Audi DSO Training
Audi DSO Training
Oscilloscope
eReference Guide 970193
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Audi of America, LLC
Service Training
Created in the U.S.A.
Created 3/2013
Revised 9/2016
Course Number 970193
Always check Technical Bulletins and the latest electronic service repair
literature for information that may supersede any information included
in this booklet.
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Introduction ..................................................................................... 1
Knowledge assessment................................................................... 38
This eReference Guide provides information regarding the new application “Offboard Diagnostic Information
Note
System.”
This eReference Guide is not a Repair Manual.
This eReference Guide is not meant to replace the ODIS Service manual.
This information will only be updated electronically. Reference
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Introduction
Due to the increasing complexity of today’s electronic
systems in Audi vehicles, using a digital storage oscillo-
scope (DSO) to accurately diagnose electrical concerns has
become a necessity. It is important that every Audi Techni-
cian thoroughly understand the capabilities and use of the
DSO.
DSO_2
1
How to start
After launching ODIS Service, click
<Measurement> Operating mode.
DSO_10
DSO_14
DSO_1
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Initial set-up
Button functions
The following buttons are displayed by default when the DSO is first started:
DSO_1
The Freeze Frame button is used to capture a screen shot of The Lines buttons will increase or decrease the thickness of
a signal to allow it to be analyzed. the displayed waveform.
Channel A and Channel B buttons are used to select the cable The Time division buttons will change the amount of time
leads to use for displaying a signal. per square in the DSO grid.
The Measurement mode button is used to select the Time The Item buttons will move the location of the Trigger arrow
division range for the displayed signal. on the DSO grid.
The Bandwidth limit button is used to activate or deactivate Many of these functions will be covered in depth later in this
the band-pass filter. eReference Guide.
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Online Help
DSO_21
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Displaying Measured values on the DSO
Measured Values (MV) can be displayed below the signal on the DSO screen.
DSO_15
Right click on the control module that contains the MVs you want to view.
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The Selecting measured values windows will appear. The MVs will be in alphabetical order.
To go to a specific name, click the first letter. For example, “c” for Clutch position sensor.
DSO_16
DSO_17
A maximum of four MVs can be displayed at one time on the Measurement display (see illustration DSO_19 on next page). The
selected values will be displayed in order left to right, for example, a selected MV starting with A will always display to the left
of one starting with any other letter.
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The Measurement Operating mode will now start. (If the Multimeter is displayed, click <Oscilloscope> on the top of the screen.)
DSO_18
Click <Measured values Diagnosis> at the bottom right of the DSO window to display the MVs in a bar below the DSO grid.
The selected MVs will now appear, and the button will be depressed on the screen.
DSO_19
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In some cases, a description can be seen when the cursor is placed over the MV text.
In this example, the network status MV is displayed, when the cursor was placed over the second MV display.
DSO_20
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Measurement modes
Automotive signals can be classified by how quickly the amplitude of the signal changes.
If the amplitude changes over a matter of seconds or minutes, it is considered to be a slow signal. If the amplitude
changes over a matter of milli or microseconds (thousandths or millionths of a second), it is considered to be a fast signal.
To properly display these waveforms on the DSO, the correct Measuring Mode must be selected.
Writer Mode is used for slow signals and Auto Mode is used for fast signals.
Avoid using Auto mode when the time divisions are set to 0.2 seconds per division or slower.
Use Auto mode for repeating signals that change rapidly, such as:
Use Writer mode for signals that change slowly, such as:
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Auto mode
Once Auto mode is selected, the Auto button will be depressed, and Measurement mode Auto will be displayed at the bottom of
the screen.
The measurement mode buttons will only be displayed when the Measurement mode button is depressed.
The selected measurement mode will always be displayed at the bottom of the DSO grid.
DSO_22
If you want to change the settings, deselect the <Measurement mode> button to change the Time or Voltage divisions.
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Writer mode
DSO_3
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Long term measurement
The Long-term measurement mode can be used to record a measurement over a specified period of time.
The Long-term measurement button will be displayed below the Measurement mode button while it is depressed.
Adjust the Hours and Minutes using the up and down arrows
DSO_23
After the time has elapsed, the Cursor and Zoom functions can be used to analyze the signal.
Do not press the Freeze Frame button again until the analysis is complete because the image will be erased and the measure-
ment period started over.
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Auto set-up
Auto Setup works best on signals with a regular repeating pattern, such as an engine speed sensor. It will not work with irregu-
lar signals, such as a CAN bus signal.
If the signal is difficult to read or not displayed, Auto Setup can be used to set the proper time and voltage divisions.
Select the <Auto Setup> button. It will take a few seconds for Auto Set-up to run.
When Auto Set-up has finished running, the Measurement mode changes to Auto Level.
DSO_11
Auto Level will get the settings close, but they may not be optimal.
Deselect the <Measurement mode> button to change the Time or Voltage divisions.
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Channel set-up
Picking input
To select the desired measuring device, Channel A or Channel B must be selected. Up to two signals can be displayed in the DSO
grid at one time. To select Channel A, click the <Channel A> button. Then click on <OFF> to display the different leads available.
DSO_24
To select Channel B, repeat the process after clicking the <Channel B> button.
DSO_25
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Viewing two signals at once
After selecting the leads, the waveform will be displayed in the grid. More buttons will also appear at the bottom of the screen.
In this example, the DSO1 leads were selected. To adjust the Volts displayed in each box on the grid, referred to as Volts per
division, Use the up and down arrows while the desired Channel button is depressed. It is possible to display different Volts per
division for both Channel A and Channel B, but the time divisions cannot be changed individually.
DSO_1
To select Time divisions, both Channel A and Channel B buttons must be deselected. The selected time division will always
display at the top of the DSO grid.
DSO_26
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Viewing signals
When the DSO is first accessed, the settings will need to be adjusted to view the signal.
The image below represents an initial setting after the DSO was started. In this example, the waveform settings make the signal
difficult to interpret.
The waveform is displaying above the top of the screen. A waveform should never display above or below the top or bottom of
the screen. The individual pulses of the waveform are so compressed that they are unreadable.
To correct these issues, the DSO must be configured to display the waveform by adjusting both the time and voltage divisions.
DSO_4
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Voltage divisions
Voltage divisions can be adjusted in order to view more detail in the waveform. To adjust the voltage divisions:
Select the Voltage division up arrow <> until the Channel A voltage division displays 5 V/Div.
DSO_5
Deselect Channel A. The waveform now fits the screen, that is, it does not display above or below the top or bottom
of the screen.
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Time divisions
To make the individual pulses of the waveform visible, the time division must be changed:
Because the pulses need to be wider, the time division must be smaller.
Press the Time division down arrow <> until the Time division displays 0.5 ms/Div.
DSO_6
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If the Time divisions are set too low, the signal will start to round off.
Lowering the Time divisions zooms in on the signal. This affects how the signal is displayed. In this example, the displayed
signal is a digital signal with only two states.
When the time divisions are too low, the signal appears to have a gradual change instead of the instant change. Be sure to keep
this in mind when adjusting the time divisions.
DSO_27
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Slider
Notice that the height of the waveform only occupies about 25% of the screen (illustration DSO_6 on a previous page). While
this is perfectly acceptable, it may be possible to make it taller.
Move the slider down to the first division above the bottom of the screen as shown below.
Press the voltage division <> arrow until the voltage division for Channel A displays 2 V/Div.
DSO_7a
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Freeze frame
Using the cursor
To measure the amplitude of the signal, the Cursor function can be used to provide an exact number.
Tap the screen to move the cursor to approximately the middle of one of the high state pulses as shown below.
To place the cursor in an exact position, use the left and right Cursor arrows.
The high state amplitude is displayed in the box labeled Amplitude channel A.
The time value box can also be used, but typically this provides more value when using both Cursor 1 and Cursor 2 to measure
the time difference. This will be covered in the section on Pulse Width.
DSO_8
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Parameter changes
If settings such as the Volt divisions, Time divisions, or Trigger mode are changed while the Freeze Frame button is pressed, the
Parameters changed message will appear on the DSO screen.
Click <Freeze Frame> to return to a live signal, then click again to freeze it.
DSO_28
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Trigger mode
Button functions
Trigger mode can be used to help capture a fast repeating signal, such as a network signal or pulse width modulated (PWM)
signal.
This will make it easier to use Freeze Frame to analyze the waveform.
When the arrow is pointed up, the trigger will grab the signal at the selected amplitude increase.
DSO_29
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To capture the signal while the amplitude is decreasing, use the <Side> menu to change from positive to negative. The trigger
arrow will now point down.
DSO_30
Use the <Channel> menu to select the input. In this case, DSO 2 is active on Channel B, so the trigger arrow changes from yellow
to green.
DSO_31
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The Voltage type can also be changed.
To change this, use the <Connection> menu. AC, DC, or Ground can be selected.
The left and right arrows will move the position of the trigger arrow on the grid. The up and down arrows will change the Ampli-
tude divisions for the selected trigger channel only. The other channel amplitude divisions will not change.
For more information on the Trigger mode settings, refer to the ODIS Service User’s Manual
DSO_32
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Bandwidth limit
The Bandwidth limit button can also be used to adjust how the waveform is displayed on the DSO screen. If the signal does not
look correct, the Bandwidth limit button can be selected or deselected to see if the signal display is improved. When Bandwidth
is active, BWL will be displayed at the top of the DSO grid after the time divisions.
DSO_34
DSO_5
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Pulse Width Modulated (PWM) signals
Measuring the time period
To measure period:
Move the cursor bar to the left of the amplitude increase at the lowest point of the waveform.
Use the right Cursor arrow button to move the cursor bar until it starts to increase. The arrow on the bar will start to rise.
Select <Cursor 2> and position it near the next amplitude increase.
Use the right or left Cursor arrows to position it at the point where the amplitude increases from its lowest point. This will now
be the period for one full repetition of a PWM signal, both the ON and OFF time.
The time period will be displayed in the Time difference box on the right of the screen.
DSO_35
DSO_35
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Measuring the pulse width
Move Cursor 1 to the left of the leading edge of one of the pulses and then use the Cursor ► button to move it to the right until
the box labeled “Channel A Amplitude” starts to increase.
It is important to see where the amplitude begins to increase. This is the point where the signal switches ON.
Cursor 1
DSO_9
Go to the next step.
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Select <Cursor 2>.
Move Cursor 2 to the left of the trailing edge of the same pulse and then use the Cursor ► button to move it to the right until the
box labeled Amplitude difference A starts to decrease.
It is important to see where the amplitude begins to decrease. This is the point where the signal switches OFF.
The box labeled Time Difference displays the pulse width of the signal.
Cursor 1 Cursor 2
DSO_10
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Automotive Electrical Signals Glossary
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Square Wave: A digital signal that continuously alternates
between ON and OFF. A true square wave is ON and OFF for an
equal length of time. A variation of the square wave is the
rectangular wave, which is ON and OFF for an unequal length
of time, but is usually still called a square wave.
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Duty Cycle: The percentage (%) of time a signal remains ON
during one period.
DSO_7
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Leading Edge: When viewing a waveform, the change in
vertical height at the beginning of the signal. It is also called
the rising edge or positive edge.
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Networked Signals: A signal that consists of a sequence of
coded pulses (sequence of event signals) used to broadcast
data between a network of control modules. The CAN, LIN,
and FlexRay buses are networked signals.
!
Note
The following lists provide general information on sensors, actuators, and their signals. They are not intended to account for every
sensor and actuator in the vehicle, and applications include, but are not limited to, those listed.
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Analyzing Automotive Electrical Signals
Three factors
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Automotive Electrical Sensors and Actuators
Analog sensors Digital sensors
Thermistor: A two wire sensor that utilizes a resistor Hall Sensors and Switches: A two or three wire elec-
whose resistance varies with temperature. The thermistors tronic sensor that produces a variable frequency square wave
used in most automotive applications have a Negative Tem- signal. Power and ground are supplied to a Hall Effect Transis-
perature Coefficient (NTC), where the resistance of the tor which is located in a magnetic field generated by a perma-
thermistor decreases as the temperature increases. In a nent magnet.
Positive Temperature Coefficient (PTC) thermistor, the resis-
tance of the thermistor increases as the temperature As the magnet field is altered by moving the magnet in rela-
increases. tion to the transistor, or by moving a shutter wheel through
the magnetic field, the reference voltage is alternately pulled
NTC thermistors are commonly used as temperature sensors. high or low, resulting in a square wave signal. Hall sensors are
The temperature value is not obtained by reading the sensor often used to measure the position of rotating components
resistance directly, but instead by placing a reference voltage such as camshaft position sensors.
(usually five volts) and ground across the sensor and then
reading the resulting voltage drop.
Pressure Sensor: A three wire electronic sensor that
converts pressure measurements into an electrical signal.
Potentiometer: A three wire variable resistor that is used Power and ground are supplied to a pressure sensing device,
as a voltage divider. A reference voltage (usually five volts or which then produces a PWM or analog signal relative to the
battery voltage) and ground are placed across a resistance measured pressure.
element.
The third wire transmits the PWM signal to the control
A wiper is moved across the element to produce an infinitely module. While the majority of automotive pressure sensors
variable voltage signal from zero up to the reference voltage, fall into this category, some older types of sensors may use
which is measured on the third wire. In automotive applica- potentiometers to read pressure.
tions, potentiometers are commonly used as position sensors
for motors, or for measuring throttle plate position.
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Actuators
Solenoid: A two wire electromechanical device used to Motor: A device that converts electrical energy into rota-
control the flow of liquids, gases, or the operation of mechan- tional motion. On late model vehicles, the speed of most
ical components. To operate the solenoid, an ON/OFF, PWM, motors is controlled using PWM circuits.
or variable frequency signal (commonly a switched ground) is
supplied to a winding inside the solenoid, which in turn gen- If a motor has low output, checking the motor amperage can
erates a magnetic field that moves a plunger. determine if the problem is electrical or mechanical. Increas-
ing the electrical resistance in a motor circuit will decrease
Depending on the design of the solenoid, the plunger may be the amperage in the circuit, while increasing the mechanical
normally open, or normally closed in its rest state. A fuel load on the motor shaft will increase the amperage in the
injector is an example of a solenoid. circuit.
When the signal to the solenoid is switched OFF and the The direction of motor rotation can be changed by reversing
magnetic field around the winding collapses, the winding the polarity of the signals to the motor.
produces a phenomenon called “inductive kick.”
Relays that use more than four wires are usually variations of
this design, usually containing multiple control and switched
circuits. If a relay contains logic circuits, it is generally consid-
ered a control module, although it may still be called a relay.
Like solenoids, relays also produce an inductive kick. Automo-
tive relays may have a built-in suppression circuit consisting
of a resistor or diode placed parallel to the winding.
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Knowledge assessment
An On-Line Knowledge Assessment (exam) is Available for this eSelf-Study Program.
Please submit any questions or inquiries via the Academy CRC Online Support Form
which is located under the “Support” tab or the “Contact Us” tab of the Academy CRC.
Thank you for reading this eSelf-Study Program and taking the assessment.
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970193