Scope ideas | settings, histogram, quick measure, record mode

[kojak]

I have some ideas to improve scope instrument:

1. Can you add easy way to invert channel?
2. Can you get most options from "gear" button out of it? For instance channel name can be changed by clicking on it, also attenuation and units is often used. Can you at least get it under "arrow" button if it not be viable to put it under Offset and Range settings?
3. Can you show in histogram trigger threshold values?
4. While using quick measure other than pulse the measured value is not locked to the plot (when changing time position, base), can you lock it?
5. While recording one cannot use other instruments and cannot measure already recorded values (Static I/O, ...) because window is blocked by recording status window

[attila]

Hi @kojak

Thank you very much for the feedback, we will consider these ideas for further development.

[kojak]

Hi @attila

Thank you for your work.

I have a question if number of samples in record mode can be higher than 10M? I need to measure approx. 6 minutes, but within 10M samples I will get only 25 kHz sample frequency, which is at the limit. I think that 20M or better 50M will be sufficient. I have plenty of RAM available, is possible to have maximum number of samples depended on free memory space?

And with this I found one bug in Waveforms. I'm not able to save 10M samples scope measurement. Either I save workspace or scope project I will get about 10MB file size, but about last one fifth is missing, only noise is saved.

[attila]

Hi @kojak

Thank you for the report. There was a bug in the used framework which limited the file writing to 64MB, due to this project/workspace saved only ~8.3M samples/channel.

The 10M limitation is not only because of memory but also due to the processing performed by the application. The drawing, measurements, math, fft... could take too much time above 10M.
You could use python script to record more data: C:\Program Files (x86)\Digilent\WaveFormsSDK\samples\py\ AnalogIn_Record.py

[attila]

Hi @kojak

Regarding your ideas for next version:
1. Added to allow negative attenuation, like -1/-10X for data inversion; added negative range option for scale inversion
3. Could you provide more detail here?
4. The quick measure locks to screen position, the vertical one after the second/delta position is set. For time locking use the X cursors.
5. Modified to do record in background.

[kojak]

Hi @attila

thank you for correcting this.

I have no performance problem on my PC even with 10M samples. Do you think that you can rise maximum number of samples to 20M? Or can be number of samples depended on PC performance or better configurable in ini/txt file for more experienced users?

1. This looks usable but will add twice more settings instead of simple Invert checkbox.

3. Trigger threshold/hysteresis is displayed as triangle/s right to scope plots on vertical axis and it is movable, can you duplicate them also in histogram on horizontal axis?

4. Thank you, will use cursors.

5. Great.

6. One more question, can you add second vertical axis for second channel? Now it switches values depend on selected channel, but when you have every channel with different setting (eg. Voltage and Current) with different offsets and ranges, then it is difficult to guess the values on not selected channel.

[kojak]

Hi @attila

7. And one more thing, can you add settings for transparency for traces and cursors? Sometimes it is hard to distinguish between two nearby/overlapping traces.

8. I found one bug - when I set another unit from V (voltage) then it is often "forgotten" outside setting and default V is used.

[attila]

Hi @kojak

1. I try to avoid adding new settings, to keep the interface simple. The invert can be achieved by selecting/entering negative attenuation.
3. It is simple to add, but could I ask why would be this useful? 
6. There can be up to 20 channels... need to invent some simple method to select/configure multiple scales.
7. You might try using light/dark coloring Settings/Options/Analog color
8. Are you using the latest version v3.6.8? Could you provide steps to reproduce?

[kojak]

Hi @attila

1. OK, you decides

2. Only for imagine where threshold is set (in the end it should be set between peaks in histogram to have stable plot)

6. This can be challenging for 20 channels with different settings!

7. Light setting is better, but I'm used to use dark coloring.

8. No, I'm using newer version you have sent to me, but for now I cannot reproduce it. In past I encountered with it in script, but fow now it looks working, but definitely I encountered it also with this version. Will try to reproduce it. It behave as under gear button there was set A, but scale, range and offset show V, so I need to change it back to V and then again to A.