OT USB Scope Question

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OT USB Scope Question

James Bennett
A bit off-thread, but sort of related - wondering if folks on this reflector have any experience with USB oscilloscopes. I'm considering adding an o'scope to my test bench, and came across an Australian company called Bitscope.com. They have several models and appear quite affordable. The nice thing is they work on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and Raspberry Pi.

I'm a bit limited not only on funds, but room for additional equipment, so one of those big analog models is out of the question.

Anyone using a Bitscope unit or any other USB scope here on this reflector?

Jim Bennett / W6JHB
Folsom, CA
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Re: OT USB Scope Question

daleputnam
Hi Jim,
  I have one 200 - 800X usb scope, use it every day to inspect for proper connections, board issues,
and the like. It is made in china, the manual isn't. But it runs under windows 7 - 10 and is pretty straight forward.
Now that I have one.. not likely to work without one.

Have a great day,
 
 
--...   ...--
Dale - WC7S in Wy
 
 


> From: [hidden email]
> Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2015 14:31:20 -0700
> To: [hidden email]
> Subject: [Elecraft] OT USB Scope Question
>
> A bit off-thread, but sort of related - wondering if folks on this reflector have any experience with USB oscilloscopes. I'm considering adding an o'scope to my test bench, and came across an Australian company called Bitscope.com. They have several models and appear quite affordable. The nice thing is they work on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and Raspberry Pi.
>
> I'm a bit limited not only on funds, but room for additional equipment, so one of those big analog models is out of the question.
>
> Anyone using a Bitscope unit or any other USB scope here on this reflector?
>
> Jim Bennett / W6JHB
> Folsom, CA
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>
> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> Message delivered to [hidden email]
     
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Re: OT USB Scope Question

daleputnam
HI Phil,
  The PC based scopes rely in the sound card.. and from its limitations, I have gotten only as far as using Spectragram by Visualization Software..
While quite nice for what it does.. a nice Tek 2235 can't be replaced.

Have a great day,
 
 
--...   ...--
Dale - WC7S in Wy
 
 


Subject: Re: [Elecraft] OT USB Scope Question
To: [hidden email]
From: [hidden email]
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2015 16:39:38 -0700


 
   
 
 
    Dale,

     

      Seems like yours is a microscope. I think Jim was asking about
      some sort of usb oscilloscope (which I've never heard of!).

     

      73, Phil W7OX

   

    On 9/29/15 4:25 PM, Dale Putnam wrote:

   
   
      Hi Jim,
  I have one 200 - 800X usb scope, use it every day to inspect for proper connections, board issues,
and the like. It is made in china, the manual isn't. But it runs under windows 7 - 10 and is pretty straight forward.
Now that I have one.. not likely to work without one.

Have a great day,
 
 
--...   ...--
Dale - WC7S in Wy
 
 



     
        From: [hidden email]
Date: Tue, 29 Sep 2015 14:31:20 -0700
To: [hidden email]
Subject: [Elecraft] OT USB Scope Question

A bit off-thread, but sort of related - wondering if folks on this reflector have any experience with USB oscilloscopes. I'm considering adding an o'scope to my test bench, and came across an Australian company called Bitscope.com. They have several models and appear quite affordable. The nice thing is they work on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and Raspberry Pi.

I'm a bit limited not only on funds, but room for additional equipment, so one of those big analog models is out of the question.

Anyone using a Bitscope unit or any other USB scope here on this reflector?

Jim Bennett / W6JHB
Folsom, CA
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Re: OT USB Scope Question

wb4jfi
In reply to this post by James Bennett
Hey Jim,
One thing to remember with any digital scope is that you need to watch out
for digital sampling artifacts such as aliasing of signals in question.
There was a ham I knew that kept complaining that his AD9850 DDS module was
operating on two different frequencies, sometimes at one frequency and
sometimes at the other.  I could not convince him that this was a result of
aliasing WITHIN THE SCOPE itself.  He bought additional DDS modules,
surprise!  They did exactly the same thing.  Then, he bought an old analog
scope and no longer saw these problems.

I do have and use a USB scope "in the field", but I am careful to understand
what that scope is telling me.  I also have a couple of analog scopes, one
on the bench, and one portable.  I can verify questionable results with
them.
73, Terry, N4TLF


-----Original Message-----
From: James Bennett
Sent: Tuesday, September 29, 2015 5:31 PM
To: Elecraft Reflector Reflector
Subject: [Elecraft] OT USB Scope Question

A bit off-thread, but sort of related - wondering if folks on this reflector
have any experience with USB oscilloscopes. I'm considering adding an
o'scope to my test bench, and came across an Australian company called
Bitscope.com. They have several models and appear quite affordable. The nice
thing is they work on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and Raspberry Pi.

I'm a bit limited not only on funds, but room for additional equipment, so
one of those big analog models is out of the question.

Anyone using a Bitscope unit or any other USB scope here on this reflector?

Jim Bennett / W6JHB
Folsom, CA
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Re: OT USB Scope Question

dw-4
In reply to this post by James Bennett
Hi Jim,
For a number of years I used a Fluke 97B 50 mhz scope.
Picked it up for $50 bucks on Ebay and used it for a number of years
then sold it for $50 bucks.  :-]
There are some youtube reviews of PC type scopes you might check out.
Best!
N1BBR

--
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Re: OT USB Scope Question

James Bennett
In reply to this post by James Bennett
I'm assembling a Softrock Ensemble RXTX rig, most likely for use as a 24x7 WSPR beacon; there are several construction steps where optional testing beyond the basic voltage, resistance, and current measurements can be done with a scope.

Jim Bennett / W6JHB
Folsom, CA

> On Sep 29, 2015, at 2:41 PM, Nr4c <[hidden email]> wrote:
>
> Do you want scope for audio or RF?  What bandwidth does the item have and is it enough?
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
> ...nr4c. bill
>
>
>> On Sep 29, 2015, at 5:31 PM, James Bennett <[hidden email]> wrote:
>>
>> A bit off-thread, but sort of related - wondering if folks on this reflector have any experience with USB oscilloscopes. I'm considering adding an o'scope to my test bench, and came across an Australian company called Bitscope.com. They have several models and appear quite affordable. The nice thing is they work on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and Raspberry Pi.
>>
>> I'm a bit limited not only on funds, but room for additional equipment, so one of those big analog models is out of the question.
>>
>> Anyone using a Bitscope unit or any other USB scope here on this reflector?
>>
>> Jim Bennett / W6JHB
>> Folsom, CA
>> ______________________________________________________________
>> Elecraft mailing list
>> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
>> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
>> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
>>
>> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
>> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
>> Message delivered to [hidden email]
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Re: OT USB Scope Question

Brendon Whateley
Although I don't own one, these devices seem to be improving all the time
and I wouldn't hesitate to buy one over no scope, or in addition to a "real
scope" -- budget permitting. I'd do a little online hunting for features
and reviews that would best fit my use cases. Just a quick glance at the
range of devices available in the PicoScope range shows everything up to
12GHz bandwidth, 16bit sample sizes and many inputs. Many also have signal
generators built in, which could make testing filters/traps/etc. a snap.

I'll share one interesting thing I was told by a representative of one of
the manufacturers at a show. I was talking about the performance of the
devices they were exhibiting and the possibility of getting the raw
digitized data into my own code. While that was suggested to be possible,
when I said I was considering trying it as the front end to an SDR he
pointed out a significant problem. He pointed out that the A/D in the USB
scope box ran too fast for USB, so the computer doesn't get all the data,
just bursts of signal. That works perfectly for a scope which by it's
nature doesn't display everything but would be useless for SDR.

Hope that is helpful,
- Brendon / KK6AYI

On Tue, Sep 29, 2015 at 7:16 PM James Bennett <[hidden email]> wrote:

> I'm assembling a Softrock Ensemble RXTX rig, most likely for use as a 24x7
> WSPR beacon; there are several construction steps where optional testing
> beyond the basic voltage, resistance, and current measurements can be done
> with a scope.
>
> Jim Bennett / W6JHB
> Folsom, CA
>
> > On Sep 29, 2015, at 2:41 PM, Nr4c <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >
> > Do you want scope for audio or RF?  What bandwidth does the item have
> and is it enough?
> >
> >
> > Sent from my iPhone
> > ...nr4c. bill
> >
> >
> >> On Sep 29, 2015, at 5:31 PM, James Bennett <[hidden email]> wrote:
> >>
> >> A bit off-thread, but sort of related - wondering if folks on this
> reflector have any experience with USB oscilloscopes. I'm considering
> adding an o'scope to my test bench, and came across an Australian company
> called Bitscope.com. They have several models and appear quite affordable.
> The nice thing is they work on Windows, Linux, Mac OSX, and Raspberry Pi.
> >>
> >> I'm a bit limited not only on funds, but room for additional equipment,
> so one of those big analog models is out of the question.
> >>
> >> Anyone using a Bitscope unit or any other USB scope here on this
> reflector?
> >>
> >> Jim Bennett / W6JHB
> >> Folsom, CA
> >> ______________________________________________________________
> >> Elecraft mailing list
> >> Home: http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft
> >> Help: http://mailman.qth.net/mmfaq.htm
> >> Post: mailto:[hidden email]
> >>
> >> This list hosted by: http://www.qsl.net
> >> Please help support this email list: http://www.qsl.net/donate.html
> >> Message delivered to [hidden email]
> ______________________________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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