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PicoScope 4000 Series

User's Guide

ps4000.e n-2

PC Oscilloscopes

IPicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide

Contents

.....................................................................................................................................11 Welcome

.....................................................................................................................................22 Introduction

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....2

1 Safety symbo l s

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....2

2 Safety warning

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....3

3 FCC notice

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....3

4 CE notice

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....4

5 So ftware licence conditio ns

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....4

6 Trad emarks

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....5

7 Warranty

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....5

8 Compa ny detail s

.....................................................................................................................................63 Product information

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....6

1 What do I g et?

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....6

2 Sys tem requirements

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....7

3 Instal latio n ins tructions

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....8

4 Connections

......... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... .................. ........... ....... ........... ....... ........... ....... ....9

5 Sp ecificatio ns

.....................................................................................................................................114 Programming with the PicoScope 4000 Series

.....................................................................................................................................125 Glossary

..............................................................................................................................................15

Index

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 1

1 Welcome

Thank you for buying a Pico Technology product! The PicoScope 4000 Series of PC Oscilloscopes from

Pico Technology is a range of compact units designed to replace traditional bench-top oscilloscopes costing many times the price.

Here are some of the benefits provided by your new PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope:

Portability: Take the unit with you and plug it in to any Windows PC. Performance: 12-bit resolution, large buffer with up to 32 M samples, fast USB 2.0

interface. Flexibility: Use it as an oscilloscope, spectrum analyser or high-speed data acquisition interface. Programmability: The PicoScope 4000 series API lets you write your own programs, in your chosen programming language, to control all the features of the scope. Long-term support: Software upgrades are available to download from our

website. You can also call our technical specialists for support. You can continue

to use both of these services free of charge for the lifetime of the product. Value for money: You don't have to pay twice for all the features that you already have in your PC. The PicoScope 4000 Series scope unit contains the special hardware you need and nothing more. Convenience: The software makes full use of the large display, storage, user interface and networking built in to your PC.

Introd uctio n2

2 Introduction

2.1

Safety symbols

The following symbols appear on the top cover of the PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope.

Symbol 1: Warning triangle

This symbol indicates that a safety hazard exists on the indicated connections if correct precautions are not taken. Read all safety documentation associated with the product before using it.

Symbol 2: Equipotential

This symbol indicates that the outer shells of the indicated BNC connectors are all at the same potential (shorted together). You must therefore take necessary precautions to avoid applying a potential across the return connections of the indicated BNC terminals. Such a potential could cause a large current to flow, resulting in damage to the product or connected equipment, or both.

2.2

Safety warning

We strongly recommend that you read the general safety information below before using your oscilloscope for the first time. Safety protection built in to equipment may cease to function if the equipment is used incorrectly. This could cause damage to your computer, or lead to injury to yourself and others.

Maximum input range. Do not exceed the "Overvoltage protection" range stated in the Specifications table for your model of oscilloscope. Contact with voltages outside the protection range may cause permanent damage to the unit.

Mains voltages. Pico Technology products are not designed for use with mains (line) voltages. To measure mains, use a differential isolating probe specifically rated for mains use.

Safety grounding. PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscopes connect directly to the ground of a computer through the USB cable provided to minimise interference.

As with most oscilloscopes, avoid connecting the ground input to any potential other than ground. If in doubt, use a meter to check that there is no significant AC or DC voltage between the ground input of the oscilloscope and the point to which you intend to connect it. Failure to check may cause damage to your computer or injury to yourself and others.

The product does not have a protective safety ground.

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 3

2.3

FCC notice

This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications. Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his or her own expense.

For safety and maintenance information see the safety warning.

2.4

CE notice

The PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscopes meet the intent of the EMC directive 89/336/EEC and have been designed to EN61326-1 (2006) Class A Emissions and Immunity standard.

PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscopes also meet the intent of the Low Voltage Directive and have been designed to meet the BS EN 61010-1:2001 IEC 61010- 1:2001 Safety requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and laboratory use standard.

Introd uctio n4

2.5

Software licence conditions

The material contained in this software release is licensed, not sold. Pico Technology Limited grants a licence to the person who installs this software, subject to the conditions listed below.

Access. The licensee agrees to allow access to this software only to persons who have been informed of these conditions and agree to abide by them.

Usage. The software in this release is for use only with Pico products or with data collected using Pico products.

Copyright. Pico Technology Ltd. claims the copyright of, and retains the rights to, all material (software, documents etc.) contained in this release. You may copy and distribute the PicoScope and PicoLog software and drivers with no modifications, additions or omissions. You may copy and modify the SDK example programs.

Liability. Pico Technology and its agents shall not be liable for any loss, damage or injury, howsoever caused, related to the use of Pico Technology equipment or software, unless excluded by statute.

Fitness for purpose. Because no two applications are the same, Pico Technology cannot guarantee that its equipment or software is suitable for a given application. It is your responsibility, therefore, to ensure that the product is suitable for your application.

Mission-critical applications. This software is intended for use on a computer that may be running other software products. For this reason, one of the conditions of the licence is that it excludes usage in mission-critical applications such as life-support systems.

Viruses. This software was continuously monitored for viruses during production, but you are responsible for virus-checking the software once it is installed.

Support. If you are dissatisfied with the performance of this software, please contact our technical support staff, who will try to fix the problem within a reasonable time. If you are still dissatisfied, please return the product and software to your supplier within 14 days of purchase for a full refund.

Upgrades. We provide upgrades, free of charge, from our web site at www.picotech. com. We reserve the right to charge for updates or replacements sent out on physical media.

2.6

Trademarks

Windows is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the USA and other countries.

Pico Technology Limited and PicoScope are trademarks of Pico Technology Limited, registered in the United Kingdom and other countries.

PicoScope and Pico Technology are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 5

2.7

Warranty

Pico Technology warrants upon delivery, and for a period of 5 years unless otherwise stated from the date of delivery, that the Goods will be free from defects in material and workmanship.

Pico Technology shall not be liable for a breach of the warranty if the defect has been caused by fair wear and tear, wilful damage, negligence, abnormal working conditions or failure to follow Pico Technology's spoken or written advice on the storage, installation, commissioning, use or maintenance of the Goods or (if no advice has been given) good trade practice; or if the Customer alters or repairs such Goods without the written consent of Pico Technology.

2.8

Company details

Address:

Pico Technology James House Colmworth Business Park St Neots Cambridgeshire PE19 8YP United Kingdom

Phone:

+44 (0) 1480 396 395

Fax:

+44 (0) 1480 396 296

Email:

Technical Support:

support@picotech.com

Sales:

sales@picotech.com

Web site:

www.picotech.com

Pro duct information6

3 Product information

3.1

What do I get?

Your PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope kit or product pack contains the following items:

Part

Kit Order Code, PP...

Description

478

479

492

493

671

672

PP49211

PicoScope 4224 20 MHz 2-channel oscilloscope

PP49311

PicoScope 4424 20 MHz 4-channel oscilloscope

PicoScope 4226 50 MHz 2-channel oscilloscope

PicoScope 4227 100 MHz 2-channel oscilloscope

MI007242x1/x10 60 MHz oscilloscope probes

MI103

x1/x10 250 MHz oscilloscope probes

MI106111111

USB 2.0 cable

DI025111111

Software and reference CD

DO115111111

USB Oscilloscope Installation Guide

MI1441111

Carry case

3.2

System requirements

To ensure that your PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope operates correctly, you must have a computer with at least the minimum system requirements to run one of the supported operating systems, as shown in the following table. The performance of the software will increase with more powerful PCs, including those with multi-core processors.

Item

Absolute

minimum

Recommended

minimum

Recommended

full specification

Operating system

Windows XP SP2, Windows Vista or Windows 7

(32-bit or 64-bit)

Processor

As required by Windows

300 MHz

1 GHz

Memory

256 MB

512 MB

Free disk space (Note 1)

1 GB

2 GB

Ports

USB 1.1 compliant port

USB 2.0 compliant port

Note 1: The PicoScope software does not use all the disk space specified in the table.

The free space is required to make Windows run efficiently.

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 7

3.3

Installation instructions

IMPORTANT

Do not connect your PicoScope 4000 Series

scope device to the PC before you

have installed the Pico software.

If you do, Windows might not

recognise the scope device correctly.

Procedure

Follow the instructions in the USB Oscilloscope Installation Guide included with your product package.

Connect your PC Oscilloscope to the PC using the USB cable supplied.

Checking the installation

Once you have installed the software and connected the PC Oscilloscope to the PC, start the PicoScope software. PicoScope should now display any signal connected to the scope inputs. If a probe is connected to your oscilloscope, you should see a small 50 or 60 hertz signal in the oscilloscope window when you touch the probe tip with your finger.

Moving your PicoScope PC Oscilloscope to another USB port

Windows XP SP2

When you first installed the PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope by plugging it into a USB port, Windows associated the Pico driver with that port. If you later move the oscilloscope to a different USB port, Windows will display the "New Hardware Found Wizard" again. When this occurs, just click "Next" in the wizard to repeat the installation. If Windows gives a warning about Windows Logo Testing, click "Continue Anyway". As all the software you need is already installed on your computer, there is no need to insert the Pico Software CD again.

Windows Vista and Windows 7

The process is automatic. When you move the device from one port to another, Windows displays an "Installing device driver software" message and then a "PicoScope 4000 series PC Oscilloscope" message. The PC Oscilloscope is then ready for use.

Pro duct information8

3.4

Connections

Standard oscilloscope connectors

PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscopes have BNC oscilloscope connectors. The inputs

have an impedance of 1 M , so they are compatible with all standard scope probes including x1, x10 and x1/x10 attenuated types.

Connector diagrams

Front panel A. Input channel A B. Input channel B C. Input channel C D. Input channel D E. LED: shows when the

oscilloscope is sampling data

F. External trigger input G. Function generator/arbitrary

waveform generator output

PicoScope 4224

PicoScope 4424

PicoScope 4226 PicoScope 4227

Rear panel H. USB 2.0 port

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 9

3.5

Specifications

Oscilloscope model

PicoScope

4224

PicoScope

4424

PicoScope

4226

PicoScope

4227

Inputs

Number of channels

242

Analog bandwidth

DC to 20 MHz

(10 MHz on ±50 mV range)

DC to 50 MHz

DC to 100 MHz

Impedance (nominal)

BNC, 1 M || 22 pF

BNC, 1 M || 16 pF

Coupling

Software-selectable AC/DC

Voltage ranges

±50 mV, ±100 mV, ±200 mV,

±500 mV, ±1 V, ±2 V,

±5 V, ±10 V, ±20 V,

±50 V, ±100 V

±50 mV, ±100 mV, ±200 mV,

±500 mV, ±1 V, ±2 V,

±5 V, ±10 V, ±20 V

Overload protection

±200 V

±100 V

Vertical resolution

12 bits

Sampling

Time bases

(real-time sampling)

100 ns/div

to 200 s/div

100 ns/div

to 200 s/div

50 ns/div

to 200 s/div

Maximum sampling rate

(real-time sampling)

One channel in use Two channels in use 3 or 4 channels in use

80 MS/s 80 MS/s

80 MS/s

80 MS/s [*1]

20 MS/s

125 MS/s 125 MS/s

250 MS/s 125 MS/s

Maximum sampling rate (equivalent-time sampling )

10 GS/s

Buffer size

32 MS shared between enabled channels

Performance specifications

Time base accuracy

50 ppm

Trigger re-arm time

1 µs on fastest time base

DC accuracy

1% of full scale

Trigger resolution

1 LSB

Function generator/Arbitrary waveform generator

Connector-BNC

Frequency range

1 MHz into 1 M || 16 pF

Resolution

12 bits

Buffer size

8192 samples

DAC sample rate

20 MS/s

Accuracy

Output range

±250 mV to ±2 V

Output offset range

±1 V

Max. combined output

±2.5 V

Output resistance

600

Overload protection

±10 V

Pro duct information10

Oscilloscope model

PicoScope

4224

PicoScope

4424

PicoScope

4226

PicoScope

4227

External trigger

Connector-BNC

Modes

Rising/falling edge

Bandwidth

100 MHz

Impedance

1 M || 20 pF

Voltage range

±20 V

Coupling

Overload protection

±100 V

Digital trigger

Types

Edge, window, pulse, interval, dropout, runt, delayed

Environment

Operating environment

Temperature range (for stated accuracy) Humidity

0 °C to 45 °C

20 °C to 30 °C

5% to 80% RH non-condensing

Storage environment

Temperature range Humidity

-20°C to +60°C

5% to 95% RH non-condensing

PC connection

USB 2.0. Compatible with USB 1.1.

Power supply

5 V @ 0.5 A max. (from USB port)

Dimensions

200 mm x 140 mm x 38 mm

Weight

< 0.5 kg

Compliance

European EMC and LVD standards

RoHS and WEEE

FCC Rules Part 15 Class A

*1: 80 MS/s with channels A+C, A+D, B+C, B+D, 20 MS/s for other combinations. *2: Tested on 1 V range.

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 11

4 Programming with the PicoScope 4000 Series

An Application Programming Interface (API) is supplied free of charge with the PicoScope 4000 Series scopes. You can install it from the product CD (if you enable this option in the installer) or by downloading it from our website at www.picotech.

com. The software includes a Programmer's Guide in PDF format.

Glo s s ary12

5 Glossary

AC/DC switch. To switch between AC coupling and DC coupling, select AC or DC from the control on the PicoScope toolbar. The AC setting filters out very low-frequency components of the input signal, including DC, and is suitable for viewing small AC signals superimposed on a DC or slowly changing offset. In this mode you can measure the peak-to-peak amplitude of an AC signal but not its absolute value. Use the DC setting for measuring the absolute value of a signal.

Analog bandwidth. The input frequency at which the measured signal amplitude is 3 decibels below the true signal amplitude.

Buffer size. The size of the oscilloscope buffer memory, measured in samples. The buffer allows the oscilloscope to sample data at a fast sampling rate before transferring the data to the computer at a slower rate. Once the buffer fills up, the scope must stop sampling, so on longer time bases the buffer size places an upper limit on the sampling rate that can be used.

Equivalent-time sampling (ETS). A specialised sampling mode that can be used to increase the effective sampling rate of an oscilloscope as long as the signal is a stable, repetitive waveform. A single sample is collected during one cycle of the waveform. The scope then re-arms and re-triggers on another cycle of the waveform, and collects another sample with a slight time offset relative to the previous one. Over a large number of cycles, enough samples are collected to display a high-resolution picture of the waveform. Also called sequential sampling.

GS/s. Gigasamples (billions of samples) per second. Maximum sampling rate. A figure indicating the maximum number of samples the

oscilloscope can acquire per second. The higher the sampling rate of the oscilloscope, the more accurate the representation of the high-frequency details in a fast signal. "MS/s" is an abbreviation for megasamples (millions of samples) per second.

MS/s. Megasamples (millions of samples) per second. Oversampling. The process of taking measurements more frequently than the

requested sample rate, and then combining them to produce the required number of samples. If, as is usually the case, the signal contains a small amount of noise, this technique can increase the effective vertical resolution of the oscilloscope.

PC Oscilloscope. A virtual instrument formed by connecting a PicoScope 4000 Series oscilloscope to a computer running the PicoScope software.

PicoScope 4000 Series. Pico Technology's high-resolution PC Oscilloscopes. PicoScope software. A program that accompanies all Pico PC Oscilloscopes. It turns

your PC into an oscilloscope, spectrum analyser and measuring instrument. Real-time sampling. The normal operating mode of a digital oscilloscope. The scope

collects a single, unbroken sequence of samples at or below its maximum sampling rate. Compare with equivalent-time sampling.

Time base. The time base controls the time intervals marked on the horizontal divisions of the scope view. There are ten divisions across the scope view, so the total time across the view is ten times the time base per division.

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 13

USB 1.1. Universal Serial Bus (Full Speed). This is a standard port used to connect external devices to PCs. A typical USB 1.1 port supports a data transfer rate of 12 megabits per second, so is much faster than an RS232 COM port.

USB 2.0. Universal Serial Bus (Hi-Speed). This is a standard port used to connect external devices to PCs. A typical USB 2.0 port supports a data transfer rate 40 times faster than USB 1.1 when used with a USB 2.0 device, but can also be used with USB

1.1 devices. Vertical resolution. A value, in bits, indicating the precision with which the

oscilloscope converts input voltages to digital values. Oversampling (see above) can improve the effective vertical resolution.

Voltage range. The range of input voltages that the oscilloscope can measure. For example, a voltage range of ±100 mV means that the oscilloscope can measure voltages between -100 mV and +100 mV. Input voltages outside this range will not damage the instrument as long as they remain within the protection limits stated in the Specifications table.

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 15

Index

Accuracy 9 Analog bandwidth 9

Bandwidth (analog) 9 BNC connector 8 Buffer size 9

Calibration 2 CE notice 3 Company information 5 Compliance 9 Connections 8 Contact details 5

Dimensions 9 Disk space 6

EMC Directive 3

FCC notice 3

Grounding 2

Input range, maximum 2, 9 Inputs 9 Installation 7

LED 8 Low Voltage Directive 3

Mains voltages 2

Operating environment 9 Operating system 6 Oscilloscope probe 8 Outputs 9 Overload protection 9

PC connection 9 Pico Technical Support 5 PicoScope 4000 Series 1 PicoScope software 7 Power supply 9 Processor 6

Repairs 2 Resolution, vertical 9

Safety

symbols 2

warning 2, 3 Sampling rate 9 Scope probe 8 Signal generator 9 Software licence conditions 4 Specifications 9 Storage environment 9 System memory 6 System requirements 6

Technical support 5 Test equipment 2 Trademarks 4 Trigger

bandwidth 9

external 9

USB 6

changing ports 7

Vertical resolution 9

Index16

Voltage ranges 9

Warranty 5 Weight 9 Windows, Microsoft 6

PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 17

Pico Technology

James House

Colmworth B us iness P ark

ST. NEO TS

Cambridgeshire

PE19 8YP

United King do m

Tel: +44 (0) 1480 396 395

Fax: +44 (0) 1480 396 296

www.picotech.com

ps4000.e n-2

9.4. 10

PICO PicoScope 4224, PicoScope 4424, PicoScope 4226, PicoScope 4227 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual