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Picoscope 6 Frequently Asked Questions

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61 views6 pages

Picoscope 6 Frequently Asked Questions

Uploaded by

chuku7
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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PicoScope 6 ®

Frequently asked
questions

CONTENTS
1. PicoScope 6 does not recognize my device.........................................................................................................1
2. Finding the PicoScope 6 version...........................................................................................................................3
3. Locating the trace.xml file......................................................................................................................................4
4. Generating a PicoScope installer log file..............................................................................................................5
5. Locating the DPInst (driver installer) log file.........................................................................................................5
6. PicoScope 6 installation from the supplied CD fails............................................................................................5
7. The PicoScope 6 installation fails to finish correctly...........................................................................................5
8. Can I install PicoScope 6 and PicoScope 6 Beta alongside each other?............................................................5
9. Why can I only set the number of samples to a maximum of 2 MS (or 5 MS)?.................................................5
10. Why is my scope not triggering?............................................................................................................................5
11. How can I view my data in spectrum mode after capture?.................................................................................5
12. How can I display a unipolar voltage range?........................................................................................................6
13. How do I open an old .psd file?..............................................................................................................................6

1. PicoScope 6 does not recognize my device


1. Verify that the LED light is lit on the front of the oscilloscope. There should be a red light.
2. Check the USB cable (ensure it is the supplied Pico blue USB cable). Try a different USB port.
3. If using a device with an external power supply, disconnect and reconnect the power supply.
4. If using a desktop PC, consider using the rear USB ports.
5. If using multiple USB devices on a PC and the PicoScope does not have an external power supply, consider
using a powered USB hub.
6. ‌ evice Manager – confirm that the device is listed either under Pico Technology Instruments (or Universal
D
Serial Bus controllers for older models such as the PicoScope 2205).
7. Confirm that the operating system is Windows XP (SP 3), Vista, 7, 8 or 10 (32 or 64-bit).
8. Verify that the .NET framework version is 2.0 (Windows XP) or 3.5 or later by going to the Add/Remove
Programs window in Control Panel and verifying which one is installed.
9. Ensure all the latest Windows updates have been applied to the PC.
10. Is the PC connected to the internet when installing or starting PicoScope 6?

PicoScope 6 Frequently asked questions 1


Figure 1 - Example for devices using the older Picopp USB driver

Figure 2 - Example for devices using the WinUSB driver

PicoScope 6 Frequently asked questions 2


2. Finding the PicoScope 6 version
In the PicoScope 6 menu, click Help > About PicoScope 6…
Text can be copied and pasted to [email protected].

PicoScope 6 Frequently asked questions 3


3. Locating the trace.xml file
If you are still experiencing issues, you can send in the trace XML file in order to help us determine the cause.
Trace.xml files can be located in the following directories:

• Windows XP: C:\Documents and Settings\<User name>\Local Settings\Application Data\Pico Technology\


• Windows Vista, 7, 8 and 10: C:\Users\<User name>\AppData\Local\Pico Technology\
To access the Application Data/AppData folder and subfolders, the option to view hidden folders within
Windows must be enabled:
Windows XP:
• Go to C:\Documents and Settings\<User name> in Windows Explorer
• Click Tools > Folder Options…
Windows Vista or 7:
• Go to C:\Users\<User Name> in Windows Explorer
• Click Organise and select Folder and search options
• Click the View tab. Then, under Hidden files and folders, click the radio button to Show hidden files,
folders and drives, and click OK:

Windows 8 or 10:
• Click the View menu and ensure that the Hidden items option is ticked
• This option can then be turned off when the file has been located.
In the Pico Technology folder, there will be one or more folders with long alphanumeric names that will contain a
trace.xml file. Check the contents of the folders and send the file that corresponds to your last session (check
the timestamp on the file).
Note: PicoScope saves a preferences.xml file in the same folder as trace.xml. preferences.xml can also be
useful in some troubleshooting cases.
Sending a PicoScope 6 data file (.psdata) from your session may also help us to determine the cause of the
issue. Go to File > Save As and set the file type to .psdata.

PicoScope 6 Frequently asked questions 4


4. Generating a PicoScope installer log file
If there is still a problem with the settings of your PC that is preventing PicoScope from being installed, you will
need to send an installation log file to enable us to work out the problem. Here is how to generate an install.
log file:

• Open a Windows command prompt as an Administrator. In Windows 10 the method for this is: click the
Start button, type cmd, right-click the Command Prompt app and select Run as administrator.
• Change directory to where the PicoScope installer is located. For example:
cd C:\Users\Downloads

• Type :
PicoScope6Beta_r6_XX_X.exe /v"/L install.log"

(where the XX_X in the file name matches the version number you have) and press Enter.
• When the installer has finished running, whether the software has installed properly or not, there will be
an install.log file in the current directory. Email that file to [email protected] and we can then see
what has gone wrong with the installation.

5. Locating the DPInst (driver installer) log file


The DPInst log file, which contains information from the Windows driver installer, can be found here:
C:\Windows\DPINST.LOG

6. PicoScope 6 installation from the supplied CD fails


In the event of PicoScope 6 failing to install from the CD, please download the latest installation executable from
www.picotech.com/downloads.

7. The PicoScope 6 installation fails to finish correctly


• Ensure that you are using Administrator privileges to install the software.
• Is there any anti-virus software running on your PC at the time of installation? Try disabling it, as this may
be causing the issue.
If there are still issues with the installation please contact [email protected].

8. Can I install PicoScope 6 and PicoScope 6 Beta alongside each other?


Yes – both are installed into their own separate installation directories.

9. Why can I only set the number of samples to a maximum of 2 MS (or 5 MS)?
This is a limitation when filtering or maths channels are being used in order to reduce the number of calculations
taking place.
Filtering and maths channels can be applied post-capture.
PicoScope 6.10 and earlier versions have a limit of 2 MS (million samples), while later versions allow 5 MS.

10. Why is my scope not triggering?


• Set the trigger to None and verify that the signal is appearing on the trace as expected.
• Ensure that the signal passes through the expected threshold levels or, if using a pulse width qualifier, that
the signal is at the desired level for the expected period of time.
• Set up a simple level trigger and verify that the scope triggers on the channel as the signal passes through
the level threshold.

11. How can I view my data in spectrum mode after capture?


In PicoScope 6, click Views > Add View > Spectrum. This can also be applied to data loaded in from a
PicoScope 6 (.psdata) file.

PicoScope 6 Frequently asked questions 5


12. How can I display a unipolar voltage range?
PicoScope normally displays the vertical axis with 0 volts in the middle, positive full scale at the top and negative
full scale at the bottom, as in Figure 3 below. If you are interested in viewing only positive voltages, you can scale
the positive half of the range to fill the screen as follows:
1. Click the channel scaling button next to the axis of the trace to be adjusted. This button is the same color
as the channel trace and by default contains the text “x1.0”:
2. Change the number in the Scale box to 2.00.
3. Change the number in the Offset box to –25.00 %.
A waveform that filled the positive half of the input range will now fill the entire
height of the scope view, while negative input voltages will be invisible. See Figure 4
below.
This method works regardless of the voltage range in use. For example, it will convert a displayed range of –1 V
to +1 V to a displayed range of 0 V to +1 V.
Note: By ignoring half of the input range, you are halving the dynamic range of the input, which is equivalent
to reducing the effective resolution by one bit. If, for example, the resolution of your oscilloscope is 8 bits, this
method will reduce the effective resolution of the selected input channel to 7 bits.

Figure 3 – The default bipolar range before scaling Figure 4 – The new unipolar range after scaling

13. How do I open an old .psd file?


PicoScope 5 and earlier saved data in .psd files, which had a different format to the .psdata files now in use.
You can open .psd files in PicoScope 6, or convert them to the latest format using the PicoScope 6 command
line program, if PicoScope 6 supports the device that was used to capture the data. The PicoScope 6 User’s
Guide lists supported devices in the “Device feature table” section.
Examples of command line syntax for converting files:
• To .psdata: picoscope /c *.psd /f psdata /b all

• To text: picoscope /c *.psd /f txt /b all

UK headquarters: US office: Asia-Pacific office:


Pico Technology Pico Technology Pico Technology
James House 320 N Glenwood Blvd 252 Centro
Colmworth Business Park Tyler No. 568 Hengfeng Road
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United Kingdom
 +44 (0) 1480 396 395  +1 800 591 2796  +86 21 2226-5152
[email protected][email protected][email protected]

Errors and omissions excepted. Pico Technology and PicoScope are


internationally registered trade marks of Pico Technology Ltd.

AR332-4. Copyright © 2014–2019 Pico Technology Ltd. All rights reserved. www.picotech.com
PicoScope 6 Frequently asked questions 6

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