Whitepaper
How to Select the Right Oscilloscope Current Probe
This application note details current probe selection for oscilloscope applications, focusing on three main types: sense resistors (shunts), clamp-on probes, and Rogowski coils. Shunt resistors offer high sensitivity and bandwidth but introduce burden voltage tradeoffs and are invasive. Clamp-on probes provide galvanic isolation using AC transformers or Hall effect sensors, though require degaussing and can be expensive. Finally, Rogowski coils excel at measuring large AC currents (up to thousands of amperes) without core saturation via an air core design, offering high bandwidth (>30MHz) but require integration of the induced voltage signal. The Keysight N2820A/21A is highlighted as a low-current shunt probe, and various clamp-on & Rogowski coil options are presented for higher current measurements.