This is where we collect some of the best material we have for new users to reference and learn how to use their Automotive PicoScope.
The PicoScope Automotive app will guide you through your journey in oscilloscope diagnostics.
Learn about PicoScope and the different kits available, use our Top ten Guided tests and benefit from tips on how to use your new PicoScope.
Note: This application does not connect to your PicoScope or display waveforms on your phone or tablet.
Pico automotive diagnostic training courses are held at various locations, across the UK, Germany and in the USA.
Designed for customers who have purchased, or are considering purchasing the Pico Automotive Diagnostics Kit each course will help you get the best from the PicoScope software and diagnostic kit.
| PicoScope 7 Automotive Scope School Part 1 – Introduction by S Smith An article covering useful information for new users of PicoScope 7 Automotive, such as what an oscilloscope is, how to acquire your first capture and how to adjust the settings for the voltage, probes and trigger. |
Written tutorial |
| PicoScope 7 Automotive Scope School Part 2 – The Next Step by S Smith A continuation of the PicoScope 7 Automotive Scope School, going into further detail regarding signal and time rulers, zooming, custom start-up settings, saving and sharing. |
Written tutorial |
| Scope School Part 1 - Introduction to PicoScope by Steve Smith |
Written tutorial |
| Scope School Part 2 - The next step by Steve Smith - Pico Technology |
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| PicoScope basics video - Part I by Paul 'Scanner' Danner |
Video training |
| PicoScope basics video - Part II by Paul 'Scanner' Danner |
Video training |
| PicoScope 6 Automotive: Introductory training notes by Pico Technology |
PDF tutorial |
| Compression testing by Pico Technology |
Written tutorial |
| Parasitic drain testing by Pico Technology |
Written tutorial |
| Phil’s 5 Favourite Pico Accessories by Phil Rutt |
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| Testing times - preparing for the end of lockdown by Barney Donohew Barney has written a short article about how to prepare for an increase in faults related to vehicles sitting idle for longer periods of time, now that we are starting to see more and more countries and areas return towards normal after the Covid-19 lockdown. |
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| Probe Mismatch in PicoScope 7 by Steve Smith Steve talks us through the new Probe Mismatch feature in PicoScope 7, explaining why how it works and why it is useful. |
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| The importance of the right tools and training by Steve Smith Steve has written about the future of technicians and the need for the profession to evolve alongside the new technologies. There will always be a need for technicians in the ongoing work to maintain and diagnose the vehicles of the past, present, and future, but using the right tools and training has never been more important. |
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| The new PicoScope Automotive App by Jon Parker Having spent more than twenty years improving the PicoScope product, including extensive guidance and information for technicians, Pico Technology has released an app for Android and iPhone. With this app, every technician can learn about oscilloscopes, what they do, how to use them, and how they can benefit them and their businesses. |
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| Using PicoScope’s filtering functions by Steve Smith - Pico Technology |
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| Pressure School Part 1 Introduction to the Pressure Transducer by Pico |
Written tutorial |
| ConnectDetect® by Steve Smith After completing a presentation at Autoinform Harrogate and a conversation with Pete Melville (HEVRA), I wanted to qualify the suggestion of using PicoScope ConnectDetect® to determine the cause of specific sensor faults. |
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| SENT sensor decoding with PicoScope by Ben Martins Working at Pico, I have the opportunity to look closer at some of the latest sensor technology that is out there on modern vehicles. While this particular sensor has been out there for a while now, SENT is cropping up in more and more vehicles. The help desk, the Automotive Forum, and our FaceBook group have all seen an increase in questions and discussions around the best way to work with these sensors. This has prompted me to look into how PicoScope can be used to get as much information as possible from these sensors. |
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| CAN decoding on BMW pump test by Steve Smith After following a second forum post regarding the BMW F31 N47 low-pressure Fuel Pump Controller and CAN ID 3 35, it became impossible to ignore the temptation to dig a little deeper into the data field (payload) associated with this ID. |
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| Data over Pulse Width Modulation? by Steve Smith Steve has investigated the possibility of “data” being transmitted along on a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal wire when fault conditions occur. |
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| Resolvers unwrapped by Ben Martins When it comes to electric vehicles, people often get caught up in the high-voltage system. However, the fact is that the vehicle can’t operate at all without the various inputs and outputs from the low-voltage system. One such input is from the resolver sensor. |
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| J1939 decoder by Ben Martins Thanks to the software team at Pico, the improvements to PicoScope 7 Automotive continue. I want to share a new feature that was included in build 7.0.73.8350, a serial decoder made specifically for the CAN protocol J1939. As PicoScope 7 Automotive's other serial decoding tools, the CAN J1939 serial decoder converts CAN bus voltages to a readable form (typically hexadecimal, but binary, decimal, or ASCII formats are also possible). The J1939 decoder is, however, built for decoding J1939 CAN protocol messages and specifically the ID. |
Written tutorial |
| Decoding J1708/J1587 with PicoScope by Ben Martins As we all know, networks on all types of machinery have been around for a lot longer than we give it credit for. From the early beginnings of slow data exchanges between two or three ECUs to today systems with 30+ ECUs covering everything from LIN to Ethernet. This combination of different networks is not uncommon, including combining old and new formats with varying different speeds and can be seen with many modern HGVs and construction and agricultural equipment where you will often find a combination of OEM specific CAN, J1939 and its predecessor J1587. |
Written tutorial |
| LIN bus decoder and LIN controlled alternators by Ben Martins LIN, Local Interconnect Network. It seems to be everywhere! HVAC, door locks, heated seats, mirrors, battery monitoring and charging systems. It tends to crop up on non-safety critical communications where speed isn’t a priority. As with the other network forum posts we have to remember that PicoScope is not a dedicated data logger. There are devices better suited for this job out there on the market but when it’s all you have, there is a lot we can still do. |
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| Permanent magnet synchronous motor/generator operation by S Smith Research into the operation of a 3-phase permanent magnet synchronous motor/generator (MG), that had been fitted to a VW E-Golf, raised several questions surrounding the typical operation and circuit characteristics. I would like to share and discuss these questions and findings here. |
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| Encoders and Quadrature decoder by Ben Martins In this training session, we take a look at the role of Quadrature encoding in automotive, and offer a brief tutorial on using this new decoder. |
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| Bosch Denoxtronic 2.2 by Ben Martins This training article follows on from a previous case study on a Komatsu PC210 LC with an AdBlue Fault; |
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| Scope School Part 3 - Tips and tricks by Steve Smith - Pico Technology |
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| Scope School Extra: Bonus Class by Steve Smith - Pico Technology |
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| Inlet metering valve (IMV) duty cycle with math channel by Steve Smith |
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| Voltage drop techniques: Introducing floating inputs by Steve Smith |
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| Audi A8 Fusebox diagnostics by Pico Technology |
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| Parasitic drain by Steve Smith - Pico Technology |
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| Testing the Bosch LSU 4.2 broadband oxygen sensor by Steve Smith |
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| Electronic Throttle Control (Drive By Wire) by Pico Technology |
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| Using PicoScope’s filtering functions by Steve Smith - Pico Technology |
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| Pressure School Part 1 Introduction to the Pressure Transducer by Pico |
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| Pressure School Part 2 – A running diagnosis by Pico Technology |
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| Individual cylinder valve timing errors by Pico Technology |
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| Back-leakage testing (spill testing) by Pico Technology |
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| Hydraulic waveform examples and analysis by Pico Technology |
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| Maths is cool - part 1 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. The series covers why the math channels in PicoScope are so useful and how to use them for applications like calculating resistance, power, rpm, torque, voltage drop, etc. |
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| Maths is cool - Part 2 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into using Ohm's law to obtain current by dividing voltage by resistance. |
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| Maths is cool - Part 3 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into how to graph road speed via the ABS speed sensor signal. |
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| Practical Pico: CAN bus diagnostics and serial decoding Q&A by S Smith Many thanks to all who viewed and contributed to the Practical Pico: CAN bus diagnostics and serial decoding Q&A live stream at the end of March. A number of questions were raised during the live stream that we could not answer clearly during the event, and so I wanted to cover them in the following article. |
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| Maths is cool – part 4 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into how to determine RPM using an ignition trigger signal from Coil-on-Plug unit number 1. |
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| Belt tension by Barney Donohew |
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| Maths is cool - part 5 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into the invert math channel in PicoScope. |
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| Practical Pico - Non-invasive engine testing Q&A follow-up by S Smith Many thanks once again to those who could attend this Practical Pico session and for the questions raised on the night. In this article, I will go through the outstanding questions and hopefully clarify any outstanding queries. |
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| Maths is cool - part 6 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into the maths involved when dealing with compensation when measuring the peak cylinder pressure captured with the WPS500X and PicoScope. |
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| Maths is cool - Part 7 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into ignition theory. |
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| Practical Pico: Non-invasive engine testing Q&A – part 2 by S Smith We still have more unanswered questions from this session, and Steve is working hard to provide the answers for them. Here is the second part of his follow-up. |
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| Maths is cool - part 8 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into a case study where they experienced a fluctuation in dwell angle during the transition from idle to higher speeds. |
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| Maths is cool - part 9 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into calculating the theoretical MAF. |
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| BMW Valvetronic evaluation by Steve Smith |
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| Maths is cool - part 10 by Ben Martins The Maths is cool series continues. This time Ben Martins has contributed with some maths for hydraulic testing. |
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| Maths is cool - part 11 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into RMS values of AC signals. |
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| Maths is cool - part 12 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into the benefits of 48 V MHEV in comparison to 12 V systems. |
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| Maths is cool - part 13 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into relevant formulas to calculate airflow where turbochargers are installed. |
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| Noise cancellation with Audacity by Steve Smith Following on from Ben’s excellent forum post about listening to .psdata files, I want to share the noise-cancelling feature in another audio software suite called Audacity |
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| Maths is cool - part 14 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he is looking into how to display the effective voltage applied to a component when it is being controlled by a negative PWM. |
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| Maths is cool - part 15 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he has looked into measuring resistance with PicoScope 4425. |
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| Maths is cool - part 16 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he has looked into the operation and diagnosis of an electronically Commutated (EC) fuel pump. |
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| Maths is cool - part 17 by Steve Smith In this educational series, Steve Smith shares his knowledge about using math channels in PicoScope. In this part, he has looked into DPF back-pressure and a Toyota formula used for checking DPF breathing efficiency. |
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| The Martins Method by Ben Martins You might all be intrigued by the subject of this article. The reason behind it is that I wanted to share a technique that I discovered while spending a lot of time researching better ways to diagnose 3-phase motors. I found that there is a very simple way to do this, and after sharing it with the team here at Pico, Steve Smith kindly named it the Martins Method after yours truly. So, let's get started. |
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| The alternator by Pico Technology |
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| Turbochargers by Pico Technology |
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| Bosch LSU 4.2 broadband oxygen sensor by Pico Technology |
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| Cam and crank correlation by Steve Smith |
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| Pico Automotive Diagnostic Training: Secondary ignition by Pico |
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