In addition to regular calibration for digital oscilloscopes, there are also several application scenarios that require users to perform calibration on-site.

1. DC level offset caused by temperature offset due to long-term use: observe the clues and do not connect the probe under DC coupling. If there is an offset between the DC level and the ground. At this time, SPC (Signal Path Compensation) must be performed. The oscilloscope needs to be powered up for half an hour before performing SPC.

2. Passive probe low frequency compensation.

3. Zero active probe.

4. Current probe. Zeroing and degaussing.

1. Make sure the instrument has been warmed up for at least 30 minutes
2. The laboratory ambient temperature is maintained within the operating range of the instrument from +20°C to +30°C.
3. The laboratory humidity is maintained within the operating range of the instrument
4. Properly ground
5. Regular calibration, the engineer should keep the calibration report at hand so as to check the error of the instrument and the positive or negative error of the instrument at any time
6. Personnel operating the instrument should take anti-static measures

The above are the key factors to ensure the accuracy of the instrument.

In addition to the regular calibration for digital oscilloscope, there are several application scenarios that require users to perform on-site calibration.

1. DC level offset caused by long-term use of temperature drift: observe the clues, do not connect the probe under DC coupling, if there is an offset between the DC level and the ground. At this time, SPC (Signal Path Compensation) must be performed, and the oscilloscope needs to be warmed up for half an hour before performing SPC.
2. Passive probe low frequency compensation.
3. Zero active probe.
4. Current probe. Zeroing and degaussing.

1. Make sure the instrument is turned on for at least 30 minutes
2. The laboratory environment temperature is maintained within the operating range of the instrument between +20°C and +30°C
3. Keep the laboratory humidity within the operating range of the instrument
4. Proper grounding
5. Calibrate regularly. Engineers should keep the calibration report at hand so that they can check the instrument’s error and whether the error is positive or negative at any time.
6. Personnel operating the instrument should take ESD measures

The above are key factors to ensure the accuracy of the instrument.

The purposes of the instrument firmware upgrade are as follows: 

1. Function upgrade: After the digital design of the instrument, most instrument manufacturers will launch products as soon as possible to seize the market, and usually first introduce functions that meet 80% of the market demand, and then the software engineer will gradually realize the functions expected at the initial stage of the design through the upgrade of the instrument firmware in the future. At this time, many free new functions can be obtained through the firmware upgrade. 

2. Customized functions: In response to the special needs of customers, customized functions are provided for customers in standard models. These customized functions need to be upgraded because they are different from standard firmware.

Precautions for instrument firmware upgrade:

1. If upgrading via USB, please note that the USB flash drive is compatible with the instrument.
2. Ensure the integrity of the downloaded firmware (please be sure to join the GW Instek membership, the firmware downloaded from the official website can ensure the integrity)
3. The instrument cannot be powered off halfway during the upgrade.

The instrument industry has a small number of electronic products, so it is the weakest among the weak in the procurement market of electronic components. It is impossible to ask suppliers to reduce prices through usage quantity, and suppliers often do not consult with instrument manufacturers for their opinions when they stop production of components.

In these two cases, even if the function of the instrument has not changed, the instrument manufacturer may have to change the design every year due to the discontinuation of the components. The instrument of the same model under the changed design will have different hardware components with different batch numbers.

The firmware must be matched with the hardware. Instrument manufacturers will consider the forward compatibility of software (firmware) when changing the design of software and hardware. However, the old firmware is often not compatible with the new hardware, so the instrument company does not recommended to downgrade the firmware of the instrument.

If the fuse blows, the instrument will not work. First find out the cause of the fuse failure and correct it, then replace the fuse with the correct value and type as shown in the following table: