I am new to oscilloscopes. I do not own an automotive oscilloscope but I am in the market to purchase one.
I like the reviews on the pico but it is more than I want to invest for my first scope.
Does anyone have experience with the Launch X-431 oscilloscope that interfaces with the bidirectional tool? I own the X-431 and happy with it so far after a year of use. My concern is the ability to zoom in closer to a wave form. From what I have seen on YouTube the pico software allows you to zoom in much tighter on a wave form.
I am a DIY guy. Not a professional automotive technician. I am a mechanical engineer wanting to learn more about automotive diagnostics.
I own the Thinkcar scope which is pretty much the same as the Launch scope and I have hooked it up to my X-431 and it has all of the same features that it has when hooked to my Thinktool Pros scanner. It's a decent scope but not on the same level as a Pico. It will work well for a DIY'er which I also am. It does have a zoom feature which works ok.
You are welcome. The Topdon scope is also the same scope so it comes down to who has it the cheapest. It is still close to $1K which is a lot to invest. I also have the AESwave Uscope which is nice but is only one channel. Having more than one channel is preferred.
Like you, I'm a DIY'er who wanted to learn more about diagnostics, so I was willing to invest the money to be able to so. I'm 57 and have been working on cars since I was a teenager.
It’s apparent you are more educated than myself. At 57 I still want to learn. I don’t claim to be the brightest crayon in the box but I work hard to learn.
Currently I am trying to decide whether to start off inexpensive with Launch or wait until later next year and purchase a pico.
I do not spend too much time working on my vehicles. They have been well maintained for 12+ years. Instead I dedicate time helping those with financial difficulties and need help with their car.
I welcome your opinion since you already own scopes.
I started really digging into diagnostics about five years ago when one of our vehicles had a parasitic drain that took me several days to track down. After finding the problem, I realized that I took the long way around to fixing it and decided I needed to get better at it and found that I really enjoy learning about diagnostics which was a weak point in my automotive experience.
I would start out with the cheaper scope because most of the stuff that I have fixed since starting on this diagnostic journey was without a scope. I have only used my Uscope a few times in the four years I have had it and the same with my Thinkcar scope in the three years I have owned it. It sounds like you may work on more vehicles than I do so you might end up using one more often. I also work on other people's vehicles more often than my own because like you, I maintain my stuff very well.
You mentioned a lot of good points and it made me reflect on the use of my bi-directional scanner. On average I pull out my Launch about every 2-3 months. Most of what I do doesn’t require a scan tool. Like yourself I am trying to master the fundamentals using a Digital Multimeter and a test light. I feel your suggestion is sound. Start inexpensive and work up to something more advanced at a later date.
I have been working off and on helping out our local mail carrier with her Dodge Grand Caravan. It will randomly shut off at idle. No problem restarting. No engine codes. I am trying to run some checks by keeping with the fundamentals. I figured a scope may help me look for the problem.
I have a friend who is a service technician for Jaguar and BMW who has a great saying, “It’s typically something simple.”
I appreciate you sharing your personal experiences and your opinion. They were of great benefit.
Like you, I don't use my scanners all that often but they are nice to have when needed.
A scope will definitely up your diagnostic game as long as you learn what you are looking at and the best way is to just use it on known good vehicles so that you know what a bad capture is when you encounter one.
A couple of guys that I would recommend you watch on Youtube other than Scanner Danner if you are not already watching them is Jake at Automotive Diagnostics and Programming and Ivan at Pine Hollow Auto Diagnostics. They are both extremely Knowledgeable and use scopes on a regular basis. You will get some good usage ideas by watching their channels.
You're going through the same thoughts as I did recently. Get a standalone scope, or one that ties to my scan tool. In my case, a TopDon Phoenix Scope paired to a Phoenix Plus 2.
I went with the Phoenix Scope. Very capable, nice tool. I'm sure the Launch scope is very similar. I like having one tool for both. Convenient, but more on that later. Couple of downsides... the software is a bit intimidating for a beginner and not as friendly to manipulate the screen, Not saying the software is bad, because it is pretty good. But it is limited by the fact it's a 10" Android touchscreen. The second downside for me is, if I want to watch the scope while I use the scan tool to activate a function, well, I can't view both screens because you have to switch screens to do that. DOH!
I then decided to get a $130 Pico 2204A just to try out Windows based software. Boy, night and day. At least for me. And the convenience of having two live screens overrides the convenience of have just one tool. Lesson learned.
If I had to do it again, I would start with the Pico 2204A, learn how to really use a scope, and then move up to the Phoenix Scope (in your case the Launch). But so far, I'm not sure I need the additional performance of the $600 Phoenix Scope (4 channels vs 2, more bandwidth) because I've yet to get close to the limits of the $130 Pico 2204A. And I've been trying all sorts of test for the fun of it.
I have heard good things about the 2 channel Pico but never got one because I didn't want to buy another laptop at the time. I did eventually buy another laptop so I could use Forscan with it, but I had already bought the Launch scope by then. I may buy the 2 Channel Pico at some point just to try out but I'm not in any hurry to do so. Sorry it took me so long to respond but for some reason I was not able to access this thread until now for some reason.
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