Better PC Sound Card Oscilloscope software (windows).

TL;DR - Visual Analyzer, PC Sound Card Oscilloscope software.  Nice spectrum analyzer.  Worth checking out.   http://www.sillanumsoft.org/prod01.htm


Through a really good YouTube Post on using an SDR for Frequency Deviation Measurement on FM transmitters I learned about Visual Analyzer. I should probably do a separate post just on this.

Previously I used Xoscope on Linux and Zeitnitz Soundcard Oscilloscope (http://www.zeitnitz.eu/scope_en).

I had also found, but not used Zelscope, Soundcard Oscilloscope and Spectrum Analyzer.

I originally got some pointers on sound card osclloscopes, from Virginia Tech's Introductory Electronics courses that were based on their Lab in a Box, so that students would have all of their own materials for doing the electronics work without having to be in a physical lab.   See:

Virginia Tech, Experiment 12, Calibrating a Sound Card Oscilloscope

I only went so far with sound card oscilloscopes, because shortly after I started experimenting, the Rigol DS-1052E oscilloscope became available within my budget.  I bought it for $400 direct from China.  The Rigol caused a little bit of a revolution in terms of oscilloscope availability and pricing.

That was all back in 2009 and 2010 when I started reading a lot more about electronics.  In December, 2009, I finally took the exams from my amateur radio license.  I passed both Technician and General with 100% and went back for the Extra Class at the next exam session.  I got one wrong on my Extra.

Of course, the interesting bit that got me here writing this today is that the RTL-SDR stick can be used as the analog (ok radio frequency) front end for a software oscilloscope, spectrum analyzer, deviation meter, etc.  Especially for those of us without much in test equipment.

Rigol DS1052E/DS1102 and Linux, Python, usbtmc

[To Be Updated]
This is one of those intersections of electronics, open source, hacking, and programming that really gets my interest.

Here are some links with information on connecting the Rigol scope to Linux, and controlling it using Python via USB.  The scope implements the USB test and measurement class, usbtmc.

• Scruss.com: My Raspberry PI talks to my Oscilloscope
  • Python userspace version of USBTMC github -- This is useful because it seems the kernel usbtmc driver has bugs in even somewhat recent (3.11?) versions.
• Ken Shirriff: Four Rigol oscilloscope hacks with Python 2013-07-19,
• Controlling a Rigol Oscilloscope using Linux and Python, some rudimentary stuff for reading the scope and plotting it.
  • Hack-a-day entry for this
• Rigol Homebrew Wiki
  • Rigol DS1052E Homebrew for all original blog posts about writing custom firmware for the Rigol like pong.
  • Hack-a-day entry on Rigol Homebrew