Understanding Deskew

Skew in oscilloscope measurements is the timing offset between displayed waveforms caused by differences in signal propagation time across channels. Typically of the order of nanoseconds, skew is most often caused by different probe lead lengths and can significantly impact measurement accuracy. This tutorial emphasizes the importance of deskewing for power measurements, where voltage and current probes on separate channels must be precisely aligned to calculate accurate results. You’ll learn practical deskewing procedures for both multiple voltage probes using a common signal source and voltage-current probe combinations using specialized deskewing fixtures.

What you’ll learn:

• How skew occurs between oscilloscope channels and why even nanosecond-level timing offsets can lead to inaccurate power calculations and measurement errors
• Step-by-step procedures for deskewing multiple voltage probes using the oscilloscope’s probe compensation output as a common reference signal
• Techniques for deskewing voltage and current probe combinations using specialized fixtures that generate time-aligned voltage and current pulses

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