjusting amplitude
(volts / div)
2. Connected to the Y-plates
1. To control the magnitude of the horizontal deflection of the bright spot
Time-base
or the trace displayed on the screen by adjusting the frequency
(time/div)
2. Connected to the X-plates

15
Control knob Function

X-input 1. A terminal to connect the voltage to the X-plates

Y-input 1. A terminal to connect the voltage to the Y-plates

1. To select the type of input received

2. When the switch is at DC position, the a.c and d.c voltages will be
AC/DC switch displayed
3. When the switch is at AC position, only the a.c voltage will be
displayed. Any signals of d.c voltage will be blocked by a capacitor in
the CRO
1. To disconnect the input voltage at the Y-plates and to earth the input
Earth
terminal

Life affords no higher pleasure than that of surmounting

difficulties, passing from one step of success to another,
forming new wishes, and seeing them gratified. He that labors
in any great or laudable undertaking has his fatigues first
supported by hope, and afterwards rewarded by joy...
To strive with difficulties, and to conquer them, is the highest
human felicity.
Samuel Johnson
16
Display wave forms and measuring voltage from a DC source using a CRO

CRO Type of power

supply Time-base Time-base
connected to switched off switched on
Y-input of CRO

No input

a.c d.c Y-input

DC power
supply
Battery

AC power suppy

17
Measuring Potential Difference using the CRO

Displacement of the bright The selected range of

DC voltage =
spot from the zero position X the Y-gain control

time-base off time-base on What is the value of the dc voltage in

figure (a) and (b) if the Y-gain control is
1 V/div ?

Y-input Y-input
a.c d.c a.c d.c

a) b)

Ans : a) 4 V b) 4 V

18
Measuring Potential Difference using the CRO

Height of vertical trace from The selected range

Peak ac voltage =
the zero position X of the Y-gain control

Y-input Y-input
a.c d.c a.c d.c

Y-gain = 2 V/div
Height of vertical trace from zero position = 4 units

Peak ac voltage = 8 V

19
Measure short time intervals
1. The time-base is set to 1 ms/div
2. It means I div = 0.001 s
3. The number of div is counted between
two crests of a wave
4. The short time interval between pulses =
Multiplying the number of division by the Y-input
time-base . a.c d.c

Length between 2 signals = 5 div

Time base is set = 10 ms/div

Time taken, t = 50 ms

Solve problems based on the CRO display

Example 1
Diagram 1 shows a trace produced by an ac
power supply which is connected to Y-input of an
CRO setting at 20 V/div and 5 ms/div.
Calculate:
(a) Period
Ans :
(b) Frequency
(c) Peak voltage a) 40 ms
b) 25 Hz
c) 80 V 20
Example 2

Diagram 2 shows a trace produced by an a.c power supply connected to a

CRO with the time base is switched of. The Y-gain is set to 20 V/div. Find
the peak voltage.
Ans : 40 V

Example 3
Diagram 3 shows a wave produced by an audio generator displayed
the screen of a CRO. The length between the two crests is 3 cm. 3 cm
(Given 1 division = 1cm)
(a) What is the period of the wave?
(b) If the time-base is set to 5 ms/div, find the frequency.
(c) When the frequency of the wave is double, what is the length
between the two crests?

Ans :
a) 15 ms
b) 66.67 Hz
c) 1.5 cm

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