PicoScope 3000 Series

Advanced triggers

The PicoScope 3000 Series offers an industry-leading set of advanced triggers

including pulse width, windowed and dropout.

The digital trigger available on MSO models allows you to trigger the scope when

any or all of the 16 digital inputs match a user-defined pattern. You can specify a

condition for each channel individually, or set up a pattern for all channels at once

using a hexadecimal or binary value.

You can also use the logic trigger to combine the digital trigger with an edge or

window trigger on any of the analog inputs, for example to trigger on data values in a

clocked parallel bus.

Digital triggering architecture

In 1991, Pico Technology pioneered the use of digital triggering using the actual

digitized data. Traditionally, digital oscilloscopes have used an analog trigger

architecture based on comparators, which can cause time and amplitude errors that

cannot always be calibrated out. Additionally, the use of comparators can often limit

the trigger sensitivity at high bandwidths and can create a long trigger rearm delay.

Pico’s technique of fully digital triggering reduces trigger errors and allows our

oscilloscopes to trigger on the smallest signals, even at the full bandwidth, so you

can set trigger levels and hysteresis with high precision and resolution.

The digital triggering architecture also reduces the rearm delay. Combined with

the segmented memory, this enables you to use rapid triggering to capture 10 000

waveforms in 6 ms.