Farnell, an Avnet Company and global distributor of electronic components, products and solutions, has today launched a new global podcast series, The Innovation Experts. Exploring the latest innovations in the world of electronics, the first series investigates how test and measurement equipment is key to enabling technological innovation.

The podcast series features interviews with experts from the world’s leading test and measurement equipment suppliers including Tektronix, Keysight, Rohde & Schwarz, Pico Technology, Hioki and Fluke, to understand how they are helping customers drive innovation across a wide variety of real-world applications. The podcasts provide valuable insights for buyers and design, development and systems engineers as well as amateur test enthusiasts wanting to stay up to date with the latest trends, challenges, products, tools and applications.

“Changes in technology and rapid modernisation are placing greater demands on test and measurement equipment manufacturers – and they have responded by utilising new technological advances in industrial automation and control technology combined with the integration of connected devices through IoT and IIoT to bring to market the most cutting-edge and innovative products,” said James McGregor, Global Head of Test & Tools at Farnell. “Engineers are now measuring, testing, analysing, recording and displaying data on almost every application in the world around us, from factory automation, medical applications and transportation through to checking defects in high-performance and power-efficient consumer products. Test equipment – and test engineers – have never been more important in driving technological innovation around the world.”

With new episodes released every two weeks, The Innovation Experts podcast will cover topics including how test and measurement equipment enables innovation at tiny start-ups right through to large blue-chip organisations, how cutting-edge test tools support innovative battery design for electric vehicles and much more.

The debut episode of the series focuses on how Pico Technology’s PC-based oscilloscopes and RF testing products have enabled hybrid working and new ways of remote learning throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Mike Purday, Business Development Manager from Pico Technology, joins Farnell’s Global Head of Technical Marketing and electrical engineer Cliff Ortmeyer, to discuss the capabilities and impact of using low-cost PC-based scopes through to high-performance products for a range of innovative – and unexpected – applications, from tattoo removal to monitoring the temperature of penguin eggs.

Cliff Ortmeyer, Global Head of Technical Marketing at Farnell and host of The Innovation Experts, said: “With this podcast, we wanted to hear from the experts right on the cutting edge of technological innovation in the test space. Over the course of the series, I speak with leaders from some of the largest test and measurement equipment manufacturers around the globe to find out how they deliver innovative solutions and empower their customers to build an exciting future. I’m delighted to have spoken to influential experts in this industry and we hope the test and measurement community will find their insights helpful and interesting.”

Responding to the growth of test and measurement globally, Farnell has invested significantly over the last 12 months to build a comprehensive portfolio which includes the latest solutions from world leading suppliers. Farnell’s in-stock range of test and tool products includes oscilloscopes, power suppliers, signal generators and digital multimeters, as well as soldering products, hand tools and 3D printers. Free technical support is available to customers 24/5 from Farnell’s in-house test and measurement specialists as well as access to online resources, data sheets, application notes, videos and webinars.

The Innovation Experts is freely available from major podcast providers including Spotify, Apple Music, Alexa and more.

The first episode, featuring Pico Technology, is available now on Farnell’s new Technical Resources Hub.

Farnell, the Development Distributor, has added the new PicoScope 6000E series of USB oscilloscopes from Pico Technology to its portfolio. The new generation PicoScope 6000E series is an ideal measurement and analysis solution for design and test engineers, Original Equipment Manufacturers, Contract Electronics Manufacturers working with high-performance embedded systems, and researchers and scientists working on multi-channel high-performance experiments in physics labs, particle accelerators and similar facilities.

As a market leading developer of PC oscilloscopes, Pico provides innovative and cost-effective alternatives to traditional test equipment and data acquisition products. Pico’s regular and free software updates future-proof products by continuously improving performance and extending operational life.

The new PicoScope 6000E series delivers:

• Eight analog input channels with 8-bit resolution and up to 5GS/s sampling rate.
• Ultra-Deep Memory waveform capturing memories of 4 giga samples (up to 2 giga samples per channel), many times larger than competing oscilloscopes and enabling the capture of long-duration waveforms at maximum sampling speed.
• Mixed-Signal Oscilloscope (MSO) option adding 8 or 16 500MHz digital channels when optional 8-bit TA369 MSO pods are fitted, allowing digital and analogue signals to be viewed together. Digital signals can be displayed individually, as a bus or as decoded serial protocols.
• 21 serial protocol decoders included as standard allowing serial data to be decoded simultaneously on all analogue and digital channels. This enables up to 24 channels of data, including decoding multiple SPI, I²C, CAN bus, LIN bus and FlexRay signals, to be done at the same time.
• SuperSpeed USB 3.0 interface and hardware acceleration ensures that the display is smooth and responsive even with long data captures.

The PicoScope 6000E series consists of two models: the PicoScope 6804E and the PicoScope 6824E that also offers FlexRes. This specification reduces the sampling rate to enable high-resolution 10-bit or 12-bit resolution for audio and other analogue applications, in addition to standard fast (5 GS/s) 8-bit sampling mode. The PicoScope series also offers informative display and advanced waveform analysis, increasing user productivity when conducting signal processing, high-speed communications, process control, avionics, power electronics, mechatronics and automotive design.

James McGregor, Global Head of Test and Tools for Farnell says: “We are delighted to introduce this exciting new range of affordable USB oscilloscopes from Pico Technology. Our range of Pico products give customers access to innovative PC-based test equipment that offers a modern and cost-effective alternative to the traditional benchtop products. We are committed to delivering the latest technologies for our customers and this range of cutting-edge scopes is an excellent addition to an already broad test and measurement portfolio.”

The PicoScope 6000E extends Farnell’s oscilloscope offering. Customers can also access to 24/5 hands-on technical support from Farnell’s in-house test experts, along with access to free online resources including datasheets, webinars and videos. Farnell offers discounts on test products to all educational institutions.

All models in the PicoScope 6000E series by Pico Technology are available from Farnell in EMEA and element14 in APAC.

The awards reflect the activity Farnell element14 undertook in 2015 to enhance product information related to Pico’s world leading PC Oscilloscopes, enabling customers to make more informed choices about the most suitable solution for their needs.