pico Technology PicoScope 6000A Series User manual

Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.
PicoScope 6000A/B Series
User's Guide
ps6000ab.en-1
PC Oscilloscopes

IPicoScope 6000A/B Series User's Guide
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. ps6000ab.en
Contents
....................................................................................................................................11 Welcome
....................................................................................................................................22 Introduction
........................................................................................................................................2
1 Using this guide
........................................................................................................................................2
2 Safety symbols
........................................................................................................................................2
3 Safety warnings
........................................................................................................................................3
4 FCC notice
........................................................................................................................................3
5 CE notice
........................................................................................................................................3
6 Software licence conditions
........................................................................................................................................4
7 Returns and upgrades
........................................................................................................................................4
8 Trademarks
........................................................................................................................................4
9 Warranty
........................................................................................................................................4
10 Company details
....................................................................................................................................53 Product information
........................................................................................................................................5
1 Package contents
........................................................................................................................................5
2 Selection table
........................................................................................................................................5
3 Minimum PC requirements
........................................................................................................................................6
4 Installation instructions
........................................................................................................................................7
5 Connections
....................................................................................................................................84 Glossary
....................................................................................................................................9
Index

PicoScope 6000A/B Series User's Guide 1
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. ps6000ab.en
1 Welcome
Thank you for buying a PicoScope 6000 Series
oscilloscope from Pico Technology!
The PicoScope 6000 Series scopes have comparable
features and specifications to traditional bench-top
oscilloscopes, but are more economical and take up only
a fraction of the space.
This manual describes the following oscilloscopes:
PicoScope 6402A
250 MHz oscilloscope with Function Generator
PicoScope 6402B
250 MHz oscilloscope with AWG
PicoScope 6403A
350 MHz oscilloscope with Function Generator
PicoScope 6403B
350 MHz oscilloscope with AWG
PicoScope 6404A
500 MHz oscilloscope with Function Generator
PicoScope 6404B
500 MHz oscilloscope with AWG
Here are some of the benefits provided by your new PicoScope 6000 Series
oscilloscope:
Portability: Take the unit with you and plug it in to any Windows PC.
Performance: Up to 5 GS/s sampling, 500 MHz bandwidth and 1 GS buffer.
Flexibility: Use it as an oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer or high-speed data
acquisition interface.
Programmability: The PicoScope 6000 Series SDK lets you write your own
programs, in your chosen programming language, to control all the features of the
scope.
Long-term support: Software upgrades are available to download from our
website. You can also call our technical specialists for support. You can continue to
use both of these services free of charge for the lifetime of the product.
Value for money: You don't have to pay twice for all the features that you already
have in your PC, as the PicoScope 6000 Series scope contains the special hardware
you need and nothing more.
Convenience: The software makes full use of the full-sized display, disk storage,
user interface and networking built in to your PC.
Five-year warranty: Your oscilloscope is covered for five years from the day of
purchase against manufacturing faults. We don't charge a penny extra for this
benefit.

Introduction2
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.ps6000ab.en
2 Introduction
2.1 Using this guide
You will sometimes see a symbol like this: This is the cross-reference symbol, and it
indicates the number of a page on which you can find more information about a topic.
2.2 Safety symbols
The following symbols appear on the front panel of the PicoScope 6000 Series
oscilloscope.
Symbol 1: Warning triangle
This symbol indicates that a safety hazard exists on the indicated
connections if correct precautions are not taken. Read all safety
documentation associated with the product before using it.
Symbol 2: Equipotential
This symbol indicates that the outer shells of the indicated BNC
connectors are all at the same potential (shorted together). You must
therefore take necessary precautions to avoid applying a potential
across the return connections of the indicated BNC terminals. Such a
potential could cause a large current to flow, resulting in damage to
the product or connected equipment, or both.
2.3 Safety warnings
We strongly recommend that you read the general safety information below
before using your oscilloscope for the first time. Safety protection built in to
equipment may cease to function if the equipment is used incorrectly. This
could cause damage to your computer, or lead to injury to yourself and
others.
DO NOT exceed the overload protection range. The product is designed to
measure signals within the range ±20 V. The inputs can withstand ±100 V to ground
(when set to 1 MΩ impedance) or 5.5 V RMS (when set to 50 Ω impedance). Contact
with voltages outside the overload protection range may cause permanent damage to
the unit.
DO NOT connect to mains voltages. The product is not designed for use with
mains (line) voltages. To measure mains voltages, use a differential isolating probe
specifically rated for mains use.
DO NOT rely on the scope's ground as a safety ground. The product connects
directly to the ground of a computer through the USB cable provided. This ground is
for signaling and shielding, and is not a safety ground.
DO NOT connect the ground input to any potential other than ground. If in
doubt, use a meter to check that there is no significant AC or DC voltage between the
ground input of the oscilloscope and the point to which you intend to connect it.
Connecting the ground input to a voltage source may cause damage to the scope and
the computer, and injury to yourself and others.

PicoScope 6000A/B Series User's Guide 3
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. ps6000ab.en
2.4 FCC notice
This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class A
digital device, pursuant to Part 15 of the FCC Rules. These limits are designed to
provide reasonable protection against harmful interference when the equipment is
operated in a commercial environment. This equipment generates, uses, and can
radiate radio frequency energy and, if not installed and used in accordance with the
instruction manual, may cause harmful interference to radio communications.
Operation of this equipment in a residential area is likely to cause harmful interference
in which case the user will be required to correct the interference at his or her own
expense.
For safety and maintenance information see the safety warning.
2.5 CE notice
The product meets the intent of the EMC directive 89/336/EEC and has been tested
to EN61326-1:2006 Class A Emissions and Immunity standard.
The product also meets the intent of the Low Voltage Directive and has been
designed to meet the BS EN 61010-1:2001 IEC 61010-1:2001 Safety
requirements for electrical equipment for measurement, control, and
laboratory use standard.
2.6 Software licence conditions
The material contained in this software release is licensed, not sold. Pico Technology
Limited ('Pico') grants a license to the person who installs this software, subject to
the conditions listed below.
Access. The licensee agrees to allow access to this software only to persons who have
been informed of and agree to abide by these conditions.
Usage. The software in this release is for use only with Pico Technology products or
with data collected using Pico products.
Copyright. Pico claims the copyright of and reserves the rights to all material
(software, documents etc.) contained in this release.
Liability. Pico and its agents shall not be liable for any loss, damage or injury,
howsoever caused, related to the use of Pico equipment or software, unless excluded
by statute.
Fitness for purpose. No two applications are the same, so Pico cannot guarantee
that its equipment or software is suitable for a given application. It is therefore the
user's responsibility to ensure that the product is suitable for the user's application.
Mission-critical applications. Because the software runs on a computer that may be
running other software products, and may be subject to interference from these other
products, this license specifically excludes usage in 'mission-critical' applications, for
example life-support systems.
Viruses. This software was continuously monitored for viruses during production.
However, the user is responsible for virus checking the software once it is installed.
Support. No software is ever error-free, but if you are dissatisfied with the
performance of this software, please contact our technical support staff.

Introduction4
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.ps6000ab.en
2.7 Returns and upgrades
Returns. If you are dissatisfied with this product, please return it to your supplier
within 14 days of purchase for a full refund.
Upgrades. We provide upgrades, free of charge, from our web site at
www.picotech.com. We reserve the right to charge for updates or replacements sent
out on physical media.
2.8 Trademarks
Windows is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other
countries. Pico Technology and PicoScope are internationally registered trademarks of
Pico Technology Ltd. Pico Technology and PicoScope are trademarks of Pico
Technology Limited, registered in the United Kingdom and other countries. PicoScope
and Pico Technology are registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
2.9 Warranty
Pico Technology warrants upon delivery, and for a period of 5 years from the date of
delivery, that the Goods will be free from defects in material and workmanship.
Pico Technology shall not be liable for a breach of the warranty if the defect has been
caused by fair wear and tear, wilful damage, negligence, abnormal working conditions
or failure to follow Pico Technology's spoken or written advice on the storage,
installation, commissioning, use or maintenance of the Goods or (if no advice has
been given) good trade practice; or if the Customer alters or repairs such Goods
without the written consent of Pico Technology.
2.10 Company details
Address:
Pico Technology
James House
Colmworth Business Park
St. Neots
Cambridgeshire
PE19 8YP
United Kingdom
Phone:
[phone]
Fax:
[phone]
Email:
Technical Support:
[email protected]
Sales:
[email protected]
Web site:
www.picotech.com

PicoScope 6000A/B Series User's Guide 5
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. ps6000ab.en
3 Product information
3.1 Package contents
• PicoScope 6000 Series oscilloscope
• Set of factory-compensated probes:
o4 x TA131 x1/x10 250 MHz probe with PicoScope 6402A & 6402B
o4 x TA101 x10 350 MHz probe with PicoScope 6403A & 6403B
o4 x TA133 x10 500 MHz probe with PicoScope 6404A & 6404B
• MI106 USB cable
• PS010 Universal mains (AC) power supply
• MI247 UK mains lead [other types supplied according to region]
• DO115 Installation Guide
• DI025 Software and Reference CD
• MI272 Carrying case
3.2 Selection table
PicoScope model number
6402A
6402B
6403A
6403B
6404A
6404B
Channels
4
Vertical resolution
8 bits
Bandwidth
250 MHz
350 MHz
500 MHz
Maximum sampling rate
5 GS/s
Timebases
10 ns/div to 200 s/div (1 ns/div to 200 s/div with ETS)
Buffer memory
128 MS
256 MS
512 MS
1 GS
Signal generator
Function
AWG
Function
AWG
Function
AWG
For full specifications, see the PicoScope 6000 Series Data Sheet available from
picotech.com.
3.3 Minimum PC requirements
To ensure that your PicoScope 6000 Series oscilloscope operates correctly, you
must have a computer with at least the minimum system requirements to run one of
the supported operating systems, as shown in the following table. The performance of
the software will increase with more powerful PCs, including those with multi-core
processors.
Item
Specification
Operating system
Windows XP SP2
Windows Vista
Windows 7
32 bit and 64* bit versions supported
Processor
As required
by Windows
Memory
Free disk space
Ports
USB 1.1 compliant port (absolute minimum)**
USB 2.0 compliant port (recommended)
* While the driver will run on a 64 bit operating system, the driver itself is 32 bit, and
therefore will run as 32 bit.
** The oscilloscope will run slowly on a USB 1.1 port. This configuration is not
recommended.

Product information6
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.ps6000ab.en
3.4 Installation instructions
IMPORTANT
Always install the PicoScope software before connecting
your PicoScope 6000 Series oscilloscope to the PC. This
ensures that Windows will correctly recognize the
oscilloscope.
Procedure
Follow the instructions in the USB Oscilloscope Installation Guide included with
your product package.
Connect the AC adapter (supplied) to a power socket using the appropriate cable
(also supplied), and connect the DC output of the AC adapter to the "DC Power"
socket on the back of the oscilloscope.
Connect the oscilloscope to the PC using the USB cable supplied.
Checking the installation
Once you have installed the software and connected the oscilloscope to the PC, start
the PicoScope software. PicoScope should now display any signal connected to the
scope inputs. If a probe is connected to your oscilloscope, you should see a small
noise signal in the oscilloscope window when you touch the probe tip with your finger.
Moving the PicoScope PC Oscilloscope to another USB port
Windows XP SP2
When you first installed the oscilloscope by plugging it into a USB port, Windows
associated the Pico driver with that port. If you later move the oscilloscope to a
different USB port, Windows will display the "New Hardware Found Wizard" again.
When this occurs, just click "Next" in the wizard to repeat the installation. If Windows
gives a warning about Windows Logo Testing, click "Continue Anyway". As all the
software you need is already installed on your computer, there is no need to insert the
Pico Software CD again.
Windows Vista and Windows 7
The process is automatic. When you move the device from one port to another,
Windows displays an "Installing device driver software" message and then a
"PicoScope 6000 Series oscilloscope" message. The oscilloscope is then ready for use.

PicoScope 6000A/B Series User's Guide 7
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. ps6000ab.en
3.5 Connections
Standard oscilloscope connectors
The PicoScope 6000 Series oscilloscopes have standard BNC input and output
connectors. The channel inputs have switchable impedances of 50 Ωor 1 MΩ. In
high-impedance mode, they are compatible with all standard scope probes including
10:1 attenuated types. To ensure that you obtain the rated bandwidth from the
scope, we recommend that you use the compensated high-frequency probes supplied
with it.
Connector diagrams
Front panel
PicoScope 6000 Series
A. Input channel A
B. Input channel B
C. Input channel C
D. Input channel D
E. Probe calibration output
F. LED: shows when the oscilloscope is sampling data
Rear panel
PicoScope 6000 Series
G. DC power socket: for use with the AC adaptor supplied with the unit
H. USB 2.0 port: connects to your PC using the Hi-Speed USB cable supplied
I. SIGNAL OUT connector: carries the output of the signal generator and (if present)
arbitrary waveform generator
J. AUX IN connector: carries the auxiliary (AUX) trigger and reference clock inputs
K. Ventilation holes. Do not block the air intake holes or insert any objects
through them, as this could damage the unit and cause injury.

Glossary8
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.ps6000ab.en
4 Glossary
AWG. Arbitrary waveform generator. A signal generator that can play back a
waveform of any shape defined by the user.
Bandwidth. The input frequency at which the measured signal amplitude is 3 decibels
below the true signal amplitude.
Buffer size. The size of the oscilloscope buffer memory, measured in samples. The
buffer allows the oscilloscope to sample data faster than it can transfer it to the
computer.
ETS. Equivalent time sampling. A sampling mode that increases the effective
sampling rate of the oscilloscope by capturing multiple cycles of a signal and
combining them. This technique works only with repetitive, stable signals such as
pulse trains.
Function generator. A signal generator that produces standard waveforms such as
sine and square waves.
GS. Gigasamples (approx. 1 billion samples).
Maximum sampling rate. A figure indicating the maximum number of samples the
oscilloscope can acquire per second. The higher the sampling rate of the oscilloscope,
the more accurate the representation of the high-frequency details in a fast signal.
MS. Megasamples (approx. 1 million samples).
PC Oscilloscope. A virtual instrument formed by connecting a PicoScope oscilloscope
to a computer running the PicoScope software.
PicoScope software. A software product that accompanies all PicoScope
oscilloscopes. It turns your PC into an oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer and multimeter.
Timebase. The timebase controls the time interval that each horizontal division of a
scope view represents. There are ten divisions across the scope view, so the total time
across the view is ten times the timebase per division.
USB 2.0. Universal Serial Bus. This is a standard port used to connect external
devices to PCs. The port supports a data transfer rate of up to 480 megabits per
second, so is much faster than the RS-232 COM ports found on older PCs.
Vertical resolution. A value, in bits, indicating the precision with which the
oscilloscope converts input voltages to digital values.
Voltage range. The range of input voltages that the oscilloscope can measure. For
example, a voltage range of ±100 mV means that the oscilloscope can measure
voltages between –100 mV and +100 mV. Input voltages outside this range will not
damage the instrument as long as they remain within the protection limits stated in
the Safety warnings.

PicoScope 6000A/B Series User's Guide 9
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. ps6000ab.en
Index
A
AWG 5
B
Bandwidth 5
BNC connector 7
Buffer memory 5
C
Cable, USB 5
Calibration output 7
Carry case 5
CD, software and reference 5
CE notice 3
Channels 5
Company information 4
Connections 7
Contact details 4
E
EMC Directive 3
External trigger 7
F
FCC notice 3
Function generator 5
G
Grounding 2
I
Installation 6
L
LED 7
Low Voltage Directive (LVD) 3
M
Mains voltages 2
Maximum sampling rate 5
O
Oscilloscope probe 7
P
PC requirements 5
Pico Technical Support 4
PicoScope 6000 Series 1
PicoScope software 6
Power socket 7
Probes 5
R
Returns 4
S
Safety
symbols 2
warning 2
Scope probe 7
Signal generator 5
output 7
Software license conditions 3
T
Technical support 4
Trademarks 4
Trigger
external 7
U
Upgrades 4
USB 5
cable 5
changing ports 6
W
Warning triangle 2
Warranty 4

PicoScope 6000A/B Series User's Guide 11
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. ps6000ab.en

Pico Technology
James House
Colmworth Business Park
ST. NEOTS
Cambridgeshire
PE19 8YP
United Kingdom
Tel: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
www.picotech.com
Copyright © 2012 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved.
ps6000ab.en-1
21.3.12