Education task
Teaching lab waveform exercise with the Rigol DS1054Z
Task: help students connect theory to measurement by comparing sine waves, square waves, PWM signals and filtered outputs on the same oscilloscope.
Lab objective
Students should learn how amplitude, frequency, duty cycle and filtering appear on a real instrument. The DS1054Z gives them a front-panel workflow with enough channels to compare related signals without rebuilding the setup for every observation.
Suggested setup
Use channel 1 for the source signal and channel 2 for the circuit output. For a PWM or logic exercise, add channel 3 for an enable or timing signal. If the exercise includes supply behaviour, use channel 4 to monitor the rail while the circuit runs.
What students should record
Ask students to capture frequency, peak-to-peak voltage, duty cycle and the visible difference between input and output. In a filter exercise, they should explain why the output amplitude changes as frequency changes. In a PWM exercise, they should explain how duty cycle changes the average delivered energy.
Why four channels matter in teaching
Students can see cause and effect on one screen: source, output, timing and supply. That makes the oscilloscope lesson more concrete.