Oscilloscopes: How to find the one that fits: New options, from scopes on PC cards to Glitch detection, may at first bewilder users — But will ultimately help in matching instruments to applications as never before

Like the telephone, the oscilloscope has been around for over a hundred years. And just as telephone buyers are confronted with dozens of models in place of the simple black dial phone, the variety of options when choosing a scope may seem bewildering. But given the diversity of instruments available for testing electronic circuits, engineers can zero in on the scope that will meet their particular needs better than ever before.