Description
The MagWave, a fast magnetic waveform sensor, is intended to display pulses of magnetic field (one axis of the field) on an oscilloscope. It accurately converts magnetic signals into voltage signals in real-time. The ratio of magnetic field to output voltage ranges from the most sensitive range of one gauss per volt to the least sensitive of 1000 milliteslas (which is one tesla, or 10,000 gauss) per volt. With the functionality of the Gauss/Tesla modes combined with the available range control, the MagWave provides a 10,000:1 ratio of minimum to maximum gain.
Maximum output from the MagWave is +/-6 volts, which corresponds to +/-6 gauss at the most sensitive range (with the toggle switch set to Gauss/Volt, and RANGE set to 1), to +/- 6 teslas (60,000 gauss) at the least sensitive range (with the toggle switch set to MilliTeslas/Volt, and RANGE set to 1000).
This device can accurately represent pulses that are anywhere from one microsecond in duration to 100 milliseconds (0.1 second) in duration. Depending on the capability of the oscilloscope used, it can be used to display a single pulse or repeating pulses of any repetition frequency. It cannot accurately measure DC magnetic fields, such as the field of a permanent magnet. It only measures changes in the field, and only if those changes are faster than about 1/10 of a second.
When measuring pulses that are longer than 1 millisecond in pulse duration, set the PULSE WIDTH to 1μS-100mS (which is used for pulse durations that range from one microsecond to 100 milliseconds). You will find that 1μS-100mS has somewhat more jitter (is less stable) than the other setting of 1μS-1mS (which is used for shorter duration pulses, because the reading is more stable). Note that the “pulse duration” is not the same as “repetition rate” of a repeating pulse. Pulse duration is the time required for the magnetic field to rise to its peak and fall back to near zero. This is usually a much shorter time than the time interval between pulses (if the pulses are repeating).
The MagWave runs on either a 9-volt battery or an AC adapter (both included). The adapter does not recharge the battery, but instead bypasses the battery
whenever the adapter is plugged into the MagWave.