Here is a simple "how to" as a partial answer to Lee's question (also an attempt to get out of the homework assignment).
1. Power on the scope with no probes, and hopefully get a trace (line) on the display. If no trace, use Beam/Trace Finder or turn up the Intensity.
Make sure Magnifier is off, you may have to adjust Astig if the trace is still fuzzy, or Trace Rotation if the trace is not flat.
2. For Triggering (the trace) select + Slope, place the Level control in the middle, Mode to Auto, and Source to Ch1/Ch2 or Internal. If your scope has Triggering Holdoff, turn it to minimum and select AC Coupling. Play with all the Triggering controls to get a steady trace.
3. Using your scope's controls, get the trace as sharp (usually Focus) and centered (usually <-> or horizontal position) as possible.
4. Adjust the brightness of the line until it is easy to see, but not to bright (usually Intensity).
5. Add a little bit of background light to see the squares (usually Graticule or Screen Brightness).
You should never have to adjust these controls again, they will serve you well if left alone.
6. In Vert Mode, select Channel 1 (this aligns Channel 1 to the Vertical Amplifier), under Volts/Div with the input signal set to Ground, adjust the trace to be in the middle (usually vertical position) of the display.
Speaking of Ground, you will also see DC and AC. DC coupling allows you to measure DC voltage levels and look at AC riding on that DC voltage level, this is good for checking Power Supply rails, but ensure you are using a 10:1 probe and your Volt/Div is set high enough to avoid damaging the scope (usually 100VDC is max). AC coupling puts a small capacitor in line with the input to block the DC level and keeps the trace in the center of the display. So, if your signal is entirely DC, use DC coupling. If you signal is mostly AC, use AC coupling or 'capacitive coupling' to eliminate the DC offset.
7. Repeat step 6 for the other channels (select Channel 2, etc.) but offset the vertical position just a bit so you can see both/all the traces when you select Alt or Chop on the Vert Mode on analog scopes (Alt just alternates between Ch 1 and Ch 2, Chop is more like time sharing of both channels).
8. Once you get the traces calibrated you can calibrate your probe. No calibration for a 1:1 probe, but a 10:1 needs calibration. Set Channel 1 for AC coupling as above. Set the Volts/Div to .1 Volt. Use your 10:1 scope to touch the Calibration or Probe Adj point and you should see a square wave of 1 or 2 Volts (1 grid) on the screen. Use the Time Base (usually Sec/Div) to make the square waves align with the small squares in the display grid. Adjust the collar on the 10:1 probe to make the square waves as 'square' as possible.
9. Finally, to calibrate the display use the Calibration level to display the proper voltage level. Use Vertical Position to get the Channel 1 Trace in the middle of the display. If the Calibration level is 1 Volt and you are using a 1:1 probe, the number of grids the signal covers should be 5, if Volts/Div is set to 5. If you are using a 10:1 probe select Volt/Div to .5 to get the same display. If the grids do not measure 5 vertically, use the ADJ or VAR small red knob to bring the trace equal to 5 grid divisions.
10. Then adjust the period of the square waves. If the Sec/Div period is set to .5 Sec, then each horizontal grid is .5 Seconds of time. Divide one by the Period (.5 Sec) to determine the frequency. If the period is .5 Sec, the frequency is 2 cycles per second or 2 Hertz. If the Calibration level is 2 Hertz, then the square waves should be each covering one grid in the horizontal direction. If your Calibration level signal is a different frequency, adjust the Time Base (Sec/Div) appropriately. Use the small red knob on the Sec/Div control to align the signal horizontally to the correct number of grid divisions.
10. When approaching a circuit with your probe, use AC coupling, set the Time Base to just show a continuous line (rather than a dot moving across the display) and set the Volts/Div to the highest level and work down just like you would with a meter. I like to use Channel 1 to show the input signal to the amplifier and Channel 2 as my probe as I trace the signal path. I expect signal inversion at the Phase Splitter, and signal increases (compared to the input) on the outputs of each of the amplifier sections. When the signal disappears or shows distortion, the output of the component under test becomes suspect.
I hope this helps someone. And if anything is wrong (my dyslexia) let me know.
