Pico scope not reading!

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Technician
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
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Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:32 pm

Pico scope not reading!

Post by Technician »

Not sure where to start really, Kia Ceed won't start from cold first or second turn of the ignition key. We suspected the heaters not working, history advised that two plugs had been broken when trying to remove them, so I had then removed by a process of spark eroding. I fitted four brand new NGK heater plugs although I did not test them after fitting. A few days past and each morning the car started OK so I suspected no problems, then one day after work, the car stood a good eight hours, it would not start, cranking and cranking, after a few attempts of switching ignition on and off the car did start, this is now the norm for this car.

I was asked to take another look at it, so today I put the pico scope on it to measure the current draw through the heaters, not really sure whether I was going to see anything or not initially!

What I did;

Initially I did not use the attentuator, I plugged my 600A amp probe into channel A and set the scope to read the 600A probe, then I selected the scale at 200A, followed by a time base of 2s/DIV. All I got was an over range warning, so I then put the attenutator in channel A, but I can't select both attentuator and 600A meter at the same time, so with the 600A probe selected the free running time base is there, the over range warning has gone but during ignition on I have no current draw, OK this could be a fault on the car, so I tried doing a starter cranking test, setting the scope up to 500A, the scope did not do anything!

It is not possible for the car to crank over and start and not have current draw through the starter circuit. The last car I did these tests on the scope functioned OK, I'm wondering now if I am doing something different or the scope is faulty!!

Don't know, confused with it!

liviu2004
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
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Location: Netherlands

Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by liviu2004 »

Confused? No, you need to read the clamp manual.
Clamp max output is 600 mV, so No attenuator needed.
Check battery.
Check zero setting.
Check clamps ARE closed!
Check with reverse orientation of clamp over the wires.

Scope is not damaged, that is good news.

User avatar
PicoKev
TwoWaves
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Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by PicoKev »


Technician
TwoWaves
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Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:32 pm

Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by Technician »

Thanks Kev,

that is the information I followed. Pico advise to press the space bar to activate in there instructions but my laptop has not got a space bar, although it is the same laptop I used previously without problems. I need to try it again and see what I am doing wrong, I could just be having a bad day.

Liteace
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
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Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by Liteace »

Your laptops not got a space bar, so if you was typing a letter it'd look like this:

hellomynameisTechnicianIdonthaveaspacebaronmykeyboardsoallmyletterstoyoufromnowonwilllooklikethis,sorry

I think you was having a bad day

Technician
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
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Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by Technician »

I was having a very bad day yesterday indeed.

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PicoKev
TwoWaves
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Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by PicoKev »

David,

ThespacebartostopandstartthecaptureisaboutasreliableasDonaldTrumponanythingotherthanplayinggolf(andiwouldaddthatihaveabsolutelynoideahowgoodheisatthegame!)

Dependingonthebuild,the spacebarfunctioniserraticatbest(notethatifyoustartthecapturewiththepointerandleaveithoveringoverthestop/startbuttonthenthechancesofitworkingdiminishmassively).

Itisprobablybettertogetintothehabitofusingthestop/startbuttonfromtheoutsetyouwillhavealotlesstroublethatway.

As translated by the Babel Fish.... :lol:

The space bar to stop and start the capture is about as reliable as Donald Trump on anything other than playing golf (and i would add that i have absolutely no idea how good he is at the game!)

Depending on the build, the space bar function is erratic at best (note that if you start the capture with the pointer and leave it hovering over the stop/start button then the chance s of it working diminish massively).

It is probably better to get into the habit of using the stop/start button from the outset you will have a lot less trouble that way.

Technician
TwoWaves
TwoWaves
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Joined: Thu Apr 24, 2014 8:32 pm

Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by Technician »

Stop/Start button? :?

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PicoKev
TwoWaves
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Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by PicoKev »

Bottom left hand corner of the screen. :D
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PicoKev
TwoWaves
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Re: Pico scope not reading!

Post by PicoKev »

And stopped!
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