My name is Brett and Im in the South Island New Zealand.  Small country town.  In a 3 man workshop with two older guys (im 34) who are pretty uninterested in keeping up with technology.  I have been in the industry for 7 years now.  Since i came to this garage we bought a scan tool (hannatech) and have now managed to get a scope.  To be honest im a bit lost and looking forward to learning how to get the most out of this great tool.  Mainly trying to focus on o2 sensors just for starters but cant wait to get stuck into all sorts once i can get my head around it.  Just amazes me what can be read from these patterns, just need the skills to understand them.  Anyway look forward to using this site and meeting a few members.

Welcome Brett, sorry to hear your co-workers don't share the same passion as you, but that often is the case these days.  So what type of scope did you actually end up getting?

The scope is a TiePie, done in a kit by a company here called AECS.  Have been doing some training with these guys and they are very good.  With the packaged scope i get a two day training course, not sure when i will get that though as they just held one nearby a few weeks ago (just before i bought my scope) so hopefully sooner rather than later.  Have been capturing a couple of 02 patterns today.  Got one great looking pattern from a 2000 Nissan primera but have a pretty weird looking on from a Falcon which im not sure what to make of.  Have attached file, hopefully you can open.  Seems to have alot of hash and all over the show.  Nope seems is not the right kind of file to post.  Will have to work out how to save as a jpeg.

Brett,

Good you could join us.  All new members should read the important topics on this board:

http://www.autonerdz.com/cgi/yabb2/YaBB.pl?board=sitefaq

Good tips for posting images and more.

Brettnz wrote on May 27^th, 2013 at 1:38pm:

My name is Brett and Im in the South Island New Zealand.  Small country town.

Hi Brett,
Welcome to the land of Nerdz. This is a great place to help you learn about scoping & so much more.
Grab all the hands on training you can get with your scope - don't let the sales people off the hook for the training!!

I'm a Kiwi (North Islander) but have lived in Perth for 24 years now. What town you from... my Missus is from chch.
Cheers

Hi Brett,
You have found a great place to learn about scope based diagnostics. There is a wealth of information here in the forums and the people will help you along the LSD path. Hopefully you can find a way to post your captures.
I think a few of us here have been along to AECS training seminars. Maybe beneficial to get scope time before you do that training.
You can download the pico software for free and follow along with some of the posts here.
I was originally from Central Otago but we shifted to ChCh when I was teenager. Looking at your pin on the member map puts you somewhere around Mt Somers area.

Guess my pin sticking was a bit off, Im a bit further south than Mt Somers.  Im in Fairlie.  Inbetween Timaru and Lake Tekapo.  Mackenzie Country.  Tom I had a look in the faq but didnt seem to find anything about different file types that you cant load through the attachment button.  Do I need to somehow convert my Tiepie files to something else or can i post via the post image button?  Nikk you said you can download the pico software for free, Is that so i can open the attachments that are posted in pice file type? Thanks to all for the replies, seems like a great place this. :)

Brettnz wrote on May 28^th, 2013 at 1:26pm:

different file types that you cant load through the attachment button

The list of allowed file types is there above the attachment browse window.

If you need another file type allowed, let me know.  I doubt many would be using Tie Pie though.  You might be better off attaching an image file type.


Brettnz wrote on May 28^th, 2013 at 1:26pm:

post image button?

Do not use the post image button.  This requires you link to the image url.  It is preferred that you attach your image so it will not vanish from some server somewhere else in the future. 


Brettnz wrote on May 28^th, 2013 at 1:26pm:

s that so i can open the attachments that are posted in pice file type?

Yes.  Then you can open the psdata files and examine them the same as if they were your captures.

Ok sounds good i will dl pico software and try and figure out how to change my tiepie files to image files.  Thanks Tom

What else would you suggest me doing with scope for starters to help me getting into using it? 

Brettnz wrote on May 28^th, 2013 at 5:00pm:

What else would you suggest me doing with scope for starters to help me getting into using it?

Welcome Brett!  I know the thing that I do and has helped me out a lot is I usually spend 2 lunches a week just capturing known good patterns and just looking at them.  Play with your scope and learn how to use it and all it's features.  It's difficult to find what's wrong, if you haven't seen what a "good" one looks like.  I have actually started getting other curious what I'm doing during my lunch and one of the guys spends at least one of those days learning with me.  Best of luck to ya!

Hi Scott, yeah cheers for that.  I have been focusing mainly on 02 patterns so far as recently did a course where we looked a a few and things that can be seen in them.  I have captured only one good one and a heap of ones that are a bit confusing to me. 

Planning to get a reasonably good car in which has a nice 02 pattern and then introduce an air leak and maybe a bit of extra fuel to see what happens to the pattern.  Still trying to get my head around the results at the 02 sensor from upstream issues.  Need to work out how to change my tiepie files to something i can post here so i can show the 02 patterns i have which are pretty weird. 

What is quite good with the software i have is that it has quite a good database of good signals which you can overlay on recording.  (does pico do this?) 

Brettnz wrote on May 28^th, 2013 at 7:28pm:

(does pico do this?)

Yep, they call it a "Reference" waveform.


Brettnz wrote on May 28^th, 2013 at 7:28pm:

Need to work out how to change my tiepie files to something i can post here so i can show the 02 patterns i have which are pretty weird.

It's a PC based scope, right?  Use the "Print Screen" (or maybe "Prt Sc") button when you've got what you want to show on the screen.  Then paste that into any photo type program (Microsoft Paint, Irfanview, etc.).  Try to size the image before posting it, otherwise it's usually too big.  Something around 1024x768 pixels or smaller  :-/.

Oh, I forgot to mention that you can use the "Test Board" forum to practice with your attachments if you would like.  It is located here:  http://www.autonerdz.com/cgi/yabb2/YaBB.pl?board=test

Thanks for that, will take it home with me tonight a see if i can get it sorted.

Welcome Brett, I'm in Wellington, we just got your snow blast from the south and not enjoying working working outside ;D ;D

bring on summer or someone offer me a job somewhere warmer :)

Hi, yeah bit of bad luck there.  That snowy blast went right around us and up the west coast.  Little snow on the hills but none in town. :P