Developer(s) | Pico Technology |
---|---|
Stable release | 6.14.10 / November 2019 |
Written in | C++, Microsoft .NET |
Operating system | Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Ubuntu, Debian |
Platform | PC, BeagleBone Black, Raspberry Pi |
License | Proprietary EULA |
PicoScope is computer software for real-time signal acquisition of Pico Technology oscilloscopes. [1] [2] [3] PicoScope is supported on Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, Debian and Ubuntu platforms. [1] [4] [5] PicoScope is primarily used to view and analyze real-time signals from PicoScope oscilloscopes and data loggers. [1] [5] PicoScope software enables analysis using FFT, a spectrum analyser, voltage-based triggers, and the ability to save/load waveforms to disk. [1] [5] PicoScope is compatible with parallel port oscilloscopes and the newer USB oscilloscopes.
The software has been described as "very good for laptops" and can be used with desktop or laptop PCs. [2] The Linux version has been described as "lightyears ahead [of] Qpicoscope and other attempts at Linux scope software" and "well capable of replacing a professional benchtop scope". [6] Beta versions of the software also work on the ARM-based BeagleBone Black and Raspberry Pi development hardware. [7]
PicoScope software requires a USB or LPT oscilloscope from the PicoScope range developed by Pico Technology. [5] Such oscilloscopes are available with bandwidths up to 1 GHz, up to four input channels, hardware vertical resolutions up to 16 bits, sampling rates up to 5 GS/s, buffer sizes up to 2 GS, and built-in signal generators. [5] Other features available on some models include flexible hardware resolution, switchable bandwidth limiters, switchable high-impedance and 50 ohm inputs, and differential inputs. [5]
PicoScope for Linux won the EDN Hot 100 Products of 2014 award, under the Test & Measurement category, for "converting a Linux PC into an oscilloscope, FFT spectrum analyser and measuring device". [8]
PicoScope for Microsoft Windows is the full-featured oscilloscope application, and was first released in 1992 by Pico Technology. PicoScope software enables real-time scope display with zooming and panning, and buffers captured waveforms on the PC to enable engineers to view previous measurements. [9] PicoScope uses configurable triggers, which are available for digital and analog waveforms. [9] Triggers include pulse width, interval, window, window pulse width, level dropout, window dropout, runt pulse, variable hysteresis, and logic. [10] [9] Mixed signal variants combine digitised analogue triggers with edge and pattern triggering on the digital inputs. [10]
Screen size and resolution are unrestricted, and depend on the PC connected. [10] For developers that require integration, PicoScope includes a free software development kit (SDK) with that can be programmed from C#, VB.NET, C++, Microsoft Excel, LabVIEW or MATLAB. [10] [11] [12]
PicoScope 6 converts a Linux PC into an oscilloscope, FFT spectrum analyser and measuring device. [5] While only the most important features from PicoScope for Windows are included, Pico Technology assures that more functions will be added over time. [14] [5] On-device buffering ensures that the display is updated frequently and smoothly enough even on long timebases. [5] Users can save waveform captures for off-line analysis, share them with other PicoScope users on Windows or Linux platforms, or export them in various formats including text, CSV and Mathworks MATLAB 4 formats. [5]
PicoScope for Linux is supported on Debian 7.0, Ubuntu 12.xx and 13.xx as well as other Debian-based distributions with the Mono Runtime 2.10.81 installed. [15] [5] Drivers are available for current scopes from the PicoScope 2000 to 6000 series. [5]
PicoScope for Mac OS X includes the essential features, while advanced features are still being developed. [14] [16]
A Linux distribution is an operating system made from a software collection that is based upon the Linux kernel and, often, a package management system. Linux users usually obtain their operating system by downloading one of the Linux distributions, which are available for a wide variety of systems ranging from embedded devices and personal computers to powerful supercomputers.
A sound card is an internal expansion card that provides input and output of audio signals to and from a computer under control of computer programs. The term sound card is also applied to external audio interfaces used for professional audio applications.
Electronic test equipment is used to create signals and capture responses from electronic devices under test (DUTs). In this way, the proper operation of the DUT can be proven or faults in the device can be traced. Use of electronic test equipment is essential to any serious work on electronics systems.
A spectrum analyzer measures the magnitude of an input signal versus frequency within the full frequency range of the instrument. The primary use is to measure the power of the spectrum of known and unknown signals. The input signal that most common spectrum analyzers measure is electrical; however, spectral compositions of other signals, such as acoustic pressure waves and optical light waves, can be considered through the use of an appropriate transducer. Spectrum analyzers for other types of signals also exist, such as optical spectrum analyzers which use direct optical techniques such as a monochromator to make measurements.
A waveform monitor is a special type of oscilloscope used in television production applications. It is typically used to measure and display the level, or voltage, of a video signal with respect to time.
Ubuntu is a Linux distribution based on Debian and composed mostly of free and open-source software. Ubuntu is officially released in three editions: Desktop, Server, and Core for Internet of things devices and robots. All the editions can run on the computer alone, or in a virtual machine. Ubuntu is a popular operating system for cloud computing, with support for OpenStack. Ubuntu's default desktop has been GNOME, since version 17.10.
An arbitrary waveform generator (AWG) is a piece of electronic test equipment used to generate electrical waveforms. These waveforms can be either repetitive or single-shot in which case some kind of triggering source is required. The resulting waveforms can be injected into a device under test and analyzed as they progress through it, confirming the proper operation of the device or pinpointing a fault in it.
A live USB is a USB flash drive or external hard disk drive containing a full operating system that can be booted. They are the evolutionary next step after live CDs, but with the added benefit of writable storage, allowing customizations to the booted operating system. Live USBs can be used in embedded systems for system administration, data recovery, or test driving, and can persistently save settings and install software packages on the USB device.
PulseAudio is a network-capable sound server program distributed via the freedesktop.org project. It runs mainly on Linux, various BSD distributions such as FreeBSD and OpenBSD, macOS, as well as Illumos distributions and the Solaris operating system.
Linux Mint is a community-driven Linux distribution based on Ubuntu, bundled with a variety of free and open-source applications. It can provide full out-of-the-box multimedia support for those who choose to include proprietary software such as multimedia codecs.
An oscilloscope, previously called an oscillograph, and informally known as a scope or o-scope, CRO, or DSO, is a type of electronic test instrument that graphically displays varying signal voltages, usually as a calibrated two-dimensional plot of one or more signals as a function of time. The displayed waveform can then be analyzed for properties such as amplitude, frequency, rise time, time interval, distortion, and others. Originally, calculation of these values required manually measuring the waveform against the scales built into the screen of the instrument. Modern digital instruments may calculate and display these properties directly.
DisplayLink is a semiconductor and software technology company. They develop the DisplayLink USB graphics technology, which is designed to connect computers and displays using USB, Ethernet, and WiFi. It also allows multiple displays to be connected to a single computer. DisplayLink's primary customers are notebook OEMs, LCD monitor manufacturers and PC accessory vendors, supporting the Microsoft Windows, macOS, Android, ChromeOS and Linux operating systems.
BRP-PACU is a dual channel FFT audio analysis tool. It is designed to be used with an omnidirectional calibrated microphone to configure any sound system with an appropriate equalization and delay. It compares the output of the system to the input of the system to obtain the transfer function of the system. These data allow one to perform final equalization using just the input/output of the DSP or any other device used for Equalization.
This is a subdivision of the Oscilloscope article, discussing the various types and models of oscilloscopes in greater detail.
The history of the oscilloscope reaches back to the first recordings of waveforms with a galvanometer coupled to a mechanical drawing system in the second decade of the 19th century. The modern day digital oscilloscope is a consequence of multiple generations of development of the oscillograph, cathode-ray tubes, analog oscilloscopes, and digital electronics.
LinuxCNC is a free, open-source Linux software system that implements numerical control capability using general purpose computers to control CNC machines. Designed by various volunteer developers at linuxcnc.org, it is typically bundled as an ISO file with a modified version of 32-bit Ubuntu Linux which provides the required real-time kernel.
A digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) is an oscilloscope which stores and analyses the input signal digitally rather than using analog techniques. It is now the most common type of oscilloscope in use because of the advanced trigger, storage, display and measurement features which it typically provides.
Linux Lite is a Linux distribution, based on Debian and Ubuntu and created by a team led by Jerry Bezencon. The distribution offers a lightweight desktop experience with a customized Xfce desktop environment. It includes a set of Lite applications to make things easier for a novice Linux user.
Pico Technology is a British manufacturer of high-precision PC-based oscilloscopes and automotive diagnostics equipment, founded in 1991. Their product range includes the PicoScope line of PC-based oscilloscopes, data loggers, automotive equipment, and most recently, handheld USB-based oscilloscopes. Since their inception in 1991, Pico Tech has been researching and developing PC-based oscilloscopes, when the market standard was analogue storage oscilloscopes. Pico Technology is one of two European scope manufacturers, and competes in the low to middle end of the instrumentation market.