Oscilloscope passive probes
The most widely used type of oscilloscope probe is the "passive probe". Passive probes are also the most rugged and economical of probes. There are no active components such as transistors or amplifiers in the probe and therefore passive probes do not need to be powered.
Passive probes are classified into the following different types. | ||||
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1:1 high Z passive probe | 10:1 or 20:1 high Z passive probe | 100:1 high Z passive probe | Resistive divider passive probe | |
Features | a low capacitance coax cable with a BNC connector on one end and a probe on the other. |
* The most widely used scope probe type and is provided standard with most oscilloscopes with 1 MΩ input * gives lower input capacitance and higher bandwidth than the 1:1 probe |
* additional attenuation for use with higher amplitude signals * large attenuation requires a high gain amplifier on the scope |
* highest bandwidth passive probe for measuring high-frequency, low-impedance circuit * must be used with an oscilloscope’s 50Ω input |
When to use | for viewing small signals (<1 V) | for viewing up to ~300 V | for viewing up to 4 kV high voltage | high frequency low-impedance (50Ω) digital circuit, transmission line |
When not to use | for probing high frequency signal | for achieving >700 MHz system bandwidth | for making floating (ungrounded) measurement | for probing high-amplitude, high-impedance signal |
Typical Bandwidth | up to 35 MHz | up to 700 MHz | up to 500 MHz | up to 1.5 GHz |
Keysight models |
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N2871/2/3/5A, 10073D, 10074D, 1165A, N2862/3B, N2889A/90A, N2894A, N7007A |
10076C |
N2874/6A |
Passive probe family | Key features and advantages |
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N2870A-76A | 2.5mm probe tip diameter for fine pitch component probing, easily replaceable spring-loaded probe tip, includes a variety of probe tip and ground accessories, 10-25pF input C (high Z 10:1) covers wide range of scope input, 7 probes and 4 accessory kits available |
10070D/73D/74D/76C | 5mm probe tip, general purpose probe, rugged, wide compensation range (6-15pF) |
N2862B/63B/89A/90A, N2840A/41A/42A/43A/53A | 5mm probe tip, general purpose probe, rugged, 10 MΩ input C when terminated into 1 MΩ scope input, wide compensation range (5-30pF), low cost, switchable 10:1/1:1 attenuation for N2889A |
N2140A/42A | 5mm probe tip, switchable 1:1 or 10:1 attenuation ratio, 10 MΩ input C when terminated into 1 MΩ scope input, low cost |
N7007A | 5mm probe tip, 10:1 attenuation ratio, for extreme temperature environmental chamber testing at -40 to +85 degC |
1165A | 2.5mm probe tip diameter for fine pitch component probing, includes a variety of probe tip and ground accessories, 6-9pF input C for Infiniium 54830 Series, all other 1160A-64A models are discontinued |
Compare All Passive Probes (28)
Find an Oscilloscope Probe
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N2870A Passive Probe, 1:1, 35 MHz, 1.3 m (1)
N2870A Passive Probe, 1:1, 35 MHz, 1.3 m
The N2870A passive probe offers DC to 35 MHz and 1:1 attenuation factor to make this probe ideal for making low level signal measurements
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N2871A Passive Probe, 10:1, 200 MHz, 1.3 m (1)
N2871A Passive Probe, 10:1, 200 MHz, 1.3 m
The N2871A passive probe offers DC to 200 MHz and 10:1 attenuation factor to address a wide range of measurement needs
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N2872A Passive Probe, 10:1, 350 MHz, 1.3 m (1)
N2872A Passive Probe, 10:1, 350 MHz, 1.3 m
The N2872A passive probe offers DC to 350 MHz and 10:1 attenuation factor to address a wide range of measurement needs
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N2873A Passive Probe, 10:1, 500 MHz, 1.3 m (1)
N2873A Passive Probe, 10:1, 500 MHz, 1.3 m
The N2873A passive probe offers DC to 500 MHz and 10:1 attenuation factor to address a wide range of measurement needs
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N2875A Passive Probe, 20:1, 500 MHz, 1.3 m (1)
N2875A Passive Probe, 20:1, 500 MHz, 1.3 m
The N2875A passive probe offers DC to 500 MHz and 20:1 attenuation factor to address a wide range of measurement needs
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N2874A Passive Probe, 10:1, 1.5 GHz, 1.3 m (1)
N2874A Passive Probe, 10:1, 1.5 GHz, 1.3 m
The N2874A passive probe offers DC to 1.5 GHz and 10:1 attenuation factor to measure fast edges in high speed applications more accurately
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N2140A Passive Probe, 10:1, 200 MHz, 2-Pack (1)
N2140A Passive Probe, 10:1, 200 MHz, 2-Pack
- Bandwidth DC to 200 MHz
- Switchable 10:1/1:1 attenuation ratio
- High quality, low cost
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N2142A Passive Probe, 10:1, 75 MHz, 2-Pack (1)
N2142A Passive Probe, 10:1, 75 MHz, 2-Pack
- Bandwidth DC to 75 MHz
- Switchable 10:1/1:1 attenuation ratio
- High quality, low cost
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N2876A Passive Probe, 100:1, 1.5 GHz, 1.3 m (1)
N2876A Passive Probe, 100:1, 1.5 GHz, 1.3 m
The N2876A passive probe offers DC to 1.5 GHz and 100:1 attenuation factor to measure fast edges in high speed applications more accurately
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10070D Passive Probe, 1:1, 20 MHz, 1.5 m (1)
10070D Passive Probe, 1:1, 20 MHz, 1.5 m
The Keysight 10070D 20 MHz passive probe is a great choice if you are looking for high quality at a very reasonable price