4425A 4-Channel Electric Vehicle Kit (EV Kit)

Electric Vehicles (EV) are being introduced by a number of manufacturers. Charging stations are starting to appear in shopping centres and they are gradually becoming more popular.

There are enormous differences between EVs and conventional vehicles and the technician needs specialised equipment to be able to work on them.

Electric Vehicles (EVs) have extremely high DC voltages, which are dangerous and therefore test equipment must be able to protect the technician. Pico have introduced a new EV kit. The kit has components and accessories that are designed for high voltages.

Please Note that working on EVs can be dangerous and life-threatening. Do not attempt to repair or modify any EV unless you have been trained appropriately and you have taken all safety precautions.

The new EV kit covers a variety of systems and all vehicle technologies. Please note that the EV kit can also be used for conventional (petrol and diesel) vehicles. The kit is available in a case PICO-PQ196, in foam PICO-PQ236 or in both PICO-PQ284.

Watch - EV Kit Introduction

Notable Accessories

The kit has a comprehensive range of accessories suitable for EV diagnostics in addition to the standard set of leads, clips and probes found in most PicoScope kits.

Two Pole Tester

First Step! The Two-Pole Tester is essential for safety and is used to ensure that the vehicle has shutdown correctly and there are no dangerous voltages present. It is not connected to the PicoScope and is used before you use your PicoScope to capture data. Its leads have retractable insulators to try to prevent accidental contact. It also has a built-in torch and a battery level indicator.

4425A Automotive PicoScope

The 4425A is the new 4-channel PicoBNC+ enabled automotive oscilloscope with outstanding specifications and reliability. It is suitable for both conventional internal combustion engine vehicles and electric vehicles. A standard USB3 Cable and a long USB2 lead are supplied. Four PicoBNC+ 1:1 Premium Test Leads: Blue, Red, Green and Yellow are supplied. More information on the scope can be found on the 4425A page.

Three 2000A Current Clamps and one 60A Current Clamp

All of these current clamps are PicoBNC+ and configure themselves when plugged into the scope. The three high amp clamps can measure up to 2kA and the main reason that three are supplied is to allow simultaneous measurement of current supplied to three phase motors. There is also a low current, 60A clamp in the kit. More information on these clamps is on the PicoBNC+ Current Clamp page. Typical tests include: 3 phase testing; motor winding current phasing; current split between low and high voltage batteries during charging and regenration current (DC) against accelerator / brake pedal position.

High Voltage Backpinning Probes

As mentioned above, working with EVs can be dangerous and special equipment is required. The kit has three red and three black special high voltage (1000V) backpinning probes to protect you from the high voltages.

High Voltage Differential Probe (1400V Version)

The High Voltage Differential Probe can be used for: Charger to Vehicle proximity line voltage; Type 1 and Type 2 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) communication circuits; and Volkswagen Audi Group (VAG) EV system active discharge and shut down (guided tests coming soon).

Insulation and High Voltage Meter with USB Dongle

The High Voltage Tester is an insulation tester and multimeter that can be used with high voltages. The dongle will allow the data captured by the meter to be coupled to the PC PicoScope Software, with time and date stamps. Please note that this feature will be added to future software versions and is not ready yet. The High Voltage Tester is supplied with extra test leads.

Coil on Plug (COP), Resistance and Temperature Probes

The PicoBNC+ COP probe is extremely useful for testing COP ignition (e.g. in hybrids) but it can also be used to detect the current in a coil allowing you to sense current in actuators and solenoids without having to connect. Detect charging current by detecting the magnetic field around the cable.

A PicoBNC+ resistance and a temperature probe are also supplied

There is more information on the PicoBNC+ Test Leads page.

Fuse Extensions (breakouts)

Fuse extensions or breakouts are very useful. Four types are supplied:

- Mini

- Standard ATC

- JCASE

- Maxi

The leads allow you to unplug a fuse, plug in the lead in its place and insert the fuse into the lead. This gives you access to measure current through the fuse and to measure voltage (a new feature).

10:1 Probe

The 10:1 Attenuating Leads reduce the incomming voltage by a factor of 10 which allows high voltage testing (e.g. Primary Ignition).

It is important to note that Standard 1:1 test leads are not capable of measuring high frequencies and are not suitable for high speed data systems such as CAN, CAN-FD, Flexray, etc. The 10:1 probes present a high impedance to the circuit being tested (important for Flexray) and are able to measure high frequencies.

Parking and Key Entry Sensors

Ultrasonic Parking (40kHz) and Keyless Entry (125 - 140kHz) Sensors are provided to test those systems.