Why your next oscilloscope should be a PC-based, USB scope

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For decades, traditional benchtop oscilloscopes have been a cornerstone of engineering, offering reliability, precision, and familiarity. However, as technology evolves, so do the tools we rely on. Enter the PC-based USB oscilloscope: a cutting-edge, adaptable alternative that are redefining test and measurement.

Pico Technology dives into why USB oscilloscopes, like PicoScopes, are rapidly becoming the “go-to” choice for engineers around the globe. We’ll highlight their advantages, challenge common misconceptions, and provide a clear roadmap to understanding how this shift can enhance your work.

After reading this, you’ll have the insights needed to determine whether a PC-based oscilloscope is the right fit for your needs and how it can enhance your capabilities.

One Interface, Every Scope

Switching between different test equipment can disrupt workflows and drain productivity, especially when engineers have to relearn unfamiliar software for each device. That’s where the PicoScope 7 Software steps in. With a single, unified interface for all our real-time oscilloscopes - ranging from 10 MHz to 3 GHz - your team can work smarter, not harder. From entry-level models to high-performance solutions, the same intuitive platform adapts as your needs grow.

Why this matters for you and your teams:

As projects become more complex, your engineers need tools that evolve without adding unnecessary friction. With the PicoScope 7 software, your lab stays agile and ready to tackle any challenge. Empower your team with tools that make their job easier, from the first measurement to the final report.

• Streamlined Training: One training session equips your team to operate every scope in the line-up, reducing onboarding time for new hires.
• Seamless Upgrades: Scaling to higher bandwidth models is effortless—no steep learning curve or downtime.
• Consistent Workflow: Familiarity with the interface means faster setup, easier analysis, and uniform reporting, every time.

Test Anywhere, Anytime

Not all testing happens in the lab. A traditional benchtop oscilloscope is fundamentally quite big because of the built-in screen. For engineers on the go, bulky benchtop oscilloscopes can be impractical and difficult to transport.

Enter PicoScope: the portable solution designed with mobility in mind.  Compact enough to fit in your laptop bag, PicoScopes make it easy to bring the power of the lab to the field. Many models are USB-powered, meaning you don’t even need a mains supply! So even when you’re testing in remote locations, PicoScope keeps you ready for anything.

Why it matters for Engineers on the go:

• Effortless Portability: Lightweight and laptop-friendly, PicoScopes are built to travel wherever the job takes you. The built-in signal generator means one less piece of kit is needed.
• Lab-Grade Performance on the Go: Enjoy high-quality measurements without compromising capability, no matter where you’re testing.
• Minimise Downtime: Quickly set up and start testing - a PicoScope is small and light enough to carry with you, no heavy equipment, no shipping delays.

When site visits are part of the job, you need tools that work as hard as you do. PicoScope’s portability ensures you’re equipped to handle challenges in the lab and in the field.

With Pico, you’re always prepared to test, troubleshoot, and deliver results—wherever the road takes you.

Capture What Matters

When debugging, every millisecond counts. Yet, so many oscilloscopes waste valuable record length capturing dead time between events, making analysis inefficient and frustrating.  That’s where PicoScope’s deep memory and waveform buffer comes in.

Our scopes are designed from the ground up with memory segmentation in mind, ensuring every captured waveform focuses on what matters. By slicing capture memory, PicoScopes maximise efficiency and enable frame-to-frame analysis of what matters.

Why it matters for debugging and analysis:

• Efficient Capture: Focus on key events with advanced triggers without wasting record length on irrelevant data.
• Faster Analysis: Search the waveform buffer with masks and advanced filters to quickly isolate issues for troubleshooting.
• Context without Compromise: The onboard Hardware Acceleration Engine maintains performance even when dealing with thousands of saved waveforms.

PicoScope empowers engineers to capture smarter. Whether you’re chasing intermittent faults or isolating key signals, segmentation ensures your scope is as efficient as you are.
Don’t let dead time slow you down. With PicoScope, you get precision, performance, and results - built for the real world.

Decode Without Limits

Nothing halts an embedded engineer’s momentum like realising the scope you’re using doesn’t have the correct protocol decoding options. With software, PicoScope 7, that’s never a problem.

Every PicoScope comes with all serial protocol decoding options included as standard - no hidden costs, no frustrating add-ons. Whether you’re working with I²C, MODBUS, CANXL, 10BASE-T1S or another protocol, PicoScope has you covered, right out of the box. We continually add new protocols, which are provided to everyone free of charge.

Why it matters for Embedded Design:

• Simplify Debugging: Instantly visualise and decode serial data alongside your analogue signals for faster analysis.
• In-depth Analysis: Decode data into user-defined strings for faster insight into what your system is really doing.
• Cost-Effective: Forget about paying extra for essential features - PicoScope keeps it simple, transparent, and complete.

Whether it’s integrating a module or validating embedded software, PicoScope 7 ensures you’re always equipped with the tools you need to decode signals, debug systems and deliver results.

Don’t let limited options slow you down. With PicoScope, you’re always ready to tackle any protocol and any challenge.

Harness the Power of Your PC

When every second counts, waiting for compute-heavy operations on your oscilloscope can bring your workflow to a halt. With PicoScope, you can leverage the power of your PC for faster and more efficient analysis. Going for a coffee while your measurements are calculated is a thing of the past (sorry).

Why it matters for validating designs:

Lightning-Fast Analysis: Offload heavy computations to your PC, ensuring high-speed performance for even the most complex measurements.

• DeepMeasure: Quickly and conveniently gain insights with automated, real-time calculations of the most common measurements like rise time, frequency and amplitude.
• Custom Math Channels: Define your own math channels to see precisely the data you need.

With PicoScope, your oscilloscope and PC work in harmony, turning compute-intensive tasks into seamless operations. Whether you’re validating designs in the lab or testing performance in production, PicoScope won’t slow you down.  Don’t let slow processing hold you back. Let PicoScope do the heavy lifting—because your time is too valuable to waste.

Automation Made Simple

Automation doesn’t have to be complicated. With Actions and Events on the PicoScope 7 software, you can set up automated test sequences quickly and intuitively with no programming skills required. Use events like measurement pass/fail conditions or mask violations to trigger actions like capturing data, exporting results or launching external applications.  Actions and Events put the power of automation in your hands.

Why it matters for your workflow:

• Code-Free Automation: Achieve automated testing sequences and workflows without relying on a software development team.
• Actions on Event: Define actions like starting a measurement, saving data or exporting results—all triggered by specific events like signals or conditions.
• Save Time and Effort: Streamline repetitive tasks, reduce human error and focus on interpreting results rather than managing tests.

With PicoScope’s Actions and Events, you can effortlessly scale your testing efficiency, whether you’re debugging embedded systems or validating product designs.  Don’t let automation intimidate you. With PicoScope, testing is simple and smart.

Your Interface, Your Way

Why should measuring low-speed signals mean you’re only given a tiny, low-res screen? When juggling complex signals, measurements and protocol decodes, a single small screen just doesn’t cut it. That’s why PicoScope lets you maximise your workspace by taking full control of your interface. Whether you’re working on multiple high-resolution monitors or a single laptop, PicoScope 7 software dynamically adjusts to fit your setup.

Separating the oscilloscope and the screen lets each part do what it does best. Let the PC handle separate windows for analogue traces, serial protocol decoding, time-domain analysis, and measurements. Make multitasking simple so you can focus on what matters most.

Why it matters in your lab:

• Customisable Layouts: Drag and resize windows to arrange waveforms, measurements and decoders exactly where you want them across one screen or many.
• Optimised Multiscreen Support: PicoScope intelligently adapts to multiple monitors with different resolutions, maximising your screen real estate.
• Focused Efficiency: Keep critical data front and centre while moving secondary tasks like protocol decoding or deep measurements to a separate screen.

PicoScope 7 allows you to design your workspace, so you can work the way you want—no more cramped layouts or constant toggling between views—just a streamlined interface built for productivity.  Whether you’re analysing signals in detail, decoding protocols, or collaborating with colleagues, PicoScope puts you in control of your tools and your workflow.

Don’t let screen space limit your work. With PicoScope, your workspace grows with your ambitions.

Fast, Efficient, Reliable

In automated test environments, speed is everything. That’s why PicoScope’s C-based API is built for maximum throughput, unlike SCPI-based solutions that can bottleneck your test systems. Whether you’re collecting high-resolution waveforms, running rapid test sequences or streaming gapless data, Pico’s API ensures your data flows without delays.

Why it matters in your system build:

• Blazing-Fast Throughput: Our C-based DLLs provide direct, low-latency communication, delivering data faster than traditional SCPI-based solutions. Example code for interfacing to third-party software is available on the Pico GitHub, with examples in LabView, MATLAB, Excel, C, C#, C++, VB.NET and Python.
• Compact Form Factor: Save valuable rack real estate with space-efficient hardware that doesn’t compromise on performance.
• Seamless Integration: Easily integrate PicoScopes into your existing test systems and automation frameworks using a lightweight, powerful API.

With Pico, you don’t have to choose between speed, size and capability. Our scopes are designed to fit effortlessly into your ATE setup while outperforming the competition on data throughput and test speed. Automation has never been this streamlined.

Simplify Collaboration, Wherever You Are

Hybrid working and global teams shouldn’t mean disconnected workflows.  With PicoScope, sharing data and collaborating on test results has never been easier. Since all of your data is stored directly on your PC, creating reports, analysing results and sharing files with colleagues is straightforward and stress-free.

Whether you’re troubleshooting in the lab or analysing data remotely, PicoScope ensures your team stays connected and productive.

Why it matters for cross-functional teams:

• Instant Access: All test data can be saved directly to your PC, ready for immediate use in reports, presentations or further analysis.
• Free Software for All: PicoScope’s free software ensures anyone on your team can view and analyse data without needing additional licenses.
• Seamless Collaboration: Easily share results via email, cloud storage, or team collaboration tools, enabling efficient workflows across locations.

PicoScope helps you break down barriers to collaboration, ensuring your team can work together effortlessly—whether they’re in the same building or across the globe.. Data sharing should be simple.

With PicoScope, hybrid work becomes seamless, enabling you to easily share insights and deliver results.

Future-Proof Your Investment

With PicoScope, there’s no need to go back to your manager to request costly upgrades or new licenses for the tools you already own. Our free, continually updated software ensures your oscilloscope grows with your needs, adapting to new challenges without extra expense. Unlike traditional benchtop scopes, PicoScopes aren’t tied to ageing, built-in operating systems. By leveraging the power of your PC, PicoScopes ensure that your testing capability keeps pace with modern technology, without requiring the replacement of your instrument.

When you invest in test equipment, you deserve tools that deliver long-term reliability and value without surprise costs down the line. That’s why Pico goes above and beyond to reduce your total cost of ownership.

Why it matters for future-proofing your lab:

• Continuous Updates: Regular software updates deliver new capabilities and performance enhancements at no extra charge.
• OS-Independent: PicoScope 7 software is available on Windows, Mac and Linux, and your scope stays current as your PC evolves—no more being held back by outdated operating systems.
• Comprehensive Support and 5-Year Warranty: Enjoy peace of mind with Pico’s industry-leading 5-year warranty, eliminating repair worries for years to come. Plus, get free expert support directly from the engineers who design the scopes—answers from the source, with no extra costs.

PicoScope is designed to protect users’ investment and give them the confidence to tackle any problem, now or in the future.

Don’t let tools hold you back. With PicoScope, your oscilloscope grows with your needs, delivering value and adaptability for years to come.

It’s a Wrap – The Future of Your Test and Measurement Toolkit

PC-based USB oscilloscopes are revolutionising electronic measurement. Compact, cost-effective, and high-performing, they seamlessly combine the reliability of traditional scopes with the power and versatility of modern technology.

If you’re in the market for your next oscilloscope, PicoScope belongs at the top of your list. It’s more than just a tool - it’s a smarter, more efficient way to work.

Ready for an evaluation? Take The Pico Challenge:

• Test one of our oscilloscopes side-by-side with any competitor.
• Experience first-hand how PicoScope delivers performance, effortless integration, and exceptional support.