My name is Adam. I am interested in learning more about the PICO scope and how to use it effectively. I am thinking about buying one for the shop. It will be used by mechanics other than myself. Will it require special training?

PIERDOLE wrote on Jun 17^th, 2013 at 7:51am:

It will be used by mechanics other than myself. Will it require special training?

Welcome, Adam.

Each of our kits include one non-expiring Autonerdz Picogroup resources membership.

http://www.autonerdz.com/cgi/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1336513824

You can assign this membership to someone other than yourself.  Generally in larger shops there is one individual that is willing to invest in themselves to study and practice and therefore make use of all the Picogroup resources to reach a level of expertise they desire.  Then they can train other members of the team that may also wish to use the equipment.

Hi, Adam my name is George and I just recently bought the PicoQuad 4000 Kit, and I've never used a scope before, but, that's the reason I bought mine here at AutoNerdz, there very friendly and helpful, WELCOME  ;)

Welcome Adam.  If you want to learn about using a scope properly this is definitely the place to be.  I've purchased my Kit a few months ago and I've learned a ton in the past few months.  You have to put in the time and effort, but if you are willing to do that, then the possibilities are endless.  Good luck.

Sorry it's taken so long to get back here. The more that I read the more intimidated I get. I don't feel qualified to do this at all. I don't know much about electronics or automobiles and I'm not sure exactly where to start to get the knowledge. Is the NERDZ series really a good place to start or do I need to get a bunch of training to even begin to understand what is being presented in the NERDZ training videos?

Basic electronic and automotive electrical is what you test. But if you are buying for a shop you might consider this scope and some used nineties dedicated handheld simple unit to practice wit. Study here you will get the idea and there doesn't seem to be any better than this on the market.
The aftermarket is ruled by old money ( Snap On, OTC, MAC MATCO, FORD, GM, etc.) that has had a rough time catching up with the age of electronic communication. Nowhere in our past can we do what is done here.
Here, if I own this tool I can easily send other technicians waveforms and scan tool captures that I encountered on vehicles I have been working on. They can analyze what I saw and now there are multifold technicians offering insight on the problem jobs, not just me alone in my shop, lost. The expert fellows here have been more than helpful to me, a relative greenhorn.
The oscilloscope is a conventional tool used in other electronic markets besides automotive repair.
Study some more. Go to the PICO website and see what they are. They do more than just automotive. They only DO oscilloscopes and data loggers.
The other guys build hard tools like wrenches, toolboxes and ratchets and sockets or scan tools.
They build EVERYTHING but don't specialize in the oscilloscope.

PIERDOLE wrote on Jul 26^th, 2013 at 6:22pm:

I don't know much about electronics or automobiles and I'm not sure exactly where to start to get the knowledge

Start here, I don't have much experience in driveability problems, but I think I've been learning more here in a couple of months, than ever before, and I plan on learning more so I can contribute in the near future. :)

PIERDOLE wrote on Jul 26^th, 2013 at 6:22pm:

Is the NERDZ series really a good place to start or do I need to get a bunch of training to even begin to understand what is being presented in the NERDZ training videos?

Defiantly worth their money and is great training resource and heaps of training in them.

There is a learning curve to scopes but once you start using them and practice on known good vehicle to understand on how different things work and gain confidence you will wonder how you lived with out one.

I've had my Autonerdz quad kit for over 12 months and have learned  heaps in that time and does make you feel more confident in diagnosing those real problem cars that find their way into your bay.

Anthony Lamb wrote on Jul 27^th, 2013 at 11:42pm:

Defiantly Definitely worth their the money

  I don't know about you Aussies sometimes  [smiley=disimulo.gif]

  ... but seriously, I just didn't want there to be any confusion.  Pierdole, this is the place to be, you can put money on that  :)

PRESTON wrote on Jul 30^th, 2013 at 7:55pm:

I don't know about you Aussies sometimes

Down here we are a special bunch ;).

I didn't even notice that, a guy I work with sent a text message to his mate and did the same thing the other day too ;D

Adam, have you bought a Nerdz kit yet? If not please do.  I am a self taught scope jockey, and at times have traveled hundreds of miles for good training.  Most of this was on my own dime as the shop did not see the value in it.  But I did.  Interestingly enough they always enjoyed the new capabilities I had, and never hesitated to hand me special projects even though all in the shop were supposed to be equal from a dispatch standpoint. So when the money and support was not there I left.  I see this as investing in your shops future and looking at the long money.  I have had My Pico deluxe kit for two weeks now and am just astounded by the scope and the completeness and quality of the kit, Tom has done an outstanding job of putting this together. No regrets. One thing about a scope is you learn by doing, it is your window into things you can't currently see.  The sooner you start the sooner you will get to where you want to be. Just my two cents as a technician and shop owner.

PIERDOLE wrote on Jul 26^th, 2013 at 6:22pm:

The more that I read the more intimidated I get. I don't feel qualified to do this at all. I don't know much about electronics or automobiles and I'm not sure exactly where to start to get the knowledge. Is the NERDZ series really a good place to start or do I need to get a bunch of training to even begin to understand what is being presented in the NERDZ training videos?

Get the scope! Perhaps the best way to learn about electricity is through a scope, you can see electricity in action which is priceless when it comes to learning. A picture is worth a 1000 words... and when you combine Pico tech with Autonerdz you get the best of both worlds. You just need to get started, don't make it overly complicated, that will come later. In all reality, if you can use a DMM then you can use a scope, you'll learn the specifics as you go and the guys here will help you out. You can get the nerd series after the scope, once you've become familiar with it. There is no better choice to make ;)