PicoScope 7 Software
Available on Windows, Mac and Linux
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.
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.
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.
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.
If you’re a PicoScope Automotive owner, don’t forget that you can download a free copy of PicoScope 6 Automotivefrom our website.
Please visit Pico Exhibitions for the latest list of exhibitions and trade shows that Pico and its representatives will be attending.
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!
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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