PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscopes User's Guide ps4000.en-1 Copyright © 2008 Pico Technology. All rights reserved.
Contents I Contents 1 Welcome .....................................................................................................................................1 2 Introduction .....................................................................................................................................2 1 Using this guide ...........................................................................................................................................2 2 Safety symbols ...............
Welcome 1 1 Welcome Thank you for buying a Pico Technology product! The PicoScope 4000 Series of PC Oscilloscopes from Pico Technology is a range of compact units designed to replace traditional bench-top oscilloscopes costing many times the price. Here are some of the benefits provided by your new PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope: Portability: Take the unit with you and plug it in to any Windows PC. Performance: 12-bit resolution, large buffer with up to 32 M samples, fast USB 2.0 interface.
2 PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 2 Introduction 2.1 Using this guide You will sometimes see a symbol like this: 2 This is the cross-reference symbol, and it indicates the number of a page on which you can find more information about a topic. The abbreviation MS/s is used in this guide to mean megasamples per second. 2.2 Safety symbols The following symbols appear on the front panel of the PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope.
Introduction 2.4 3 FCC notice This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is operated in a commercial environment.
4 2.6 PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide Software licence conditions The material contained in this software release is licensed, not sold. Pico Technology Limited grants a licence to the person who installs this software, subject to the conditions listed below. Access The licensee agrees to allow access to this software only to persons who have been informed of these conditions and agree to abide by them.
Introduction 2.7 5 Trademarks Windows is a registered trademark or trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the USA and other countries. Pico Technology Limited and PicoScope are trademarks of Pico Technology Limited, registered in the United Kingdom and other countries. PicoScope and Pico Technology are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. 2.
6 PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide 3 Product information 3.1 What do I get? Your PicoScope 4000 Series PC Oscilloscope kit contains the following items: Reorder Quantity Description code 3.2 PP492 1 PicoScope 4224 scope unit (PicoScope 4224 kit only) PP493 1 PicoScope 4424 scope unit (PicoScope 4424 kit only) MI007 2 or 4 MI106 1 USB cable, for connection to the USB 1.1 or USB 2.
Product information 3.3 7 Installation instructions IMPORTANT Do not connect your PicoScope 4000 Series scope device to the PC before you have installed the Pico software. If you do, Windows might not recognise the scope device correctly. 11 Procedure Follow the instructions in the USB Oscilloscope Installation Guide included with your product package. Connect your PC Oscilloscope to the PC using the USB cable supplied.
8 3.4 PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide Connections Standard oscilloscope connectors PicoScope 4000 Series 11 PC Oscilloscopes have BNC oscilloscope connectors. The inputs have an impedance of 1 MW, so they are compatible with all standard scope probes including x1, x10 and x1/x10 attenuated types. Connector diagrams Front panel PicoScope 4224 11 PicoScope 4424 11 A. Input channel A B. Input channel B C. Input channel C D. Input channel D E.
Product information 3.
10 4 PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide Programming with the PicoScope 4000 Series An Application Programming Interface (API) is supplied free of charge with the PicoScope 4000 Series scopes. You can install it from the product CD (if you enable this option in the installer) or by downloading it from our website at www.picotech. com. The software includes a Programmer's Guide in PDF format. ps4000.en Copyright © 2008 Pico Technology. All rights reserved.
Glossary 5 11 Glossary AC/DC switch. To switch between AC coupling and DC coupling, select AC or DC from the control on the PicoScope toolbar. The AC setting filters out very lowfrequency components of the input signal, including DC, and is suitable for viewing small AC signals superimposed on a DC or slowly changing offset. In this mode you can measure the peak-to-peak amplitude of an AC signal but not its absolute value. Use the DC setting for measuring the absolute value of a signal. Analog bandwidth.
12 PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide USB 1.1. Universal Serial Bus (Full Speed). This is a standard port used to connect external devices to PCs. A typical USB 1.1 port supports a data transfer rate of 12 megabits per second, so is much faster than an RS232 COM port. USB 2.0. Universal Serial Bus (High Speed). This is a standard port used to connect external devices to PCs. A typical USB 2.0 port supports a data transfer rate 40 times faster than USB 1.1 when used with a USB 2.
Index Index O Operating environment Operating system 6 Oscilloscope probe 8 Outputs 9 Overload protection 9 A Accuracy 9 Analog bandwidth 9 B 9 PC connection 9 Pico Technical Support PicoScope 4000 Series PicoScope software 7 Power supply 9 Processor 6 C Calibration 2 CE notice 3 Company information Compliance 9 5 1 R 5 Repairs 2 Resolution, vertical Connections 8 Contact details 5 9 S D Safety symbols Dimensions 9 Disk space 6 warning EMC Directive 3 F 3 G 4 T 2 I Input range, max
14 PicoScope 4000 Series User's Guide Voltage ranges 9 W Warranty 5 Weight 9 Windows, Microsoft ps4000.en 6 Copyright © 2008 Pico Technology. All rights reserved.
15 Copyright © 2008 Pico Technology. All rights reserved. ps4000.
Pico Technology James House Colmworth Business Park Eaton Socon ST. NEOTS Cambridgeshire PE19 8YP United Kingdom Tel: +44 (0) 1480 396 395 Fax: +44 (0) 1480 396 296 Web: www.picotech.com ps4000.en-1 28.10.08 Copyright © 2008 Pico Technology. All rights reserved.
