TiePie ATS5004D Automotive Test Scope User Manual

TiePie ATS5004D Automotive Test Scope

Important Information

ATTENTION!

Measuring directly on the line voltage can be very dangerous.

Copyright ©2023 TiePie engineering.

All rights reserved.

Revision 2.42, May 2023 Despite the care taken for the compilation of this user manual, TiePie engineering can not be held responsible for any damage resulting from errors that may appear in this manual.

Safety

When working with electricity, no instrument can guarantee complete safety. It is the responsibility of the person who works with the instrument to operate it in a safe way. Maximum security is achieved by selecting the proper instruments and following safe working procedures. Safe working tips are given below:

• Always work according (local) regulations.
• Work on installations with voltages higher than 25 VAC or 60 VDC should only be performed by qualified personnel.
• Avoid working alone.
• Observe all indications on the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D before connecting any wiring
• Check the probes/test leads for damages. Do not use them if they are damaged
• Take care when measuring at voltages higher than 25 VAC or 60 VDC.
• Do not operate the equipment in an explosive atmosphere or in the presence of flammable gases or fumes.
• Do not use the equipment if it does not operate properly. Have the equipment inspected by qualified service personal. If necessary, return the equipment to TiePie engineering for service and repair to ensure that safety features are maintained.

Declaration of conformity

TiePie engineering
Koperslagersstraat 37
8601 WL Sneek
The Netherlands

EC Declaration of conformity

We declare, on our own responsibility, that the product

Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D

for which this declaration is valid, is in compliance with

• EC directive 2011/65/EU (the RoHS directive) including up to amendment 2021/1980,
• EC regulation 1907/2006 (REACH) including up to amendment 2021/2045,

and with

EN 55011:2016/A1:2017
EN 55022:2011/C1:2011
IEC 61000-6-1:2019 EN
IEC 61000-6-3:2007/A1:2011/C11:2012 EN

according the conditions of the EMC standard 2004/108/EC,

also with

Canada: ICES-001:2004 Australia/New Zealand: AS/NZS CISPR 11:2011

and

IEC 61010-1:2010/A1:2019 USA: UL 61010-1, Edition 3 and is categorized as 30 Vrms, 42 Vpk, 60 Vdc

Sneek, 1-9-2022
ir. A.P.W.M. Poelsma

Environmental considerations

This section provides information about the environmental impact of the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D.

End-of-life handling

Production of the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D required the extraction and use of natural resources. The equipment may contain substances that could be harmful to the environment or human health if improperly handled at the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D’s end of life.

In order to avoid release of such substances into the environment and to reduce the use of natural resources, recycle the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D in an appropriate system that will ensure that most of the materials are reused or recycled appropriately.

The shown symbol indicates that the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D complies with the European Union’s requirements according to Directive 2002/96/EC on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE).

Introduction

Before using the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D first read chapter 1 about safety.

Many technicians investigate electrical signals. Though the measurement may not be electrical, the physical variable is often converted to an electrical signal, with a special transducer. Common transducers are accelerometers, pressure probes, current clamps and temperature probes. The advantages of converting the physical parameters to electrical signals are large, since many instruments for examining electrical signals are available.

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is a portable four channel measuring instrument with differential inputs. The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is available in several models with different maximum sampling rates. The native resolution is 12 bits, but user selectable resolutions of 14 and 16 bits are available too, with reduced maximum sampling rate:

Table 3.1: Maximum sampling rates

12 bit
14 bit
16 bit| 50 MSa/s
3.125 MSa/s
195 kSa/s| 25 MSa/s
3.125 MSa/s
195 kSa/s| 10 MSa/s
3.125 MSa/s
195 kSa/s| 5 MSa/s
3.125 MSa/s
195 kSa/s

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D supports high speed continuous streaming measurements. The maximum streaming rates are:

Table 3.2: Maximum streaming rates

12 bit
14 bit
16 bit| 500 kSa/s
480 kSa/s
195 kSa/s| 250 kSa/s
250 kSa/s
195 kSa/s| 100 kSa/s
99 kSa/s
97 kSa/s| 50 kSa/s
50 kSa/s
48 kSa/s

With the accompanying software the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D can be used as an oscilloscope, a spectrum analyzer, a true RMS voltmeter or a transient recorder. All instruments measure by sampling the input signals, digitizing the values, process them, save them and display them.

Differential input

Most oscilloscopes are equipped with standard, single ended inputs, which are referenced to ground. This means that one side of the input is always connected to ground and the other side to the point of interest in the circuit under test.
Figure 3.1: Single ended input

Therefore the voltage that is measured with an oscilloscope with standard, single ended inputs is always measured between that specific point and ground.

When the voltage is not referenced to ground, connecting a standard single ended oscilloscope input to the two points would create a short circuit between one of the points and ground, possibly damaging the circuit and the oscilloscope.

A safe way would be to measure the voltage at one of the two points, in reference to ground and at the other point, in reference to ground and then calculate the voltage difference between the two points. On most oscilloscopes this can be done by connecting one of the channels to one point and another channel to the other point and then use the math function CH1 – CH2 in the oscilloscope to display the actual voltage difference.

There are some disadvantages to this method:

• a short circuit to ground can be created when an input is wrongly connected
• to measure one signal, two channels are occupied
• by using two channels, the measurement error is increased, the errors made on each channel will be combined, resulting in a larger total measurement error
• The Common Mode Rejection Ratio (CMRR) of this method is relatively low. If both points have a relative high voltage, but the voltage difference between the two points is small, the voltage difference can only be measured in a high input range, resulting in a low resolution

A much better way is to use an oscilloscope with a differential input.
**Figure 3.2: Differential input

**

A differential input is not referenced to ground, but both sides of the input are ”floating”. It is therefore possible to connect one side of the input to one point in the circuit and the other side of the input to the other point in the circuit and measure the voltage difference directly.

Advantages of a differential input:

• No risk of creating a short circuit to ground
• Only one channel is required to measure the signal
• More accurate measurements, since only one channel introduces a measurement error
• The CMRR of a differential input is high. If both points have a relative high voltage, but the voltage difference between the two points is small, the voltage difference can be measured in a low input range, resulting in a high resolution

Differential attenuators

To increase the input range of the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D, it comes with a differential 1:10 attenuator for each channel. This differential attenuator is specially designed to be used with the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D.
Figure 3.3: Differential attenuator

For a differential input, both sides of the input need to be attenuated.
Figure 3.4: Differential attenuator matches with differential input

Standard oscilloscope probes and attenuators only attenuate one side of the signal path. These are not suitable to be used with a differential input. Using these on a differential input will have a negative effect on the CMRR and will introduce measurement errors.
Figure 3.5: Standard probe is mismatch with differential input

The Differential Attenuator and the inputs of the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D are differential, which means that the outside of the BNCs are not grounded, but carry life signals.

When using the attenuator, the following points have to be taken into consideration:

• do not connect other cables to the attenuator than the ones that are supplied with the instrument
• do not touch the metal parts of the BNCs when the attenuator is connected to the circuit under test, they can carry a dangerous voltage. It will also influence the measurements and create measurement errors.
• do not connect the outside of the two BNCs of the attenuator to each other as this will short circuit a part of the internal circuit and will create measurement errors
• do not connect the outside of the BNCs of two or more attenuators that are connected to different channels of the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D to each other
• do not apply excessive mechanical force to the attenuator in any direction (e.g. pulling the cable, using the attenuator as handle to carry the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D, etc.)

Differential test lead

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D comes with a special differential test lead. This test lead is specially designed to ensure a good CMRR.

The special heat resistant differential test lead provided with the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is designed to be immune for noise from the surrounding environment.

Sampling

When sampling the input signal, samples are taken at fixed intervals. At these intervals, the size of the input signal is converted to a number. The accuracy of this number depends on the resolution of the instrument. The higher the resolution, the smaller the voltage steps in which the input range of the instrument is divided. The acquired numbers can be used for various purposes, e.g. to create a graph.
Figure 3.6: Sampling

The sine wave in figure 3.6 is sampled at the dot positions. By connecting the adjacent samples, the original signal can be reconstructed from the samples. You can see the result in figure 3.7.
Figure 3.7: ”connecting” the samples

Sampling rate

The rate at which the samples are taken is called the sampling rate, the number of samples per second. A higher sampling rate corresponds to a shorter interval between the samples. As is visible in figure 3.8, with a higher sampling rate, the original signal can be reconstructed much better from the measured samples.
Figure 3.8: The effect of the sampling rate

The sampling rate must be higher than 2 times the highest frequency in the input signal. This is called the Nyquist frequency. Theoretically it is possible to reconstruct the input signal with more than 2 samples per period. In practice, 10 to 20 samples per period are recommended to be able to examine the signal thoroughly.

Aliasing

When sampling an analog signal with a certain sampling rate, signals appear in the output with frequencies equal to the sum and difference of the signal frequency and multiples of the sampling rate. For example, when the sampling rate is 1000 Sa/s and the signal frequency is 1250 Hz, the following signal frequencies will be present in the output data:

Table 3.3: Aliasing

As stated before, when sampling a signal, only frequencies lower than half the sampling rate can be reconstructed. In this case the sampling rate is 1000 Sa/s, so we can we only observe signals with a frequency ranging from 0 to 500 Hz. This means that from the resulting frequencies in the table, we can only see the 250  Hz signal in the sampled data. This signal is called an alias of the original signal.

If the sampling rate is lower than twice the frequency of the input signal, aliasing will occur. The following illustration shows what happens.
Figure 3.9: Aliasing

In figure 3.9, the green input signal (top) is a triangular signal with a frequency of 1.25 kHz. The signal is sampled with a rate of 1 kSa/s. The corresponding sampling interval is 1/1000Hz = 1ms. The positions at which the signal is sampled are depicted with the blue dots. The red dotted signal (bottom) is the result of the reconstruction. The period time of this triangular signal appears to be  4 ms, which corresponds to an apparent frequency (alias) of 250 Hz (1.25 kHz – 1 kHz).

To avoid aliasing, always start measuring at the highest sampling rate and lower the sampling rate if required.

Digitizing

When digitizing the samples, the voltage at each sample time is converted to a number. This is done by comparing the voltage with a number of levels. The resulting number is the number corresponding to the level that is closest to the voltage. The number of levels is determined by the resolution, according to the following relation: Level Count = 2Resolution.

The higher the resolution, the more levels are available and the more accurate the input signal can be reconstructed. In figure 3.10, the same signal is digitized, using two different amounts of levels: 16 (4-bit) and 64 (6-bit).
Figure 3.10: The effect of the resolution

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D measures at e.g. 12 bit resolution (2 12=4096 levels). The smallest detectable voltage step depends on the input range. This voltage can be calculated as:

Voltage Step = Full Input Range/Level Count

For example, the 200 mV range ranges from -200 mV to +200 mV, therefore the full range is 400 mV. This results in a smallest detectable voltage step of 0.400 V / 4096 = 97.65 µV.

Signal coupling

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D has two different settings for the signal coupling: AC and DC. In the setting DC, the signal is directly coupled to the input circuit. All signal components available in the input signal will arrive at the input circuit and will be measured.

In the setting AC, a capacitor will be placed between the input connector and the input circuit. This capacitor will block all DC components of the input signal and let all AC components pass through. This can be used to remove a large DC component of the input signal, to be able to measure a small AC component at high resolution.

When measuring DC signals, make sure to set the signal coupling of the input to DC.

Driver installation

Before connecting the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D to the computer, the drivers need to be installed.

Introduction

To operate a Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D, a driver is required to interface between the measurement software and the instrument. This driver takes care of the low level communication between the computer and the instrument, through USB. When the driver is not installed, or an old, no longer compatible version of the driver is installed, the software will not be able to operate the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D properly or even detect it at all.

Computers running Windows 10

When the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is plugged in into a USB port of the computer, Windows will detect the instrument and will download the required driver from Windows Update. When the download is finished, the driver will be installed automatically.

Computers running Windows 8 or older

The installation of the USB driver is done in a few steps. Firstly, the driver has to be pre-installed by the driver setup program. This makes sure that all required files are located where Windows can find them. When the instrument is plugged in, Windows will detect new hardware and install the required drivers.

Where to find the driver setup

The driver setup program and measurement software can be found in the download section on TiePie engineering’s website. It is recommended to install the latest version of the software and USB driver from the website. This will guarantee the latest features are included.

Executing the installation utility

To start the driver installation, execute the downloaded driver setup program. The driver install utility can be used for a first time installation of a driver on a system and also to update an existing driver. The screen shots in this description may differ from the ones displayed on your computer, depending on the Windows version.
Figure 4.1: Driver install: step 1

When drivers were already installed, the install utility will remove them before installing the new driver. To remove the old driver successfully, it is essential that the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is disconnected from the computer prior to starting the driver install utility. When the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is used with an external power supply, this must be disconnected too.

Clicking ”Install” will remove existing drivers and install the new driver. A remove entry for the new driver is added to the software applet in the Windows control panel.
Figure 4.2: Driver install: Copying files

Figure 4.3: Driver install: Finished

Hardware installation

Drivers have to be installed before the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is connected to the computer for the first time. See chapter 4 for more information.

Power the instrument

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is powered by the USB, no external power supply is required. Only connect the ATS5004D to a bus powered USB port, otherwise it may not get enough power to operate properly.

External power

In certain cases, the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D cannot get enough power from the USB port. When a Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is connected to a USB port, powering the hardware will result in an inrush current higher than the nominal current. After the inrush current, the current will stabilize at the nominal current.

USB ports have a maximum limit for both the inrush current peak and the nominal current. When either of them is exceeded, the USB port will be switched off. As a result, the connection to the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D will be lost.

Most USB ports can supply enough current for the ATS5004D to work without an external power supply, but this is not always the case. Some (battery operated) portable computers or (bus powered) USB hubs do not supply enough current.

The exact value at which the power is switched off, varies per USB controller, so it is possible that the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D functions properly on one computer, but does not on another.

In order to power the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D externally, an external power input is provided for. It is located at the rear of the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D. Refer to paragraph 7.1 for specifications of the external power input.

Connect the instrument to the computer

After the new driver has been pre-installed (see chapter 4), the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D can be connected to the computer. When the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is connected to a USB port of the computer, Windows will detect new hardware.

Depending on the Windows version, a notification can be shown that new hardware is found and that drivers will be installed. Once ready, Windows will report that the driver is installed.

When the driver is installed, the measurement software can be installed and the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D can be used.

Plug into a different USB port

When the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is plugged into a different USB port, some Windows versions will treat the ATS5004D as different hardware and will install the drivers again for that port. This is controlled by Microsoft Windows and is not caused by TiePie engineering

Front panel

Figure 6.1: Front panel

Channel input connectors

The CH1 – CH4 BNC connectors are the main inputs of the acquisition system. The isolated BNC connectors are not connected to the ground of the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D.

Power indicator

A power indicator is situated at the top cover of the instrument. It is lit when the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is powered.

Rear panel

Figure 7.1: Rear panel

Power

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is powered through the USB. If the USB cannot deliver enough power, it is possible to power the instrument externally. The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D has two external power inputs located at the rear of the instrument: the dedicated power input and a pin of the extension connector.

The specifications of the dedicated power connector are:
Figure 7.2: Power connector

| Pin| Dimension| Description
---|---|---|---
Center pin
Outside bushing| Ø1.3 mm
Ø3.5 mm| ground
positive

Besides the external power input, it is also possible to power the instrument through the extension connector, the 25 pin D-sub connector at the rear of the instrument. The power has to be applied to pin 3 of the extension connector. Pin 4 can be used as ground.

The following minimum and maximum voltages apply to both power inputs:

Table 7.1: Maximum voltages

Note that the externally applied voltage should be higher than the USB voltage to relieve the USB port.

USB power cable

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is delivered with a special USB external power cable.

Figure 7.3: USB power cable

One end of this cable can be connected to a second USB port on the computer, the other end can be plugged in the external power input at the rear of the instrument. The power for the instrument will be taken from two USB ports of the computer.

The outside of the external power connector is connected to +5 V. In order to avoid shortage, first connect the cable to the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D and then to the USB port.

Power adapter

In case a second USB port is not available, or the computer still can’t provide enough power for the instrument, an external power adapter can be used. When using an external power adapter, make sure that:

• the polarity is set correctly
• the voltage is set to a valid value for the instrument and higher than the USB voltage
• the adapter can supply enough current (preferably >1 A)
• the plug has the correct dimensions for the external power input of the instrument

USB

The Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D is equipped with a USB 2.0 High speed (480 Mbit/s) interface with a fixed cable with type A plug. It will also work on a computer with a USB 1.1 interface, but will then operate at 12 Mbit/s.

Extension Connector

Figure 7.4: Extension connector

To connect to the Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D a 25 pin female D-sub connector is available, containing the following signals:

Table 7.2: Pin description Extension connector

All TTL signals are 3.3 V TTL signals which are 5 V tolerant, so they can be connected to 5 V TTL systems.

Pins 9, 11, 12, 13 are open collector outputs. Connect a pull-up resistor of 1 kOhm to pin 5 when using one of these signals.

Specifications

Acquisition system

2 V to 8 V ranges : 20 V
20 V to 80 V ranges : 200 V
Common Mode Rejection Ratio| -48 dB
Channel Isolation| 500 V
Channel Separation| -80 dB
Bandwidth (-3dB)| 50 MHz
AC coupling cut off frequency (-3dB)| ±1.5 Hz
Maximum sampling rate| HS4D-50| HS4D-25| HS4D-10| HS4D-5
12 bit| 50 MSa/s| 25 MSa/s| 10 MSa/s| 5 MSa/s
14 bit| 3.125 MSa/s| 3.125 MSa/s| 3.125 MSa/s| 3.125 MSa/s
16 bit| 195 kSa/s| 195 kSa/s| 195 kSa/s| 195 kSa/s
Maximum streaming rate| HS4-50| HS4-25| HS4-10| HS4-5
12 bit| 500 kSa/s| 250 kSa/s| 100 kSa/s| 50 kSa/s
14 bit| 480 kSa/s| 250 kSa/s| 99 kSa/s| 50 kSa/s
16 bit| 195 kSa/s| 195 kSa/s| 97 kSa/s| 48 kSa/s
Sampling source| internal quartz, external
Internal| Quartz
Accuracy| ±0.01%
Stability| ±100 ppm over -40◦C to +85◦C
External| On extension connector
Voltage| 3.3 V TTL, 5 V TTL tolerant
Frequency range| 95 MHz to 105 MHz
Memory| 128 kSamples per channel

Trigger system

Digital external trigger
Input| extension connector
Range| 0 to 5 V (TTL)
Coupling| DC

Physical

Power

Interface

Interface| USB 2.0 High Speed (480 Mbit/s)
(USB 1.1 Full Speed (12 Mbit/s) and  USB 3.0 compatible)
---|---

I/O connectors

System requirements

PC I/O connection| USB 2.0 High Speed (480 Mbit/s) (USB 1.1 and USB 3.0 compatible)
---|---
Operating System| Windows 10, 32 and 64 bits

Environmental conditions

Operating

Ambient temperature| 0 ◦C to 55◦C
Relative humidity| 10 to 90% non condensing
Storage
Ambient temperature| -20◦C to 70◦C
Relative humidity| 5 to 95% non condensing

Certifications and Compliances

Measure leads

Connectors
Instrument side| isolated male BNC connector
Test point side| red and black 4 mm shrouded banana plugs
Bandwidth| 7 MHz
Safety| CAT III, 1000 V, double isolated
Dimensions
Total length| 2000 mm
Length to split| 800 mm
Length individual ends| 1200 mm
Weight| 80 g
Color| black
Heat resistant| yes
Certification and compliances
CE conformity| yes
RoHS| yes
Accessories
Color coding rings| 5 x 3 rings, various colors
Suitable instrument| Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D

Differential attenuators

Dimensions
Length| 79 mm
Diameter| 19 mm
Weight| 30 g
Suitable instrument| Automotive Test Scope ATS5004D

Package contents

plugs
Accessories| 4 x TP-DA10 1:10 differential attenuators USB power cable
Software| Windows 10, 32 and 64 bits, via website
Drivers| Windows 10, 32 and 64 bits, via website
Software Development Kit| Windows 10 and Linux, via website
Manual| Instrument manual and software manual

Customer Support

If you have any suggestions and/or remarks regarding this manual, please contact:

TiePie engineering
Koperslagersstraat 37
8601 WL SNEEK
The Netherlands

Tel.: +31 515 415 416
Fax: +31 515 418 819
E-mail: support@tiepie.nl
Site: www.tiepie.com

TiePie engineering ATS5004D instrument manual revision 2.42, May 2023

References

• TiePie - USB oscilloscopes, spectrum analyzers, data loggers, multimeters, Arbitrary Waveform Generators

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