Pico Technology

Here is your monthly Test and Measurement update from Pico Technology.

1.  Tech Tips: Networking PicoLog and Moving traces

This month we have a couple of tech tips to help you get the most out of your Pico software.

Networking PicoLog

PicoLog lets you share data over an IP network, so that you can take measurements on one computer and record the data on another. All the software you need is built in to PicoLog and Windows.

Read the full instructions on how to share data over an IP network

Moving offset scope traces in PicoScope

You can remove small voltage offsets in PicoScope using the ‘Settings | Offset null’ menu command. Larger offsets can be dealt with by moving the trace. To do this, change the Y multiplier at the top of the screen from ‘Off’ to ‘x1’ for the channel you want to adjust. A scroll bar will appear at one side of the display so that you can drag the trace until it fits on the screen.

Download full instructions for PicoScope

2.  New Automotive Product: Mixmaster

Now you can see a twelve-cylinder secondary ignition parade on any scope, even if it has only one or two channels. Mixmaster can produce a parade display of up to twelve cylinders using a single channel of an automotive oscilloscope. If you have a two-channel scope, then Mixmaster can also display two engine banks separately with up to six cylinders per bank.

Mixmaster is battery-powered, rugged and conveniently portable. It is supplied with a set of four secondary ignition leads, three BNC leads to connect to the oscilloscope, and an engine-block ground lead. It has a trigger output to help synchronise the scope to a known cylinder, and a switch to deal with negative-going wasted-spark signals. There’s no software to install, and it works with PicoScope or any other automotive oscilloscope program.

Find out more about Mixmaster

3.  Automotive News

Pico breakout leads win MOTOR Top 20 Tools Award

Pico’s new six-way Universal Breakout Leads are the only product of their kind, and MOTOR magazine has declared them one of the Top 20 Tools of 2006. The leads allow you to connect a PicoScope or other compatible automotive oscilloscope to a wide range of components in the engine bay, without having to strip or pierce any insulation and with no risk of damage to connectors caused by backprobing.

With a set of three leads of different blade sizes, you can cover practically all the electrical connectors you are likely to meet in any vehicle, so you won’t need to buy a special set of leads for each make of engine. They work with a wide range of sensors, actuators, fuses and other components.

Find out more about Pico breakout leads

Troubleshooting a crankshaft position sensor using PicoScope 6

One of our PicoScope users, Nick Brownrigg, has posted a case study on iATN (the International Automotive Technicians’ Network) showing how he fixed a fault using PicoScope 6.

A 1991 Jeep Cherokee 4.0 had an intermittent stall, hesitation and no start. The fault wouldn't show up in the bay, but a short road test flushed out a single bump symptom. Nick used a PicoScope 3223 two-channel scope for the capture and used 5 seconds per screen streaming with about 1,000,000 samples per channel. This means there were 5 microseconds between samples on each of 18 screens he captured. He never even filled the 32-screen memory.

He captured several pre and post-symptom CKP failures on the short road test, including the actual failure that caused the symptom. Our U.S. distributor Tom Roberts, of Autonerdz, made a movie showing how much information was actually captured in a very short time. No other automotive scope has these capabilities.

See the movie, with labels added by Tom.

If you’re a PicoScope Automotive owner, don’t forget that you can download a free copy of PicoScope 6 Automotive from our website.

AAPEX Automotive Aftermarket Products Expo

Sands Expo Centre, Las Vegas, Nevada, USA
31 October - 2 November 2006
Pico will be exhibiting in Booth 5756

AAPEX is the annual business-to-business trade show representing the $250 billion North American retail and service aftermarket, and features more than 2,000 exhibitors. Visit us to see our latest products, including the multi-award-winning Automotive Oscilloscope Diagnostics Kit, the time-saving ACE Misfire software, our Universal Breakout Leads (winner of MOTOR magazine’s Top 20 Tools Award 2006) and the versatile FirstLook pressure sensor.

Visit the show’s website for further information

4.  Forthcoming Exhibitions and Training Dates

Full details of upcoming exhibitions and training dates can be found on the exhibitions page.

5.  Employment Opportunities

Due to our continuing growth, we have vacancies for the following positions:

• Development Engineer - Windows Desktop Application Software
• Development Engineer - Device Driver Software
• Development Engineer - Hardware
• Development Engineer - Analogue Hardware
• Marketing Co-ordinator
• Field Sales Engineer
• Technical Support Engineer (post-sales)

Find more details of these positions and complete an online application form

6.  Latest Software Releases

As soon as we release new software, it is made available for FREE download from our website. To check which version you are using, start the software (PicoScope, PicoLog or EnviroMon) and select HELP | ABOUT.

The current releases are:

• PicoScope R5.14.6
• PicoScope Automotive R5.14.6 and new R6.0.0
• PicoLog R5.14.6
• EnviroMon R5.13.7

To download the latest software please visit the software downloads page

(Note: the above web page also contains a link to our 'what’s new' page which describes recent changes and additions to the software.)

7.  Back Issues of this Newsletter

Back issues of this newsletter are available online at http://www.picotech.com/maillist.html

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