A PicoScope (sometimes known as a labscope) turns your laptop or desktop PC into a powerful diagnostic tool. Think of it as the X-ray machine of diagnostics, letting you see the changing signals inside wires.
You can purchase a PicoScope on its own, but most people purchase one of our award-winning Automotive Diagnostics Kits. These money-saving kits contain everything you need – just add a PC.
See your waveforms in high definition and with minimal delay
Evaluate your waveforms with powerful tools
Grow as a diagnostician; save and share your waveforms
Maximize your return on investment
With any automotive PicoScope, you have exclusive access to unique features and a comprehensive set of resources, including our guided tests, the Waveform Library and PicoDiagnostics.
PicoScope Automotive software is free with no subscriptions or in-app purchases.
You can explore the latest version now by downloading and running it with a demo device - you don’t even need a scope!
Available on PicoScope 4x25 and 4x25A Automotive oscilloscopes, the ConnectDetect feature indicates whether you have good connections between your test leads and circuits.
The best way to diagnose an intermittent fault is often to set up the scope to measure from several components and wait for the fault to occur. For an intermittent misfire, you might want to capture several minutes of cam, crank, ignition and injector waveforms. These types of tests require an oscilloscope with a "deep" memory buffer so that you can capture for long periods of time and then zoom in without any gaps or loss of detail.
With PicoScope, you can collect 250 MILLION samples, more than any other automotive oscilloscope. Our advanced "always-on" memory technology uses hardware acceleration to make sure that the processing of large amounts of data does not slow the oscilloscope down even when you are using a slower or older PC.
The latest PicoScopes can capture signals faster than ever. With sampling rates of up to 400 million samples per second, there is nothing that can escape the scrutiny of PicoScope.
CAN and FlexRay are now common on vehicles, and new protocols such as SENT for digital sensors and CAN FD (up to 5x faster than the current CAN standard) are appearing in new vehicles. The fast sampling rate ensures that the PicoScope 4000 Series scopes have the speed to handle future needs as vehicle technology changes.
PicoScope guided tests
We understand it can be hard to know what to do when you are new to oscilloscope diagnostics. That is why we have created over 150 guided tests, free with every installation of PicoScope Automotive oscilloscope.
Each test:
Sets up the scope for you
Shows you how to connect to the vehicle
Describes how to perform the test
Details typical waveform characteristics and what they mean
Gives you example waveforms
Explains how the system and component work
Outlines related failure modes and the associated symptoms they might cause
Lists related DTCs
The tests cover all the important systems and components you are likely to see, including many sensors, actuators, and network systems, such as CAN bus, FlexRay and LIN.
And we’ll continue to add more tests through the free software updates and as vehicle technology changes demand.
We have been upgrading and improving PicoScope software for over 20 years. This allows us to make the maximum use of the latest technology both in the oscilloscope hardware and the PC itself.
The modern user interface is uncluttered and easy to use. There are no old-fashioned knobs and dials. We leave most of the space free for what matters: your waveforms.
Features include:
720 degree rotation rulers: ideal for looking at engine timing (see waveform showing crankshaft, camshaft and in cylinder pressure).
Channel labels: it's important when saving a file to identify what each channel is measuring but it can be time-consuming. With channel labels you just type in a few letters and a time-saving list of names is presented.
Vehicle database: a list of makes and models is included with the ability to store customer details too. The last few vehicles worked on are stored in a list for quick recall.
Software upgrades are free for the life of the product and download in the background while you are working.
Home page in Waveform Library
Waveform Library
Sometimes you may come across an unexpected vehicle or waveform. How would you know how to set up your scope correctly or whether your captured waveforms are typical? Maybe you need a safe place to store your waveforms, or perhaps you have a captured waveform that you know will help others like you?
Our Waveform Library is here to help. It contains thousands of waveforms uploaded by PicoScope users from around the world. You can search and download these waveforms to use as a reference against which to compare your captures or to automatically set up your scope for your specific vehicle and component. Likewise, you can save and upload your waveforms to keep them safe and help benefit the entire Pico community.
PicoDiagnostics identifies faults that are not easy to find with a scan tool or require additional tooling or equipment. PicoDiagnostics turns your PicoScope Automotive oscilloscope into a powerful diagnostic multi-tool.
With PicoDiagnostics, you can test:
Cylinder compression
Battery, alternator and starter motor condition
Cylinder misfires / balance
PicoDiagnostics saves you time and money - and promotes trust in your customer relationships - with:
Quick non-invasive connections
Simple setup and test procedures
Clear diagnostic outcomes
Easy to share, customisable, reports
Cylinder compression
The cylinder compression test helps you to uncover engine mechanical issues in seconds:
Clip a test lead to the battery terminals
Crank the engine
Check the easy to understand bar graph for the relative cylinder compressions (all green bars indicates everything is okay, a red bar indicates a possible issue)
Discuss and discuss the findings with your customer
You can calculate absolute compressions by adding an optional pressure transducer to one cylinder, to indicate cylinder pressures in bar or PSI.
Battery, starter and alternator tests
Using PicoDiagnostics, you can check the battery, starter, alternator, and wiring, by just:
Connecting a test lead to the battery
Connecting test lead between the battery and starter motor (optional)
Cranking and starting the engine
The test evaluates the following battery, alternator and starter motor properties:
Battery states of charge and health (SOC & SOH)
Battery voltage drop during cranking
Battery Cold Cranking Amps (CCA)
Alternator current output (for under or overcharging)
Alternator voltage and ripple (for blown diodes)
Starter motor coil resistance (for coil faults)
Battery-to-starter motor cable volt drop (and resistance)
Values have red, amber or green highlighting to indicate the test outcome and can be printed for customers. Your customer can see that the electrical system is in good condition or why a component needs replacing.
Cylinder balance
You can check for possible misfires or uneven power contributions across the cylinders with the cylinder balance test:
Clip a test lead to the battery terminals
Start the engine
Check the easy to understand bar graph for the relative power output from each cylinder (all green bars indicates everything is okay, a red bar indicates a possible issue)
Print and discuss the findings with your customer
Please note: this test does not support vehicles having engines with cylinder deactivation or low-compression engines with eight or more cylinders
NVH
The PicoDiagnostics NVH software can analyze vibrations and help to diagnose NVH problems. All you need is a PicoScope Automotive oscilloscope, the PicoDiagnostics NVH kit and a software license key (available from Pico Technology support).
The PicoDiagnostics NVH system is in use in thousands of workshops worldwide, due to the speed and simplicity of operation in capturing and analyzing both vibration and noise problems across the whole vehicle.
The system can obtain RPM, speed and other PID data via a J2534 interface (not supplied), and includes the ability to view Parameter ID (PID) values in the time domain.
The PicoDiagnostics NVH system includes special time-domain functions optimized for measuring creaks, squeaks and harshness, such as knocks.
There is also an inbuilt Function Generator that can generate sounds using your laptop. These sounds can stimulate resonance, making an object vibrate with a greater amplitude at its natural frequency. This is a very useful feature when customers complain about interior rattles, as they often have difficulty describing the sound or pinpointing the origin.
To learn more about our NVH system, please visit our product pages.
Our Automotive Master Kit has been designed to give our customers a way of buying everything they could need in one hit. While there is always more you can buy to add to your toolbox, in this instance we’ve put together our most comprehensive kit to-date. Our Master Kit consists of an upgraded and extended Advanced Kit, in a new larger tougher carry case and our WPS500X Maxi Kit in a separate case.
The kit includes PA210 Heavy Duty Case instead of Standard Case, and adds insulation piercing clips TA007, shrouded sprung hooks TA089/TA090, CAN Test Box TA069, PQ038 WPS500X Maxi Kit with adaptors & hoses, additional breakout leads (TA191, TA194, TA267), extra TA473 60A clamp, 2 additional TA499 x10 Scope probes and keyless entry lead TA330 to the accessories in our Advanced Kit.
The new heavy duty Master kit carry case (PA210) also includes foam cut-out locations for your PicoDiagnostics NVH kit (sold separately).
The combination of our kits and software make vehicle diagnostics intuitive and logical. Each kit comes with a variety of accessories to test a multitude of vehicle components, help and advice for these are available in our PicoScope 6 software. Our PicoScope Master Kit will allow you to undertake an endless list of diagnostic signals from your test vehicle.
PicoBNC+ Test Lead: 4mm permanent ground 3m Yellow
2
Small crocodile clip (black)
1
Extension lead for JCASE fuse
1
PicoBNC+ resistance test lead
2
Small crocodile clip (red)
1
Extension lead for maxi style fuses
1
Pico 2-pole tester
1
Dolphin clip 1000V CATIII (black)
1
Ultrasonic Parking Sensor Detector
1
Pico Insulation tester
1
Dolphin clip 1000V CATIII (red)
1
1 Keyless Entry Detector
1
PicoBNC+ 60A Clamp
2
PicoBNC+ automotive 10:1 scope probe Aftermarket
3
1000V back pinning probe (black)
3
1000V back pinning probe (red)
Compression Test
MAP
Glow Plugs
DIS Ignition
Cylinder Balance
Pedal Sensor
Injectors
Coil-on-Plug
Battery Alternator Test
Road Speed
Speed Control Valve
CAN Bus
Alternator
Solenoid Valve
Valve Timing
Blink codes
Starting Volt/Amps
Temperature Sensor
Amplifier Earth
Flex Ray
Relative Compression
Throttle Position
Amplifier Signal
KWP2000
Smart Alternator
Knock Sensor
Primary
LIN bus
ABS
Cooling Fan
Primary Ignition
Cam vs. Crank Position Sensors
Camshaft
Fuel Pump
DIS Primary Voltage vs. Current
Primary Ignition vs. Crank
Crankshaft
Stepper Motors
Primary vs. Secondary
Primary Ignition vs. Injector
Distributor Pick-Up
Throttle Servo
DIS Primary Voltage
Cam, Crank, Injector and Ignition
Fuel Pressure
Pressure Regulator
DIS Primary Current
HVAC Efficiency (Temperature)
Lambda
Camshaft Adjuster
Primary Ignition vs. Secondary
MAF Sensor
EGR
Wiggle Test (Resistance)
0 V potential
Charger-vehicle proximity line resistance (type 1)
Motor resolver
Insulation resistance
Charger-vehicle proximity line resistance (type 2)
Regeneration current
Charger-vehicle communications (type 1)
Charging current split
Toyota Prius (3rd generation) system main relay operation
Charger-vehicle communications (type 2)
Auxiliary battery charging
The Electric Vehicle kit from Pico Technology is designed to cover all vehicle types and powertrains, providing workshops with a future-proof system that handles vehicles incorporating high-voltage batteries and motor systems.
The importance of Electric Vehicles is clearly evident as part of the drive towards better use of clean and renewable energy and the reduction of harmful emissions and particulates. EV is now discussed so widely, and the investment in increasing EV deployment so great, that every workshop is increasingly aware of the need to handle EVs.
Pico is working with our partners and customers to ensure that workshops can be as safe, efficient and effective working with EV as they are with Internal Combustion Engines (ICE).
Foster 2 series quick coupler female to ¼ NPT male
1
Extension lead for JCASE fuse
1
Breakout Lead 3 pin Kostal
1
Breakout Lead 4 pin Deutsch DTxx-4
1
Breakout Lead 2 pin Kostal
1
Breakout lead 4 pin large Deutsch DTPxx-4
1
Vacuum tap for WPS500 (brass)
1
Fuel hose pressure tap: small (brass)
1
Fuel hose pressure tap: medium (brass)
1
PicoBNC+ wide-range linear temperature probe
1
PicoBNC+ COP probe
1
PicoBNC+ current clamp: 60A AC/DC
1
Manual: WPS500X Pressure Transducer
Created for fault diagnosis on trucks, tractors, forklifts, boats, combine harvesters, excavators and more, the off-highway kits open up new markets and opportunities for you. The successful application of our products to these vehicles has been widely demonstrated by the many related case studies published on our website and in our newsletters, as well as by our growing heavy-duty (HD) and off-highway (OH) support forum and community.
The kits contain a modified PS4425A PicoScope having additional protection to withstand off-highway conditions. The included accessories help users quickly connect and easily carry out non-intrusive and non-invasive measurements on a wide variety of systems and components found in these vehicles.
PicoBNC+ Test Lead: 4mm permanent ground 5m yellow
1
PicoBNC+ 60A compact current clamp
1
PicoBNC+ automotive 10:1 scope probe aftermarket
1
Safety Guide: PicoScope 4225A and 4425A
Created for fault diagnosis on trucks, tractors, forklifts, boats, combine harvesters, excavators and more, the off-highway kits open up new markets and opportunities for you. The successful application of our products to these vehicles has been widely demonstrated by the many related case studies published on our website and in our newsletters, as well as by our growing heavy-duty (HD) and off-highway (OH) support forum and community.
The kits contain a modified PS4425A PicoScope having additional protection to withstand off-highway conditions. The included accessories help users quickly connect and easily carry out non-intrusive and non-invasive measurements on a wide variety of systems and components found in these vehicles.
Foster 2 series quick coupler female to ¼ NPT male
1
Extension lead for JCASE fuse
1
Breakout Lead 3 pin Kostal
1
Breakout Lead 4 pin Deutsch DTxx-4
1
Breakout Lead 2 pin Kostal
1
Breakout lead 4 pin large Deutsch DTPxx-4
1
Vacuum tap for WPS500 (brass)
1
Fuel hose pressure tap: small (brass)
1
Fuel hose pressure tap: medium (brass)
1
PicoBNC+ wide-range linear temperature probe
1
PicoBNC+ COP probe
1
PicoBNC+ current clamp: 60A AC/DC
1
Manual: WPS500X Pressure Transducer
2
PicoBNC+ automotive 10:1 scope probe aftermarket
1
Safety Guide: PicoScope 4225A and 4425A
Created for fault diagnosis on trucks, tractors, forklifts, boats, combine harvesters, excavators and more, the off-highway kits open up new markets and opportunities for you. The successful application of our products to these vehicles has been widely demonstrated by the many related case studies published on our website and in our newsletters, as well as by our growing heavy-duty (HD) and off-highway (OH) support forum and community.
The kits contain a modified PS4425A PicoScope having additional protection to withstand off-highway conditions. The included accessories help users quickly connect and easily carry out non-intrusive and non-invasive measurements on a wide variety of systems and components found in these vehicles.
Adding the WPS500X to your PicoScope opens up a new world of diagnostics by turning pressure readings into waveforms.
WPS500X allows you to see the inner workings of your system, such as in-cylinder waveforms. You can see valve and timing issues, mechanical failures, blown gaskets and blocked catalytic converters.
Most pressure sensors can only measure over a limited range (so you need different ones for different tasks). The WPS500X has three ranges in one sensor, so it is flexible enough to work all around the vehicle, including with fuel system pressures, transmission pressures, and intake, in-cylinder, crankcase and exhaust pressures created as air flows through an internal combustion engine.
Improvements in damping and sound insulation in modern vehicles mean that vibrations and noise that would previously be ignored (by turning up the radio) are now diagnostic headaches. You can lose many hours, and swap many parts in tracking down customer complaints.
The NVH kit works with your PicoScope to quickly identify the source of the problem. If the customer complaint is noise, use the microphone; if it’s a vibration, use the accelerometer.
Sophisticated software helps you to quickly identify the offending issue (such as a wheel imbalance) and pinpoint its location (such as the near-side rear of the vehicle).
You can enhance your kit with accessories to also allow on-vehicle driveline balancing.
