Automotive Oscilloscope - Alarm Function Realizes Auto Save, Cycle Capture

Recently, many users have asked how to make the PicoScope automatically save the signal to the computer when the buffer is full, and then clear the buffer to continue to collect signals, and so on. Here we have to introduce one of the powerful features of PicoScope software: the alarm function!

Alarms are located in the Tools menu of the software, and their purpose is to set up some command actions that you want the PicoScope software to perform when certain events occur. These specific events include (Figure 1)

  • Capture: when the oscilloscope has captured a complete waveform or a group of waveforms.;
  • Buffer full: when the waveform buffer is full.;
  • Mask Failure: When the waveform does not pass the tolerance test.

Figure 1

There is also a wide selection of command actions that can be executed (Fig. 2).

Figure 2

Next I will use the alarm function to show you how the PicoScope software can automatically save and loopback the waveform once the buffer is full. First of all, we select the event type, here check the box and show ”Buffer Full” in the event column. (Figure 3)

Figure 3

Next, we need to set up an alarm action to assign some command action to the software once the buffer is full. Click the ”Add” option, you can see all kinds of alarm actions. We want the software to automatically save the waveform file to a folder on the computer when the buffer is full, so that the buffer can be cleared for the next signal acquisition. After saving the waveform file, then let the software recapture it.

So we add the corresponding commands strictly according to the sequence of actions, first add and check ”Save all buffers”, name the waveform and select the computer location where you want to save the waveform. (Figure 4)

Figure 4

Then add and check ”Recapture”, the setting is completed as shown in Figure 5, ”Save all buffers” must be above ”Recapture”. In addition, we can also move up and down the action sequence, or re-edit the alarm action. Finally, click "Apply" and confirm.

Figure 5

Then start capturing waveforms, as shown in Figure 6, once the buffer is full (Figure 6 here is the maximum of 64 buffers), the software will automatically save all the buffer waveforms. Here the fifth signal has been captured and saved, and all waveform files can be viewed in the folder location just set (Figure 7).

Figure 6

Figure 7

The alarm function of the PicoScope software mentioned above can support us to conduct long time tests, thanks to the function of automatically saving and looping the signal waveform, vehicles with occasional faults can try this function. However, please note that the oscilloscope will not capture the signal for a short period of time as it takes time to save the data file to the computer.