One of the joys of the lab scope is its simplicity. If you take away all the buttons and dials on an oscilloscope, it’s really just a voltmeter that allows us to look at voltage levels over time. Because voltage comes in a variety of shapes (AC and DC or a combination of both), sizes (low, medium, or high voltage), and speeds (anywhere from very high to very low frequency), a variety of specialized test leads are necessary to adapt the oscilloscope so that it can accurately display the signals that these voltages produce.