Pico Macom PSW044 User Manual

PicoScope 6.0 PC Oscilloscope Software

User Guide

PSW044-2.0

PicoScope 6 User GuideI

Table of Contents

1 Welcome

2 Version 6.0 update

3 Introduction

4 Using PicoScope for the first time

5 PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

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1 Legal statement 2 Contact information 3 How to use this manual 4 System requirements

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1 Oscilloscope basics 2 PCO basics 3 PicoScope basics 4 Capture window 5 Custom probes 6 Frequency legend 7 Measurements table 8 Oversampling 9 Post-trigger arrow 10 Ruler legend 11 Scope view 12 Cursor position tool tip 13 Time rulers 14 Trigger marker 15 Signal rulers 16 Windows, views and viewports

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6 Menus

7 Toolbars

PSW044-2.0

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1 File menu 2 Edit menu 3 Help menu 4 Measurements menu 5 Tools menu 6 Toolbar menu 7 Window menu

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1 Buffer Navigation toolbar 2 Capture Windows toolbar

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Contents

II

8 How to...

9 Reference

3 Channel Setup toolbar 4 Customization dialog 5 Help toolbar 6 Measurements toolbar 7 Scope Setup toolbar 8 Signal Generator toolbar 9 Start / Stop toolbar 10 Triggering toolbar 11 Zooming and Scrolling toolbar 12 Demo Signals toolbar

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1 How to change to a different scope device 2 How to use rulers to measure a signal 3 How to measure a time difference 4 How to move a view

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1 Measurement types 2 Trigger timing (part 1) 3 Trigger timing (part 2) 4 Keyboard shortcuts 5 Glossary

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Index

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PSW044-2.0

1

PicoScope 6 User Guide

1

Welcome

Welcome to PicoScope, the PC Oscilloscope software from Pico Technology Limited. With a scope device from Pico Technology, PicoScope turns your PC into a powerful

PC Oscilloscope with all the features and performance of a bench-top oscilloscope

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at a fraction of the cost.

How to use this manual What's new in this version?

Software version: PicoScope 6.0 beta v0.8.0.0

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Version 6.0 update

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Version 6.0 update

PicoScope 6.0 is a major new release of PicoScope, Pico Technology's software for PC Oscilloscopes.

Higher performance

• Faster capture rates, making it easier to see fast-moving signals

• Faster data processing

• Better support for the latest PicoScope USB oscilloscopes

Improved usability and appearance

• Clearer graphics and text

• Tooltips and help messages to explain all features

• Easy point-and-click tools for panning and zooming

• User-configurable toolbars - you can put all the controls where you want them

New features

• The latest Windows .NET technology helps us get new features to you quicker

• New digital low-pass filtering

• Custom probes manager to make it easy for you to use your own probes and sensors with PicoScope

• Multiple views of the same data, with individual zoom, pan and filter settings for each view

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

3

Introduction

PicoScope is a comprehensive software application for Pico Technology PC Oscilloscopes. Used with a scope device from Pico Technology, it creates a virtual oscilloscope, spectrum analyser and multimeter on your PC.

PicoScope 6.0 supports the following scope devices:

PicoScope 2000 Series PicoScope 3000 Series ADC-212 variants

PicoScope 6.0 runs on any 32-bit computer with Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP. (See

System requirements for further recommendations.)

Legal statement Contact information How to use this manual

How to use PicoScope 6.0

Getting started: see using PicoScope for the first time , and PicoScope's Features.

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For further information: see descriptions of Menus and Toolbars , and the

Reference section.

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For step-by-step tutorials, see the "How to " section.

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6

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60

Introduction

4

3.1

Legal statement

The material contained in this 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 Limited claims the copyright of, and retains the rights to, all material (software, documents etc) contained in this release. You may copy and distribute the entire release in its original state, but must not copy individual items within the release other than for backup purposes.

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

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, for example 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.

Trademarks

Windows is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Pico Technology Limited and PicoLog are internationally registered trade marks.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

3.2

3.3

Contact information

Address: Pico Technology Limited

The Mill House Cambridge Street St Neots Cambridgeshire PE19 1QB United Kingdom

Phone: +44 (0)1480 396395 Fax: +44 (0)1480 396296

Office hours: 09:00 to 17:00 Mon-Fri Technical support email: support@picotech.com

Sales email: sales@picotech.com

Web site: www.picotech.com

How to use this manual

You are using a PDF viewer to read this manual. You can turn the pages of the manual as if it were a book, using the back and forward buttons in your viewer. These buttons should look something like this:

3.4

back

forward

You can also print the entire manual for reading away from your computer. Look for a

print button similar to this:

print

For your first introduction to PicoScope, we suggest that you start with these topics:

Using PicoScope for the first time Oscilloscope basics PCO basics PicoScope basics

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System requirements

PicoScope 6.0 runs on any Windows computer with the following specifications.

Operating system Windows 98SE, ME, 2000 or XP

Processor Any 32-bit Intel or Intel-compatible CPU

RAM At least 256 MB

Using PicoScope for the first time

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4

Using PicoScope for the first time

We have designed PicoScope to be as easy as possible to use, even for newcomers to oscilloscopes. Once you have followed the introductory steps listed below, we hope that you will soon become a PicoScope expert.

1. Install the software. Load the CD-ROM that is included with your scope device, then click the "Install Software" link and follow the on-screen instructions.

2. Plug in your scope device. Windows will recognise it and make the necessary changes to allow your computer to work with it. Wait until Windows tells you that the device is ready to use.

3. Click the new PicoScope icon on your Windows desktop.

4. PicoScope will detect your scope device and configure itself, ready to display a waveform. The green Start button will be highlighted to show that PicoScope is ready.

5. Connect a signal to one of the scope device's input channels and see your first waveform!

"It didn't do what I expected!"

Help is at hand! Our technical support staff are always ready to answer your telephone call during office hours (see our Contact Details ). At other times, you can contact our support forum or send us an email.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

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5.1

PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

This chapter explains the fundamental concepts that you will need to know before working with the PicoScope software. If you have used an oscilloscope before, then most of these ideas will be familiar to you. If not, please take a few minutes to read at least the "Oscilloscope basics " and "PicoScope basics " topics, and then return here to read the more detailed topics in this chapter when you need them.

Oscilloscope basics

An oscilloscope is a measuring instrument that displays a graph of voltage against time. For example, the picture below shows a typical display on an oscilloscope screen when a varying voltage is connected to one of its input channels.

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Oscilloscope displays are always read from left to right. The blue line, called the "trace", begins at point A, where the voltage is 0.0 volts. At point B, 0.25 milliseconds later, the voltage has risen to its positive peak of 0.8 volts. At point C, 0.75 milliseconds after the start, the voltage has dropped to its negative peak of -0.8 volts. After 1 millisecond, the voltage has risen back to 0.0 volts and a new cycle is about to begin. This type of signal is called a sine wave, and is one of a huge number of signal types that you will encounter.

All oscilloscopes allow you to adjust the vertical and horizontal scales of the display. The vertical scale is called the voltage range (in the most common case, when the signal is measured in volts). The horizontal scale is called the time base and is measured in seconds or, as in this example, fractions of a second.

PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

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5.2

5.3

PCO basics

A PC Oscilloscope (PCO) is an oscilloscope that consists of a scope device and a PC running a special software program. Oscilloscopes were introduced long before digital computers existed, and were self-contained electronic instruments with limited abilities. Later, oscilloscopes began to use the new digital technology to introduce more functions, but they remained highly specialised and expensive instruments. PC Oscilloscopes are the latest step in the evolution of oscilloscopes, combining the measuring power of Pico Technology's scope devices with the convenience of the PC that's already on your desk.

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+ =

PC scope device PCO

PicoScope basics

PicoScope can simple waveforms such as the example we saw in the "Oscilloscope

basics " topic, but also has many advanced features. The screen shot below shows

the main window of PicoScope, which in this case contains two capture windows . Click on any of the underlined labels to learn more. Also, please see "Windows, views

and viewports" for an explanation of these important concepts.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

5.4

Capture window

A capture window shows a block of data captured from a single scope device . When you first open a capture window it contains one scope view , but you can add

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more views by clicking Add view in the Views menu. The screen shot below shows all the main features of a capture window. Click on the underlined labels for more information.

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To open a new capture window

Click the capture window button in the capture window toolbar , or select the Create New Scope Window command in the File menu. PicoScope can

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display many capture windows, but only one window can be "in focus " at any time.

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Any commands you issue — by clicking on buttons, for example — will affect only this window. To bring a window into focus, just click on it.

To arrange the scope views within the capture window

If the capture window contains more than one scope view , then PicoScope will

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arrange them in a grid. This is laid out automatically, but you can customize it if you wish. Each location in the grid is called a viewport . You can move a view to a different viewport by dragging its name tab (show me ), but you cannot move it

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outside the capture window that it belongs to. You can also put more than one view in a viewport, by dragging a view and dropping it on top of another.

For further options, right-click on a view to obtain the View menu, or select View from the Menu bar , then select one of the menu options to arrange the views.

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PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

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5.5

5.6

Custom probes

A probe is any connector, transducer or measuring device that you connect to the input channel of your scope device . PicoScope has a built-in library of common

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probe types, such as the x1 and x10 voltage probes used with most oscilloscopes, but if your probe is not included in this list you can use the Custom Probes dialog to

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define a new one. Custom probes can have any voltage range within the capabilities of the oscilloscope, display in any units, and have either linear or nonlinear characteristics.

Custom probe definitions are particularly useful when you wish to display the probe's output in units other than volts, or to apply linear or nonlinear corrections to the data.

Frequency legend

The frequency legend appears when you have placed two time rulers on a scope

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view . It shows 1/D in hertz, where D is the time difference between the two rulers.

You can use this to estimate the frequency of a periodic waveform, but you will get more accurate results by creating a frequency measurement using the Add Measurements button on the Measurements toolbar .

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

5.7

Measurements table

A measurements table contains the automatic measurements that you have instructed PicoScope to make on a particular view. You can add, delete or edit measurements from this table.

To add a measurement

Click the Add Measurement button on the measurements toolbar . To delete a measurement

Select a measurement in the table by clicking once on it, and then click the Delete Measurement button on the measurements toolbar . If you delete the only

measurement in the table, the table will be removed.

To edit a measurement

If the measurement you wish to edit is selected, click the Edit Measurement button on the measurements toolbar . Otherwise, double-click on the

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measurement.

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To change the width of a measurement column

Drag the column's border to create the column width you need. The cursor will change to a column resize symbol as shown here.

PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

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5.8

Oversampling

Oversampling is a technique of capturing samples n times faster than the requested sampling rate, then replacing each group of n adjacent samples with the average of that group. If the signal contains a small amount of noise, the result of oversampling is a waveform with increased effective resolution. The amount of oversampling available depends on how fast your scope device can sample.

Procedure

First make sure that the Oversampling control is displayed on the Scope Setup

toolbar . If it is not, add this control to the toolbar as explained in the "Toolbars

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" topic. Use the Oversampling control to adjust the oversampling factor (n). PicoScope allows oversampling factors in the range 1 (no oversampling) to 256.

How to choose the oversampling factor

To obtain an increase in effective resolution of n bits, you should choose an oversampling factor of 4n. Conversely, an oversampling factor of f will give an increase in effective resolution of log(f) / n log(4).

For example, if a scope device has a stated resolution of 8 bits, then an oversampling factor of 4 will, under ideal conditions, increase this to 9 bits. An oversampling factor of 16 will increase the effective resolution to 10 bits, and a factor of 256 will increase it to 12 bits.

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These calculations assume that the noise is Gaussian (follows a normal distribution). This is approximately true for noise from natural sources, such as thermal noise in resistors and sensors, but not be true for man-made noise such as radio interference and mains (line) hum. The scope device itself often produces enough low-amplitude noise to make oversampling successful.

The benefit of oversampling comes at the cost of having to increase the sampling rate. If your scope device is already running at its maximum sampling rate in order to capture high-frequency details in the signal, then it will not be able to oversample.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

5.9

Post-trigger arrow

The post-trigger arrow appears temporarily while you are setting up a post-trigger delay, or dragging the trigger marker after setting up a post-trigger delay. (What is a

post-trigger delay? )

The left-hand end of the arrow indicates the trigger point, and is aligned with zero on the time axis. If zero on the time axis is outside the scope view, then the left-hand end of the post-trigger arrow appears like this:

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5.10

The right-hand end of the arrow (temporarily replacing the trigger marker )

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indicates the trigger reference point. Use the buttons on the Triggering toolbar to set up a post-trigger delay.

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Ruler legend

The ruler legend displays the positions of all the rulers you have placed on the

scope view . It appears automatically whenever there is a ruler on the screen.

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For a reminder of which row refers to which signal, point using the mouse to one of the colour-coded boxes in the left-hand margin and a label will appear, like this:

.

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You can drag the legend around the scope view, resize it by dragging one of its edges, or minimise it by clicking the minimise button in the top right-hand corner.

See also: frequency legend (which shows 1/D, where D is the time difference).

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PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

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5.11

Scope view

A scope view is one view of the data belonging to a capture window . Each capture window opens with a single view, but you can add more views by using the views menu. Similar to the screen of a conventional oscilloscope, a scope view shows you one or more waveforms with a common time axis. A waveform is a diagram of signal level on a vertical axis plotted against time on the horizontal axis. Each view can have as many waveforms as the scope device has channels. Click on one of the labels below to learn more about a feature.

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5.12

Cursor position tool tip

The cursor position tool tip is a box that displays the signal and time values at the cursor. It appears temporarily when you click the background of a scope view .

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

5.13

Time rulers

The time rulers measure time on a scope view or frequency on a spectrum view (if available).

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In the scope view above, the two white squares on the time axis are the time ruler

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handles. You can drag these from the bottom left corner to the positions on the time axis you want to measure. The two vertical dashed lines are the time rulers.

Ruler tool tip

If you point to one of the rulers, as we have done in the example above, PicoScope displays a tool tip with the ruler number and the time value of the ruler.

Ruler legend

The table at the top of the view is the ruler legend. In this example, the table shows that time ruler 1 is at 148.0 microseconds, ruler 2 is at 349.0 microseconds and the difference between them is 201.0 microseconds.

Frequency legend

The frequency legend in the bottom right-hand corner shows 1/D, where D is the time difference between the two rulers. 1/D is 4.975 kilohertz in this example. The accuracy of this calculation depends on the accuracy with which you have positioned the time rulers. For greater accuracy with periodic signals, use the frequency

measurement function built in to PicoScope.

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PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

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5.14

Trigger marker

The trigger marker shows the level and timing of the trigger point.

The height of the marker on the Y axis shows the level at which the trigger is set, and its position on the X axis shows the time at which it occurs.

You can move the trigger marker by dragging it with the mouse or, for numerical control, use the buttons on the Triggering toolbar .

In post-trigger delay mode, the trigger marker is temporarily replaced by the post-

trigger arrow while you adjust the post-trigger delay.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

5.15

Signal rulers

The signal rulers are to help you measure signal levels with respect to ground, or signal differences, on a scope view .

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In the scope view above, the two coloured squares to the left of the vertical axis

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are the ruler drag-handles. You can drag these from the top-left corner to the positions you want to measure on the waveform. The two horizontal dashed lines are the signal rulers.

Ruler legend

The table at the top of the view is the ruler legend. In this example, the table shows that ruler 1 is at 807 millivolts, ruler 2 is at -811.0 millivolts and the difference between them is -1.618 volts. If you prefer to see the difference as a positive value, swap the positions of the two rulers by dragging them.

Ruler tooltip

If you move the mouse pointer over one of the rulers, PicoScope displays a tooltip

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with the ruler number and the signal level of the ruler. You can see an example of this in the picture above.

PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

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5.16

Windows, views and viewports

PicoScope's display area contains one or more capture windows . Each one corresponds to a block of data captured from a scope device . The simplest case is a single scope device that produces a single capture, with the result shown in a single capture window.

A capture window contains one or more views . When you first open a capture window, it contains a single view. You can zoom and pan this to show various

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different waveforms based on the data that the scope device captured. If you wish, you can add more views to a capture window (how?). Each view is a differently zoomed and panned section of the same capture.

Multiple views in a capture window are always arranged in a grid. Each location in the grid is called a viewport, and can be empty or occupied by one or more views.

Upgrading from PicoScope 5

PicoScope 5 allowed you to have multiple scope views. PicoScope 6.0 retains this ability, although it calls them capture windows. The views feature is new to

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PicoScope 6.0.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6

Menus

Menus are the quickest way to get to PicoScope's main features. The Menu bar is always present at the top of the PicoScope main window, just below the window's title bar. You can click any of the menu items, or press the Alt key and then navigate to the menu using the cursor keys, or press the Alt key followed by the underlined letter in one of the menu items.

The list of items in the menu bar may vary depending on the windows that you have open within PicoScope.

Menus

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6.1

File menu

Click File on the Menu bar .

Create New Scope Window. This command is equivalent to the New Capture Window button on the Capture Windows toolbar . If PicoScope

has not yet found a scope device, it will first open the Open Device dialog to ask you which scope device to use; otherwise, it will assume that you wish to use the same scope device as was used for the previous capture window. PicoScope will then open a new capture window for the chosen scope device, and will fill the window with a new scope view . You can open up to five capture windows.

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Open. Allows you to select the file you want to open. PicoScope can open

psdata

and

settings, and

files, which contain both waveform data and scope device

*.psd

*.pssettings

and

*.pss

files, which contain only scope device

*.

settings. You can create your own files using the Save and Save As... commands, described below. If the file was saved using a different scope device from the one that is presently connected, PicoScope may need to modify the saved settings to suit the present device.

Opening a new file will close any capture windows that are currently open. Merge. Opens a settings or waveforms file without closing any that are

currently open. You cannot exceed a total of ten capture windows. Save As. Opens the Save As dialog , which allows you to save the settings

and waveforms for all capture windows in various formats.

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Save Default Settings. Saves the current settings so that they become the defaults. The new default settings will then be loaded the next time you start PicoScope.

Print Preview. Opens the Print Preview window, which allows you to see how your workspace will be printed when you select the Print command.

Print. Opens a standard Windows Print dialog, which allows you to choose a printer, set printing options and then print the selected view.

Exit. Close PicoScope without saving any data.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.1.1

Save As dialog

The Save As dialog allows you to save your waveforms and settings to a file in various formats. To open it, go to the File menu and click "Save As".

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Type your chosen file name in the "File name" box, and then select a file format in the "Save as type" box. You can save data in the following formats:

Data files (*.psdata) Stores all waveforms and settings from the current

scope device. Can be opened on any computer running PicoScope.

Settings files (*.pssettings) Stores all settings (but not waveforms) from the

current scope device. Can be opened on any computer running PicoScope.

CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv) Stores waveforms as a text file with comma-

separated values. This format is suitable for importing into spreadsheets such as Microsoft Excel. The first value on each line is the time stamp, and it is followed by one value for each active channel.

Menus

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Text (Tab delimited) (*.txt) Stores waveforms as a text file with tab-separated

values. The values are the same as those in the CSV format.

Bitmap Image (*.bmp) Stores the graticule , rulers and waveforms

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in Windows bitmap format. The image is 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels high, in 16 million colours, and uncompressed. BMP files are suitable for importing into Windows desktop publishing programs.

GIF Image (*.gif) Stores the graticule , rulers and waveforms

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in Compuserve GIF format. The image is 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels high, in 256 colours, and compressed. GIF files are widely used to illustrate web pages.

PNG Image (*.png) Stores the graticule , rulers and waveforms

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in Portable Network Graphics format. The image is 800 pixels wide by 600 pixels high, in 16 million colours, and compressed.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.2

6.2.1

Edit menu

Click Edit on the Menu bar .

Copy as Image. Copies the active view to the clipboard as a bitmap. You

can then paste the image into any application that accepts bitmap images. Copy as Text. Copies the data in the active view to the clipboard as text.

You can paste the data into a spreadsheet or other application. The text format is the same as that used by the Save As *.txt command, and is explained in the Save As dialog topic.

Notes. Opens a Notes area at the bottom of the active capture window. You can enter any explanatory text that you wish to in this area.

Notes area

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A Notes area can be displayed at the bottom of any capture window. You can enter any text you wish in this area.

To display the Notes area, click on the Edit menu, then select Notes.

Menus

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6.3

Help menu

Click Help on the Menu bar .

What's This? Select this item, then click on a toolbar button to see a brief help

message on that button. The toolbar must be docked - that is, attached to the

main window - to work with What's This?

Reference Manual. This is the main help manual, containing information on

every menu item, button and dialog in the program.

About PicoScope... Shows information about this version of PicoScope.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.4

Measurements menu

Click Measurements on the Menu bar .

Add measurement. Adds a row to the measurements table , and opens

the Edit Measurement Dialog . You can also find this button on the

Measurements toolbar .

Edit measurement. This takes you to the Edit Measurement Dialog . You can find this button on the Measurements toolbar , or you can edit a measurement by double-clicking on a row of the measurements Table .

Delete measurement. Removes the selected row from the measurements

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table . You can also find this button on the Measurements toolbar .

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Grid font size. Sets the font size for the entries in the measurements

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table .

Column Auto-width. If this button is pressed, the columns of the

measurements table will continually adjust to fit the contents whenever

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the table changes. Click again to release the button.

Menus

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6.4.1

Add / Edit Measurement dialog

This dialog allows you to add a measurement of a waveform to the selected capture

window , or edit an existing measurement. PicoScope automatically refreshes the

measurement every time it updates the waveform. If this is the first measurement for the capture window, PicoScope will create a new measurements table to display the measurement; otherwise, it will add the new measurement to the bottom of the existing table.

Where to find it

Click the Add Measurement or Edit Measurement button on the

Measurements toolbar or in the Views menu, or double-click a measurement in the measurements table .

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Channel: Select one of the scope device 's channels to measure.

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Type: PicoScope can calculate a wide range of measurements for waveforms.

See Measurement Types for details.

Section: You can measure the whole trace, just the section between rulers , or a

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single cycle that you point to using one of the rulers.

Where to find it

Click the Edit Measurement button on the Measurements toolbar or in the

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Views menu,

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.5

6.5.1

Tools menu

Click Tools on the Menu bar .

Custom Probes: Opens the Custom probes dialog, which allows you to

define new probes and copy, delete, move and edit existing ones. Preferences: Opens the Preferences dialog , which contains various

options that control PicoScope's behaviour. Toolbars. Opens the Toolbar menu , which allows you to control which

toolbars appear and which are hidden.

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Custom Probes dialog

This dialog allows you to define your own probes and set up custom probes . To open this dialog, choose Custom Probes in the Tools menu or click the

Channel Advanced Options button.

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Understanding the probe list

All the probes that PicoScope knows about are listed under three main headings: Built-in, Library and Loaded. The probe list is preserved between sessions, so that PicoScope will never forget your custom probes unless you delete them.

Menus

Built-in probes. The built-in probes are supplied by Pico Technology and do not change unless you download an authorised update from us. As a safeguard, PicoScope does not allow you to edit or delete these probes. If you want to modify one of them, you can copy it to your library by clicking Duplicate, and then edit the copy in your library. Library probes. These are the probes that you have created using any of the methods described in this topic. You can edit, delete or duplicate any of these probes by clicking the appropriate button in this dialog. Loaded probes. Probes in PicoScope data files

pssettings)

that you have opened appear here until you copy them to your

(*.psdata)

or settings files

library. You cannot edit or delete these probes directly, but you can click Duplicate to copy them to your library where you can edit them. You can also import probes from the custom ranges stored in PicoScope 5

*.psd

and

*.pss

files, but these lack

many of the features provided by PicoScope 6. (See "Upgrading from PicoScope 5

2

" for more details.)

Adding a new probe to your library

There are three ways to create a new probe:

1. Create a duplicate of an existing probe as described above.

2. Click New Probe... to define a new probe.

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(*.

6.5.2

3. Click Import to load a probe definition from a

*.psprobe

file and add it to your library. These files are normally supplied by Pico, but you can also create your own by defining a new probe and then clicking Export.

The second and third methods open the Custom Probe Wizard to guide you through

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the probe definition process.

Custom Probe wizard

The Custom probe wizard allows you to define custom probes and set up custom ranges.

The first dialog in the series is either the Create a new Custom Probe dialog or the

Edit an existing Custom Probe dialog .

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10

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.5.2.1

Create New Custom Probe dialog

This dialog introduces you to the process for creating a new custom probe. To open it, click the New Probe button in the Custom Probes dialog .

27

How to use the dialog Click Next to continue to the Probe Output Units dialog .

31

Menus

30

6.5.2.2

Edit Existing Custom Probe dialog

This dialog introduces you to the process for editing an existing custom probe. Get here by clicking the Edit button in the Custom Probes dialog .

27

How to use the dialog Click Next to continue to the Probe Output Units dialog , where you can edit the

31

custom probe. Click Jump forward... if you have already set up the custom probe's basic

characteristics and want to add or change a custom range manually.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.5.2.3

Probe Output Units dialog

This dialog follows the Create new Custom Probe dialog . It allows you to choose the units that PicoScope will use to display the output of your custom probe .

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How to use the dialog

To choose a standard SI unit, click Use a standard unit from the list and select one from the list. To enter a custom unit, click Use the custom unit defined below and type the unit name and symbol.

Click Next to continue to the Scaling Method dialog . Click Back to return to the Create New Custom Probe dialog if this is a new probe, or the Edit Existing Custom Probe dialog if this is an existing probe.

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30

Menus

32

6.5.2.4

Scaling Method dialog

This dialog follows the Probe Output Units dialog . It allows you to define the

31

characteristic that PicoScope will use to convert the probe's voltage output to a measurement on the display.

How to use the dialog

If you do not require any scaling or offset, click the Don't apply any scaling button.

If the probe requires linear scaling, click the Use a linear equation button and enter the gradient (or scale factor) m and the offset c in the equation y = mx + c, where y is the displayed value and x is the probe's voltage output.

If you wish to apply a nonlinear function to the probe's output, choose Use a look- up table..., then click the Create a Lookup Table... button to create a new lookup table. This will take you to the Lookup-table Scaling dialog .

Click Next to continue to the Range Management dialog . Click Back to return to the Probe Output Units dialog .

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31

33

6.5.2.4.1 Lookup-table Scaling dialog

PicoScope 6 User Guide

This dialog allows you to enter a look-up table to calibrate a custom probe. You can get here by clicking the Create a Look-up Table button or Edit the Lookup Table... button in the Scaling Method dialog .

32

Editing the Look-up Table

First, select suitable values in the Input units and Scaled units drop-down boxes. For example, if your probe is a current clamp that outputs one millivolt per ampere over the range -600 to +600 amperes, select Input units of millivolts and Output units of amperes.

Next, enter some data in the scaling table. Click the first empty cell at the top of the table and type "-600", then hit the Tab key and type "-600". When you are ready to enter the next pair of values, press the Tab key again to start a new row. You can also right-click on the table to obtain a more detailed menu of options, as shown in the picture. In the example above, we have entered a slightly nonlinear response; if the response had been linear then it would have been easier to use the linear option in the Scaling Method Dialog .

32

Import/Export

Using the Import and Export buttons, you can fill the look-up table from data in a comma-separated or tab-delimited text file, and save the look-up table to new file.

Finishing Clicking OK or Cancel will return you to the Scaling Method dialog .

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Menus

34

6.5.2.5

Range Management dialog

This dialog follows the Scaling Method dialog . It allows you to override PicoScope's

32

automatic range-creation feature for custom probes. In most cases, the automatic procedure will be ideal.

How to use the dialog

If you select Let the software manage my ranges for me automatically, then clicking Next will take you to the Custom Probe Identification dialog .

38

PicoScope's automatic ranges should be ideal for most applications. If you select I will manage the Custom Probe Ranges manually, clicking Next

will take you to the Manual Ranges Setup dialog . Click Back to return to the Scaling Method dialog .

35

32

What is Auto-ranging?

When the Auto-ranging function is selected, PicoScope continually monitors the input signal and adjusts the range when necessary to allow it to display the signal with maximum resolution. This function is available on all standard ranges, and can be used with custom ranges only if you select Let the software manage my ranges for me automatically in this dialog.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.5.2.6

Manual Ranges Setup dialog

This dialog appears when you select the Advanced option in the Range Management

dialog and then click Next >. It allows you to create ranges manually for your

34

custom probe.

How to use the dialog

If you wish, you can click Auto Generate Ranges and the program will create a number of ranges for the selected device. This will create the same list of ranges that you would have obtained by selecting Let the software manage my ranges for me automatically in the previous dialog. When you select a range, a diagram below the list will show its relationship to the scope device's input range — this is explained further under Edit range dialog . You can then edit the ranges by clicking Edit, or

36

you can also add a new range by clicking New Range. Both of these buttons take you to the Edit Range dialog .

Click Next to continue to the Custom Probe Identification dialog . Click Back to return to the Range Management dialog .

36

38

34

How to use a new custom range

After you have created a custom range, it will appear in the dropdown list of ranges in the channels toolbar,

47

like this:

6.5.2.6.1 Edit Range dialog

This dialog allows you to edit a manual range for a custom probe. You can get here by clicking the Edit or New Range buttons in the Manual Ranges

Setup dialog .

Menus

35

36

Automatic mode

If you leave the "Automatic" radio button pressed, the program will automatically determine the best hardware input range for the device as you change the Scaled

range limits. This is the best mode to use for almost all ranges. You should set the Scaled range limits to the maximum and minimum values you wish to see on the

vertical axis of the scope display.

Fixed range mode

If you press the "Hardware input range" radio button and select a hardware input range from the drop-down box, PicoScope will then use that hardware input range whatever scaled range limits you choose. Set the upper and lower scaled range limits to the limits you wish to appear at the top and bottom of the vertical axis in PicoScope's scope view.

What is an input range?

An input range is the signal range, usually in volts, on the input channel of the scope

device . Your scaled range should match this as closely as possible to make the

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most of the scope's resolution.

What is a scaled range?

The scaled range is the range that will appear on the vertical axis of the scope display when the probe is selected.

The scaling that you chose on the Scaling Method page defines the relationship

32

between the input range and the scaled range. This dialog enables you to set up ranges to display the scaled data on the scope view.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

The range utilisation bar

This diagram at the bottom of the dialog represents the relationship between the scaling and the hardware input range of the scope device

.

• Green - The section of the input range that is used by the scaled range. This

should be as large as possible, to maximise the use of the scope device's resolution.

• Blue - Areas of the input range that are not being used. These indicate wasted

resolution.

• Grey - Parts of the scaled range that are not covered by the input range. These

will result in wasted space on the graph. The range utilisation bar may not represent these areas accurately when non-linear scaling is being used, so you should always test the scaled range limits on the scope view.

Finishing Clicking OK or Cancel will return you to the Manual Ranges Setup dialog .

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Menus

38

6.5.2.7

Custom Probe Identification dialog

This dialog follows the Range Management dialog . It allows you to enter text to

34

identify the custom probe.

How to use the dialog

Click Back to return to the Range Management dialog (or the Manual Ranges Setup

dialog if you chose manual setup).

35

34

The probe name will appear in the probe list. The description is not used in the present version of the software.

Fill in the text fields and click Next to continue to the Custom Probe Finished dialog

39

.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.5.2.8

Custom Probe Finished dialog

This dialog follows the Custom Probe Identification dialog . It displays a summary of

38

the custom probe that you have just set up.

How to use the dialog Click Back to return to the Custom Probe Identification dialog .

38

Click Finish to accept your custom probe settings and return to the Custom Probes

dialog .

27

Menus

40

6.5.3

6.5.3.1

Preferences dialog

This dialog allows you to set miscellaneous options for the PicoScope software. Click one of the tabs on the screen shot below to learn more.

Where to find it Click the Preferences command in the Tools menu on the Menu bar .

General dialog

This dialog contains general controls for PicoScope.

27 19

Reset: Click this button to restore any missing dialogs that you asked PicoScope not

to show again.

Where to find it Click the Preferences command in the Tools menu on the Menu bar .

27 19

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.5.3.2

Performance dialog

The performance settings limit the speed at which PicoScope captures data from the scope device. The other PicoScope settings, the type of scope device and the speed

68

of the computer will all affect whether this limit can actually be reached. PicoScope automatically selects the appropriate limit according to whether your computer is running on batteries or on mains (line) power.

The settings are in captures per second. By default, the capture rate is set to "Unlimited" when your computer is running on AC Mains power, for maximum performance. If other applications run too slowly on your PC whilst PicoScope is capturing, then reduce the capture rate limit. When your computer is running on Battery power, PicoScope imposes a performance limit to save the battery. You can increase this limit manually, but this will cause the battery power to drain very quickly.

Where to find it Click the Preferences command in the Tools menu on the Menu bar .

27 19

Menus

42

6.6

Toolbar menu

This menu lists the toolbars and allows you to display or hide each one.

Where to find it

Right-click on any toolbar or on the background of the toolbar area. The

Customization dialog has a similar menu on its Toolbars page .

48 49

44

How to use it

Click one of the ticks to remove a toolbar, or click in the empty margin next to a toolbar name to add that toolbar.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

6.7

Window menu

Click Window on the Menu bar .

The commands in this menu instruct PicoScope to arrange the capture windows within its main window.

Tile Horizontal: Arranges the capture windows in a grid that fills the main window,

making the capture windows as wide as possible.

Tile Vertical: Arranges the capture windows in a grid that fills the main window,

making the capture windows as tall as possible.

Cascade: Sets all capture windows to a standard size and arranges them in

an overlapping pattern.

19

9

Arrange Icons: Arranges any minimised capture windows in a row at the bottom of

the main window.

Toolbars

44

7

Toolbars

A toolbar is a collection of buttons and controls with related functions. The

Measurements toolbar , for example, looks like this:

Toolbars are normally stored, or docked, in rows at the top and bottom edges of the window, but you can drag them to new locations if you wish. If you drop them on any of the four edges of the main window, they attach themselves to the edge. (They are then said to be "docked".) If you drop them anywhere else, they become individual

"undocked" windows with their own close button, like this:

If you have closed a toolbar and want to reopen it, right-click anywhere in the toolbar area to open the Toolbar menu , then select the desired toolbar from the list.

Customizing

You can customize some of the toolbars by clicking their menu button ( or ) to open the Customization dialog . You can also right-click on any of the toolbars or the toolbar background to open the Toolbar menu .

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42

48

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

7.1

Buffer Navigation toolbar

The Buffer Navigation toolbar allows you to select one waveform from the buffer of stored waveforms.

The waveform buffer

When you click the Start button , PicoScope clears the waveform buffer and then adds a new waveform every time the scope device captures data, until the buffer is full or you click the Stop button .

You can review the waveforms stored in the buffer using these buttons:

First waveform button. Displays waveform 1.

Previous waveform button. Displays the previous waveform in the

buffer.

Waveform number indicator. Shows which waveform is currently displayed, and how many waveforms the buffer holds. You can edit the number in the box and press Enter, and PicoScope will jump to the specified waveform.

56

7.2

Next waveform button. Displays the next waveform in the buffer.

Last waveform button. Displays the last waveform in the buffer.

Capture Windows toolbar

The Capture Window toolbar allows you to open a capture window .

The toolbar contains the following button:

New Capture Window button. If PicoScope has not yet found a scope device, clicking this button first opens the Open Device dialog to allow you to select a scope device , then opens a new capture window for

68 9

the selected scope device. If a capture window is already open, this button simply opens another capture window for the same scope device. To switch scope devices, you must close and then restart PicoScope.

9

46

Toolbars

46

7.2.1

Open Device dialog

When PicoScope is not sure which scope device to use, it displays a list of all the units attached to your computer and allows you to select which one to use.

68

Where to find it

PicoScope always tries to locate the correct scope device to use without asking you. This dialog appears only there is no suitable scope, or when there is more than one scope and you have not yet specified which one to use.

See "How to change to a different scope device " if you wish to switch to a different

61

scope device later. You will also see this dialog if you click the New Capture Window button when no

45

scope device is connected.

Procedure

To restrict the selection to a particular series of devices, click on the device dropdown box and select a device series; otherwise, click the Find All button. Wait for a list of devices to appear in the grid. Select one device and click the OK button. PicoScope will open a new capture window and scope view for the selected

9 14

scope device. Use the toolbars to set up the scope device and the scope view to display

44 68 14

your signals.

Demo mode

To experiment with PicoScope with no scope device connected, choose one of the Demo devices from the drop-down list. The Demo Signals dialog will then appear,

68

59

allowing you to set up one or more test signals.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

7.3

Channel Setup toolbar

The Channel Setup toolbar controls the settings for each vertical input channel . The screen shot below shows the toolbar for a four-channel scope device , but

68

different scope devices may have different numbers of channels.

Each channel has its own set of buttons:

Scale Control. Determines the maximum and minimum signal levels at the top and bottom of the Y axis for this channel. The number of options depends on the selected scope device and

probe . If you select Auto, PicoScope will continually adjust the

68

vertical scale so that the height of the waveform fills as much of the view as possible.

Coupling Control. Selects AC coupling or DC coupling .

68 68

Advanced Options button. Opens the Probe drop-down menu to allow you to select a probe for this channel.

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47

7.3.1

Probe Drop-Down menu

The Probe drop-down menu appears when you click the Advanced Options button on the Channels toolbar . Use it to tell PicoScope what type of probe is

connected to a channel. By default, the probe is assumed to be x1, which means that a one-volt signal at the input to the probe will appear as one volt on the display.

Expand probe list. Click this to select from a list of probes.

Open Custom Probes dialog. The Custom Probes dialog allows you to edit

your library of custom probes.

47

27

Toolbars

48

7.4

Customization dialog

The Customization dialog allows you to customize the toolbars . Click on one of the tabs in the screen shot below for more information on the relevant page of the dialog.

Where to find it

Right-click on any toolbar or on the toolbar background area, or click the menu

44

button ( or ) on any toolbar, then select the Customize command.

44

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

7.4.1

Customization Toolbars page

The Toolbars page of the Customization dialog allows you to make the toolbars visible or invisible.

48 44

Checkboxes: Tick or clear the checkboxes to make each toolbar appear or

44

disappear.

New: Create an empty toolbar, with your choice of name, which you can

populate with buttons and controls using the Commands tab of this dialog box.

Rename: Change the name of a toolbar that you have created. You cannot

rename the standard toolbars.

Delete: Remove the selected toolbar. You cannot delete the standard toolbars. Reset: Restore the selected toolbar to its default state.

Toolbars

50

7.4.2

Customization Commands page

The Commands tab of the Customization dialog allows you to add commands to, or remove them from, the toolbars .

44

48

To add a command, select its category from the Categories list, then drag it from the Commands list to the appropriate toolbar.

To remove a command, drag it from its toolbar and drop it anywhere on the Customization dialog.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

7.4.3

Customization Options page

The Options tab of the Customization dialog controls the appearance of the

Toolbars .

44

48

Always show full menus. PicoScope can hide the least-used commands in its menus to save space. Tick this box if you do not want it to do this.

Show full menus after a short delay. If this box is ticked, PicoScope first shows

abbreviated menus, then after a short delay changes to the full menu.

Reset my usage data. If you are using abbreviated menus and some of the

commands you want to use have disappeared, click this button to restore all the hidden commands.

Large icons. Increase the size of all the toolbar icons.

Show ScreenTips on toolbars. If this box is ticked, PicoScope displays tool tips

(short explanatory messages) whenever you point to a toolbar control or button.

44

Show shortcut keys in ScreenTips. Some toolbar controls and buttons have

shortcut keys (combinations of keys that you can press to achieve the same effect). You can choose whether or not to be reminded of these shortcuts whenever a ScreenTip appears.

Menu animations. This option lets you choose what happens when you click on a

menu title in the menu bar . You can make the menu appear instantly, or you can

19

experiment with other animation effects.

Toolbars

52

7.5

7.6

Help toolbar

The Help toolbar gives you access to "What's This?" help and the reference manual that you are now reading.

What's This? Help. Click this button, then click a toolbar control or button to see a short description. Use it only on toolbars that are attached to the edge of the PicoScope window.

Reference Manual. Opens this reference manual, which has information on every menu, dialog and control.

Measurements toolbar

The Measurements toolbar controls the measurements table .

It contains the following buttons:

11

Add Measurement. Adds a row to the table, and then opens the Add

Measurement dialog.

Edit Measurement. Opens the Edit Measurement dialog for the currently

26

selected measurement. You can also edit a measurement by double-clicking on a row of the measurements table.

Delete Measurement. Deletes the currently selected row from the measurements

11

table . If you delete the last measurement, the table

disappears.

11

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

7.7

Scope Setup toolbar

The Scope Setup toolbar controls the time-related settings of your oscilloscope. It normally looks like this:

Standard controls

Timebase control. When the active view is a scope view, this sets the

time represented by a single division of the horizontal axis when the

zoom factor is 100%. The timebases available depend on the type

of scope device you are using. Choosing a timebase of 200 ms/div or slower causes PicoScope to

switch to roll mode. Instead of redrawing the whole waveform many times every second, roll mode causes the waveform to move continuously from right to left, with old data disappearing off the lefthand side and new data being added on the right-hand side. This mode is more convenient for viewing slowly changing data.

Additional controls

You can customize the Scope Setup toolbar to include the following additional controls. See Toolbars for instructions on customizing.

58

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44

Samples control. Sets the number of samples that fit across the width of the Scope view . Increasing this number increases the time

14

resolution of the display. If PicoScope will not let you select as many samples as you would like, try:

1. Reducing the oversampling factor

2. Selecting a slower timebase.

Oversampling control. This is set to 1 by default, so that oversampling is disabled. See Oversampling for more information.

12

Toolbars

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7.8

7.8.1

Signal Generator toolbar

The Signal Generator toolbar allows you to set up your scope device 's test signal output. If the scope device has no test signal output, this toolbar will not appear.

Signal Generator. The "E" on this control stands for "External", and refers to the "E" label on the scope device's test signal output. Clicking the control opens the Signal Generator dialog .

Signal Generator dialog

This dialog controls the scope device 's built-in signal generator. It is not available if the selected scope device does not have a signal generator. The number of controls in the dialog may vary according to the type of scope device in use.

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54

Left: Signal generator dialog for the PicoScope

3206

55

PicoScope 6 User Guide

How to use it

Signal On: Tick this box to enable the signal generator. Frequency: Type in this box or use the spin buttons to

select the frequency. If the scope device has a frequency sweep generator, then this box will set the start frequency of the sweep.

Sweep Mode Active. Tick this box to enable sweep mode. Otherwise, the generator will operate at a fixed frequency set by the Start Frequency box.

Repeat Signal. Tick this box to generate a repetitive sweep. Otherwise, the generator will reach Stop Frequency and then remain there.

Dual Slope. In normal mode, the generator will increase the frequency linearly from Start Frequency to Stop

Frequency, and then immediately begin again at Start Frequency. In Dual Slope mode, it will reach Stop Frequency and then decrease the frequency linearly to Start Frequency before beginning again.

Stop Frequency. In Sweep Mode, the generator will stop increasing the frequency when it reaches Stop Frequency.

Frequency Increment. In Sweep Mode, the generator will

increase or decrease the frequency by this amount every

Increment Time Interval. Increment Time Interval. In Sweep Mode, the generator

will increase or decrease the frequency by Frequency Increment once every time interval of this duration.

Where to find it

Click the menu button on the Signal Generator toolbar .

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Toolbars

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7.9

Start / Stop toolbar

The Start / Stop toolbar allows you to start and stop the selected scope device (the scope device whose scope view is currently in focus ). The Start button is highlighted if the selected scope device is sampling; otherwise, the Stop button is highlighted.

Start button. Start sampling on the selected scope device.

Stop button. Click to stop sampling on the selected scope device. Shift-click

to stop sampling only in the active capture window.

You can also use the space bar to start and stop sampling.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

7.10

Triggering toolbar

The Triggering toolbar tells the scope device in the selected capture window when to start capturing data.

Trigger Mode. None: PicoScope acquires waveforms repeatedly without waiting for

specific events. Auto: PicoScope tries to wait for a trigger event before displaying data. If there is no trigger event within a specified time, it displays data anyway. It repeats this process until you click the Stop button

56

. "Auto" mode does not set up the trigger level automatically; you still need to do this yourself. Repeat: PicoScope waits for a trigger event before displaying data; but if there is no trigger event, it displays nothing. It repeats this process until you click the Stop button . Single: PicoScope waits once for a trigger event, then stops sampling. To repeat a single trigger, click the Start button .

Trigger Source. This is the channel that PicoScope monitors for the trigger condition.

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Rising Edge. Click to trigger on the rising edge of the waveform.

Falling Edge. Click to trigger on the falling edge of the waveform.

Trigger Level. Sets the trigger level. You can also set the trigger

level by dragging the trigger marker up or down on the screen.

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16

Pre-trigger Time (0% to 100%). This parameter controls how much of the waveform appears before the trigger point. It defaults to 50%, which puts the trigger marker is in the middle of the

16

screen. You can also control this parameter by dragging the trigger

marker to the left or right.

16

Post-trigger Delay. Click this button to toggle the Post-trigger Delay control (see next item).

Post-trigger Delay. The post-trigger delay is the time that

PicoScope waits after the trigger point before sampling. You can also modify this parameter by dragging the trigger marker while the

16

Post-trigger Delay button is enabled. As you drag the marker, you will see the post-trigger arrow displayed briefly. For this

13

control to have an effect, you must first make sure that the Posttrigger Delay button is enabled.

Technical Note

See the reference topic "Trigger Timing " for information on how the Pre-trigger

65

Time and Post-trigger Delay controls interact.

Toolbars

58

7.11

Zooming and Scrolling toolbar

The Zooming and Scrolling toolbar allows you to move around a scope view . There is a keyboard shortcut for each button.

Normal Selection tool (Ctrl+S or Escape). This button turns the pointer into a standard arrow that you can use to click buttons, drag rulers and operate any other controls that appear in the PicoScope window.

Hand tool (panning) (Ctrl+D). This button turns the pointer into a hand tool that you can use to click and drag the scope view to pan it

14

vertically and horizontally when you are zoomed in. You can also pan using the scroll bars. Press the Escape key to return to the Normal

Selection tool. Zoom In tool (Ctrl+I). This button turns the pointer into a zoom-in tool.

Click the tool on the scope view to double the magnification of the

14

horizontal and vertical axes. Scroll bars will appear, which you can drag to pan around the view, or you can pan by using the Hand tool (see above). Press the Escape key to return to the Normal Selection tool.

Zoom Out tool (Ctrl+O). This button turns the pointer into a zoom-out tool. Click the tool on the scope view to zoom out both horizontally and

14

vertically by a factor of two. You cannot zoom out beyond 100% (normal size). Press the Escape key to return to the Normal Selection tool.

14

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Marquee Zoom tool (Ctrl+M). This button turns the pointer into a marquee zoom tool. Use it to draw a box called a marquee on the scope

14

view and PicoScope will magnify that box to fill the view. Scroll bars

will appear, which you can drag to pan around in the view, or you can pan by using the Hand tool (see above). Press the Escape key to return to the Normal Selection tool.

100% (Ctrl+U). Resets the scope view to normal size. The view will no

14

longer have scroll bars, and panning will no longer be possible.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

7.12

7.12.1

Demo Signals toolbar

The Demo Signals toolbar allows you to set up test signals, so that you can experiment with PicoScope when no scope device is connected. To use this feature, close PicoScope, unplug all scope devices and then restart PicoScope. The program will prompt you to select a Demo device using the Open Device dialog .

The toolbar contains the following buttons.

When you click this button, you will see a drop-down list of all the available channels. Click one of the channels to open the Demo

Signals dialog , which will allow you to set up that channel.

59

Demo Signals dialog

This dialog controls one channel of the demo signal generator, a feature of PicoScope that creates a variety of test signals to simulate a scope device. Open it by clicking the Demo Signals button on the Demo Signals toolbar and then selecting a channel. It is available only when you start PicoScope without having a scope device

68

connected to your computer, and then select a scope device type of "Demo" in the

Open Device dialog .

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59

46

Signal On: Tick this box to enable the demo signal generator.

Frequency: Type your desired frequency in hertz here, or use the spin

buttons.

Amplitude: Type your desired amplitude in millivolts here, or use the spin buttons.

Offset: Enter a number here to add a d.c. offset to the demo signal. By default, the demo signals have a mean value of zero volts.

Where to find it

Click the Demo Signals button on the Demo Signals toolbar . You must have previously selected a "Demo" scope device type in the Open Device dialog .

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How to...

60

8

How to...

This chapter explains how to achieve some common tasks. How to...

Change to a different scope device Use rulers to measure a signal Measure a time difference Move a view

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

8.1

8.2

How to change to a different scope device

Close PicoScope Unplug the old scope device

68

Plug in the new scope device Restart PicoScope

PicoScope will detect that the scope device has changed and will immediately start using the new scope device. If there is more than one scope device connected, the

Open Device dialog will appear to let you choose a scope.

46

How to use rulers to measure a signal

Using a single ruler for signal-to-ground measurements

Look at the Channels toolbar to find the colour code for the channel you wish to measure:

Find the ruler handle (the small coloured square in the top-left or top-right corner of the scope view ) of this colour:

14

47 68

Drag the ruler handle downwards. A signal ruler (horizontal broken line) will

17

appear across the scope view. Release the ruler handle when the ruler is where you want it.

Look at the ruler legend (the small table that appears on the scope view). It

13

should have a row marked by a small coloured square matching the colour of your ruler handle. The first column shows the signal level of the ruler.

Using two rulers for differential measurements

Follow the steps above for "using a single ruler". Drag the second ruler handle of the same colour downwards until its ruler is at the signal level to be measured. Look at the ruler legend again. The second column now shows the signal level of

13

the second ruler, and the third column shows the difference between the two rulers.

How to...

62

8.3

8.4

How to measure a time difference

Find the time ruler handle (the small white square in the bottom left corner of the

scope view ).

Drag the ruler handle to the right. A time ruler (vertical broken line) will appear

14

15

on the scope view. Release the ruler handle when the ruler is at the time you wish to use as the reference. Drag the second white ruler handle to the right until its ruler is at the time to be measured. Look at the ruler legend (the small table that appears on the scope view). It

13

should have a row marked by a small white square. The first two columns show the times of the two rulers, and the third column shows the time difference. The frequency legend shows 1/D, where D is the time difference.

10

You can use the same method to measure a frequency difference on a spectrum view,

if this is available.

How to move a view

You can easily drag a view from one viewport to another in a capture window . This example shows a capture window with four viewports. The viewports contain scope views called "Scope 1" to "Scope 4". Suppose you wish to move the "Scope 4" view to the top left viewport.

18 68 9

1. Click on the name tab of the "Scope 4" view and hold the mouse button down.

2. Drag the mouse pointer to the new location next to the name tab of the "Scope 1" view.

3. Release the mouse button, and the view will move to the new location.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

9

9.1

Reference

This is where you can find detailed information on the workings of PicoScope.

Measurement types Trigger timing Keyboard shortcuts Glossary

68

Measurement types

The Edit Measurement dialog allows you to select one of a range of measurements that PicoScope can calculate for the selected waveform. Here is a list of the available measurements:

AC Volts: The root mean square (RMS) value of the AC component of the

Burn Time: For a secondary ignition waveform, the duration of the spark. Burn Voltage: For a secondary ignition waveform, the voltage across the spark

63

65

67

26

waveform. This measurement subtracts any DC offset from the waveform. It is equivalent to a ripple measurement.

gap during the burn time.

Crank RPM: The turning rate of the crankshaft, as measured by the

crankshaft sensor. Expressed in revolutions per minute.

Cycle Time

DC Volts

Duty Cycle

Dwell Angle

Dwell Time: In a primary ignition waveform, the time during which battery

Fall Time: The time the signal takes to fall from 80% to 20% of its peak

Falling Rate: The rate at which the signal voltage falls, in signal units per

:

PicoScope will attempt to find a repeated pattern in the waveform and measure the duration of one cycle.

The mean value of the waveform. The amount of time that a signal spends above its mean value,

expressed as a percentage of the signal period. A duty cycle of 50% means that the high time is equal to the low time.

In a primary ignition waveform, dwell time converted to an angle, using the formula:

dwell angle = (dwell time * crankshaft RPM / 60) * 360 degrees.

current flows in the ignition coil, as the magnetic field builds up in its winding.

values.

second. Measured between 80% and 20% of its peak-to-peak value.

Frequency High Pulse Width: The amount of time that the signal spends above its mean

:

The number of cycles of the waveform per second.

value.

Reference

64

Injector Duration: The duration of the fuel injector pulse, as battery current flows

through the injector coil.

Low Pulse Width: The amount of time that the signal spends below its mean

value.

Maximum: The highest level reached by the signal. Minimum: The lowest level reached by the signal. Peak Burn Voltage: For a secondary ignition waveform, the voltage of the initial

peak as the spark begins.

Peak To Peak: The difference between maximum and minimum. Rise Time: The time the signal takes to rise from 20% to 80% of its peak-

to-peak value.

Rising Rate: The rate at which the signal rises, in signal units per second.

Measured between 20% and 80% of its peak-to-peak value.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

9.2

Trigger timing (part 1)

The pre-trigger time control and post-trigger delay control functions are described individually under "Triggering toolbar ", but the interaction between the two controls is also important to understand. Here is a screen shot of a capture

window with post-trigger delay enabled:

9

57

First, notice that the trigger reference point ( ) does not lie on the waveform. This is because the post-trigger delay is set to 3.3 ms, which means that the trigger occurred

3.3 ms before the reference point, somewhere off the left-hand edge of the scope

view. The time axis is aligned so that the trigger reference point is at 3.3 ms.

14

Second, the pre-trigger delay is set to 30%, which forces the trigger reference point to appear 30% of the way across the scope view, measured from the left-hand edge.

Third, PicoScope often limits the trigger-to-reference-point delay to the total capture time. Once you have reached this limit, the program will not let you increase the pretrigger delay, and if you increase the post-trigger delay, PicoScope will reduce the pretrigger delay to stop the total exceeding the limit.

Reference

66

9.3

Trigger timing (part 2)

"Trigger timing (part 1) " introduced the concepts of pre-trigger delay and the

post-trigger delay . This diagram below shows how they are related.

65 57

57

The pre-trigger delay positions the capture window in relation to the trigger

9

reference point so that you can choose how much of the waveform should be before the reference point, and how much after it.

The post-trigger delay is like the delayed trigger of a conventional oscilloscope. PicoScope waits for this time, minus the pre-trigger delay, before capturing data. scope devices have a limit to the number of sampling intervals that can pass between the trigger event and the end of the capture window, so the software may adjust the pre-trigger delay to keep within this limit.

Tip

If you have set up a post-trigger delay, you can click the post-trigger delay button while the scope is running whenever you want to switch between viewing the trigger event and the trigger reference point.

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PicoScope 6 User Guide

9.4

Keyboard shortcuts

You can activate all of PicoScope's functions using the menu system, but some functions also have keyboard shortcuts. These can save time on tasks that you repeat often.

Ctrl-C Copy the current view to the Windows clipboard. You can then switch to

another application and paste the contents of the clipboard as a picture. The method for doing this varies, but many applications use the Ctrl-V key or a "Paste" button.

Ctrl-D Hand tool. Use to pan the waveform when zoomed in. Equivalent to the

"Hand tool" button on the Zooming and Scrolling toolbar.

Ctrl-I Zoom-in tool. Click on the waveform to zoom in. Equivalent to the "Zoom-

in tool" button on the Zooming and Scrolling toolbar.

Ctrl-M Marquee zoom tool. Click on the waveform and drag to draw a box (a

marquee), and PicoScope will zoom in to make the box fill the view. Equivalent to the "Marquee zoom tool" button on the Zooming and

Scrolling toolbar.

58

Ctrl-O Zoom-out tool. Click on the waveform to zoom out. Equivalent to the

"Zoom-out tool" button on the Zooming and Scrolling toolbar.

Ctrl-S or Escape

Cancels a zoom or pan mode and restores the pointer to a standard selection tool. Equivalent to the "Normal selection tool" button on the

Zooming and Scrolling toolbar.

58

Ctrl-U Zoom to 100% scale. Restores a view to its normal state. Equivalent to

the "Zoom to 100% scale" button on the Zooming and Scrolling toolbar.

58

Space bar Starts and stops the active capture window.

Reference

68

9.5

Glossary

AC coupling. In this mode, the scope device very low signal frequencies below a few hertz. This allows you to use the full resolution of the scope to measure a.c. signals accurately, ignoring any d.c. offset. You cannot measure the signal level with respect to ground in this mode.

Channel. A scope device has one or more channels, each of which can sample one

signal. High-speed scope devices typically have one BNC connector per channel. DC coupling. In this mode, the scope device measures the signal level relative to

signal ground. This shows maximum information about the signal, including d.c. and a.c. components.

Graticule. The pattern of broken grey lines in every scope view window. These help you estimate the amplitude and time of features on the waveform.

Grid. The arrangement of viewports in a capture window. The number of grid rows and the number of grid columns can each be either 1, 2, 3 or 4.

In focus. PicoScope can display several capture windows, but one window is drawn in stronger colours than the others. This is the window that is in focus. When you click a toolbar button, it will usually affect only the window that is in focus. To bring a window into focus, click on it.

68

Oversampling. Collecting samples at a faster rate than requested, then combining

the excess samples by averaging. This technique can increase the effective resolution of a scope device when there is a small amount of noise on the signal.

Probe. An accessory that attaches to your oscilloscope and picks up a signal to be measured. A probe can pick up any form of signal, but it always delivers a voltage signal to the oscilloscope. PicoScope knows about standard probes, but also allows you to define custom probes.

Roll mode. Normally, PicoScope redraws the waveform in a scope view many times every second. At timebases slower than 200 ms/div, however, it switches to roll mode. This causes the waveform to move continuously from right to left, with old data disappearing off the left-hand side and new data being added on the right-hand side. This mode is more convenient for viewing slowly changing data.

Ruler. A vertical or horizontal dashed line that can be dragged into place on a

waveform in a Scope View. PicoScope displays the signal level, time value or frequency value of all rulers in a Ruler Legend box.

Scope device

your computer into a PC Oscilloscope. Tooltip. A label that appears when you move the mouse pointer over some parts of

the PicoScope screen, such as buttons, controls and rulers.

.

box of electronics that, with the help of the PicoScope software, turns

A

Trigger. A device that detects when the waveform rises or falls past a preset signal

level. When this event occurs, the program may begin to acquire data.

View. A presentation of data from a particular scope device. Each scope device may

have zero, one or more views, all of which are displayed inside the capture window for that scope device. The only type of view currently available is the scope view.

Viewport. A rectangular space in a capture window that can contain one or more views, or can be empty.

PicoScope 6 User Guide69

Index

.

.bmp files, saving 21 .csv files, saving 21 .gif files, saving 21 .png files, saving 21 .psdata files, saving 21 .pssettings files, saving 21 .txt files, saving 21

A

AC mains power 41 AC volts measurement 63 Access 4 Add Measurement dialog 26 Adding a measurement 11, 25, 26 Address 5 Axis

horizontal 14 vertical 14

B

Battery power 41 Buffer Navigation toolbar 45 Burn time measurement 63 Burn voltage measurement 63

Cursor position tool tip 14 Custom Probe wizard 28

Create New Custom Probe dialog 29 Edit Existing Custom Probe dialog 30 Edit Range dialog 36 Finished dialog 39 Lookup-table Scaling dialog 33 Manual Ranges Setup dialog 35 Probe ID dialog 38 Probe Output Units dialog 31 Range Management dialog 34

Scaling Method dialog 32 Custom probes 10, 27 Custom Probes dialog 27 Customization dialog 48

Commands page 50

Options page 51

Toolbars page 49 Cycle time measurement 63

D

DC volts measurement 63 Deleting a measurement 11, 25 Demo mode 46, 59 Demo Signals dialog 59 Demo Signals toolbar 59 Display elements 7 Duty cycle measurement 63 Dwell angle measurement 63 Dwell time measurement 63

E

C

Capture rate 41 Capture window 9, 45 Capture Windows toolbar 45 Channel Setup toolbar 47 Clipboard 23 Close file 20 Column auto-width 25 Contact information 5 Converter, how to change 61 Copy as image 23 Copy as text 23 Copyright 4 Crank RPM measurement 63 Create New Custom Probe dialog 29 Create New Scope Window 20

Edit Existing Custom Probe dialog 30 Edit menu 23 Edit Range dialog 36 Editing a measurement 11, 25 Email addresses 5 Escape key 67 Exit 20

F

Fall time measurement 63 Falling edge button 57 Falling rate measurement 63 Fax number 5 File menu 20 Fitness for purpose 4 Frequency legend 10, 15

Index

70

Frequency measurement 63

G

General dialog 40 Glossary 68 Graticule 9, 14

H

Hand tool 58 Help menu 24 Help toolbar 52 High pulse width measurement 63 Horizontal axis 14

I

Image, saving as 21 Injector duration measurement 63 Introduction 3

K

Keyboard shortcuts 67

L

Legal statement 4 Liability 4 Lookup-Table Scaling dialog 33 Low pulse width measurement 63

M

Mains power 41 Manual Ranges Setup dialog 35 Marquee Zoom tool 58 Maximum measurement 63 Measurements

adding 11, 26 deleting 11 editing 11 font size 25 list of types 63 menu 25 table 11 toolbar 52

Menus 19

Merge 20 Minimum measurement 63 Mission-critical applications 4

N

New features 2 Normal Selection tool 58 Notes area 23

O

Open Device dialog 46 Open file 20 Oscilloscope 7 Oscilloscopes 7 Oversampling 12, 53

P

PC Oscilloscope 8 PCO 8 Peak burn voltage measurement 63 Peak to peak measurement 63 Performance dialog 41 PicoScope 8

how to use 3, 6, 7

version 1

version 6.0 2 Post-trigger delay 65

arrow 13

control 57, 65 Preferences 27

dialog 40 Pre-trigger delay 65

control 57, 65 Print 20 Print preview 20 Probe ID dialog 38 Probe Manager 27 Probe Output Units dialog 31 Probes

custom 10

R

Range Management dialog 34 Reference manual 24 Reset 'Don't show this again' dialogs 40 Resolution 12

PicoScope 6 User Guide71

Rise time measurement 63 Rising edge button 57 Rising rate measurement 63 Ruler legend 13 Rulers

handles 14 time 14 voltage 14

S

Sales email address 5 Save As 20

dialog 21 Save file 20 Scaling Method dialog 32 Scope Setup toolbar 53 Scope view 14 Selection tool, normal 58 Signal difference, how to measure 61 Signal Generator

dialog 54

toolbar 54 Signal rulers 14, 17 Software version 1 Space bar 56, 67 Spreadsheet, exporting to 21 Start/Stop toolbar 56 Support 4 System requirements 5

timing 65 toolbar 57

U

Upgrades 4 Usage 4

V

Version 1 Version 6.0 update 2 Vertical axis 14 Viewports 18 Views 18

how to move 62 scope views 14

Viruses 4

W

Waveform 7, 14 What's new 2 What's This? help 24 Window menu 43 Windows 18

Z

Zooming and Scrolling toolbar 58

T

Technical support email address 5 Telephone number 5 Text, exporting as 21 Time difference, how to measure 62 Time rulers 14, 15 Timebase controls 53 Toolbar menu 27 Toolbars 44

customizing 44, 49

menu 42

reopening 44 Tools menu 27 Trace 7 Trademarks 4 Trigger

marker 16

mode control 57

reference point 65

PSW044-2.0 25.7.06

Pico Technology Ltd

The Mill House

Cambridge Street

St Neots PE19 1QB

United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0) 1480 396 395

Fax: +44 (0) 1480 396 296

Web: www.picotech.com

Pico Macom PSW044 User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual

Welcome

Version 6.0 update

Introduction

Legal statement

Contact information

How to use this manual

System requirements

Using PicoScope for the first time

PicoScope and oscilloscope primer

Oscilloscope basics

PCO basics

PicoScope basics

Capture window

Custom probes

Frequency legend

Measurements table

Oversampling

Post-trigger arrow

Ruler legend

Scope view

Cursor position tool tip

Time rulers

Trigger marker

Signal rulers

Windows, views and viewports

Menus

File menu

Save As dialog

Edit menu

Notes area

Help menu

Measurements menu

Add / Edit Measurement dialog

Tools menu

Custom Probes dialog

Custom Probe wizard

Create New Custom Probe dialog

Edit Existing Custom Probe dialog

Probe Output Units dialog

Scaling Method dialog

Range Management dialog

Manual Ranges Setup dialog

Custom Probe Identification dialog

Custom Probe Finished dialog

Preferences dialog

General dialog

Performance dialog

Toolbar menu

Window menu

Toolbars

Buffer Navigation toolbar

Capture Windows toolbar

Open Device dialog

Channel Setup toolbar

Probe Drop-Down menu

Customization dialog

Customization Toolbars page

Customization Commands page

Customization Options page

Help toolbar

Measurements toolbar

Scope Setup toolbar

Signal Generator toolbar

Signal Generator dialog

Start / Stop toolbar

Triggering toolbar

Zooming and Scrolling toolbar

Demo Signals toolbar

Demo Signals dialog

How to...

How to change to a different scope device

How to use rulers to measure a signal

How to measure a time difference

How to move a view

Reference

Measurement types