Cleverscope Feature Wish list

Cleverscope Feature Wish list, a forum discussion on Cleverscope Mixed Signal USB Oscilloscopes. Join us for more discussions on Cleverscope Feature Wish list on our Desired Features forum.

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admin

30 Jan 2005
Posts: 29

* Triggered Arbitrary waveform generator / DAC, for test system
stimulus.

Digital and Analog outputs, with Analog ones able to deliver
some 100-500mA for power supply operation.
Needs to have merged trigger ability with the Scope.
highspeed USB 2 480MBaud interface.
bartschroder

4 Feb 2005
Posts: 477

Thanks for the suggestion.
USB 2 definitely goes on the list.
The synchronized arbitrary waveform dig/analog is a good one. We will think about it.
bartschroder

17 Feb 2005
Posts: 477

Cleverscope is currently being used in some ATE installations. The new version includes an integrated Sig Gen, increasing it's versatility in the ATE area. Anyone interested in suggesting the features of an ATE module. Currently thinking along the lines of 16 outputs, fast DAC based (say 100-200 MSa/s) with high current outputs (200 mA, +/- 15V), able to program low value, slew up, high value, and slew down, and pulse train or arbitrary wave.

A cross point switch to mux say 16 inputs to the two analog inputs.
An additional 16 dig inputs, with seperately adjustable threshold for each one. A quad programmable power supply, +/- 15V, 3A.

Test system software, step based, with built in graphs, waveform comparison and limits, fourier analysis and frequency component measurement and comparison, a reporting function, a database storage function. Labview drivers and basecode.
admin

18 Mar 2005
Posts: 29

Can you give more info the the ATE module ? I presume this is still in development ? - release schedule / prices ?
admin

18 Mar 2005
Posts: 29

Q : Can the 'quad programmable power supply, +/- 15V, 3A' also
include the ability to read back the Vo and Io, to good precisions
( say 16+ bits of ADC )
eg TI do a 50 Ksps 24 bit ADC, which would be ideal for PSU tracking.
bartschroder

18 Mar 2005
Posts: 477

The ATE unit is still in early development. We don't have a delivery date.
Yes - the programmable supply will include read back of current and voltage, and also current limiting. Often times the power supply is used to power up a unit for the first time, and needs to turn off quickly if there is a fault, so the power supply will include an 'electronic fuse' with user settable response time. The supply status will be readable.
admin

6 May 2005
Posts: 29

Hi,

If you had the ATE model with the features described here, we would jump up and down with joy and send a big check. We are building almost the exact system you described, but doing so by integrating lots of different USB devices ADC, DAC, programable voltage outputs, scope, logic analyzer etc. The hardest part has been the crosspoint switch. We are currently using an Analog Devices AD8114 16x16 bufferred crosspoint. The only limitation is the voltage range is a but restricive.

Good luck. If you would like to sell a few when they are ready, please email me at whitk<atsign>signal quest (with the first and second word paired together) <dotcom.

Good luck!
bartschroder

6 May 2005
Posts: 477

Thanks very much for the encouragement!
Design work for the ATE module is in progress, and will include the features we've been talking about. But, as with all these these, it takes time to get it done. In the meantime we do have users putting Cleverscope into ATE's.

In fact, if you look at the website next week, you should find a new section 'newsletters' with our first newsletter in it. The newsletter includes a description of an ATE made by one of our customers.

Good luck with your own test system!
albain

26 Jul 2005
Posts:

Matlab Data Aquisition toolbox drivers would be really useful, or at least a 'Save data to .MAT file' function.
bartschroder

26 Jul 2005
Posts: 477

That's easy to do - and we will add a menu item to save to a .mat file. We may also look at using the Matlab script server to run a script as part of the Maths functionality. The script can then export the data, or process it in some way. It would run each time the screen was updated.
admin

26 Jan 2006
Posts: 29

I'd like the arbitrary waveform too.
USB 2.0... and more MSps... so long as the price of the scope doesn't go too high... altho.. I still like 10bit... gotta keep that ;-) 4MB is optional to me... even 2MB would be plenty.
bit_bangi_boy

29 Apr 2006
Posts:

I would like to see a follow-on product with more samples per second and more bandwidth, along with USB2.0.

10bits seems fine for the vertical amplifier ... concerned a 12bit/16bit version would be to costly for majority of users.

If the scope could be 200Mhz+ and 500Msps/ 1Gsps, I would be very interested. Even if the added samples are only on the analog channels, and the digital maxes at 200Msps, that would be fine. For me, the 4M of memory is enough as long as the sample rate is controllable thru the range ... curious as to the adder, though. Is it possible to approach 200MHz and 1Gsps for US$ 200 to $300 adder???

I am currently doing a lot of embedded work in the 4/10MHz range. Before long, I expect to be using ARM and some others and expect to be clocking at 40-65++MHz, yet would like to use the cleverscope for those projects. I am concerned/expecting the current scope will hit a wall for my apps ...

Others in a similar boat????



BBB
bartschroder

30 May 2006
Posts: 477

Hello bit bangi boy,
Our medium term goal is to do a faster version with more memory. We are looking at several candidates for the sampler.
Options are the Atmel AT84AS004 2.2 GSA/sec 10 bit ADC (expensive) sampling 1 channel at 2 G, or 2 channels at 1 G, or the AT84AS001 500 MSa/sec 12 bit ADC (less expensive). In either case the CS328A (available soon!) will use a suitable FPGA (the Altera EP2C20) to allow us to achieve the parallelism needed to keep the data rate at a suitable level (we will be using 160 bit wide RAM at 125 Mhz for the 2G solution or 96 bit wide RAM for a dual 12 bit 500 MSa/sec converter at 125 Mhz) We expect the incremental sell cost to be of the order of USD1800 more for the 2Gsampler, or USD700 more for the dual 500 MSampler. Is this too much? Alternatively we can keep the cost right down by going to 8 bit (eg an additional USD 500 for dual 8 bit 500 MSa/sec converters. With 160 bit wide RAm, we are looking at 10 MSa or 20 MSa of sample storage.
bit_bangi_boy

3 Jun 2006
Posts:

Hello Bart,

Thank you for the response and for posting the design/cost tradeoffs in such depth.

This is tough .... the cost adders are more than I guessed, but I would submit dual 500msps/channel, with a USD700 adder is the best tradeoff, but it's a tough call. I can see a lot of potential customers sticking with the current model, because it seems that the data suggests/reinforces that the current scope is right at the sweet spot in design/cost tradeoffs for ""lower end freq"" embedded work.

For a larger company looking to make a purchase, the cost may be acceptable. For a start up business like mine, and I guess others on the forums, we really need to match equipment to immediate needs and are very cost sensitive. I can see marketing the ""deluxe version"", or even just waiting till the following product has a much higher bandwidth and sps for the larger firms that may be looking to supplement/replace those aging teks and HPs, as well as gear up some new FAEs.

Good luck ... you have a very nice product and I think you are in a great position to take market share from the ""big guys"".
dboechler

4 Jun 2006
Posts:

It seems to me that the ""big boy"" scopes are coming down in price pretty fast. It's important to not loose sight of the niche you are in. If you add to much cost to your product it becomes and ""easy out"" to go with the low end products of world leaders like Tek and Agilent. The new low end 1G Agilent would be one of those ""easy outs"" even if its missing a few features you may have. You have the advantage of not having the packaging costs and builtin display costs they do. Your product needs to have faster mhz, gs/s and additional features at a similar cost.

Secondly, If you want to make a name and keep customers coming back to your product include features like:

- Field Upgradable components like ADC Resolution, Faster/Bigger FPGA, MEMORY Expansion
- Modular upgrades like Differential, Ethernet, Hardware Web Servers
- Addons like http://www.contourdesign.com/shuttlepro for zoom and fast action macro enhancements
- Good Third Party software integration like Labview, MatLab

Microcontrollers, etc seem to be getting faster by the ns, we need solutions to keep up with that and not have to dump what we have six months later. Make it easy to upgrade...

Keep up the good work and good luck!
bit_bangi_boy

12 Jun 2006
Posts:

One other set of features I'd like to see ... decoders for SPI, I2C, and rs-232.

For example, It would be extremely helpful to see ASCII text displayed straight away from an rs-232 exchange, as well as the hex equivalent transmissions/exchanges while watching a master on a spi bus communicate with the slaves .... much more convenient to see a 0x40, 0x95, or what have you than counting endless 1s and 0s.

Cheers!
keenla

5 Jul 2006
Posts:

Controlling generator frequency/amplitude/offset/symmetry with external analog voltages through scopes analog channels(digital inputs :hi/lo/enable), using math equation builder output variables for generator control:

gna (amplitude 0...5V or 0..100%),
gno (offset -4..4V or 0..100%),
gnf (frequencyadj 0...1 or 0..100%)
gns (start @ >=1 or stop @ <1;ext.triger)

start/stop button to disable ANY generator output,and when
generator window or scope control panel closed(!) - SHUT DOWN generator.

freq step:is Hz; also ""% of range"" & ""total steps"(default:equals to number of frames or frame memory lenght depending on usage).

sweeping + stepping multiple parameters (automated freq.sweep at different voltages/offsets)
==============================================================================================

""Calibration tables"" of measured signal to display sensor output as real process value (import/export from/to exel or comma separated text; and manual creation: scopes measured value vs. manually entered value. Not specified values are calculated by linear approximation)

math:calculation options to include previous and next sample values (of same analog channel)

3-D graphing (to display multiple frames side-by-side / graphs using math_eq_b destinations:X, Y, Z, and color channels)

draggable sliders(very useful feature on all windows progs) and zooming by dragging slider edge...(fastest 'feel' of zoom/signal size/position)

cursor on graph( moving black dot) default mode: follows mouse movement by x-axis only. + dual axis mode (closest point to cursor:selecting peaks)
================================================================================================================

acquire module :

""take next frame"" (for new signal capturing) on single/triggered capture??( REcapturing all or 'from selected frame' once or recycling them all until stopped)

option to set fixed values for scaling/offsetting or autoadjust-mode.

pretrigger: floating mode(adjusts by dragging graph) or preset mode (% of scale or duration or number of samples)
duration and resolution pull-down menus with fixed presets (resolutions 1,2,5;10,20,50;100,200,500; and multipliers n,u,m,s) or floating mode.

(and little cosmetics for probe setting: x100 after x50 ; x1K to the end)

'external asynchronous clock in' - mode would be useful sometimes
JAL

6 Jul 2006
Posts:

The majority of expensive scopes are only 8bit. 10bit, 12bit, either is great in comparison.
500msps at 12bit would be awesome... that is the scope I would buy for myself... even if it is $700 more.
JAL

8 Jul 2006
Posts:

So...about when will these new products be available? Are we talking this year? Next year?

thanks
Jeff
keenla

21 Sep 2006
Posts:

time scale/zoom limits: less than 0.1ns/div(or 1 sample/div) and more than 1Ms/div not allowed (or max 'zoom out' to fit signal from edge to edge).
(personal opinion: one sample per 3600 seconds is enormous waste of pc/scope/energy resources;and vertical limits:1uV/div to 100kV/div would be enough)

there is time scale mess when going over ~ 250 Ms/div and back (overflow?)
and that range can safely limited to much smaller (closer to real) values.
(that setting/mess/program hang is also stored,when closing app)

spectrumgraph: negative frequency??? (and upper positive related to scope's bandwith; & vertical real-world limits also...)
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