How Qualified Triggers Interact with the Hardware Trigger Sweep

Qualified triggers are the result of software post-processing of acquisitions that are identified by the oscilloscope's hardware trigger. Before enabling a qualified trigger, you want to set up the oscilloscope's hardware trigger so that acquisitions will contain the events you want to qualify. In other words, you set up the hardware trigger to get "close" to the desired event to increase the likelihood that the qualified trigger will find it.

The oscilloscope hardware trigger has a Sweep setting with these options:

• Trig'd — This option specifies that only acquisitions identified by the trigger Mode are displayed (or passed on to "qualified trigger" software post-processing).
• Auto — This option specifies that, after a period of time without capturing an event identified by the trigger Mode, an acquisition will be forced and displayed (or passed on). Auto trigger lets you see signal activity while performing set up.

Qualified triggers interact with the hardware trigger Sweep setting in this way:

• The qualified trigger does not process Auto triggered acquisitions.
• An acquisition created by pressing the [Force] key is treated like an Auto trigger acquisition and is not processed. However, there is a Force One Trigger button in the setup dialog box Qualification tab that forces an acquisition to be software post-processed.