The Cathode-Ray Oscillograph Applied to Long-Time Switching Transients

The cathode-ray oscillograph because of its inherent characteristics is ideally suited and extensively used for the measurement of transient voltages associated with switching operations. The type of oscillograph ordinarily used covers a wide range of measurement conditions and is necessarily large and expensive. For this reason very few such units are available, and new problems, arising from the necessity of providing reliable service with loads increasing because of the war effort, have required every available measurement facility. In two recent applications where extremely wide-range performance was not required, a two-tube low-voltage cathode-ray oscillograph was used successfully. This oscillograph and the two applications are described, and it is shown how such measurements of long-time transients may be made with portable, inexpensive, and relatively simple equipment embodying the advantages of cathode-ray oscillography.