PICO PicoScope 3000 A Series User Manual Download Page 5

PicoScope 3000 Series A/B Oscilloscope & MSO User's Guide

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Copyright © 2012-2013 Pico Technology Limited. All rights reserved.

ps3000ab.en r5

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Introduction

Thank you for buying a 

PicoScope 3000 Series Oscilloscope

 from Pico Technology!

The  PicoScope  3000 A  and  B  Series  Oscilloscopes  and

MSOs

 from  Pico Technology  are  a  range  of  high-

specification  real-time  measuring  instruments  that
connect  to  the  USB  port  of  your  computer.  With  the

PicoScope  software

 you  can  use  these  devices  as

oscilloscopes  and  spectrum  analyzers.  With  various
options  of  portability,  deep  memory,  mixed  signals,
fast  sampling  rates  and  high  bandwidth,  these  highly
versatile

 oscilloscopes

 suit

 a

 wide

 range

 of

applications. 

 

The A models are high-speed portable oscilloscopes with a function generator:

PicoScope 3204A

PicoScope 3205A

PicoScope 3206A

PicoScope 3207A

PicoScope 3404A

PicoScope 3405A

PicoScope 3406A

The B models have all the functions of the A models with the addition of an arbitrary
waveform generator and deeper memory:

PicoScope 3204B

PicoScope 3205B

PicoScope 3206B

PicoScope 3207B

PicoScope 3404B

PicoScope 3405B

PicoScope 3406B

The MSO models are mixed-signal-oscilloscopes with the same features as the B
models plus 16 digital inputs:

PicoScope 3204 MSO

PicoScope 3205 MSO

PicoScope 3206 MSO

Here are some of the benefits provided by the PicoScope 3000 Series oscilloscopes:

Portability:

 Take the unit with you and plug it in to any Windows PC.

Performance:

 Up to 1 GS/s sampling, 250 MHz bandwidth and 512 MS buffer.

Mixed signal capability:

 Display analog and digital signals on the same timebase

with the MSO models.

Programmability:

 The PicoScope 3000A SDK lets you write your own programs, in

your chosen programming language, to control all the features of the scope. Using
the API functions, you can develop your own programs to collect and analyze data
from the oscilloscope. Refer to the 

PicoScope 3000A Series Programmer's Guide

 for

more information.

Long-term support:

 Software upgrades are available to download from our

website

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

use both of these services free of charge for the lifetime of the product.

Value for money:

 You don't have to pay twice for all the features that you already

have in your PC, as the PicoScope 3000 Series oscilloscope contains the special
hardware you need and nothing more.

Convenience:

 The software makes full use of the full-sized display, disk storage,

user interface and networking built in to your PC.

Five-year warranty:

 Your oscilloscope is covered for five years from the day of

purchase against manufacturing faults. We don't charge a penny extra for this.

For further information on the PicoScope 3000 A and B Series oscilloscopes and MSOs,
see the 

comparison table

 in this manual, and the specifications tables in the PicoScope

3000 Series data sheets available on our 

website

.

Summary of Contents for PicoScope 3000 A Series

Page 1: ...Copyright 2012 2013 Pico Technology Limited All rights reserved PicoScope 3000 Series User s Guide ps3000ab en r5 A B model oscilloscopes and MSOs ...

Page 2: ......

Page 3: ...demarks 5 7 Warranty 5 8 Company details 6 9 Minimum system requirements 6 10 Cleaning 7 2 Pack contents 8 3 Installation 9 4 Product information 10 1 Model comparison table 11 2 Connector Diagrams 11 1 PicoScope 3000 A and B Series 2 channel oscilloscopes 12 2 PicoScope 3000 Series MSOs 13 3 PicoScope 3000 Series 4 channel oscilloscopes 14 3 Moving to another USB port 14 4 Compensating probes 15 ...

Page 4: ......

Page 5: ...pe 3000 Series oscilloscopes Portability Take the unit with you and plug it in to any Windows PC Performance Up to 1 GS s sampling 250 MHz bandwidth and 512 MS buffer Mixed signal capability Display analog and digital signals on the same timebase with the MSO models Programmability The PicoScope 3000A SDK lets you write your own programs in your chosen programming language to control all the featu...

Page 6: ... inputs of the MSOs are protected to 50 V Contact with voltages outside the protection range may cause permanent damage to the unit Mains line voltages PicoScope 3000 Series oscilloscopes are not designed for use with mains line voltages To measure mains or line voltage use a differential isolating probe specifically designed for that purpose Safety grounding PicoScope 3000 A and B Series Oscillos...

Page 7: ...nce with the instruction manual may cause harmful interference to radio communications Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his or her own expense For safety and maintenance information see the safety warning 1 4 CE notice The PicoScope 3000 A and B Series PC Oscilloscopes an...

Page 8: ...Pico Technology equipment or software unless excluded by statute Fitness for purpose Because no two applications are the same Pico Technology cannot guarantee that its equipment or software is suitable for a given application It is your responsibility therefore to ensure that the product is suitable for your application Mission critical applications This software is intended for use on a computer ...

Page 9: ... material and workmanship Pico Technology shall not be liable for a breach of the warranty if the defect has been caused by fair wear and tear willful damage negligence abnormal working conditions or failure to follow Pico Technology s spoken or written advice on the storage installation commissioning use or maintenance of the Goods or if no advice has been given good trade practice or if the Cust...

Page 10: ...ded full specification Operating system Windows XP SP3 Windows Vista Windows 7 Windows 8 32 bit and 64 bit versions supported Processor As required by Windows 300 MHz 1 GHz Memory 256 MB 512 MB Free disk space 1 5 GB 2 GB Ports USB 2 0 oscilloscopes USB 1 1 port USB 2 0 port USB 2 0 port Ports USB 3 0 oscilloscopes USB 3 0 port Not Windows RT The PicoScope software does not use all the disk space ...

Page 11: ...cilloscope 2 16 channel USB 2 0 MSO 4 channel USB 2 0 oscilloscope 2 channel USB 3 0 oscilloscope USB 2 0 cable standard 1 1 1 USB 2 0 cable double headed 1 1 USB 3 0 cable 1 Software and Reference CD 1 1 1 1 Installation Guide 1 1 1 1 AC adapter 1 Probes 2 2 4 2 20 way 25 cm digital cable 1 Pack of 10 logic test clips 2 Probes are selected to match oscilloscope bandwidth ...

Page 12: ...e 1 below 2 If your computer or USB hub has two free powered USB ports connect the oscilloscope to the PC or hub using the double headed USB cable supplied ensuring that each USB plug is connected to a separate USB port see image 2 below Note If you connect or disconnect the AC adapter while the oscilloscope is in operation it will restart automatically and any unsaved data will be lost USB 3 0 os...

Page 13: ...rms as well as B and MSO models only user defined arbitrary waveforms If you are using the PicoScope 6 software refer to the PicoScope 6 User s Guide for information on how to configure the signal generator If you are writing your own software refer to the PicoScope 3000A Series Programmer s Guide External trigger EXT input not MSOs The EXT input can be used as a trigger source It is selected usin...

Page 14: ... Gen 2 x 250 MHz 3207B 250 MHz 1 GS s 512 MS Func Gen and AWG 2 x 250 MHz PicoScope 2 channel MSO models Model Analog bandwidth Digital Maximum Frequency Sampling Memory Waveform output Accessories supplied 3204 MSO 60 MHz 100 MHz 500 MS s 8 MS Func Gen and AWG 2 x 60 MHz probes 1 x 20 way cable 2 x 10 pack clips 3205 MSO 100 MHz 100 MHz 500 MS s 32 MS Func Gen and AWG 2 x 150 MHz probes 1 x 20 wa...

Page 15: ...ector Diagrams 4 2 1 PicoScope 3000 A and B Series 2 channel oscilloscopes 1 USB port For best results use the high quality USB 2 0 or USB 3 0 cable supplied See Section 3 for guidance on USB connections 2 LED flashes red when the oscilloscope is sampling data A Input channel A B Input channel B C External trigger input D Signal generator output ...

Page 16: ...connection D The digital input pins of the 20 pin IDC header plug are shown below The diagram is drawn as you look at the front panel of the device Precautions when connecting digital inputs To avoid crosstalk on the digital inputs when probing signals with very fast edges please take extra care with the leads in the digital input cable Keep any leads carrying fast signals separated from the other...

Page 17: ...t not operating Flashes green when the oscilloscope is sampling data 3 DC power socket for use with the AC adapter supplied See Power Options leaflet for details 4 USB 2 0 port connects to your PC using the Hi Speed USB cable supplied See Installation for powering options 5 Earth terminal helps to reduce interference when using a laptop When using a laptop computer the earth terminal can be connec...

Page 18: ...with the probe Connecting a probe for compensation 2 channel oscilloscopes and MSOs 1 Plug the probe s BNC connector into the appropriate input channel on the scope 2 Fit a BNC adapter supplied with the probe onto the probe tip 3 Plug the probe tip with BNC adapter into the scope s generator output 4 Run the PicoScope software 5 Click the Signal Generator button and set the output to a 1 kHz 1 8 v...

Page 19: ...r GS s gigasamples per second The higher the sampling rate of the oscilloscope the more accurate the representation of the high frequency details in a fast signal MS s Megasamples per second Used to quantify the sampling rate of an oscilloscope MSO Mixed signal oscilloscope An oscilloscope that has both analog and digital inputs PicoScope software This is a software product that accompanies all ou...

Page 20: ...ltages that the oscilloscope can measure For example a voltage range of 20 V means that the oscilloscope can measure voltages between 20 V and 20 V Input voltages outside this range will not be measured correctly but will not damage the instrument as long as they remain within the protection limits stated in the specifications ...

Page 21: ...PicoScope 3000 Series A B Oscilloscope MSO User s Guide 17 Copyright 2012 2013 Pico Technology Limited All rights reserved ps3000ab en r5 6 Appendix A Declaration of Conformity ...

Page 22: ...Appendix A Declaration of Conformity 18 Copyright 2012 2013 Pico Technology Limited All rights reserved ps3000ab en r5 ...

Page 23: ...PicoScope 3000 Series A B Oscilloscope MSO User s Guide 19 Copyright 2012 2013 Pico Technology Limited All rights reserved ps3000ab en r5 ...

Page 24: ...Appendix A Declaration of Conformity 20 Copyright 2012 2013 Pico Technology Limited All rights reserved ps3000ab en r5 ...

Page 25: ...ls 5 E Earth terminal 9 EXT connector 9 External trigger 9 F Function generator 9 G GEN connector 9 L LED 11 12 13 Licence conditions 4 M Maximum input range 2 Maximum sampling rate 10 Memory 10 Model comparison 10 MSO 12 O Oscilloscope probe 8 9 11 12 13 compensating 14 P Pack contents AC Adapter 7 Installation Guide 7 Probes 7 Software and Reference CD 7 USB cable double headed 7 USB cable singl...

Page 26: ......

Page 27: ...PicoScope 3000 Series A B Oscilloscope MSO User s Guide 23 Copyright 2012 2013 Pico Technology Limited All rights reserved ps3000ab en r5 ...

Page 28: ...use Colmworth Business Park ST NEOTS Cambridgeshire PE19 8YP United Kingdom Tel 44 0 1480 396 395 Fax 44 0 1480 396 296 www picotech com Copyright 2012 2013 Pico Technology Limited All rights reserved ps3000ab en r5 25 02 2013 ...

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