Just something from last month's Newzletter for those who do not subscribe:

Using scopes is something many technicians have avoided.
Those that have embraced them in automotive diagnostics now wonder how they ever lived without them. You never really know what you will be able to do with a capable scope until you have one.

It has been said that new scope users should start out with a lower end 'starter scope'. This is a myth. A less capable scope is probably not that much less expensive than a high end PicoScope and may actually cost more. In addition, they can be harder to use and more frustrating. This is because they don't capture very much information at one time and therefore your window of opportunity to capture the events is very small. This can create a lot of frustration and often results in scopes sitting in the corner gathering dust. No matter what scope you get, you are going to have to spend time learning how to use it. Not just the buttonology of the unit but also how to interpret those squiggly lines.

When you discover that the scope you chose as a starter scope isn't capable of doing what you want, you wasted your time and money. In addition, never being able to see the panoramic view in glorious detail can deprive you of being able to fully analyze signal interactions over time and the enhanced learning experience that goes with that.

So, if you are at all serious about getting into scopes, why not get a serious instrument? You don't have toy wrenches in your tool box do you? No, you have professional tools. So, why not get a scope for a pro. Even if you have no intention right now of becoming a scope expert, you will likely change your mind when you discover the possibilities and how much fun it can be. Don't underestimate yourself. Once you decide to start with the best, there is only one place to get the best automotive training and support to go with your new PicoScope package.

http://www.autonerdz.com/faq.htm [autonerdz.com]

Tom, you are absolutely right.

Before I got my Pico, I had a "two" channel low end scope that would display an injector fireing, Ignition control or any other selected event at one time.
It had bad resolution and if I had a question about my brand new piece of equipment and try to get my Tool Truck Guy to help me out, I was pretty much S.O.L because he sells tools for a living, not make a living working with tools. Anyway I ended calling a 1800 ### and put on hold for avery long time and still have my question or problem unresolved.
PicoScope is a Great Starter Scope, is not any more complicated to use than the low end scope. It's not much higher in price either, but it has a lot more power.
Tech Support is second to none.
Tom, Carl and Bryan are real Techs and Professionals that know their stuff because they work on cars with the scope. Unlike the other guys that memorize what's written in the equipment's cover but had no clue on how to work it.
There is not a better place to buy a PicoScope than Autonerdz... is that simple.

Thank you, Rafael. We try our best to support all of our users the best we can.

Not to mention the fact that it is very difficult to screw up with a Pico.For example, it  is possible to alias signals with alot of the other offerings out there.

Todd Huggard wrote on Sep 18^th, 2010 at 8:58pm:

For example, itis possible to alias signals with alot of the other offerings out there

todd, this is exactly what lead me down the pico path!!  i hadn't heard of aliasing until posting a bad capture on iatn.  i got a little bloodied on that post.  tom and carl took extra time to email a great amount of info on the subject.  the time they spent explaining the concept to me endeared me to the autonerdz experience and the picoscope product.  i would venture to say that your support package begins even before the first purchase  :).

before discovering pico, i had attended a number of john thornton's classes in my area (great teacher IMO.).  excited about the opportunity to learn scope diagnostics, i purchased an otc solarity  [smiley=angry.gif].  during a particularly difficult diag on a nissan product my employer at the time called john for some help.  he gave us some great insight and helped us discover the issue.  i asked him what he thought of the scope i had  ;D.  he was very kind, but never gave me a straight answer ;).  
so, i am one of those people that wasted a lot of time and money working up from a "starter scope" to the real deal.  i still remember the excitement i had when i got the modis after selling the solarity.  if i had only known what the heck a pico was at that time  :-[.  i could have even skipped that step  ::).

crackerclicker wrote on Sep 18^th, 2010 at 10:04pm:

i had attended a number of john thornton's classes in my area (great teacher IMO.)

More like excellent teacher... Every time I see him in the Toledo Area I take that class, which I cant wait till the 28th for his ford class...

I took a beginners scope class from him about 4 or 5 years ago, and at that time my shop had the modis so that is what I put my time in on learning on... Then I talked to him about scopes 2 years ago and asked him what scope he used and he said he uses the Pico and told me the benefits over the pico versus other scopes... I started to do my home work and found Autonerdz....

I know what your going to say... But the way I did it by going from Modis then versus to Pico was the steps I needed to be more comfortable with the investment of the PicoQuad 4000 Kit I purchased... At my shop, my boss buys the scan tools which includes Versus, Tech2, DRB3. and the newest he purchased Launch Diagun X-431 hand held, and keeps them up to date for the techs, so that is one thing we dont have to worry about...  Without learning on the "Free for me" Modis and Versus I wouldnt have purchased Pico....

Quote:

it is possible to alias signals with alot of the other offerings out there.

This is so true, Todd. I've used many different scopes and you really have to be careful not to put too much time on the screen. They would alias very easily which, as you know, can lead to a misdiagnosis.

The 212/3 was a very good scope for me. With its 32,000 sample point buffer, there was a sense of security that aliasing wouldn't be a problem and I don't recall it ever happening until I tried to make it happen. You had to work at it.

Then along came the 3000 series scopes with a 512,000 sample point buffer. I have pushed the 3423 to the maximum and it is just very difficult to find its limitation. Although discontinued, I still use this scope today. I have to admit something here though. It took me awhile to ween myself off of the V5 software and start enjoying the fruits of V6. Maybe this had to do with my custom ranging I had built and some trouble figuring out a new and different way of doing it. Once over that little hurdle, it is all I use now.

Next, the 4000 series scopes with a 32,000,000 sample point buffer/memory hit the market. I thought WOW Pico Technology, you've done it again! They are certainly not taking a back seat to anyone.  

I'm of the same mindset as Tom and many of you out there too. Why try to start out learning how to use a scope with an inferior product right from the start? You really have to know your instrument and its limitations to get away with that. I don't think we really need to get into the price comparisons much. I'll just say that the power per dollar is very high with PicoScope by comparison.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QJbQtQEoG_4

THIS goes good with a pico too.

jake- after watching your video, i followed some links and had goose bumps- i gotta get one of those- ir is all i use anyway, is it as light as the plastic ones?

It's a tad big, but not heavy at all. Me likes.