Test and Measurement News

July 2017

Exclusive to PicoScope: Modbus serial decoding

The new PicoScope beta release, 6.13, adds Modbus RTU and ASCII to its growing list of serial decoders. Modbus is used in industrial automation to communicate with programmable logic controllers (PLCs).

PicoScope 6 now supports a total of 18 serial protocols and is the only oscilloscope that can decode Modbus.

Download for free >

New PicoSDK 10.6.12

The latest PicoSDK (software development kit) includes support for our newest devices including:

  • PicoScope 4444
  • New PicoScope 2000 Series models

as well as updates to many of the existing drivers.

Please note that code examples are now hosted on our GitHub pages.

Download for free >

Website update: I2C serial bus decoding

I2C is a low-speed serial data protocol, used to transfer information from master to slave devices.

This month, we've updated and expanded the I2C entry in the A to Z of PC Oscilloscopes, with additional detail on the packet structure and how to decode the protocol using the latest PicoScope 6 software.

Read on >

DCC application note: demonstrating the Hornby Elite using PicoScope

Digital train sets allow the user vastly more control of their model railway than is possible with an analog set, such as running multiple trains at different speeds. This is possible thanks to the DCC serial protocol.


Our latest application note uses a PicoScope 2408B to decode the signals produced by the Hornby Elite, an advanced DCC controller, capable of running 64 locomotives at once.

Read on >

Video: 3-phase load monitoring

Applications support engineer Stuart Murlis goes in search of power outages at Pico's global HQ, using the PicoScope 4444 differential oscilloscope, three PicoConnect 442 1000 V CAT III probes and a TA326 3-phase flex current probe.

Watch >

Video: Launch of the PicoVNA 106

The new PicoVNA 106 is a portable 6 GHz vector network analyzer with a quad-core architecture. In this video Mark Ashcroft, Pico's business development manager for RF products, shows it in action at the IMS 2017 show last month.

Watch >

What can Pico products be used for?

Our final video this month gives you a quick insight into some of the more unusual applications people have found for our products.

Watch >

Technical support news

We have added a MATLAB example for the USB DrDAQ to our GitHub repository. The script demonstrates how to call shared library functions to acquire data from the USB DrDAQ data logger.

Our Instrument Drivers and examples for MathWorks MATLAB are now hosted on GitHub for easier sharing of code, but we recommend that you continue to use the MATLAB Add-On Explorer for installation or visit our Community Profile page.

MATLAB page for DrDAQ >

PicoScope tech tip

Did you know that PicoScope 6 makes it easy to plot the frequency of a signal against time? Go to Tools > Math Channels, create a new channel, enter freq(A) as the equation, click through the remaining dialogs and PicoScope will show you a frequency plot of channel A.

Experiment with the math channel feature and you will find a huge range of functions that you can apply to your data.

Read about math channels >

Sheila Felicio: 27 September 1975 – 17 June 2017

We are deeply saddened by the loss of Sheila, a much-loved and highly experienced member of Pico's software development team since 2013. Sheila tested many of the features in our T&M and Automotive ranges.

She will be remembered for helping less experienced colleagues gain in confidence, but most of all for the way she made everyone smile.

Events

Please visit Pico Exhibitions for the latest list of exhibitions and trade shows that Pico and its representatives will be attending.

We're hiring!

Thanks to our continuing success and growth Pico are always seeking talented people to join our company.

Please visit https://jobs.picotech.com/ to see our current vacancies. We look forward to hearing from you!

Software releases

Our latest software releases are available as free downloads. To check which release you are using, start the software and select Help > About.

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Contact details

UK Headquarters:
Pico Technology, James House, Colmworth Business Park, St. Neots,
Cambridgeshire, PE19 8YP, United Kingdom
Tel.: 01480 396395 (+44 1480 396395)
Fax: 01480 396296 (+44 1480 396296)

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Pico Technology, 320 N Glenwood Blvd, Tyler TX 75702, United States
Tel:+1 800 591 2796 (Toll Free)

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Pico Technology, Room 2252, 22/F, Centro, 568 Hengfeng Road, Zhabei District,
Shanghai 200070, PR China
Tel: +86 21 2226-5152

Email: sales@picotech.com