
Prog ramming the 3000A Series oscilloscopes
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ps3000abpg.en r9
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Programming the 3000A Series oscilloscopes
In this manual we shall refer to the PicoScope 3000 A, B and MSO models collectively
as the PicoScope 3000A Series. The API for controlling these scopes is called the
PicoScope 3000A API.
The
ps3000a.dll
dynamic link library in the SDK allows you to program a
A typical program for capturing data consists of the following steps:
Set up the input channels with the required
Set up
Start capturing data. (See
, where programming is discussed in more
detail.)
Wait until the scope unit is ready.
Stop capturing data.
Copy data to a buffer.
Close the scope unit.
Numerous
are included in the SDK. These demonstrate how to use
the functions of the driver software in each of the modes available.
2.1
PicoScope 3000A Series driver
Your application will communicate with a PicoScope 3000A Series driver called
ps3000a.dll.
This driver is used by all the 3000 Series A/B oscilloscopes and
MSOs
.
The driver exports the PicoScope 3000A
format, but this does not limit you to programming in C: you can use the API with any
programming language that supports standard C calls.
The API driver depends on a low-level driver called
WinUsb.sys
. This low-level driver
is installed by the SDK when you plug the
computer for the first time. Your application does not call these drivers directly.
2.2
USB port requirements
The PicoScope 3000A driver offers
of recording data, all of
which support both USB 1.1, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0 connections. The USB 2.0 3000A
Series oscilloscopes are hi-speed devices, so transfer rate will not increase by using
USB 3.0, but it will decrease when using USB 1.1. The USB 3.0 3000A Series
oscilloscopes are SuperSpeed devices, so should be used with a USB 3.0 port for
optimal performance.