PicoScope 6000E Series

Ultra-deep-memory, high-performance oscilloscopes and MSOs

PicoScope 6000E Series ultra-deep-memory oscilloscopes

 

 

 

A smarter scope for faster debug

The PicoScope 6000E Series fixed-resolution and FlexRes mixed-signal oscilloscopes provide 8 to 12 bits of vertical resolution, with up to 1 GHz bandwidth and 5 GS/s sampling rate.

Models with four or eight analog channels have the timing and amplitude resolution you need to reveal critical signal integrity issues such as timing errors, glitches, dropouts, crosstalk and metastability issues.

  • Up to 1 GHz bandwidth
  • 8-bit to 12-bit FlexRes® ADC
  • A choice of 4 (up to 1 GHz) or 8 (up to 500 MHz) analog channels
  • Supports up to 16 digital MSO channels
  • 200 ms capture time at 5 GS/s
  • Up to 4 GS capture memory
  • 50 MHz 200 MS/s 14-bit AWG
  • 300 000 waveforms per second update rate
  • PicoScope, PicoLog® and PicoSDK® software included
  • 21 serial protocol decoder / analyzers included
  • Mask limit testing and user-definable alarms
  • High-resolution time-stamping of waveforms
  • Over ten million DeepMeasure™ results per acquisition
  • Advanced triggers: edge, window, pulse width, window pulse width,
    level dropout, window dropout, interval, runt and logic

Typical applications

These oscilloscopes, with PicoScope 6 application software, are ideal for design engineers working with high-performance embedded systems, signal processing, power electronics, mechatronics and automotive designs, and for researchers and scientists working on multichannel high-performance experiments in physics labs, particle accelerators and similar facilities.

The PicoScope 6000E Application Programming Interface (API) provides programming access to the full set of advanced hardware features and can be used to develop diverse custom and OEM applications. 

Best-in-class bandwidth, sampling rate and memory depth

Capture time at maximum sampling rate: 200 ms at 5 GS/s

With up to 1 GHz analog bandwidth complemented by a real-time sampling rate of 5 GS/s, the PicoScope 6000E Series scopes can display single-shot pulses with 200 ps time resolution.

The PicoScope 6000E Series gives you the deepest capture memory available as standard on any oscilloscope at any price – up to 4 GS in total.

This ultra-deep memory allows the oscilloscope to capture 200 ms waveforms at its maximum sampling rate of 5 GS/s.

When using PicoSDK, by allocating the scope’s whole memory to a single waveform the maximum 5 GS/s sampling rate can be sustained for even longer captures up to an incredible 800 ms.

The SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface and hardware acceleration ensure that the display is smooth and responsive even with long captures.

The PicoScope 6000E Series gives you the waveform memory, resolution and analysis tools that you need to perform stringent testing of today’s high‑performance embedded computers and next-generation embedded system designs.

 

Power, portability, and performance

Traditional benchtop mixed-signal oscilloscopes take up a lot of bench space, and models with eight analog channels are prohibitively expensive for many engineers working on next-generation designs. PicoScope 6000E Series oscilloscopes are small and portable while offering the high-performance specifications required by engineers in the lab or on the move, and deliver lowest cost of ownership for this class of instrument.

 

The PicoScope 6000E Series offers up to 8 analog channels, plus an optional 8 or 16 digital channels with the plug-in 8-channel TA369 MSO (mixed-signal oscilloscope) pods. The flexible high‑resolution display options enable you to view and analyze each signal in detail.

Supported by PicoScope 6 software, these devices offer an ideal, cost-effective package for many applications, including design, research, test, education, service, and repair. PicoScope 6 is included in the price of your scope, available for free download, with free updates, and can be installed on as many PCs as you want, allowing you to view/analyze data off-line without the scope.

High-end features as standard

Buying a PicoScope is not like making a purchase from other oscilloscope companies, where optional extras considerably increase the price. With our scopes, high-end features such as serial decoding, mask limit testing, advanced math channels, segmented memory, hardware‑based time-stamping and a signal generator are all included in the price.

To protect your investment, both the PC software and firmware inside the scope can be updated. Pico Technology has a long history of providing new features for free through software downloads. We deliver on our promises of future enhancements year after year. Users of our products reward us by becoming lifelong customers and frequently recommending us to their colleagues.

Powerful tools provide endless options

Your PicoScope is provided with many powerful tools to help you acquire and analyze waveforms. While these tools can be used on their own, the real power of PicoScope lies in the way they have been designed to work together.

As an example, the rapid trigger mode allows you to collect 10 000 waveforms in a few milliseconds with minimal dead time between them. Manually searching through these waveforms would be time-consuming, so just pick a waveform you are happy with and let the mask tools scan through for you. When done, the measurements will tell you how many have failed and the buffer navigator allows you to hide the good waveforms and just display the problem ones.

The screenshot above shows changing frequency versus time as a graph. Perhaps instead you want to plot changing duty cycle as a graph? How about outputting a waveform from the AWG and also automatically saving the waveform to disk when a trigger condition is met? With the power of PicoScope the possibilities are almost endless. To find out even more about the capabilities of PicoScope software, visit our online A to Z of PC Oscilloscopes.

Model PicoScope
Bandwidth (–3 dB) 300 MHz 500 MHz 750 MHz 1 GHz
4- channel 8-bit 6403E 6404E 6405E 6406E
4-channel FlexRes   6424E 6425E 6426E
8-channel 8-bit   6804E    
8-channel FlexRes   6824E    
Vertical (analog channels)
Bandwidth (–3 dB) 300 MHz 500 MHz 50 Ω ranges: 750 MHz
1 MΩ ranges: 500 MHz
50 Ω ranges: 1 GHz
1 MΩ ranges: 500 MHz
Rise time < 1.3 ns < 850 ps 50 Ω ranges: < 475 ps
1 MΩ ranges: < 850 ps
50 Ω ranges: < 350 ps
1 MΩ ranges: < 850 ps
Bandwidth limiter 20 MHz. Software-switchable. 20 MHz or 200 MHz. Software-switchable.
Vertical resolution[2] FlexRes models: 8, 10 or 12 bits
Other models: 8 bits
LSB size[2] (quantization step size) 8-bit mode: < 0.4% of input range
10-bit mode (FlexRes models): < 0.1% of input range
12-bit mode (FlexRes models): < 0.025% of input range
Enhanced vertical resolution Hardware resolution + up to 4 bits
Input connector BNC(f). x10 readout-pin compatible. Intelligent Probe Interface on all channels (4-channel models) or on channels C to F (8-channel models).
Input ranges 1 MΩ ranges: ±10 mV, ±20 mV, ±50 mV, ±100 mV, ±200 mV, ±500 mV, ±1 V, ±2 V, ±5 V, ±10 V, ±20 V
50 Ω ranges: ±10 mV to ±5 V as above
Input sensitivity 1 MΩ ranges: 2 mV/div to 4 V/div (10 vertical divisions)
50 Ω ranges: 2 mV/div to 1 V/div (10 vertical divisions)
Input coupling 1 MΩ ranges: AC / DC
50 Ω ranges: DC
Input characteristics 1 MΩ ±0.5% ∥ 12 pF ±1 pF
50 Ω ±2% 50 Ω ±3%
DC gain accuracy (8-bit models) ±(1.5% of signal + 1 LSB) ±(1.5% of signal + 1 LSB) ±(1.5% of signal + 1 LSB)
DC gain accuracy (FlexRes models) N/A ±(0.5% of signal + 1 LSB) ±(1% of signal + 1 LSB)
DC offset accuracy ±(1% of full scale + 250 μV).
Can be improved by using the “zero offset” function in PicoScope 6.
Analog offset range (vertical position adjust) 50 Ω ranges:
±1.25 V (±10 mV to ±1 V ranges)
±20 V (±2 V to ±20 V ranges)
50 Ω ranges:
±125 mV (±10 mV to ±100 mV ranges)
±1.25 V (±200 mV to ±1 V ranges)
±5 V (±2 V and ±5 V ranges)
1 MΩ ranges:
±1.25 V (±10 mV to ±1 V ranges)
±20 V (±2 V to ±20 V ranges)
Analog offset control accuracy ±0.5% of offset setting, additional to basic DC offset accuracy
Overvoltage protection 1 MΩ ranges: ±100 V (DC + AC peak) up to 10 kHz
50 Ω ranges: 5.5 V RMS max, ± 10V pk max
Vertical (digital channels, with optional TA369 8-channel MSO pods)
Input channels 16 channels (2 ports of 8 channels each)
Maximum detectable input frequency 500 MHz (1 Gb/s)
Minimum detectable pulse width 1 ns
Input connector (probe tip) Staggered signal and ground sockets for each channel, to accept 0.64 – 0.89 mm round or 0.64 mm square pin, 2.54 mm pitch
Input characteristics 101 kΩ ±1% ∥ 3.5 pF ±0.5 pF
Maximum input voltage at probe tip ±40 V up to 10 MHz, derated linearly to ±5 V at 500 MHz
Threshold range and resolution ±8 V in approx. 5 mV steps
Threshold grouping PicoScope 6: Two independent threshold controls, one per 8-channel port
PicoSDK: Individual threshold for each channel
Threshold selection TTL, CMOS, ECL, PECL, user-defined
Threshold accuracy ±(100 mV + 3% of threshold setting)
Minimum input voltage swing (at maximum frequency) 400 mV peak to peak
Hysteresis (at DC) PicoScope 6: Fixed hysteresis approx. 100 mV
PicoSDK: selectable per port; approx. 50 mV, 100 mV, 200 mV or 400 mV
Minimum input slew rate No minimum slew rate requirement
Horizontal
Maximum sampling rate (real-time, 8-bit)
Up to 2 channels[4], 0 or 1 analog 5 GS/s 4-ch models: 5 GS/s[1]
8-ch models: 5 GS/s[3]
5 GS/s[1]
Up to 4 channels, 2 analog 2.5 GS/s[1] 4-ch models: 2.5 GS/s
8-ch models: 2.5 GS/s[2]
2.5 GS/s
Up to 4 channels, 3 or 4 analog 1.25 GS/s
Up to 8 channels 1.25 GS/s
More than 8 channels N/A 625 MS/s N/A
Maximum sampling rate (real time, 10-bit, FlexRes models only)
1 channel N/A 5 GS/s
Up to 2 channels 6824E: 2.5 GS/s[2]
6424E: 2.5 GS/s
2.5 GS/s
Up to 4 channels 1.25 GS/s
Up to 8 channels 625 MS/s
More than 8 channels 6424E: N/A
6824E: 312.5 MS/s
N/A
Maximum sampling rate (real time, 12-bit, up to 2 channels, FlexRes models only)
1 to 2 analog channels plus 0 to 2 digital ports N/A 6824E: 1.25 GS/s[3]
6424E: 1.25 GS/s[1]
1.25 GS/s[1]
  [1] No more than one channel from each of AB and CD.
[2] No more than one channel from each of AB, CD, EF and GH.
[3] No more than one channel from each of ABCD and EFGH.
[4] In this section a channel counts as either an analog input or an 8-bit MSO port.
Max. sampling rate, USB 3.0 streaming mode (split between active channels, PC dependent)
PicoScope 6 ~20 MS/s
PicoSDK ~312 MS/s ~312 MS/s (8-bit mode)
~156 MS/s (10/12-bit modes, FlexRes models)
Max. sampling rate to on-device buffer (continuous USB streaming of raw or downsampled data, split between enabled channels)
PicoSDK only 1.25 GS/s 1.25 GS/s (8-bit mode)
625 MS/s (10/12-bit modes, FlexRes models)
Capture memory (shared between active channels)
8-bit models 1 GS 2 GS
FlexRes models, 8-bit mode N/A 4 GS
FlexRes models, 10- and 12-bit modes 2 GS
Maximum single capture duration at maximum sampling rate
PicoScope 6 200 ms
8-bit models, PicoSDK 200 ms 400 ms
8-bit, PicoSDK, FlexRes models N/A 800 ms
10-bit, PicoSDK, FlexRes models N/A 400 ms
12-bit, PicoSDK, FlexRes models 1600 ms
Capture memory (continuous streaming) 100 MS in PicoScope software. Buffering using full device memory when using PicoSDK, no limit on total duration of capture.
Waveform buffer (number of segments, PicoScope 6) 10 000
Waveform buffer (number of segments, PicoSDK) 1 000 000 2 000 000
Timebase ranges 1 ns/div to 5000 s/div
Initial timebase accuracy ±2 ppm
Timebase drift ±1 ppm/year
ADC sampling Simultaneous sampling on all enabled analog and digital channels
External reference clock
Input characteristics Hi-Z, AC coupled (> 1 kΩ at 10 MHz)
Input frequency range 10 MHz ±50 ppm
Input connector Rear-panel BNC(f), dedicated
Input level 200 mV to 3.3 V peak to peak
Overvoltage protection ±5 V peak max

 

Dynamic performance (typical; analog channels)
  300 MHz 500 MHz 750 MHz 1 GHz
Crosstalk 1200:1 (±10 mV to ±1 V ranges)
300:1 (±2 V to ±20 V ranges)
2500:1 (±10 mV to ±1 V ranges)
600:1 (±2 V to ±20 V ranges)
  from DC to bandwidth of victim channel, equal voltage ranges
Harmonic distortion, 8-bit mode –50 dB at 1 MHz full scale
Harmonic distortion, 10/12-bit mode, FlexRes models –60 dB at 1 MHz full scale, typical
SFDR, 8-bit models > 50 dB on ±50 mV to ±20 V ranges
SFDR, FlexRes models > 60 dB on ±50 mV to ±20 V ranges
Noise, 8-bit models < 200 μV RMS on most sensitive range
Noise, FlexRes models < 150 μV RMS on most sensitive range
Bandwidth flatness (+0.3 dB, –3 dB) from DC to full bandwidth
Low frequency flatness < ±3% (or ±0.3 dB) from DC to 1 MHz
Triggering (main specifications)
Source Any analog channel, AUX trigger, plus digital ports with optional TA369 MSO pods
Trigger modes None, auto, repeat, single, rapid (segmented memory)
Advanced trigger types (analog channels) Edge, window, pulse width, window pulse width, level dropout, window dropout, interval, runt, logic.
Logic allows arbitrary combinations of up to 4 analog channels or MSO ports.
Trigger sensitivity (analog channels) Digital triggering provides 1 LSB accuracy up to full bandwidth of scope.
Trigger types (digital inputs) With optional MSO pods: Edge, pulse width, dropout, interval, logic, pattern, mixed signal
Pre-trigger capture Up to 100% of capture size
Post-trigger delay and other time intervals PicoScope 6: 0 to > 4 x 109 samples, settable in 1 sample steps (delay range at fastest sample rate of 0.8 s in 200 ps steps)
PicoSDK: 0 to > 1012 samples, settable in 1 sample steps (delay range at fastest sample rate of > 200 s in 200 ps steps)
Rapid trigger mode rearm time 700 ns max, 300 ns typical (single channel, 5 GS/s)
Maximum trigger rate PicoScope 6: 10 000 waveforms in 3 ms; PicoSDK: 6 million waveforms per second
Trigger time-stamping Each waveform is timestamped in sample intervals (PicoSDK) or time (PicoScope 6) from previous waveform.
The time resets when any settings are changed.
Auxiliary trigger input
Connector type Rear-panel BNC(f)
Trigger types (triggering scope) Edge, pulse width, dropout, interval, logic
Input characteristics 2.5 V CMOS high-impedance input, DC coupled
Bandwidth > 10 MHz
Threshold range Fixed threshold, 1.25 V nominal to suit 2.5 V CMOS
Hysteresis 1 V max (VIH < 1.75V, VIL > 0.75V)
Overvoltage protection ±20 V peak max
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 50 Mb/s
Standard signal frequency Sine (filtered): 100 μHz to 50 MHz; Square (full bandwidth): 100 μHz to 50 MHz; Other waves: 100 μHz to 1 MHz
Sweep modes Up, down, dual with selectable start / stop frequencies and increments
Sweep frequency range Sine / square waves: 0.075 Hz to 50 MHz
Other waves: 0.075 Hz to 1 MHz
Swept frequencies down to 100 μHz possible in PicoSDK with some restrictions
Sweep frequency resolution In PicoScope 6 software: 0.075 Hz
Sweep frequency resolution down to 100 μHz possible in PicoSDK with some restrictions.
Triggering Free-run, or from 1 to 1 billion counted waveform cycles or frequency sweeps. Triggered from scope trigger or manually.
Gating Software controlled gating of waveform output
Output frequency accuracy Oscilloscope timebase accuracy ± output frequency resolution
Output frequency resolution 0.002 ppm
Output voltage range ±5 V into open circuit; ±2.5 V into 50 Ω
Output voltage adjustment Signal amplitude and offset adjustable in < 1 mV steps within overall range
Amplitude flatness < 2.0 dB to 50 MHz (sine wave into 50 Ω)
< 0.5 dB to 50 MHz (square)
< 1.0 dB to 1 MHz (other waveforms)
Analog filters 50 MHz selectable filter (5-pole, 30 dB/octave)
DC accuracy ±(0.5% of output voltage + 20 mV)
SFDR 70 dB (10 kHz 1 V peak to peak sine into 50 Ω)
Output noise < 700 μV RMS (DC output, filter enabled, into 50 Ω)
Output resistance 50 Ω ±3%
Connector type Rear-panel BNC(f)
Overvoltage protection ±20 V peak max
Arbitrary waveform generator
Update rate Variable from < 1 S/s to 200 MS/s with < 0.002 ppm resolution
Buffer size 40 kS
Resolution 14 bits (output step size < 1 mV)
Bandwidth (−3 dB) No filter: 100 MHz
Filtered: 50 MHz
Rise time (10% to 90%) No filter: 3.5 ns
Filtered: 6 ns

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

Probe support
Intelligent probe interface Intelligent probe interface on four channels supporting A3000 Series active probes. Probe interface supplies power and controls the probe.
Probe detection Automatic detection of Pico P2036, P2056 x10 passive oscilloscope probes, and A3000 Series active probes.
Probe compensation pin 1 kHz, 2 V peak to peak square wave, 600 Ω
Probe compensation pin rise time < 50 ns
Spectrum analyzer
Frequency range DC to oscilloscope’s rated bandwidth
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, 1D0−2D7 (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-W1ire, ARINC 429, BroadR-Reach, CAN, CAN FD, DALI, DCC, DMX512, Ethernet 10Base-T and 100Base-TX, FlexRay, I²C, I²S, LIN, Manchester, MODBUS, PS/2, MODBUS, SENT, SPI, UART (RS-232), 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
Output functions Copy to clipboard, print
Output file formats BMP, CSV, GIF (static and animated), JPG, MAT, PDF, PNG, PSDATA, PSSETTINGS, TXT
Software
Windows software PicoScope for Windows
PicoSDK Software development kit (SDK)
Windows 7, 8 or 10 recommended (read more)
macOS software PicoScope for macOS (beta: feature list)
PicoSDK Software development kit (SDK)
OS versions: see release notes
Linux software PicoScope for Linux (beta – see feature list)
PicoSDK Software development kit (SDK)
Linux Software & Drivers for details of supported distributions
Raspberry Pi 4B
(Raspberry Pi OS)[5]
PicoLog 6 (including drivers)
See Linux Software and Drivers to install drivers only
[5] See www.picotech.com/downloads for more information.
Languages supported, PicoScope 6 Chinese (simplified), Chinese (traditional), Czech, Danish, Dutch, English, Finnish, French, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish
Languages supported, PicoLog 6 Simplified Chinese, Dutch, English (UK), English (US), French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Russian, Spanish
PC requirements Processor, memory and disk space: as required by the operating system
Ports: USB 3.0 (recommended) or 2.0 (compatible)
General
Package contents
  • PicoScope 6000E Series PC oscilloscope
  • 10:1 passive probes (4)
    • P2036 300 MHz probes with 300 MHz models
    • P2056 500 MHz probes with 500 MHz, 750 MHz and 1 GHz models
  • User’s Guide
  • 12 V power adaptor, universal input
  • Localized IEC mains lead
  • USB cable, 1.8 m
  • Storage/carry case
PC connectivity USB 3.0 SuperSpeed (USB 2.0 compatible)
USB connector Type B
Power requirements 12 V DC from supplied PSU. Up to 5 A (scope only) or 7 A including scope-powered accessories
Ground terminal Functional ground terminal accepting wire or 4 mm plug, rear-panel
Thermal management Automatic fan speed control for low noise
Dimensions 245 x 192 x 61.5 mm
Weight 2.2 kg (scope only)
5.6 kg (in carry case with PSU and cables)
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
Altitude range Up to 2000 m
Pollution degree EN 61010 pollution degree 2
Safety compliance Designed to EN 61010-1:2010 + A1:2019
EMC compliance Tested to EN61326-1:2013 and FCC Part 15 Subpart B
Environmental compliance RoHS, REACH, WEEE
Warranty 5 years