Accredited Oscilloscope Calibration Services

In the world of high-speed electronics, the oscilloscope is your primary window into circuit behavior. At DRS Technologies, we provide expert oscilloscope calibration services to ensure that what you see on the screen accurately represents the electrical reality of your signals. Our laboratory verifies critical parameters—from DC offset to high-frequency bandwidth—ensuring your diagnostic tools meet the stringent requirements of ISO/IEC 17025.

Why Signal Integrity and Bandwidth Verification are Essential

Oscilloscopes are precision instruments that experience drift due to component aging and thermal stress. An uncalibrated scope can lead to “aliasing” errors, inaccurate rise-time measurements, and misleading peak-to-peak voltage readings. Regular calibration by DRS Technologies ensures that your time-base is stable and your vertical amplifiers are linear, preventing costly errors in R&D and manufacturing testing.

Our Technical Oscilloscope Calibration Process

Our metrology experts employ a multi-step protocol using leveled sine-wave generators and fast-edge pulse standards:

  1. Vertical Deflection Accuracy: We verify the gain and linearity of each channel across all “Volts/Div” settings to ensure amplitude measurements are precise.

  2. Horizontal Time-Base Calibration: Using high-stability frequency standards, we verify the “Sec/Div” settings, ensuring timing measurements and jitter analysis are reliable.

  3. Bandwidth and Rise-Time Testing: We test the $-3\text{dB}$ roll-off point and the instrument’s ability to capture fast transitions. This ensures your scope isn’t “rounding off” high-speed data pulses.

  4. Trigger Sensitivity and Hold-off: We verify the instrument’s ability to lock onto complex waveforms at various frequencies and amplitudes, ensuring stable display capture.

  5. Certification and NIST Traceability: Every service includes a detailed calibration certificate featuring “As-Found” and “As-Left” data, uncertainty budgets, and documented NIST traceability.

Comprehensive Support for All Oscilloscope Technologies

DRS Technologies provides elite-level support for a wide array of waveform measurement tools:

  • Digital Storage Oscilloscopes (DSO): High-speed sampling and memory depth verification.

  • Mixed Signal Oscilloscopes (MSO): Synchronized calibration of analog and digital logic channels.

  • Analog Oscilloscopes (CRO): Focus, geometry, and beam deflection audit.

  • Handheld/Portable Scopes: Ruggedized tool verification for field service.

  • High-Bandwidth Sampling Scopes: Specialized calibration for RF and microwave signal analysis.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between “Calibration” and “Probe Compensation”?

Probe compensation is a routine adjustment the user performs to match the probe to the scope’s input capacitance. Full laboratory calibration at DRS Technologies involves verifying the internal circuitry of the oscilloscope itself—such as the attenuators, ADCs, and time-base oscillators—against national standards.

How often should an oscilloscope be calibrated?

The industry standard is a twelve-month calibration interval. However, for scopes used in high-speed digital design or safety-critical aerospace applications, a six-month interval is recommended to monitor for drift in the high-frequency sampling components.

Does the “Self-Cal” function replace professional calibration?

No. While “Self-Cal” (or SPC) adjusts for internal temperature variations and DC offsets, it does not verify the instrument against an external reference. Only a NIST-traceable calibration can certify that the instrument’s absolute accuracy meets its published specifications.