Pico Technology, worldwide leaders in the design and manufacture of PC Oscilloscopes, have just launched an Application Programming Interface for the PicoScope 5000 series scopes to allow you to write your own software for the devices.

The PicoScope 5000 series PC Oscilloscopes are Pico's top-performing scopes, with the world's fastest real-time sampling rate, for a USB PC scope, of 1 GS/s. This, together with a probe-tip bandwidth of 250 MHz, makes them ideal for use with high-speed analogue and digital signals. The scope's huge memory buffer -- either 32 M or 128 M samples depending on the version -- ensures that the high sampling rate can be used on a wide range of timebases without losing detail.

The new Application Programming Interface (API) lets you go beyond the features of the PicoScope 6 software to build your own high-speed data acquisition applications based on the PicoScope 5000 scopes. Using the high-speed streaming mode built in to the driver, you can log data at up to 6 million samples per second directly to disk, or you can use block mode to capture data within the scope at the full 1 GS/s rate. You can also control the scope's built-in Arbitrary Waveform Generator and set up advanced triggering modes such as pulse-width and interval triggers.

The API functions are exported in standard C format, which is recognised by most programming languages including C, C++, Visual Basic, Delphi and LabView. Programming examples are provided for all these languages, and the whole package can be downloaded free of charge from the Pico website as part of the PicoScope 6 software.

Alan Tong, Managing Director of Pico Technology, said "Our PicoScope 5000 series scopes are already leading the PC Oscilloscope market, but we want to take them further. By releasing this API, we are giving our customers the ability to build their own custom software based on our products."

The PicoScope 5000 series API is available now for download from the Pico Technology website or call Pico on +44 (0) 1480 396 395 for more details.

About Pico Technology:
Established in 1991, Pico Technology is a worldwide leader in the design, development and manufacture of high-performance PC Oscilloscopes and Data Loggers. Since then, Pico has built up an impressive portfolio of products; including the PicoScope 2000, 3000 and 5000 series PC Oscilloscopes, the ADC 20 and ADC 24 High-Resolution Data Loggers and the multi-award-winning Automotive Oscilloscope Kit.

Pico Technology prides itself on offering innovative, high-quality and affordable alternatives to traditional bench-top test and measurement equipment, designed and built under the ISO9001:2000 quality system. Pico Technology supports a network of distributors in over 60 countries worldwide who are helping to build and maintain its enviable reputation in the industry.

Pico Technology Limited and PicoScope are internationally registered trademarks of Pico Technology Limited.