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PicoScope Automotive Diagnostics

Automotive PicoScopes are used to test and diagnose problems in vehicles. Pico can be used on any vehicle, including Petrol, Diesel, Electric Vehicles (EVs), Heavy Vehicles and Earth-moving Vehicles. Thousands of tests can be performed, including: electrical; electronic; mechanical; pressure-related; and noise, vibration and harshness (NVH), to name just a few.

A PicoScope is not, and does not replace, a scanner or OBD tool. It works with your scan tool to help you find and diagnose the real cause of a problem.

There are many Scan Tools available, which all rely on the vehicle's ECUs (Electronic Control Units) to produce a fault code that shows the general location of a problem.

But, what if the ECU or CAN bus is faulty, can you rely on a fault code? What if the fault code can be as a result of many different problems? Do you swap components until the problem goes away? This can be very expensive, especially where components might code themselves to the vehicle when they are installed.

Using your PicoScope in conjunction with your Scan Tool can solve many of these problems.

Typically, you would:

• Start with a Scan Tool to find the location of the fault (fault codes);
• Then use your PicoScope to test the components and trace the real cause of the problem;
• Repair or replace the component you have verified is faulty;
• Retest using your PicoScope to ensure that the cause of the problem has been eliminated;
• Use your Scan Tool to clear the Fault Code; and
• Finally, use your Scan Tool to check that the Fault Code does not recur.

Why PicoScope?

There are many Automotive Oscilloscopes on the market but none offer the specifications and features of a PicoScope. Here are a few of the most useful:

• Speed: PicoScope can sample at 400 million samples per second and has a bandwidth of 20MHz. Diagnose high speed CAN, CAN-FD and even FlexRay signals with built-in decoding.
• Buffer: PicoScope can store up to 250 million samples. You can run tests for more than 13 hours with more than 5000 samples stored for every second of the test. Scroll through the buffer and find intermittent faults easily.
• Voltage: PicoScope is extremely rugged and can measure up to 200V without any attenuators.
• Floating Grounds: Many scopes have common grounds - they are connected together, which can cause damage if channel grounds are connected to different potentials (e.g. across the battery). PicoScope can withstand up to 30V between channel grounds, which means that you can think of the 4-channel PicoScope as 4 independent multi-meters.
• Subscriptions: None! PicoScope Software is free and can be downloaded from the Internet. Your PicoScope improves all the time as you receive free updates.

Pico Automotive Training Website

We have created a free training website, www.pico-automotive.co.za, to allow you to explore PicoScope. You can download the PicoScope 7 Software for free. You do not need a PicoScope because the training courses use the Demo Mode, which simulates a vehicle being tested with a scope.

• See our An Introduction to Diagnostics, including our 10 top tests with videos and animations to help you understand Pico.
• You can Learn about PicoScope Software in Demo Mode - a comprehensive introduction to PicoScope software.
• There are a number of very informative, instructional videos on the training website such as Pressure Testing with the WPS500X.

Other training resources

Download our PDF Brochure or visit the PicoAcademy for more free training.

PicoScope Software - No Subscriptions

PicoScope Software and PicoDiagnostics are free with your PicoScope, with updates for life. Download it from PicoAuto Downloads. You can also evaluate and learn about the software in Demo Mode, without a PicoScope. Have a look at PS7 Demo Mode on our Technical Training website.

The PicoScope Automotive App

Automotive Oscilloscopes

An Automotive PicoScope turns your laptop or desktop PC into a powerful diagnostic tool as a result, you can think of it as the X-ray machine of diagnostics. It lets you see the changing signals inside wires.

In order to use the Automotive Scope, you will need a PC and some test leads to connect to the vehicle. As a result, most people purchase one of the award-winning Pico Automotive Diagnostics Kits. These money-saving Kits contain everything you need so please consider the 4425A 4-Channel Standard Kit or one of the more advanced kits such as the EV Kit or the 8-Channel 4823 Professional Kit, rather than purchasing the oscilloscope on its own.

PicoScope Diesel Engines and Hydraulics Kit

Your PicoScope is well suited to diagnosing problems in both Diesel and Petrol Engines. A Diesel Kit is available with longer leads to help with large vehicles.

By combining the high-precision hydraulic transducers with a Pico Automotive Kit, you can use the Engine and Hydraulics Kit look at hydraulic pressures in the same time frame as the engine control signals. Consequently, you have complete visibility of how the system is operating. You can now see the exact moment valves start to move in the hydraulic system and compare this directly to the relevant electronic controls. Additionally, you can investigate stalling and 'no start' conditions due to the comprehensive coverage of engine and electrical systems.

What is an Automotive Oscilloscope?

An oscilloscope (scope) such as the 4425A, 4225A and 4823 is a simple device that draws a graph of a value (e.g. voltage, current, pressure, sound) vs time. The PicoScope is a storage scope, so it draws the graph (actually up to four at the same time) and remembers it. Consequently, you can study what happened after the event occurs.

Learn more about how scopes work with our free, on-line, introductory training courses and also, watch some of our videos to see the scope in operation.

Features and Benefits of PicoScope