Using an NTS-2 Oscilloscope for Circuit Debugging

   2026-07-09  

I happen to have a Korg NTS-2 oscilloscope which was created for doing sound design with synthesisers. I’ve been doing a lot of embedded electronics work lately, and I was curious if I could use this as a “normal oscilloscope” for circuit debugging. I could not find a definitive answer online.

One thing that made me skeptical is I couldn’t find any proper oscilloscope leads that plugged into a 3.5mm audio jack. They would be easy to make, but the fact I couldn’t find any made me think it wouldn’t work.

Well, if you are in the same boat, a Korg NTS-2 Oscilloscope does indeed work for small, low powered circuit debugging (which is all I do). It looks like modifying a 3.5mm to RCA cable and soldering some probes with RCA female connectors will get you where you need to go:

While there is no way the fidelity is any where near a proper oscilloscope, it’s a useful tool if you have one already (and it’s quite inexpensive if you are looking for a budget friendly oscilloscope)