Pico 2204A - PicoScope 10 MHz, 2-Channel Oscilloscope with Probes

Your complete test & measurement laboratory

You can use your PicoScope 2000 Series as an advanced oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, function generator, arbitrary waveform generator and protocol decoder out of the box. Mixed signal models also add a 16 channel logic analyzer. A complete electronics lab in one compact, low-cost, USB-powered unit.

The PicoScope 2000A models deliver unbeatable value for money and are ideal for education, hobby and field service use. In the lab the low cost allows one scope per person rather than having to share.

High-end oscilloscope

At the heart of every PicoScope 2000 is an advanced oscilloscope which offers everything you would expect and much more besides:

• 10,000 waveform circular buffer
• Up to 80,000 waveforms per second update rate
• Mask limit testing
• Advanced math & filtering
• Measurements with statistics
• Advanced digital triggering
• Resolution enhancement to 12 bits

PicoScope 2200A Series

Fast Sampling

The PicoScope 2200A Series oscilloscopes provide fast real-time sampling rates up to 1 GS/s, equivalent to a timing resolution of only 1 ns. For repetitive signals, equivalent-time sampling (ETS) mode can boost the maximum effective sampling rate up to an incredible 10 GS/s, allowing even finer resolution down to 100 ps. All scopes support configurable length pre-trigger and post-trigger capture.

At slower sampling rates the oscilloscope can stream data continously across the USB link bypassing the on-board buffer memory. In this mode PicoScope can collect waveforms with as many as 100 million samples. This deep memory is ideal for long captures of serial data that can then be decoded using the included serial decoding tools.

Arbitrary waveform and function generator

All PicoScope 2200A Series oscilloscopes have a built-in arbitrary waveform generator (AWG). Waveforms can be imported from data files or created and modified using the built-in graphical AWG editor. A function generator is also included, with sine, square, triangle, DC level and many more standard waveforms. As well as level, offset and frequency controls, advanced options allow you to sweep over a range of frequencies. Combined with the spectrum peak hold option, this creates a powerful tool for testing amplifier and filter responses.

Digital triggering

Most digital oscilloscopes still use an analog trigger architecture based on comparators. This can cause time and amplitude errors that cannot always be calibrated out. The use of comparators often limits the trigger sensitivity at high bandwidths and can also create a long trigger rearm delay.

For over 20 years Pico have been pioneering the use of full digital triggering using the actual digitized data. This reduces trigger errors and allows our oscilloscopes to trigger on the smallest signals, even at the full bandwidth. All triggering is digital, resulting in high threshold resolution within programmable hysteresis and optimal waveform stability.

On selected models, the reduced rearm delay provided by digital triggering, together with segmented memory, allows the capture of events that happen in rapid sequence. At the fastest timebase, rapid triggering can capture a new waveform every 2 microseconds until the buffer is full. The mask limit testing function helps to detect waveforms that fail to meet your specifications.

Advanced triggers

As well as the standard range of triggers found on most oscilloscopes, the PicoScope 2200A Series offers one of the best selections of advanced triggers available. These include pulse width, windowed and dropout triggers to help you find and capture your signal quickly.

High signal integrity

Most oscilloscopes are built down to a price. PicoScopes are built up to a specification.

Careful front-end design and shielding reduces noise, crosstalk and harmonic distortion. Decades of oscilloscope design experience can be seen in improved pulse response and bandwidth flatness. We are proud of the dynamic performance of our products and publish these specifications in detail. The result is simple: when you probe a circuit, you can trust in the waveform you see on the screen.

Color persistence modes

Advanced display modes allow you to see old and new data superimposed, with new data in a brighter color or shade. This makes it easy to see glitches and dropouts and to estimate their relative frequency. Choose between analog persistence, digital color, or custom display modes.

Spectrum analyzer

With the click of a button, you can open a new window to display a spectrum plot of selected channels up to the full bandwidth of the oscilloscope. A comprehensive range of settings gives you control over the number of spectrum bands, window types and display modes.

PicoScope software allows you to display multiple spectrum views with different channel selections and zoom factors, and see these alongside time-domain waveforms of the same data. A comprehensive set of automatic frequency-domain measurements can be added to the display, including THD, THD+N, SINAD, SNR and IMD. You can even use the AWG and spectrum mode together to perform swept scalar network analysis.

Automatic measurements

PicoScope allows you to automatically display a table of calculated measurements for troubleshooting and analysis. Using the built-in measurement statistics you can see the average, standard deviation, maximum and minimum of each measurement as well as the live value.

You can add as many measurements as you need on each view. Each measurement includes statistical parameters showing its variability.

Serial decoding

Serial protocols: UART/RS-232, SPI, I2C, I2S, CAN, LIN

The PicoScope 2200A Series oscilloscopes include serial decoding capability as standard. The decoded data can be displayed in the format of your choice: in view, in window, or both at once.

In view format shows the decoded data beneath the waveform on a common time axis, with error frames marked in red. These frames can be zoomed to investigate noise or distortion.

In window format shows a list of the decoded frames, including the data and all flags and identifiers. You can set up filtering conditions to display only the frames you are interested in, search for frames with specified properties, or define a start pattern to signal when the program should list the data.

It is also possible to create a spreadsheet to decode the hexadecimal data into user-defined text strings.

High-speed data acquisition and digitizing

The supplied drivers and software development kit allow you to both write your own software and interface to popular third-party software packages such as LabVIEW and MATLAB.

The drivers support data streaming, a mode that captures gap-free continuous data over the USB port directly to the PC’s RAM or hard disk at a rate of 1 to 9.6 MS/s, so you are not limited by the size of the scope’s buffer memory. Sampling rates in streaming mode are subject to PC specifications and application loading.

Mask limit testing

PicoScope allows you to draw a mask around any signal with user-defined tolerances. This has been designed specifically for production and debugging environments, enabling you to compare signals. Simply capture a known good signal, draw a mask around it, and then attach the system under test. PicoScope will capture any intermittent glitches and can show a failure count and other statistics in the Measurements window.

The numerical and graphical mask editors can be used separately or in combination, allowing you to enter accurate mask specifications, modify existing masks, and import and export masks as files.

Custom probe settings

The custom probes menu allows you to correct for gain, attenuation, offsets and nonlinearities of probes and transducers, or convert your waveform data to different units such as current, scaled voltage, temperature, pressure, power or dB. Definitions can be saved to disk for later use. Definitions for standard Pico-supplied oscilloscope probes and current clamps are built in, and you can also create your own using linear scaling or even an interpolated data table.

High-end features as standard

Buying a PicoScope is not like making a purchase from other oscilloscope companies, where optional extras considerably increase the price. With our scopes, high-end features such as resolution enhancement, mask limit testing, serial decoding, advanced triggering, automatic measurements, math channels, XY mode, segmented memory (where available), and a signal generator are all included in the price.

To protect your investment, both the PC software and firmware inside the scope can be updated. Pico Technology have a long history of providing new features for free through software downloads. We deliver on our promises of future enhancements year after year, unlike many other companies in the field. Users of our products reward us by becoming lifelong customers and frequently recommending us to their colleagues.

USB connectivity

The USB connection makes printing, copying, saving, and emailing your data from the field quick and easy. The high-speed USB interface allows fast data transfer, while USB powering removes the need to carry around a bulky external power supply, making the kit even more portable for the engineer on the move.