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| − | To watch and measure the values and curves produced during an analog computation or simulation you need additional instruments. The Analog Thing contains a '''voltmeter''' as instrument to setup the coordinates or OP_TIME values. Depending on the mode of operation in '''REP''' with predefined operation time or '''OP''' with infinite operation this display may be useful for static or slow moving values only.
| + | What follows is a curated list of '''Software oscilloscopes''' (also abbreveated as '''Softscopes'''). While basically any modern digital [[Oscilloscope]] is formally a softscope, we want to discuss here only software running on commodity/consumer level hardware such as on |
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| − | [[Image:DSO_Yt_display.png|thumb|typical Yt display of signals on a DSO]]
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| − | To measure faster events or display signal curves the best tool is an '''oscilloscope'''. For longer operation times (REP, 0.1-10s) a digital storage oscilloscope (DSO) is preferred rather than an analog oscilloscope with a cathode ray tube (CRT). These DSO did get cheaper in the last years but useful DSO's with minimum 2 channels and XY mode are in the price range of about 150-300 € up. XY mode is useful for many applications and allow a better view of complex signals than displaying them just over the time in Yt mode. The typical Lissajous figures for example require the XY mode.
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| − | [[Image:DSO_XY_display.png|thumb|typical Yt display of signals on a DSO]]
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| − | There are low cost oscilloscope on the market as well in the range of 40-100 € as well but these come with missing features and have mostly only one channel to display like DSO 138 or missing XY mode like DS 212/213. This is only partly useful with analog computations or simulations and all theses cheap handhelds have only a very small display. Some low cost oscilloscopes come without a display and are connected to a computer as display by software. So what are the requirements to met with an oscilloscope for The Analog Thing ?
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| − | <big>'''Minimum requirements'''</big>
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| − | * analog oscilloscope with CRT display or software display while connected to computer
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| − | * 2 channels minimum
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| − | * XY display mode
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| − | * 100 kHz bandwith
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| − | <big>'''Better requirements'''</big>
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| − | * 4 channels or separate trigger input
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| − | * DSO type (digital storage)
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| − | There is a cheaper alternative for beginners with low budget while using a '''Soundcard Oscilloscope''' software. These solutions are based on using a sound input of the computer and a software to display the signal while reading digitized data of AD converters on the soundcard. If your computer contains a sound input you are lucky as you can get the software for free. Unfortunately many newer computers no more have classical sound input in stereo (so called 'line-in') and if so it is mostly only a microphone input as mono (1 channel instead of 2). This is the same lack as an oscilloscope with only 1 input channel.
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| − | An alternative to the missing inbuild audio input is a USB device. There are not many '''line-in stereo''' devices and most are only mono to use with microphones. A well tested device was the Behringer UFO202 with line-in and line out (each stereo) which is connected to USB, don't need any drivers and suitable for WIN, Mac and Linux in the price range of approx. 20 €. If your computer has already a microphone (mono) input you may buy a second cheap mono "microphone in" USB device for approx. 10 €. Be sure, that there is also an audio input and not just an audio output.
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| − | <big>'''The Analog Thing audio connectors'''</big>
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| − | The Analog Thing is already prepared to work with the above listed classic audio in devices as the used frequencies in an analog computation or simulation is mostly in the range of '''20 Hz ... 20 kHz'''. There are 4 chinch connectors named with '''X, Y, Z, U''' which can be used either as signal output or signal input as well. The voltage range of +/- 10V of the reference voltage (representing the analog values 1.0 ... -1.0) is '''reduced by factor 10 to +/- 1V''' (representing 0.1 ... -0.1). This is a safe voltage for audio input devices (line in).
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| − | To feed signals into a soundcard you need to connect for example X and Y chinch connector to the line in jack of the computer or external sound device. Additional you must choose which signal in your analog circuit should be displayed by connecting any output of a computing element (integrator, summer, multiplier or comparator) to the OUT field on the front panel with a patch cable. If you want to input a signal to your analog circuit you do the same on the patch panel but connect the used chinch connector to an audio output. Some of the software solutions can display incoming signals but also offer signal generators additionally.
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| − | Be aware, that the chinch connectors are connected with a passive resistor divider and have a low output impedance of approx. 500 Ohm. This is suitable for the audio inputs as the typical input impedance is in the range of approx 5-10 kOhm. Anyway the shown values for voltages of the software oscilloscopes are more or less an approximation or maybe can be adjusted by a factor in the configuration. Even audio outputs can often drive such impedances without problems. If an input signal of +/- 1V should be transferred in the range of +/- 10V it is easy to use the 10x input of a summer or integrator and use whose output.
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| − | Beside the chinch connectors it is easily to adapt signals directly at the patch cables with oscilloscope probes or feed signals directly with a cable adapter (cut one end of a patch cable and solder it to any signal of a programmable barebone controller board like arduino or similar.
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| − | The following oscilloscope software products have been tested and are free of charge (or nearly).
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| − | File:Oscilloppoi1.png|link=Oscilloppoi|[[Oscilloppoi]] Mac OS oscilloscope software
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| − | <big>'''Mac OS - Oscilloppoi'''</big>
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| − | This is a very handy software solution, available over the official Apple App Store for a symbolic price of approx. just 1 € while the solution is very fast and has many interesting options including the XY mode. The default controls with the round knobs are a bit tricky to use (turned in a circle) but can be replaced with sliders in the configuration.
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| − | It is a dual channel oscilloscope software with XY mode as well and has an inbuild signal generator for use with audio outputs or also as input channel. Oscilloppoi works very well in the frequency range of 20 Hz up to 20 kHz while showing some distortions in the sine waves at more than 10 kHz. This is related to the maximum sampling rate of 48 kHz on the audio channel. The software has no voltage shown but using the scale factor 4.5x is showing a signal with approx. 5V/div.
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| − | Features of Oscilloppoi:
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| − | * Dual Channel with XY mode
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| − | * Math operations (add and subtract of signals)
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| − | * Trigger mode Auto, Normal, Single with Holdoff
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| − | * Internal signal generator with sine wave, triangle, sawtooth, square and wave editor
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| − | [https://apps.apple.com/de/app/oscilloppoi/id1102313524?mt=12 Oscilloppoi App from Apple App Store]
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| − | What follows is a curated list of '''Software oscilloscopes''' (also abbreveated as '''Softscopes'''). While basically any modern [[Oscilloscopes|digital storage oscillscope]] is formally a softscope, we want to discuss here only software running on commodity/consumer level hardware such as on | |
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| | * Desktops and Laptops: Windows/Mac/Linux | | * Desktops and Laptops: Windows/Mac/Linux |
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| | For data aquisition, several techniques exist: | | For data aquisition, several techniques exist: |
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| − | * [[Soundcard]] input for mono or stereo audio recording | + | * [[Soundcard Oscilloscope|Soundcard]] input for mono or stereo audio recording |
| | * ADCs on boards for analog to digital conversion, typically embedded within microcontrollers | | * ADCs on boards for analog to digital conversion, typically embedded within microcontrollers |
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| − | == Soundcard based input ==
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| − | [[Image:Jack.jpg|thumb|A chinch to stereo jack adapter cable]]
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| − | In this case, the idea is that you connect your [[Analog Thing]] to your [[Soundcard]] input with a simple Chinch-to-jack adapter, such as depicted in the right. This allows to connect to the 3.5mm phone connector (German: ''Klinke'') which is still present in many notebooks, tablets, smartphones, also for some single board systems (unfortunately not [[Raspberry Pi]]). If your system does not have such an input, you may use a USB adapter (often referred to as ''USB sound card''). For a list of possible hardware, see the article about [[Soundcard]]s.
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| − | Note that a single chinch socket has to pins: One for ground, one for the signal. This puts it on equal footing with a BNC connector or a ''mono'' phone connector. The adapter shown on the right joins two outputs together to a ''stereo'' sound signal.
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| | === List of software based oscilloscopes === | | === List of software based oscilloscopes === |
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| | File:Xoscope_Screenshot.png|link=Xoscope|[[Xoscope]] linux desktop oscilloscope | | File:Xoscope_Screenshot.png|link=Xoscope|[[Xoscope]] linux desktop oscilloscope |
| | File:Oscilloppoi1.png|link=Oscilloppoi|[[Oscilloppoi]] Mac OS X desktop oscilloscope | | File:Oscilloppoi1.png|link=Oscilloppoi|[[Oscilloppoi]] Mac OS X desktop oscilloscope |
| | + | File:nanoscope.png|link=Nanoscope|[[Nanoscope]] open-source Linux/Mac/Win Python-based desktop oscilloscope |
| | </gallery> | | </gallery> |
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| − | == Microcontroller/System on Chip based input == | + | == Data aquisition tools == |
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| | + | We will soon report additional solutions and projects for data aquisition based on barebone microcontroller boards with ADC shields to digitize the analog signals. |
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| | + | Microcontroller/System on Chip based input: |
| | * [[Arduino]] for data aquisition | | * [[Arduino]] for data aquisition |
| | * [[Teensy]] for data aquisition | | * [[Teensy]] for data aquisition |
