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Books (more info)

Principles of light vehicle operations (designed for level 1 automotive students)

Principles of light vehicle maintenance and repair (designed for level 2 automotive students)

Principles of light vehicle technology (designed for level 3 automotive students)

Automotive master technician (designed for level 4 automotive master technician students)

​Motorcycle maintenance and repair (designed for level 1 and 2 motorcycle students)

Principles of light vehicle air conditioning (designed for candidates undertaking F-Gas refrigerant handling or air conditioning qualifications)

Hybrid electric and alternative automotive propulsion (designed to support entry level students with information on low carbon technologies)

Automotive Oscilloscopes Waveform Analysis


Automotive Oscilloscopes and Waveform Analysis
This book has been written because the rapid growth of technology used in cars has highlighted the need for a thorough approach to vehicle diagnosis and repair.
An OBD scan tool is vital for modern vehicle diagnostics; however, trouble codes will only take you so far. The problem can arise when the phrase ‘fault code’ is used in connection with diagnosis. A code will rarely point you directly to the root cause of a vehicle fault, but can help focus your diagnosis on a specific area and run functional tests etc.
It is the oscilloscope (or scope) that can truly test the operation and health of a system component.
An effective diagnostic routine should always begin with a logical assessment of symptoms, and then uses reasoning to reduce the possible number of options, before following a systematic approach to finding and fixing the root cause.
A very important thing to remember about oscilloscopes, is that they should be easy to set- up and use; otherwise they’ll be passed over for a more familiar tool within your comfort zone.
Remember that nothing ever happens within your comfort zone.
There is a great deal of misconception about how difficult a scope can be to set-up, and once you are used to your own equipment, if it is laid out and ready to use, it will soon become your diagnostic tool of choice.
This book has been written to help you get the most from your oscilloscope, and has been designed to give straightforward and uncomplicated methods that can be used effectively for automotive diagnosis. Further in-depth training can then be undertaken to help reinforce the concepts explained.

The chapters will introduce you to health and safety, electrical principles and the set-up and use of oscilloscopes, including key terms, points of interest and diagnostic tips to support the information provided within the text.
Chapters:
How to use this book
Oscilloscope quick set-up guide
Chapter 1 Electrical Fundamentals
Chapter 2 Introduction to Oscilloscopes
Chapter 3 Automotive Actuators and Waveform Analysis
Chapter 4 Automotive Sensors and Waveform Analysis
Chapter 5 Automotive Ignition Systems and Waveform Analysis
Chapter 6 Automotive Network Systems and Waveform Analysis
Chapter 7 Automotive Pressure Testing and Waveform Analysis
This book offers:
Information to help Automotive Technicians systematically diagnose electrical and electronic vehicle faults using an oscilloscope.
Ideal support for learners and tutors undertaking automotive qualifications.
A large number of illustrations to support knowledge and understanding, with an analysis of automotive waveforms.

RRP £34.99
Order now on Amazon, Wordery, Watersones, Barnes & Noble


Some of the waveforms and analysis contained in this book are based around the Automotive tests included with PicoScope, the most popular Automotive Oscilloscope. More information and some really useful additional resources can be found on the Pico Technology website www.picoauto.com.

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