Picoscope 7.2 makes troubleshooting easier by highlighting decision points on waveforms. New features include: Waveform overlays, which let you see differences in captured signals, helping you identify glitches on other intermittent occurrences; Measurement Indicators: the software places visual markers on waveforms, which highlight the points where it measures parameters such as rise time and frequency; […]
USB-based Oscilloscopes
Getting the most from your oscilloscope: part 3
Built-in math operations enable your scope to calculate and display measurement results. In part 1 of this series, we looked at the features oscilloscopes have offered for the past three-quarters of a century. In part 2, we looked at some of the unique features of modern digital scopes. In this part, we’ll take a closer […]
Get the most from your oscilloscope: part 2
Modern scopes add a variety of new measurement and math features to the vertical, horizontal, and trigger controls used over a span of decades. In part 1 of this series, we looked at the features, such as the vertical, horizontal, and trigger controls that have appeared on oscilloscopes since the mid-20th century and that remain […]
Get the most from your oscilloscope: part 1
Oscilloscope technology has evolved from electromechanical assistance for hand-plotting to the development of full-featured automated digital instruments. The oscilloscope is an invaluable instrument that provides engineers with a picture of how signals inside their circuits behave. Today, they have evolved from analog versions, where the only option for long-term storage was to take a Polaroid […]
USB oscilloscopes add automotive 10Base-T1S protocol analysis
Pico Technology, a manufacturer of USB oscilloscopes, has added 10Base-T1S protocol analysis to software that operates the company’s line of USB oscilloscopes. That brings to 40 the number of serial protocols that the company supports. PicoScope 7 software is a free download. 10Base-T1S is a two-wire Ethernet standard that specifies a physical layer for automotive […]
Four-channel USB oscilloscopes sample at 5 GS/sec
The PicoScope 3000E series has models with analog bandwidths of 350 MHz and 500 MHz. Hitting the “sweet spot” for analog bandwidth, the 3000E Series — 500 MHz (3418E) and 350 MHz (3417E) — USB oscilloscopes from Pico Technology fill a gap in the company’s oscilloscope offerings in terms of bandwidth. Both models feature four […]
NI president: “We are the LabVIEW company”
EE World met with Ritu Favre, who emphasized a return to the company’s product roots. National Instruments, now NI and a part of Emerson, has a long, dominant history in test and measurement. Best known for LabVIEW graphical programming and its supporting cast of software for instrument control and data analysis, NI was founded in […]
Screenless oscilloscope fits 2U rack space
The MXO 5C screenless oscilloscope from Rohde & Schwarz comes in four or eight channels with 2 GHz bandwidth.
What’s the difference between a USB oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, and digitizer?
USB oscilloscopes are highly versatile instruments. With the right software, they can perform functions usually reserved for spectrum analyzers and digitizers. In some cases, however, special instruments are needed for optimal results. This FAQ compares the functions of oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, and digitizers with USB interfaces. They are called USB devices because they connect to […]
What hardware accessories can you attach to a USB oscilloscope?
A wide range of hardware accessories are available for USB oscilloscopes. This FAQ reviews a few of the more popular options including a variety of probes plus wireless synchronization of multiple USB oscilloscopes and chassis that can combine and synchronize USB oscilloscopes with other instruments like arbitrary waveform generators and multimeters. Probes and more probes […]
