TDS 500C, TDS 600B, & TDS 700C User Manual D–1
Appendix D: Probe SelectionThe TDS Oscilloscope can use a variety of Tektronix probes for taking different
kinds of measurements. To help you decide what type of probe you need, this
section introduces the five major types of probes: passive, active, current,
optical, and time-to-voltage probes. See Appendix A: Options and Accessories
for a list of the optional probes available; see your Tektronix Products Catalog
for more information about a given probe.
NOTE. With some TDS models, Tektronix ships the recommended general-pur-
pose probes as standard accessories. (The model probe and number shipped
depends on the model — see Probes in Table A–2 on page A–3.) The TDS 680B,
TDS 684B, and TDS 784C oscilloscopes come without probes, but for general-
purpose measurements and to take advantage of the 1-GHz bandwidth of these
oscilloscopes, the P6245 Active Probe is recommended. This manual lists the
P6245 optional-accessory probe in Appendix A: Options and Accessories.
Passive Voltage Probes
Passive voltage probes measure voltage. They employ passive circuit compo-
nents such as resistors, capacitors, and inductors. There are three common
classes of passive voltage probes:
General purpose (high input resistance)
Low impedance (ZO)
High voltage
High input resistance probes are considered “typical” oscilloscope probes. The
high input resistance of passive probes (typically 10 MW) provides negligible
DC loading and makes them a good choice for accurate DC amplitude measure-
ments.