New PicoScope 3000E Series 500 MHz 5 GS/s digital USB oscilloscope - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: egonotto
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 11:55:48 am
content: Hello,there is a new PicoScope 3000E Serieshttps://www.picotech.com/oscilloscope/picoscope-3000e-series-500-mhz-5gs-digital-usb-oscilloscope?model=3418E.350 MHz 3417E for 3375 € and500 MHz 3418E for 4227 €Both have 2 GB memory 8-10 bit ADC with a maximum of 5 GSa/sBest regardsegonotto

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 01:53:09 pm
content: thks and the prices still outch outch vs a table / bench model

author: TomKatt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 02:19:11 pm
content: I have no experience with Pico, but it strikes me that they are probably very well suited to analyzing long signal histories. For example, I often see Picos used in automotive repair because you can run the scope like a chart recorder and monitor long time periods all at once. That looks easier to use than any kind of history sequence I've encountered in (albeit entry level) desktop scopes.Edit - Although not the same thing, the datalogger included in the Siglent SDS1000X-E series was handy for this type of use (though the Pico records in much greater detail)... I wish they had carried this feature forward into the new SDS800X HD series.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 04:03:04 pm
content: yes i do use an 3406D as a logger and long term monitoring, the v7 software as improved a lotPaid a 3400$ CAD at the time .. 1 year ago

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 04:48:39 pm
content: Quote from: TomKatt on June 11, 2024, 02:19:11 pmPicos are actually very interesting devices. They have many capabilities that standard scopes don't. And vice versa, they might not excel in some things a simple standalone scope might..

author: TomKatt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 04:53:28 pm
content: Quote from: coromonadalix on June 11, 2024, 04:03:04 pmI wish I could afford one... Although many people seem to prefer a standalone instrument, personally I find the pc software environment appealing for investigative and repair work. I think my workflow would benefit from the ability to sift through window tabs rather than any kind of sequence history - if nothing else, you can visually scan entire traces for anomalies or waveforms of interest rather than having to play back sequence history. Additionally, I'm used to working on a pc anyway so I'd have no problem using mouse & keyboard to control the device.I'm still surprised there aren't more good USB scopes - seems like they'd be cheaper by eliminating the need for control panels and display... They're all software inside now anyway = just package up the front end and acquisition components and you're done.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 05:43:09 pm
content: you have Hantek and others, but software side i've seen many complaints and problems never adressed properly ...

author: TomKatt
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 06:20:59 pm
content: When it comes to something like this, the quality of the software makes all the difference. Andgoodsoftware development does not come cheap. I guess with products like this you are probably paying for the software as much or more than the hardware. Hardware and assembly costs can be minimized to virtually nothing, and we'll still need to pay for decent software if the overall product is to useful.It may be that for some reason PC software development costs more than embedded code. Or, a physical user interface eliminates the need for a software interface and all the features we get from a standalone device.So, perhaps I've answered my own question - we may see inexpensive USB scopes, but I guess we won't see anything really worthwhile until we step up and pay for the software that allows that to work. Those Hantek USB scopes might be closer to Pico than we realize, but the software makes Pico all that much better (kidding a bit - Pico is no doubt much better designed than Hantek)

author: electr_peter
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 07:50:57 pm
content: Quote from: TomKatt on June 11, 2024, 04:53:28 pmThere isMicsig VTO/VATO2004for ~300-400€. it seems to be the same Micsig handheld battery operated scope, just without buttons/screen and controlled via Android app.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2024, 08:39:09 pm
content: Quote from: electr_peter on June 11, 2024, 07:50:57 pmThere is no comparison to Picoscope. It's software is order of magnitude more powerful than anything else...

author: G-son
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 22, 2024, 02:27:46 pm
content: Looks like a very good one. Just slightly out of my budget unfortunately.

author: GSWayne
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 30, 2024, 03:33:11 pm
content: One late comment is that Pico does update their software very frequently and they have made many improvements and added many features in the years I have owned a 5244D model. All software updates are free and happen many times per year.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2024, 06:47:49 pm
content: yes in the version 7, they answer if you sent them features / bugs / requestswe have the 3406d at our job no complaints on hardware, i would slightly on the sw gui side ...

author: H713
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 02, 2025, 07:49:54 am
content: I have one of the less exciting Picoscopes at work, and it's fantastic, and it pisses me off that there isn't more competition for devices that do this kind of thing well.One of my biggest frustrations in test and measurement is that saving data to a .csv file that I can analyze is usually harder than taking the measurement in the first place. The picoscope solves that. It's easy, it's quick, and it works the first time.Also, the record length is better than almost anything else at that price point.