How do I get 1mv/div on the 1054Z? I'm only getting 10mv/div

[alsetalokin4017]

I've seen people who have only used DSOs actually not even be able to calculate a frequency of a regular signal on their DSOs by using the graticule grid and timebase settings. Nor can they read a voltage value off the trace. They depend on "numbers in boxes" for their data, and use the "Auto" button far more than they should be doing.

But that's really beside the point of this thread, I think. DSOs vs CROs... well, I'd say one should either learn the basics of scoposcopy using a CRO, or pretend that your DSO is an analog scope until you understand how to read the traces directly using the graticule and the horiz. and vert. settings. Use of the "Auto" button should be forbidden entirely until the fledgling scoposcopist can read frequencies and voltages from the trace alone, then rarely used afterwards.

On the Rigol 1054Z you can make a noisy trace look a lot "Better", that is, thinner, by using the Average acquire mode and choosing a suitable number of averages. You can also turn down the Display intensity.

And as others have pointed out, using a 1x probe (with the correct probe attenuation setting in the Channel menu of course!) is rarely appropriate and has problems of its own.

[vk6zgo]

Once upon a time,Oscilloscopes did not have any way of changing the volts/div setting to match a probe,so if you used a "X10" probe.the displayed voltage would be a tenth of that which the user might expect.

At that time,however,Engineers & Technicians were equipped with a very useful accessory,called "a functioning brain".
Using this amazing device,they were able to multiply the reading by 10 in their heads,& had very little difficulty in using X1,X10,or even X100 probes.

This was obviously an unsatisfactory state of affairs,so 'scope manufacurers devised probes which told the Oscilloscope to multiply the reading so the user didn't need to!

This brought about confusion,as people persisted in using the old style probes,& having switched off their brain,started to get confused,as they expected the Oscilloscope to do their thinking for them!

+1

And many that acquire CRO's as their first scope quickly learn this is the case and many threads here attest to this fact. That some also have this affliction with a DSO that does all the work for them I also find amusing.

But we have all done it ourselves in our early days, those that haven't are liars or have bad memory. 

I still find myself counting graticules and portions of.  A reminant of times past I guess. 

With the old style CROs,any confusion was usually only for a few minutes,as commonsense asserted itself(or the Boss slapped you over the ear! ).
The first thing you did if you got a "funny" display amplitude was to look at "Cal Out" on the 'scope.
If that was wrong,too,suspicion went straight to the probe.

Of course,switchable 1X/10X probes were pretty much unknown in those days!

Rigol,obviously meant well in making the X!/X10 function switchable on the 'scope,but they may have been better to have left the "volts/div" unchanged.

Alternatively,they could have included "X10" or a distinctive colour in the "volts/div" display,or lit up an LED alongside the BNC input for whichever channel is selected as "X10".

Unfortunately,people see more expensive 'scopes with automatic "volts/div" switching from the probe,& naturally assume their cheaper unit has it as well.

I don't really like the Rigol display,with so many parameters shown on screen.
It seems "cluttered",with no parameter seemingly given any priority .

Of course,this is from screenshots---using it in "real life" may be very different,as you quickly learn to ignore what isn't of immediate concern.

[rs20]

The first thing you did if you got a "funny" display amplitude was to look at "Cal Out" on the 'scope.
If that was wrong,too,suspicion went straight to the probe.

+1, this is really good advice. The very moment you're confused about what's going on on your oscilloscope screen, move the probe over to the compensation/cal posts. The worst mistake you can make is to assume that your test equipment is perfect and/or omnipotent.

If the OP had done this, the question would have instead been "why is my oscilloscope reading 50V p-p on a 5V p-p input?", and it's possible with such a strong hint he/she may have figured it out without asking the question!

[fivefish]

On a related 1X/10X note... My scope is currently at Rigol (Oregon) being repaired.

The 10X readings are correct.
But my 1X readings are 0.16Volts short for every volt of input.

So I don't think it's a simple multiplication factor being done in software?

For a whole week, me and Rigol engineer were going back and forth with me telling him there is a problem with my scope, and showing him proof/screenshots. And him reporting the readings he's getting are correct and within tolerance.

So today, I said "okay, if you can't find problem, just ship it back... btw, what are the readings on 1X settings?"

A few minutes later He came back with "It failed at 1X. That was a surprise. Not sure we have seen that before but we'll get it repaired"

[rs20]

On a related 1X/10X note... My scope is currently at Rigol (Oregon) being repaired.

The 10X readings are correct.
But my 1X readings are 0.16Volts short for every volt of input.

You're not describing the problem properly. Is the problem when the software is set to 1x, or when the probe is set to 1x? I'd be astonished if changing the software settings did anything other than just modifying the on-screen voltage annotations and readouts, it shouldn't do anything to the trace.

[fivefish]

On a related 1X/10X note... My scope is currently at Rigol (Oregon) being repaired.

The 10X readings are correct.
But my 1X readings are 0.16Volts short for every volt of input.

You're not describing the problem properly. Is the problem when the software is set to 1x, or when the probe is set to 1x? I'd be astonished if changing the software settings did anything other than just modifying the on-screen voltage annotations and readouts, it shouldn't do anything to the trace.

When the scope/software is set to software 1X, my 1054 scope is showing wrong voltage readings, both on the vertical trace and the Measurement stats. 

I'd be astonished if changing the software settings did anything other than just modifying the on-screen voltage annotations and readouts, it shouldn't do anything to the trace.

Well, join the club... Rigol engineer was surprised too and emailed me back "That was a surprise. Not sure we have seen that before but we'll get it repaired"

Update: just want to add, only my CH 1 is affected by this software 1X accuracy problem.... if it's software I would think all my channels should have been affected on my unit, but CH2, 3, 4 shows the correct voltage readings at software 1X setting. So maybe some hardware in my CH 1 (voltage reference maybe) was the problem. I'll know more when Rigol ships the unit back to me.

[rs20]

When the scope/software is set to software 1X, my 1054 scope is showing wrong voltage readings, both on the vertical trace and the Measurement stats. 

Didn't answer my simple "Is it A or B" question!! So you didn't try setting only the probe to 1x, leaving the oscilloscope at 10x? And you didn't try setting the probe to 10x, and switching only the oscilloscope to 1x?

Also, did you try swapping probes around to see if the problem was attached to the scope channel or the probe?

[fivefish]

  And you can't understand what I posted? My scope at 1x setting is giving wrong voltage measurements. I'm not even using a probe. Straight BNC and alligator clips connected to power supply. Seems like a hardware problem with Channel 1, 1x setting on my scope.

At 10x setting (which the Rigol engineer was using to replicate my problem), it was giving him correct voltage measurements. So he's at a loss for explanation either. -- that's why it took us so long to really pin down the exact problem. Because initially he can't duplicate the problem I'm reporting. Only when I told him to try it at the 1X did he see the problem.

So you didn't try setting only the probe to 1x, leaving the oscilloscope at 10x? And you didn't try setting the probe to 10x, and switching only the oscilloscope to 1x?

Didn't matter. Scope was giving wrong answers at 1X. Rigol thinks it's a hardware problem. They're fixing it right now.