Rigol DS1102E Oscilloscope
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The Rigol DS1102E features 2 channels, with one additional input for the trigger, up to 100 MHz. The compact form-factor doesn't require much space on the workbench.
The screen is a 5.7" LCD with good contrast. The signal is displayed using all the real estate, when some competitors don't. |
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I was expecting something difficult to learn, but was surprised how easy and intuitive it was to set the correct parameters and analyse the signals, on both vertical or value axis and horizontal or time axis.
The specific AUTO button finds the common settings for a quick start with a first display of any signal. On the right, a measure of a simple PWM output. |
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Controls
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The main controls are grouped on 6 rotary knobs.
Additional push buttons provide more options. When selected, the buttons are illuminated in green, orange or red. A software menu is displayed on demand on the screen, with the 5 buttons on the right for selection. If basic measures can be operated intuitively, using all the features for advanced measures require a learning curve. |
What an Oscilloscope Can Do
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In this example, I was debugging the SPI implementation on Energia for the MSP430G2553 and the LM4F120Q5HR.
Both signals were considered as valid by my logic analyser but the SPI device was responding to one signal only. Why? The same DIV2 parameter was giving 8 MHz speed bus on the MSP430G2553 (top) but 4 MHz only on the LM4F120Q5HR (bottom). I could also check the voltage of the HIGH value and the shape of the signal. Those two measures aren't provided by a logic analyser. |
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Screens Saving on USB Memory Drive
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One very useful feature is the ability to save the screen on an USB memory stick.
This was a test of the SPI port with clock on channel 1 and CS on channel 2, also used for trigger. As an option, the screen can be saved in reversed mode, with a white background instead of the black one. |
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A second file is saved with all the parameters.
Other formats allow to save the waveform on the file. The oscilloscope can also be connected to a PC through USB. Unfortunately, the software is Windows only. |
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Pros
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Cons
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Wrap-Up
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