Flexible resolution oscilloscope specifications (2024)

Home
Products
Oscilloscopes
PicoScope 5000 Series oscilloscope specifications

PicoScope^® 5000 Series

FlexRes^® Oscilloscopes

High speed and high resolution. Breakthrough ADC technology switches from 8 to 16 bits in the same oscilloscope.

Cart

Overview
Features
Software
Reviews
Documents
Accessories
Specifications

Model	PicoScope
Bandwidth (–3 dB)	60 MHz		100 MHz		200 MHz
2 channel	5242D	5242D MSO	5243D	5243D MSO	5244D	5244D MSO
4 channel	5442D	5442D MSO	5443D	5443D MSO	5444D	5444D MSO

Oscilloscope - vertical
Input type	Single-ended, BNC connector
Bandwidth (–3 dB)	60 MHz	100 MHz^[1]	200 MHz^[1]
Rise time (calculated)	5.8 ns	3.5 ns^[1]	1.75 ns^[1]
Bandwidth limiter	20 MHz, selectable
Vertical resolution^[2]	8, 12, 14, 15 or 16 bits
LSB size^[2] (quantization step size)	8 bit mode: < 0.6% of input range 12 bit mode: < 0.04% of input range 14 bit mode: < 0.01% of input range 15 bit mode: < 0.005% of input range 16 bit mode: < 0.0025% of input range
Enhanced vertical resolution	Hardware resolution + 4 bits
Input ranges	±10 mV to ±20 V full scale, in 11 ranges
Input sensitivity	2 mV/div to 4 V/div (10 vertical divisions)
Input coupling	AC / DC
Input characteristics	1 MΩ ± 1% \|\| 14 ±1 pF
Gain accuracy	12 to 16 bit modes: ±0.5% of signal ±1 LSB^[3] 8 bit mode: ±2% of signal ±1 LSB^[3]
Offset accuracy	±500 µV ±1% of full scale^[3] Offset accuracy can be improved by using the “zero offset” function in PicoScope software.
Analog offset range (vertical position adjust)	±250 mV (10, 20, 50, 100, 200 mV ranges), ±2.5 V (500 mV, 1 V, 2 V ranges), ±20 V (5, 10, 20 V ranges)
Analog offset control accuracy	±0.5% of offset setting, additional to basic DC offset accuracy
Overvoltage protection	±100 V (DC + AC peak)

^[1] In 16-bit mode, bandwidth reduced to 60 MHz and rise time increased to 5.8 ns.
^[2] On ±20 mV range, in 14 to 16-bit modes, hardware resolution reduced by 1 bit. On ±10 mV range, hardware resolution reduced by 1 bit in 12-bit mode, 2 bits in 14 to 16-bit modes.
^[3] Between 15 and 30 °C after 1 hour warm-up.

Vertical (digital channels) – D MSO models only
Input channels	16 channels (2 ports of 8 channels each)
Input connector	2.54 mm pitch, 10 x 2 way connector
Maximum input frequency	100 MHz (200 Mbit/s)
Minimum detectable pulse width	5 ns
Input impedance	200 kΩ ±2% \|\| 8 pF ±2 pF
Input dynamic range	±20 V
Threshold range	±5 V
Threshold grouping	Two independent threshold controls. Port 0: D0 to D7, Port 1: D8 to D15
Threshold selection	TTL, CMOS, ECL, PECL, user-defined
Threshold accuracy	< ±350 mV including hysteresis
Threshold hysteresis	< ±250 mV
Minimum input voltage swing	500 mV peak to peak
Channel-to-channel skew	2 ns, typical
Minimum input slew rate	10 V/µs
Overvoltage protection	±50 V (DC + AC peak)

Horizontal

Max. sampling rate
Any 1 channel
Any 2 channels
Any 3 or 4 channels
More than 4 channels

8-bit mode
1 GS/s
500 MS/s
250 MS/s
125 MS/s

12-bit mode
500 MS/s
250 MS/s
125 MS/s
62.5 MS/s

14-bit mode
125 MS/s
125 MS/s
125 MS/s
62.5 MS/s

15-bit mode^[4]
125 MS/s
125 MS/s

16-bit mode^[4]
62.5 MS/s

"Channel" means any analog channel or 8-bit digital port
^[4]Any number of 8-bit digital ports can be used in 15-bit and 16-bit modes without affecting the maximum sampling rate

Maximum equivalent sampling rate (repetitive signals; 8-bit mode only, ETS mode)

2.5 GS/s

5 GS/s

10 GS/s

Maximum sampling rate (continuous USB streaming into PC memory)^[5]

USB 3, using PicoScope software: 15 to 20 MS/s
USB 3, using PicoSDK: 125 MS/s (8-bit) or 62.5 MS/s (12 to 16 bit modes)
USB 2, using PicoScope software: 8 to 10 MS/s
USB 2, using PicoSDK: ~30 MS/s (8-bit) or ~15 MS/s (12 to 16 bit modes)

Timebase ranges (real time)

1 ns/div to 5000 s/div in 39 ranges

Fastest timebase (ETS)

500 ps/div

200 ps/div

100 ps/div

Buffer memory^[6] (8-bit mode)

128 MS

256 MS

512 MS

Buffer memory^[6] (≥ 12-bit mode)

64 MS

128 MS

256 MS

Buffer memory^[7] (continuous streaming)

100 MS in PicoScope software

Waveform buffer (no. of segments)

10 000 in PicoScope software

Waveform buffer (no. of segments) when using PicoSDK (8 bit mode)

250 000

500 000

1 000 000

Waveform buffer (no. of segments) when using PicoSDK (12 to 16 bit modes)

125 000

250 000

500 000

Initial timebase accuracy

±50 ppm (0.005%)

±2 ppm (0.0002%)

Timebase drift

±5 ppm/year

±1 ppm/year

Sample jitter

3 ps RMS, typical

ADC sampling

Simultaneous on all enabled channels

^[5]Shared between enabled channels, PC dependent, available sample rates vary by resolution.
^[6]Shared between enabled channels.
^[7]Driver buffering up to available PC memory when using PicoSDK. No limit on duration of capture.

Dynamic performance (typical; analog channels)
Crosstalk	Better than 400:1 up to full bandwidth (equal voltage ranges)
Harmonic distortion	8-bit mode: −60 dB at 100 kHz full scale input. 12-bit mode or higher: −70 dB at 100 kHz full scale input
SFDR	8 to 12-bit modes: 60 dB at 100 kHz full scale input. 14 to 16-bit modes: 70 dB at 100 kHz full scale input.
Noise(on most sensitive range)	8-bit mode: 120 μV RMS 12-bit mode: 110 μV RMS 14-bit mode: 100 μV RMS 15-bit mode: 85 μV RMS 16-bit mode: 70 μV RMS
Bandwidth flatness	(+0.3 dB, –3 dB) from DC to full bandwidth

Triggering (main specifications)
Source	Analog channels, plus: MSO models: Digital D0 to D15. Other models: Ext trigger.
Trigger modes	None, auto, repeat, single, rapid (segmented memory).
Advanced trigger types (analog channels)	Edge, window, pulse width, window pulse width, dropout, window dropout, interval, runt, logic.
Trigger types (analog channels, ETS)	Rising or falling edge ETS trigger available on ChA only, 8-bit mode only.
Trigger sensitivity (analog channels)	Digital triggering provides 1 LSB accuracy up to full bandwidth of scope.
Trigger sensitivity (analog channels, ETS)	At full bandwidth: typical 10 mV peak to peak
Trigger types (digital inputs)	MSO models only: Edge, pulse width, dropout, interval, logic, pattern, mixed signal.
Maximum pre-trigger capture	Up to 100% of capture size.
Maximum post-trigger delay	Zero to 4 billion samples, settable in 1 sample steps (delay range on fastest timebase of 0 – 4 s in 1 ns steps)
Trigger rearm time	8-bit mode, typical: 1 μs on fastest timebase 8 to 12 bit modes: < 2 μs max on fastest timebase 14 to 16 bit modes: < 3 μs max on fastest timebase
Maximum trigger rate	10 000 waveforms in a 10 ms burst, 8-bit mode

External trigger input – not MSO models
Connector type	Front panel BNC
Trigger types	Edge, pulse width, dropout, interval, logic
Input characteristics	1 MΩ ± 1% \|\| 14 pF ±1.5 pF
Bandwidth	60 MHz	100 MHz	200 MHz
Threshold range	±5 V
Threshold range	±5 V, DC coupled
External trigger threshold accuracy	±1% of full scale
External trigger sensitivity	200 mV peak to peak
Coupling	DC
Overvoltage protection	±100 V (DC + AC peak)

Function generator
Standard output signals	Sine, square, triangle, DC voltage, ramp up, ramp down, sinc, Gaussian, half-sine
Pseudorandom output signals	White noise, selectable amplitude and offset within output voltage range. Pseudorandom binary sequence (PRBS), selectable high and low levels within output voltage range, selectable bit rate up to 20 Mb/s
Standard signal frequency	0.025 Hz to 20 MHz
Sweep modes	Up, down, dual with selectable start / stop frequencies and increments
Triggering	Can trigger a counted number of waveform cycles or frequency sweeps (from 1 to 1 billion) from the scope trigger, external trigger or from software. Can also use the external trigger to gate the signal generator output.
Output frequency accuracy	Oscilloscope timebase accuracy ± output frequency resolution
Output frequency resolution	< 0.025 Hz
Output voltage range	±2 V
Output voltage adjustments	Signal amplitude and offset adjustable in approx 0.25 mV steps within overall ±2 V range
Amplitude flatness	< 1.5 dB to 20 MHz, typical
DC accuracy	±1% of full scale
SFDR	> 70 dB, 10 kHz full scale sine wave
Output resistance	50 Ω ±1%
Connector type	BNC(f)
Overvoltage protection	±20 V

Arbitrary waveform generator
AWG update rate	200 MHz
AWG buffer size	32 kS
AWG resolution	14 bits (output step size approximately 0.25 mV)
AWG bandwidth	> 20 MHz
AWG rise time (10% to 90%)	< 10 ns (50 Ω load)

Additional AWG specifications including sweep modes, triggering, frequency accuracy and resolution, voltage range, DC accuracy and output characteristics are as the function generator

Probe compensation pin
Output characteristics	600 Ω
Output frequency	1 kHz
Output level	3 V peak to peak, typical
Overvoltage protection	10 V

Spectrum analyzer
Frequency range	DC to 60 MHz	DC to 100 MHz	DC to 200 MHz
Display modes	Magnitude, average, peak hold
Y axis	Logarithmic (dbV, dBu, dBm, arbitrary dB) or linear (volts)
X axis	Linear or logarithmic
Windowing functions	Rectangular, Gaussian, triangular, Blackman, Blackman–Harris, Hamming, Hann, flat-top
Number of FFT points	Selectable from 128 to 1 million in powers of 2

Math channels
Functions	−x, x+y, x−y, x*y, x/y, x^y, sqrt, exp, ln, log, abs, norm, sign, sin, cos, tan, arcsin, arccos, arctan, sinh, cosh, tanh, delay, average, frequency, derivative, integral, min, max, peak, duty, highpass, lowpass, bandpass, bandstop
Operands	A, B, C, D (input channels), T (time), reference waveforms, pi, D0−D15 (digital channels), constants

Automatic measurements
Scope mode	AC RMS, true RMS, frequency, cycle time, duty cycle, DC average, falling rate, rising rate, low pulse width, high pulse width, fall time, rise time, minimum, maximum, peak to peak
Spectrum mode	Frequency at peak, amplitude at peak, average amplitude at peak, total power, THD %, THD dB, THD+N, SFDR, SINAD, SNR, IMD
Statistics	Minimum, maximum, average, standard deviation

DeepMeasure™
Parameters	Cycle number, cycle time, frequency, low pulse width, high pulse width, duty cycle (high), duty cycle (low), rise time, fall time, undershoot, overshoot, max. voltage, min. voltage, voltage peak to peak, start time, end time

Serial decoding
Protocols	1-Wire, ARINC 429, CAN, CAN FD, CAN J1939, DALI, DCC, DMX512, Ethernet 10Base-T and 100Base-TX, FlexRay, I²C, I²S, LIN, Manchester, MODBUS, PS/2, SENT, SPI, UART (RS-232 / RS-422 / RS-485), USB 1.1

Mask limit testing
Statistics	Pass/fail, failure count, total count
Mask creation	User-drawn, table entry, auto-generated from waveform or imported from file

Display
Interpolation	Linear or sin(x)/x
Persistence modes	Digital color, analog intensity, custom, fast

Software
Windows software	PicoScope for Windows PicoSDKSoftware development kit (SDK) Windows 7, 8 or 10 recommended (read more)
macOS software	PicoScope for macOS Software development kit (SDK) OS versions: see release notes
Linux software	PicoScope for Linux Software development kit (SDK) See for details of supported distributions
Languages	Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

General
Package contents	PicoScope 5000D Series oscilloscope 1 x TA155 Pico blue USB 3 cable 1.8 m 60 MHz models: 2/4 x TA375 probes 100 MHz models: 2/4 x TA375 probes 200 MHz models: 2/4 x TA386 probes 4-channel models: 1 x PS011 5 V 3.0 A PSU MSO models: 1 x TA136 MSO cable MSO models: 2 x TA139 set of MSO clips Quick start guide
PC connectivity	USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (USB 2.0 compatible)
Power requirements	2-channel models: powered from single USB 3.0 port 4-channel models: AC adaptor supplied. Can use 2 channels (plus MSO channels if fitted) powered by USB 3.0 or charging port supplying 1.2A.
Dimensions	190 x 170 x 40 mm including connectors
Weight	< 0.5 kg
Temperature range	Operating: 0 to 40 °C 15 to 30 °C for quoted accuracy after 1 hour warm-up Storage: –20 to +60 °C
Humidity range	Operating: 5 to 80 %RH non-condensing Storage: 5 to 95 %RH non-condensing
Environment	Up to 2000 m altitude and EN61010 pollution degree 2
Safety approvals	Designed to EN 61010-1:2010
EMC approvals	Tested to EN61326-1:2013 and FCC Part 15 Subpart B
Environmental approvals	RoHS and WEEE compliant
PC requirements	Processor, memory and disk space: as required by the operating system Port(s): USB 3.0 or USB 2.0
Warranty	5 years

Accessories

FAQs

Flexible resolution oscilloscope specifications? ›

The Memory length determines the sampling rate! With a timebase setting of 100us/Div on a DSO, a memory length of 1000 words gives a sample rate of 1 MS/s. This equates to an effective bandwidth of 400KHz even if the DSO has a 500MHz analogue bandwidth and the potential to sample at 500 MS/s.

Know More ›

What is the resolution of an oscilloscope? ›

What is a 'precision' DSO?

Oscilloscope resolution	Number of steps	Smallest change that can be detected
6 bits	64	1.6% (16,000 ppm)
8 bits	256	0.39% (4,000 ppm)
12 bits	4,096	0.024% (244 ppm)
16 bits	65,536	0.0015% (15 ppm)

Keep Reading ›

What is the sampling rate of a DSO? ›

Discover More ›

What is the resolution of PicoScope? ›

To handle this variety of signal types, PicoScope 5000D FlexRes hardware employs multiple high-resolution ADCs at the input channels in different time-interleaved and parallel combinations to optimize either the sampling rate to 1 GS/s at 8 bits, the resolution to 16 bits at 62.5 MS/s, or other combinations in between ...

What is the rule of thumb for oscilloscope? ›

Here is the rule of thumb for choosing the right bandwidth: Digital signal measurements: five times higher bandwidth than the fastest digital clock rate in your system. Analog signal measurements: three times higher bandwidth than the maximum signal frequency on an oscilloscope with a flat frequency response.

Know More ›

How can you maximize the resolution of the oscilloscope? ›

Using Sampling Techniques that Boost Resolution

Digital signal processing is commonly applied to raw samples to refine the vertical resolution of an oscilloscope to more than the resolution of its analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Waveform averaging and HiRes are two such processing techniques.

Tell Me More ›

What is the relative resolution of an oscilloscope? ›

Oscilloscopes typically have a horizontal resolution of 8 bits, however this number may range up to 10 bits or even higher. The vertical resolution of the oscilloscope is directly linked to its ability to detect and accurately display even the most minute of voltage variations.

Discover More Details ›

What sampling rate do I need oscilloscope? ›

For accurate reconstruction using sin (x)/x interpolation, your oscilloscope should have a sample rate at least 2.5 times the highest frequency component of your signal. Using linear interpolation, the sample rate should be at least 10 times the highest frequency signal component.

Know More ›

What is the acceptable sampling rate? ›

The standard sample rate for CDs, streaming, and consumer audio is 44.1 kHz, 48kHz is often used in audio for video, and 96 kHz or 192 kHz is used for archival audio.

Keep Reading ›

What is the measurement of DSO? ›

Days sales outstanding (DSO) is an accounting metric that measures the average number of days it takes a business to receive payment for goods and services purchased on credit. The lower the DSO, the faster payments are collected. The higher the DSO, the longer it takes the company to see its money.

Know More ›

What is the resolution of Keysight oscilloscope? ›

The Keysight's real-time oscilloscope gives 8-bit vertical resolution at normal acquisition mode like most other digitizing oscilloscopes does.

Read The Full Story ›

What is the difference between oscilloscope and PicoScope? ›

PC oscilloscopes usually store more data on each waveform than they can display on the screen. You can zoom in to see the extra data. PicoScopes have high-performance “always-on” memory that operates at full speed regardless of record length.

Show Me More ›

How accurate is a PicoScope? ›

PicoScope precision oscilloscopes feature 12 bit vertical resolution and are accurate to 1% — making them ideal for high accuracy signal measurement. With a 72 dB dynamic range these cost-effective PC scopes are also suitable for working with signals in the frequency domain using the built-in spectrum analyzer.

Get More Info ›

What is the five times rule for oscilloscope? ›

As a rule of thumb, your oscilloscope's bandwidth should be at least five times higher than the fastest digital clock rate in your system under test. If your oscilloscope meets this criterion, it will capture up to the fifth harmonic of your signal with minimum signal attenuation.

Discover More ›

How many MHz do I need in an oscilloscope? ›

For example, if your highest signal frequency is 20 MHz, you should consider an oscilloscope with a bandwidth of at least 60 MHz.

Explore More ›

What kind of oscilloscope do I need for automotive? ›

The Best Oscilloscopes for Automotive Engineering

Feature	2 Series MSO	5 Series B MSO
Maximum Record Length	10 MS	500 MS
Analog Channels	2, 4	4, 6, 8
Battery Power	Yes	-
Automotive Serial Bus Decoders*	CAN LIN I2C SPI RS-232	CAN LIN FlexRay SENT PSI5 I2C SPI RS-232

3 more rows

Read On ›

What does 10x mean on oscilloscope? ›

Ten – X probes are the “standard” probes supplied with most scopes. They reduce signal amplitude by a factor of ten. Usually by incorporating a 9 megaohm resistor in the probe tip to act as a voltage divider. This added attenuation makes 10x probes good for high-voltage measurements.

See Details ›

What is the resolution of a digital signal? ›

Resolution represents the finest discernible change in the signal and is often specified in terms of a number of bits, although a voltage specification is also possible. Because the signal level is represented with a binary number, it follows that a large number of bits are needed in order to achieve fine resolution.

Learn More ›

What is the resolution of a digital measurement? ›

What is meant by resolution in measurement? Resolution is the smallest increment a tool can detect and display. For a nonelectrical example, consider two rulers. One marked with 1/16-inch hatch marks offers greater resolution than one marked with quarter-inch hatch marks.

Get More Info ›

What is resolution of voltage signal? ›

The resolution defines the smallest voltage change that can be measured by the ADC. As mentioned earlier, the resolution is the same as the smallest step size, and can be calculated by dividing the reference voltage by the number of possible conversion values.

See Details ›

Flexible resolution oscilloscope specifications (2024)

FAQs

Flexible resolution oscilloscope specifications? ›

What is the resolution of Keysight oscilloscope? ›

References