LabNation has announced the launch of an open source USB oscilloscope dubbed SmartScope. Using a Kickstarter campaign that started in 2014, the project raised 645% of its funding goal within 30 days. Believed to be the world’s first test equipment designed to run on multiple operating systems and platforms such as smartphones, tablets and PCs, the SmartScope is powered directly from the host’s USB interface.
LabNation USB-based SmartScope runs on multiple OSes and platformsSmartScope combines the multiple functions of an oscilloscope including a logic analyzer and a waveform generator in a case measuring just 110.0 x 64.0 x 24.2 mm, weighing only 158 grams. The software provides the user interface and functionality, and can be downloaded from the SmartScope website. It is available for Android (Google Play Store or LabNation website), Apple Mac OS X, Apple iOS (jailbroken), Microsoft Windows 7, 8 and 10, and Ubuntu and Debian Linux distributions.
The oscilloscope provides two analog channels with a sample rate up to 100 MS/s and provides a -3dB bandwidth of 30 MHz, input signal range of ±35 V with a 1 MΩ / 1pF impedance, an 8-bit precision and a maximal resolution of 2.5mV.
The oscilloscope software provides a comprehensive set of on-screen functions, either by touch, mouse or keyboard controls, for voltage scaling, time-based scaling, panning, input coupling, triggering and simple voltage measurements. The logic analyzer offers eight input channels with a user selectable logic level of 3.3 or 5 VDC. The application includes a number of standard protocol decoders such as I2C and SPI in addition to allowing the creation of custom decoders. The single channel waveform generator can create arbitrary waveforms with a data rate up to 50 MS/s and an output level from 0 to 3.3 V.
A digital output generator provides four channels, up to a rate of 100 MS/s at either 3.3 or 5 V. The SmartScope is ideal for the growing numbers of makers using small board computers such as Raspberry Pi and Arduino to diagnose faults and learn more about how basic electronics and how their design is functioning. The light compact unit suits a broad variety of electronics engineering, field service, education and hobbyist applications. The small form-factor unit is supplied complete with a mini ‘B’ USB cable, two analog probes, digital cable and probes.
Relevant link:
