Oscilloscope - no idea how to use it !

[padam]

That’s quite a coincidence, I was just looking for a scope to check the coils on my pos ford motorhome V10.
Hard to justify the cost for a tool I might not use again

 

[kiwigtx]

So I'm up 400 volts then negative 300v ? How is that possible ? Should it not hit 0 volts and stop?

The coil generates a magnetic field which builds when energised, then collapses when the power is removed (switched vis points typically).

Imagine bouncing someone on a blanket - when they come down, they typically go below the horizontal plane of the people holding the blanket....ready for the next bounce upwards. Same effect as the voltage peaking and troughing.

 

[Canadian1968]

That’s quite a coincidence, I was just looking for a scope to check the coils on my pos ford motorhome V10.
Hard to justify the cost for a tool I might not use again

This one was only $35CAD. It's only a single channel and handheld . But hey seems like it might be ok for the random checks and diagnostic i plan to use it for!

I'm on a search for a amp clamp at a decent price. Those seem to be little harder to find

 

[Rebelrouser]

I have a love hate relationship with picoscope. My favorite is my old Tektronix THS730A. That was before Tektronix got bought and went under the same ownership as Fluke. Tektronix then gave the hand held scope market to Fluke and just focused on the high end scope market. I don't much care for the Fluke scopes but they do work.

I use a PicoScope 4425. The software is free to download if you just want to play around with their guided tests for some basic training.

Their website has a lot of information on how to use a scope and what your base settings should be for certain applications.

PicoScope automotive lab scopes and diagnostic equipment

I taught automotive at a technical college for many years. The Pico scope was the quickest for the students to learn with. I have used ignition scopes since the late 70's I still use one today and many times on my dyno when an engine doesn't run right a scope quickly diagnoses if the issue is in the ignition system. While you can use the grid to observe exact voltages I have used one so much that just looking at the image as a picture usually tells me what I need to know. Keeping a wave form library is a must if you want to get the most out of your scope. And a Pico is super easy to save waveforms on your computer. Lots of website to view wave forms. But the best way is to just check sensors that you know are good, save the image and then compare to sensors you think may be defective. And for example, MSD ignitions have a different wave form due to the way they work, and you will find very few of those images in online wave form libraries. IATN is a good site with a large waveform library. One thing I do is hook a scope to the fuse that feed the electric fuel pump, very easy to see the condition of high mileage fuel pumps and replace before they leave you beside the road. And another super neat way to use a scope is with a vacuum transducer you can tell a bunch about the valve train of an engine with one. You can use an amp's probe to do a relative compression test to find weak cylinders without taking a spark plug out.