{"id":28216,"date":"2021-05-04T15:31:41","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T22:31:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.digilentinc.com\/?p=28216"},"modified":"2025-08-18T02:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-08-18T09:08:12","slug":"what-is-the-importance-of-resolution-in-an-oscilloscope","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/digilent.com\/blog\/what-is-the-importance-of-resolution-in-an-oscilloscope\/","title":{"rendered":"What is the Importance of Resolution in an Oscilloscope?"},"content":{"rendered":"

When looking at the <\/span>o<\/span>scilloscope feature of a multi-instrument device<\/span>\u00a0or when comparing t<\/span>w<\/span>o benchtop oscilloscopes<\/span>,<\/span> the first specifications that we look at are the bandwidth and sample rate. <\/span>While these are incredibly important specs,\u00a0<\/span>often<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>most\u00a0<\/span>design work is done well within the limits of most products<\/span>\u00a0and the\u00a0<\/span>more critical s<\/span>pecification\u00a0<\/span>to consider is<\/span>\u00a0resolution.\u00a0<\/span> Did you know that while m<\/span>ost popular oscilloscopes<\/a> start at 8-bit, <\/span>high<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>resolution is\u00a0<\/span>becoming an increasingly<\/span> important (and increasingly available) option? <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Since you typically have to choose between sample rate and resolution as a <\/span>feature for ADCs and DACs<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>this often begs the question, why choose to prioritize high resolution on your oscilloscope?<\/span><\/p>\n

Signal Integrity and Noise Reduction in Oscilloscopes<\/h2>\n

Signal integrity and noise reduction are incredibly important in sensitive designs,\u00a0<\/span>and resolution plays a huge part in ensuring that the signals you see are coming from the circuit at hand, not an artifact of the instrument you are using. This\u00a0<\/span>is<\/span>\u00a0especially important when\u00a0<\/span>acquiring a large signal and looking for smaller component signals that could negatively affect the end use of the design.\u00a0<\/span>For example,\u00a0<\/span>w<\/span>ith an 8-bit resolution, only\u00a0<\/span>differences\u00a0<\/span>of<\/span>\u00a0about<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>19.<\/span>53 mV on a 5 V signal can be detected. A 14-bit oscilloscope like the ADP3450<\/a> can detect<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>much smaller variations around 300\u00a0<\/span>\u00b5<\/span>V on the same 5 V signal, making it much easier to detect and\u00a0<\/span>debug problems with sensitive designs.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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The difference in resolution on this example signal is most visible comparing the hysteresis plot in the center of the screen shot above and below.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

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In our work designing test and measurement equipment and FPGA development boards, a high resolution can often play a critical role. <\/span>Here are some examples:<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n