Differential Probes

High-Voltage Differential Probes are indispensable for safely testing high voltage signals with a standard oscilloscope. For safety reasons, the ground clip of a Standard Oscilloscope Probe is normally connected directly to the PCB's ground. This only allows measurement of low voltage ground-referenced signals, or truly floating signals like battery-powered circuits. But for large voltage signals - in a line-referenced circuit, for instance (like an off-line switch-mode power supply, which may be referenced to the negative side of the rectified line power) connecting the ground clip of a standard oscilloscope probe to this circuit would create a short directly to ground via your oscilloscope, damaging both the scope and probably the circuit under test.

But there is a safe way to measure high-voltage circuits: a Differential Probe. This battery-powered device has two high-impedance inputs and a single, ground-referenced BNC output. The output is proportional to the difference in voltage between the positive and negative inputs. Any common-mode signal is rejected.

See below for our wide selection of Differential Probes.