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How to Print From an Oscilloscope

Oscilloscopes are versatile and useful when it comes to viewing waveforms, voltage changes and frequency fluctuations of a circuit or an electrical system under study. Many times, however, we may want to print this important oscilloscope-recorded information. In the past, there were special oscilloscope cameras to record this information. Today, using USB cables, oscilloscope information can be transferred directly to a printer. Other modern oscilloscopes from Tektronics, a leading oscilloscope manufacturer, have removable digital storage built in for oscilloscope data. For such scopes, “plug-and-play” technology upholds and data can be transferred to a printer with a flash disk and printed without much technical know-how.

Tektronix TDS2HM oscilloscope
TDS2HM hard copy module
Seiko printer (DPU 411, 412)
HP printer compatible with the oscilloscope
RS 232 printer cable

Instructions

- 1
  Install the TDS2HM Hard Copy Module. With the oscilloscope turned off, align the module connector to the oscilloscope connector pins before seating the module. Gently push in to connect. Turn on the power to the oscilloscope. When correctly installed, the power-up screen should say “Extension Module Passed”.
- 2
  Turn on the oscilloscope. Push the "UTILITY" button, choose "OPTIONS" and "HARD COPY SETUP." Push the "MENU" button next to the menu item (layout, Format, Port, Hard Copy) to change the settings to match those of your printer device. The oscilloscope stores these settings until you change them again. Turning off the oscilloscope does not change the settings.
- 3
  Set up the RS 232 interface correctly. To set the RS 232 oscilloscope interface, push "UTILITY" button, then "OPTIONS" then "RS 232." Push the "MENU" button next to the menu item (Set to Default, Baud, Flow Control, EOL String, parity) you want to change to match the printer setting.
- 4
  
  Just as a printer works with a PC, it can be interfaced too to an oscilloscope.
  
  Test the hard copy port by turning off the oscilloscope and the printer. Using the RS 232 printer cable, connect the oscilloscope to the printer. Turn on the oscilloscope and also the printer. Push the "Hard Copy" button on the oscilloscope. The printer will print the oscilloscope screen view.

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