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DIY Stompboxes => Building your own stompbox => Topic started by: buildafriend on March 29, 2011, 10:49:17 PM

Title: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: buildafriend on March 29, 2011, 10:49:17 PM
Are USB / digital pocket sized oscilloscopes generally usable for analog audio circuit designers / techs? Are they good enough? They seem very affordable (around 150USD to 400USD). If they are not good enough for us then what cheap oscilloscopes are there that are currently available in the new or used market that get the job done?
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: Pablo1234 on March 29, 2011, 11:32:02 PM
Yes they are more than good enough for Audio and some Digital. I have a Stingray and it can look at up too 400kHz. Also if you are interested in learning Microprocessors the Parallax Propscope is a Propeller MicroController 32 bit 8 core (no interrupts but no Multiply/Divide without writing some code to do binary math).
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: buildafriend on March 30, 2011, 01:58:23 AM
Quote from: Pablo1234 on March 29, 2011, 11:32:02 PM
Yes they are more than good enough for Audio and some Digital. I have a Stingray and it can look at up too 400kHz. Also if you are interested in learning Microprocessors the Parallax Propscope is a Propeller MicroController 32 bit 8 core (no interrupts but no Multiply/Divide without writing some code to do binary math).

Thanks
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: waltk on March 30, 2011, 10:15:23 AM
I've been looking at pocket-sized scopes as well.  There are a pile of them on Ebay for as little as $70-$80 (the ARM-based DSOs with open source software).

Another option is to pick up a used full-size scope.  I got one for ~$100.  It's just a little tricky making sure you're not buying one with problems.
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: potul on March 30, 2011, 10:24:37 AM
I bought this one, simple and cheap. Enough for most of my needs.

http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/digital-storage-oscilloscope-with-panels-p-514.html?cPath=174 (http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/digital-storage-oscilloscope-with-panels-p-514.html?cPath=174)
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: earthtonesaudio on March 30, 2011, 10:44:52 AM
I just ordered this earlier today!  Lead time is 4 weeks but I'll definitely post a review once I've had a chance to use it.
http://gabotronics.com/development-boards/xmega-xprotolab.htm
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: Paul Marossy on March 30, 2011, 10:47:19 AM
Quote from: earthtonesaudio on March 30, 2011, 10:44:52 AM
I just ordered this earlier today!  Lead time is 4 weeks but I'll definitely post a review once I've had a chance to use it.
http://gabotronics.com/development-boards/xmega-xprotolab.htm

Wow, that is tiny!  :icon_eek:
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: azrael on March 30, 2011, 11:49:16 AM
Quote from: earthtonesaudio on March 30, 2011, 10:44:52 AM
I just ordered this earlier today!  Lead time is 4 weeks but I'll definitely post a review once I've had a chance to use it.
http://gabotronics.com/development-boards/xmega-xprotolab.htm
I've been thinking about getting that one! Let use know how it is, for sure. :D
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: potul on March 30, 2011, 03:47:43 PM
wow, great little gadget!
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: earthtonesaudio on May 03, 2011, 12:55:21 PM
Quote from: earthtonesaudio on March 30, 2011, 10:44:52 AM
I just ordered this earlier today!  Lead time is 4 weeks but I'll definitely post a review once I've had a chance to use it.
http://gabotronics.com/development-boards/xmega-xprotolab.htm

Received it yesterday, have not had a chance to try it out, but I have to say that, in person, it seems even smaller!  Could possibly fit in a 1590A...  :icon_twisted:
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: teletroy on May 03, 2011, 04:35:35 PM
that's nuts! :)
(http://www.gabotronics.com/components/com_virtuemart/shop_image/product/size.jpg)

Did it come with probes?
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: bean on May 03, 2011, 04:57:24 PM
Check out the DSO Nano
http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/micro-digital-storage-oscilloscopedso-nano-p-512.html

(http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/images/dsointro.jpg)
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: RedHouse on May 04, 2011, 01:10:37 AM
I just bought a Nano v2, ...just for fun.
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: Perrow on May 04, 2011, 03:28:07 AM
Quote from: earthtonesaudio on May 03, 2011, 12:55:21 PM
Quote from: earthtonesaudio on March 30, 2011, 10:44:52 AM
I just ordered this earlier today!  Lead time is 4 weeks but I'll definitely post a review once I've had a chance to use it.
http://gabotronics.com/development-boards/xmega-xprotolab.htm

Received it yesterday, have not had a chance to try it out, but I have to say that, in person, it seems even smaller!  Could possibly fit in a 1590A...  :icon_twisted:

By my calculations you could fit two of them in a 1590A  :icon_eek:

Not that I know why you'd want to, just saying you could.
Title: Re: USB and pocked sized digital oscilloscopes
Post by: earthtonesaudio on May 06, 2011, 01:12:59 AM
Finally had some time to mess with the Xprotolab.  It's really cute and actually works quite well.  The screen is microscopic but very crisp.  The interface is easier than I thought it would be.  The autotrigger works very well (tracks my guitar better than my analog CRT scope) and navigating through the menus is fairly efficient.  The FFT and signal generator are cool to have.

I'm digging it.