Using an oscilloscope to inspect ECU inputs and outputs
Today we are working with a Seintek S2800 oscilloscope. Note that tools can vary in shapes and
configurations.
This is a very useful tool for diagnosing an issue with a
cars electronic system, because not only do you get to see a reading in a
two-dimensional figure, it allows you to picture what is going on. It also can take readings in fractions of
seconds that gives it plenty of advantage over a typical multi-meter.
Now of course, every mechanic has his own style of
work, some of the older mechanics use
old school technology like vacuum pressure testing to diagnose a problem with
efficiency or misfires, but we might see the oscilloscope being a more popular
choice for mechanics in the future. With
all the features of a multi-meter, it can be handy single tool for electronic
diagnosis.
We were handed out work booklets with pages to fill out
readings and write conclusions to our investigations. I particularly favourited the illustrated
readings on the front page. It is a
comparison of two graphs, one showing a misfire in the ignition system, and a
healthy ignition system.
Notice how even though they are of similar shape in graph
reading, the healthy running graph is
significantly smoother.
Would be good to comment on what sensor you are testing and explain the Scope pattern. what we would like to see and what a fault would look like
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