soft magnetic material Thesis Project Help

[moniqueX2]

Hi everyone,

I'm a final-year student and I really need help. I'm relatively new to LabVIEW, and I have a project where I need to measure the magnetic properties of soft magnetic materials using an Epstein frame. This includes plotting the BH hysteresis curve, calculating core losses, and generating the DC hysteresis loss graph.

I'm struggling, and time is running out. I need to process the voltage from the secondary coil and the current, then use that data to plot the B-H curve. I also need to display the DC hysteresis loss graph and calculate the power loss.

Currently, I'm using a PicoScope 2204A to capture waveforms from the Epstein frame, and I'm using LabVIEW to process the data from the PicoScope. However, the 2204A only has two output channels, which isn't enough for my needs. I’d like to know if it's possible to connect two PicoScopes simultaneously to LabVIEW.

Any advice, guidance, or code references would be greatly appreciated.

[ZYOng]

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@moniqueX2 wrote:

I’d like to know if it's possible to connect two PicoScopes simultaneously to LabVIEW.

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How to run two PicoScope in LabVIEW? 

Use LabVIEW to control separate sessions of PicoScope.

How to synchronize two PicoScopes?

This is a question to PicoTech.

Here is the answer from Copilot:

🧩 1. Using a Common Trigger Pulse

Although each 2204A lacks an external hardware trigger output that you can link directly, you can simulate synchronization by sending the same signal into both scopes:

• Connect the same trigger signal (from an external generator or one scope’s signal output) to a channel on both units.
• Use block-mode captures: both scopes will start when the input crosses the configured threshold.
• Limitation: This only aligns the start of the capture. Their individual sample clocks aren't phase-locked, so traces may drift over time. [picotech.com], [picotech.com]

This is the straightforward method used by users, but keep in mind it enables only approximate synchronization valid mainly for short acquisitions (e.g., within 10 ms of each other). [picotech.com]

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⚙️ 2. Software-Controlled Synchronous Start

If you’re capturing in software (SDK-based, LabVIEW, Python, etc.):

• Open both devices in your code.
• Disable hardware triggering and use API calls like ps2000RunBlock() or ps2000RunStreaming() simultaneously.
• The commands send over USB may vary in timing by ~10 ms depending on system load, USB bus contention, or OS scheduling. So, while both scopes start near simultaneously, this again does not ensure perfect sync. [picotech.com]