开云体育

ctrl + shift + ? for shortcuts
© 2025 开云体育
  1. Homebrewpcbs
  2. Topics

USB scope pcb's.

[email protected]
 

I have been developing a range of usb pc oscilloscopes.
I am on version 23 now.
This has given me time to improve my pcb layouts using PCBCAD51.
Some of my early designs were poorly routed.
Things like missing ground planes,? High impedance signals too close to clock signals.
Lack of decoupling close to IC's.


--

 

That's somewhat interesting to me, since I have a project in mind that could use a couple of 4Ms/s ADCs. If you posted the schematics or layout, I would take a quick look.

I'm wondering what the purpose of your post is.
- Advertising your USB scopes?
- Advertising or just recommending PCBCAD51 as a happy user?
- Sharing some of the things you've learned about layout involving high speed signals? (But in that case, please share links to some of the websites or other materials you've found helpful for high speed signal layout.)
Just curious. It's all fine with me, including advertising. Last time I read the rules for this newsgroup (probably 15 years ago!) I think it said one advertisement per month for things relevant to this group is OK.
You might also consider posting to the electronics101 Yahoo group.

Re high speed signal design and layout: I'm currently taking the online, self-paced training for Mentor HyperLynx SI and PI (Signal Integrity and Power Integrity) packages??. It's an amazing bit of software, useful for designing and laying out multi Gb/s signals. For example, you can specify a board stackup, enter a schematic of a trace (including driver and receiver characteristics, trace (transmission line) lengths and impedances, vias and their characteristics, branches, terminators, etc... and then run simulations and see simulated oscilloscope traces of the signals. That's a pre-layout activity. Post layout, you can extract the trace schematics from the layout and run the simulations again to verify that the layout will work. The simulations can also account for crosstalk.

Mentor makes makes their online, self-paced training available for free to unemployed engineers. Bravo to Mentor for doing that! Of course it's in their self-interest to do that, since people who take that training will spread the word about the product (as I did above) and want to use the software in future jobs.

I've received free training from several other software and semiconductor companies as well. It pays to ask!

On Thu, Sep 19, 2019 at 3:22 PM cresswellavenue@... via Groups.Io <cresswellavenue=[email protected]> wrote:

I have been developing a range of usb pc oscilloscopes.
I am on version 23 now.
This has given me time to improve my pcb layouts using PCBCAD51.
Some of my early designs were poorly routed.
Things like missing ground planes,? High impedance signals too close to clock signals.
Lack of decoupling close to IC's.


--

 

开云体育

My go-to references for high-speed digital design have always been the two books by Dr. Howard Johnson and Martin Graham:

"High Speed Digital Design: A Handbook of Black Magic" and "High-Speed Signal Propagation: Advanced Black Magic". I was fortunate enough to be able to attend Dr. Johnson's two courses using these books back when the company for which I worked sponsored such things.

Dr. Eric Bogatin also has a lot of good material online. IIRC, his work comes under the rubric of "Be the Signal" (bethesignal.com). He works or worked for Teledyne LeCroy. Dr. Bogatin also has online courses, a couple of which I have attended.

DaveD


On 9/23/2019 1:19 PM, Jan Kok wrote:
That's somewhat interesting to me, since I have a project in mind that could use a couple of 4Ms/s ADCs. If you posted the schematics or layout, I would take a quick look.

I'm wondering what the purpose of your post is.
- Advertising your USB scopes?
- Advertising or just recommending PCBCAD51 as a happy user?
- Sharing some of the things you've learned about layout involving high speed signals? (But in that case, please share links to some of the websites or other materials you've found helpful for high speed signal layout.)
Just curious. It's all fine with me, including advertising. Last time I read the rules for this newsgroup (probably 15 years ago!) I think it said one advertisement per month for things relevant to this group is OK.
You might also consider posting to the electronics101 Yahoo group.

Re high speed signal design and layout: I'm currently taking the online, self-paced training for Mentor HyperLynx SI and PI (Signal Integrity and Power Integrity) packages??. It's an amazing bit of software, useful for designing and laying out multi Gb/s signals. For example, you can specify a board stackup, enter a schematic of a trace (including driver and receiver characteristics, trace (transmission line) lengths and impedances, vias and their characteristics, branches, terminators, etc... and then run simulations and see simulated oscilloscope traces of the signals. That's a pre-layout activity. Post layout, you can extract the trace schematics from the layout and run the simulations again to verify that the layout will work. The simulations can also account for crosstalk.

Mentor makes makes their online, self-paced training available for free to unemployed engineers. Bravo to Mentor for doing that! Of course it's in their self-interest to do that, since people who take that training will spread the word about the product (as I did above) and want to use the software in future jobs.

I've received free training from several other software and semiconductor companies as well. It pays to ask!

On Thu, Sep 19, 2019 at 3:22 PM cresswellavenue@... via Groups.Io <cresswellavenue=[email protected]> wrote:
I have been developing a range of usb pc oscilloscopes.
I am on version 23 now.
This has given me time to improve my pcb layouts using PCBCAD51.
Some of my early designs were poorly routed.
Things like missing ground planes,? High impedance signals too close to clock signals.
Lack of decoupling close to IC's.


--


Virus-free.

 

开云体育

Just thought I would let you know that ESET (my AV program) blocked access to download the demo program off of your link below. Here is the exact message:


 Website blocked

The web page is on the list of websites with potentially dangerous content.

Access to it has been blocked.

Maybe some bad guys also use the same server??

Dave

On 9/19/2019 4:22 PM, cresswellavenue@... via Groups.Io wrote:

I have been developing a range of usb pc oscilloscopes.
I am on version 23 now.
This has given me time to improve my pcb layouts using PCBCAD51.
Some of my early designs were poorly routed.
Things like missing ground planes,? High impedance signals too close to clock signals.
Lack of decoupling close to IC's.


--
_._,_._,_
[email protected]
 

Just sharing my project.
My fastest scope so far is 23 MS/s and just a single channel.
I use Analogue Devices AD9283 which comes in versions up to 100MS/s.
The weakest link in the chain is the microcontroller which runs at 72MHz but cant clock out the A2D data as fats as it will run.
The analogue bit is just some fast op amps with a multiplexor for switching in different op amp feedback resistors?to set the gain.

--

 

开云体育

If you're up to that kind of thing, I'd suggest an FPGA with a fairly big internal memory and dedicated capture.? SPI interface to registers would work well.? That way, you're not limited to the microprocessor and the limitation is firstly the ADC, then the analog front end.

Harvey


On 10/16/2019 6:25 PM, cresswellavenue@... via Groups.Io wrote:

Just sharing my project.
My fastest scope so far is 23 MS/s and just a single channel.
I use Analogue Devices AD9283 which comes in versions up to 100MS/s.
The weakest link in the chain is the microcontroller which runs at 72MHz but cant clock out the A2D data as fats as it will run.
The analogue bit is just some fast op amps with a multiplexor for switching in different op amp feedback resistors?to set the gain.

--

 
Edited

It's advertising of his CAD software.

The same poster has been flooding diyAudio threads with repetitive information and posts that don't add value to a thread.

His vague post above and the ad/signature ?at the bottom of his post tells you of his usual MO.?
[email protected]
 

[quote] It's advertising of his CAD software.

The same poster has been flooding diyAudio threads with repetitive information and posts that don't add value to a thread..
[/Quote]
--
I have wrote some PCBCAD software ? get over it. Jealous ?
If? I spam diyaudio how come I have been on there 10 years and never been banned ?
Get your facts right before making outrageous accusations.
 

Gentlemen, gentlemen, please tone it down.
Here is the policy about ads from this group's monthly mailing:

"Suggestions, recommendations and such, to and from professionals and companies are welcome. If you are posting for your own business, please limit ads to once a month and feel free to post your site in the Links area. Company representatives are encouraged to respond to legit requests for information as long as you identify your connection. IE, don't pretend to be an unconnected customer, there are enough savvy people here that you'll be found out quickly. Just use common sense about replying or people might think you are flogging your business.

Spam- Spammers will be treated with all the respect they deserve. Off Topic sale ads, links, uploads, etc. will be treated as spam and may result in your removal from the list and banning from every other list I am listowner or moderator of."

I think some of us are annoyed at the misleading title of this thread. If you want to advertise something, please title the thread "Ad: <name of product>". Then each of us can decide whether we want to look at the ad.

Personally, I would likely check out any ad for PCB CAD software, and I'm glad to know about PCBCAD51. Based solely on the description (I haven't used it) it seems capable, and the price is certainly affordable.

I've already installed the free, open source KiCad PCB CAD package, and have entered one schematic but haven't tried to do a layout yet. If PCBCAD51 is significantly better in some way (easier to learn or use, more flexible, can import or export more PCB file formats...) then I would consider using it on my next project.

So, my suggestion to Cresswellavenue would be to create a new thread, titled "Ad: PCBCAD51 - comparison with KiCad" (or other, affordable CAD packages), and show the comparison. If someone tries PCBCAD51, they might post a reply to the ad, giving their impression about it, and thus keeping the thread "alive" and visible.

On Wed, Oct 23, 2019 at 2:38 AM cresswellavenue@... via Groups.Io <cresswellavenue=[email protected]> wrote:

[quote] It's advertising of his CAD software.

The same poster has been flooding diyAudio threads with repetitive information and posts that don't add value to a thread..
[/Quote]
--
I have wrote some PCBCAD software ? get over it. Jealous ?
If? I spam diyaudio how come I have been on there 10 years and never been banned ?
Get your facts right before making outrageous accusations.
 

I have wrote some PCBCAD software ? get over it. Jealous ?
If? I spam diyaudio how come I have been on there 10 years and never been banned ?

Ban time, methinks!

?
 

Please enlighten us about your REAL purpose of? starting a vague thread about your PC USB scope "project" and the intent of putting your company website on the bottom of your post? Your PC USB scope project and CAD software are both?commercial products that are being sold on your website.

Let's all be adults and try not to circumvent group policies by adding your commercial website link on most of your posts.
 

I have to say, cresswellavenue (since you don't post with a name), that this does seem a bit like you are only posting this to advertise your software. I see nothing that adds content here, but you keep talking about your software.

You also never explicitly state that it is your software. Concerns of your reasons for posting this are met with dismissive hostility from you.

You are on moderated status.

--
Steven Greenfield AE7HD
 

Hi
Never could see the point of buying or using a PC Scope?
If you require a scope buy a proprietary branded purpose built one which will last for years .
If money is tight look around for a decent second hand one which you can pick up for same sort of money as a USB/PC Scope

Regards

Dave
 

开云体育

Dave,

?

I have two and they are just great. My favourite thing with any digital scope is that you can record the info before the trigger. You get a huge display which you can project when giving talks.

They are cheap enough to treat as “disposable”. They take up virtually no space in the shack. ?

?

Dave

G4UGM

(Note I have two conventional scopes as well…)

?

From: [email protected] <[email protected]> On Behalf Of satdaveuk via Groups.Io
Sent: 28 October 2019 13:07
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [homebrewpcbs] USB scope pcb's.

?

Hi

Never could see the point of buying or using a PC Scope?

If you require a scope buy a proprietary branded purpose built one which will last for years .

If money is tight look around for a decent second hand one which you can pick up for same sort of money as a USB/PC Scope

?

Regards

?

Dave

?

1 - 14 of 14