new Digital Discovery feature: external trigger input

[QTee]

Is it possible to add a new feature to Digital Discovery?

What is needed is an input to externally trigger the output of the programmed pattern. 

Some deterministic delay between external trigger start and first programmed pattern bit can be accepted as long as it is deterministic.

Ideally, the trigger can output the pattern as programmed into the UI (32Kbit length) or loaded into the 256MB memory buffer.

Losing the use of one bit on the Pattern Generator side or the Logic Analyzer side would not be a detriment based on the gain of the use of an external trigger.

[artvvb]

Hi @QTang

Moved this thread to the T&M subforum for visibility from the main WaveForms dev, but this is already a supported feature. The attached screenshot shows an AD3 (left side) generating a trigger pulse on its DIO4, passing that to DIN0 on a DD (right side), which uses that pulse to trigger the pattern generator, which then outputs a binary counting pattern. The Trigger Wait and Trigger Run settings for the DD on the right specify the latency and how long the pattern runs for. The AD3 logic analyzer is being used to measure the trigger to end of pattern time at the expected 30 ms.

The "Trigger" settings in the pattern generator are the area of interest, next to the run/stop button.

 

Thanks,

Arthur

 

[QTee]

When I review the proposed solution of an external trigger, it involves an additional "box" to be purchased. 

Is there any way for just the Digital Discovery to have an external trigger into itself through one of the input pins?  This is my intended ask for a new feature if it doesn't already exist.

Is there a spare pin or test pad inside the DD box that is already used as an input? Obviously this involves a hacked situation.

[attila]

Hi @QTee

With new software version you can use any DIN/DIO of Digital Discovery as trigger input.

 

Sampling clock and data compression are also available.

 

[artvvb]

1 hour ago, QTee said:

When I review the proposed solution of an external trigger, it involves an additional "box" to be purchased. 

AD3 is pretending to be the device under test in that setup - it's not necessary. The DD is taking in a digital pulse and generating a specified pattern a fixed amount of time after it. Using another device to generate an arbitrary digital signal and read back the generated pattern was the easiest way of "proving" the DD is capable of this.