Tag: lzoDSO

lazlo labs @ hardware berlin meetup 2

Posted by July 29, 2013

I  will be at Hardware Berlin Meetup 2 with the lzoDSO prototype, on the 5th. See http://bit.ly/12XxCxU.

lzoDSO – Firmware Documentation

Posted by June 12, 2013

oscilloscopeMoved form using Doxygen 1.7.1 (comes with Debian 6) to Doxygen 1.8.4 (build from sources) for the lzoDSO firmware documentation. Looks much nicer.

Still, there is a problem with the documentation (unrelated to doxygen). All code that is linked to the project repository using svn:externals properties is somehow not covered (still investigating). I think this is somehow related to the way the Bitten slave (build slave of my CI setup) does the automated build (in which doxygen gets executed).

If you ever had something similar, please let me know (via comment or Twitter).

lzoDSO – Homepage on iPhone

Posted by June 12, 2013

oscilloscopeAlso improved the lzoDSO project homepage yesterday. Added pictures of schematics and circuit board layouts and made page look nicer on iPhone devices.

Also added a combined parts list for the hardware that has been built so far.

lzoDSO – Status Update

Posted by June 3, 2013

oscilloscopeWhat happened in the days past:

  1. moved prototype-a branch to trunk of our repository (finally!)
  2. registered lzoDSO project at Ohloh
  3. started moving legacy code out of the firmware to replace it with code that has been programmed test-driven
  4. created a minimal project homepage

lzoDSO – Documentation

Posted by May 27, 2013

oscilloscopeI have set up a routine that automates the generation of documentation for the prototype firmware on every commit to the repository.

The documentation is generated using Doxygen, which scans for comments in the source files and compiles into one structured document. The result is available here.

lzoDSO – legacy firmware … evolving

Posted by May 22, 2013

oscilloscopeYeah! We have finally managed to fix some stupid things, related the the firmware used for our lzoDSO scope. There where files missing (which had been referenced by the Makefile but where outside of the projects repository) and loads of files in either the wrong place or simply cruft.

The files have now been added (which should allow anyone to build the firmware) and things have been cleaned up slightly. There is still much work, so be sure you will find spots in the source that have a smell. I have also documented the fuse-bits that are configured in the micro controller used.

Ah .. note, after having the missing files in the project, these “sub-projects” have their own dependency which is CppUTest in that case (this is a dependency to be proud of I think). So make sure you have CppUTest on your machine and your users environment set up with the corresponding variables (see the Software page in the lzoDSO wiki for details on how to setup the build environment).

lzoDSO – prototype demo

Posted by May 15, 2013

Demonstrates the (currently limited) capabilities of the lazlo labs digital storage oscilloscope (lzoDSO) prototype. The test probe of the scope is connected to a timer circuit in mono-stable astable configuration so that it produces a more or less defined test signal. There is also a test signal source inside the scope that we need integrate into the firmare to get it working.

Uses an ATmega644 at 16 MHz and the internal 10-bit A/D converter (only using 8 bits).

See the lzoDSO project page for more at labs.lazlo.de/trac/lzodso.

lzoDSO – finished prototype board assembly

Posted by May 14, 2013

P1070973_modified_medium-1024x768_modified

Yesterday I finished the assembly of the new front panel controller board, which evolved out of the old display carrier board). The circuit signal lines have  already been tested (using continuity testing) and I’m not far away from having the prototype be contained inside its case.

In the new board I basically merged the core board with the display carrier board, since there was enough space available. A slight change I introduced is that I adjusted some pin mappings (namely we moved the LCD control lines from port B to D).

Schematic and Circuit Board

PDF files for schematic and board.

schematic board

Now I’m updating the wiki page of the prototypes to get things in sync again.

lzoDSO – new prototype board

Posted by May 13, 2013

Actually I’m right in the middle of assembling a new circuit board I have created for the oscilloscope prototype. This “new” board is nothing more but the core controller board merged with the display carrier board into one.

You can find an image of the schematic and circuit board at the prototype branch directory inside the lzoDSO projects repository.

 

lzoDSO – DIY oscilloscopes a waste of time?

Posted by April 15, 2013

After watching the rant from Dave Jones (from the EEVblog) in his car expressing his opinion on DIY micro controller-based oscilloscopes one might think there is no merit to building such a device. Well, in my opinion there is! Okay, Dave also made this point clear: it is okay to build one for getting your feet wet in the electronics and embedded systems domain. Which is exactly what I am doing.

To further address the criticism of Dave by saying that those DIY scopes usually do not have any thought put into the analog front-end (AFE) or the trigger section. In general I’d approve his observations.

So why is the lzoDSO not going to be a simple DIY scope? Because we actually want to delve down into the dirty details of constructing an AFE and a trigger section that act just like the ones an electrical engineer would expect from a typical digital storage oscilloscope.

Even though these are two of the paramount parts of an oscilloscope, first we will bring our prototype to a state where it can be helpful in evaluation the design of an AFE and a trigger section.

UPDATE: As Dave suggested I started asking around for someone who might pass me his old oscilloscope. If you have one you want to pass on to someone who will gain from even an old analog or digital device: please contact me (see contact) and maybe I can compensate you in one way or the other. Anyways, don’t think this will stop me from continuing to work on the lzoDSO.