Pico Technology has launched the latest addition to their PicoBNC+ family of products, the TA496 PicoBNC+ 60 A DC compact current clamp. The new clamp offers users improved comfort and accessibility, as well as all the ease-of-use benefits that accompany PicoBNC+technology.
Physical space between components is at a premium in modern vehicles as manufacturers look to maximize the available passenger space. This causes difficulties for technicians as they are left with little room for maneuver when parts need testing or replacing. In addition, tight spaces between components increase the chance of picking up interference when circuit testing. In all cases, Pico Technology aims to provide users with easy-to-use and easy-to-maintain accessories. Their solution in this case is the TA496 PicoBNC+ 60 A DC compact current clamp featuring a smaller design and improved shielding compared to the nearest BNC-equipped equivalent.
By improving its shielding and reducing its sensitivity to its orientation relative to the Earth’s magnetic field, the TA496 current clamp offers increased signal accuracy and clarity when compared to the BNC-equipped TA018 current clamp. The improvement is particularly noticeable when the clamp is operating in low ranges (as demonstrated in the PicoScope software screenshot above, where the blue waveform is from the TA018 clamp and the red waveform is from the TA496 clamp). These improvements help test repeatability and inspires maximum confidence in the results.
As it is equipped with Pico Technology’s proprietary PicoBNC+ technology, the new TA496 current clamp is very easy to use: It needs no maintenance as it is powered by the PicoBNC+ oscilloscope. There is minimal configuration as, once it is connected to the PicoBNC+ oscilloscope, it is automatically recognized, zeroed (i.e., the signal offset is automatically removed) and its output scaled by the software. Additionally, all probe functionality is controlled from within the software. These PicoBNC+ advantages offer significant user convenience and reduce the chances of an incorrect measurement due to a misconfigured probe.
The TA496’s full measurement specifications are: Two measurement ranges (selected automatically by the software) with the lower range being +/- 10 A peak and the higher +/- 60 A peak; a frequency range from DC to 40 kHz (-3 dB); and accuracy ranging from +/- 2% of reading +/- 20 mA, when in the range 0 to 0.5 A, to +/- 4% of reading +/- 630 mA, when in the range 0 to 60 A. For additional user protection, the clamp is CAT II 300 V rated and double insulated.
With its ease of use and accessibility, the new TA496 PicoBNC+ 60 A DC compact current clamp is a natural choice for PS4225A and PS4425A users looking to add a compact low amps current clamp to their PicoScope toolset (particularly if they are looking to upgrade from an existing set of BNC-equipped probes).
You can buy the new current clamp now! It is available from your Pico Automotive distributor or, directly, from the Pico Automotive website, here www.picoauto.com
