Variable size visible grid

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johnw
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Variable size visible grid

Post by johnw »

I don't know if this would be any use to anyone else
but I've been working with various pulse trains (manchester/nrz etc) and sometimes have to keep moving the measuring bars around to identify time period windows. The fixed axis
and zooming in doesn't really do it if you need to keep
changing things.

It just occured to me that if a visible grid of variable period
could be seen it would help check pulse windows at a glance.

It could be the X axis in infinite step size or maybe just
a coloured grid as a fixed overlay of the display window.

Just an idea - anyone else think it worth it or have I missed
something I could do to do this already?

john

ziko
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Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by ziko »

Hi,

I am not following you fully, is this in spectrum view? What do you mean by variable period? Could you explain a little further about what you are trying to measure.

If possible also attach an image.

Kind regards
Ziko

Technical Specialist

johnw
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Location: England

Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by johnw »

Hi Ziko

You could implement it as a fully variable timebase grid (instead
of the current fixed step size grids - 5ms/ 10ms/ etc ) or as a
simple overlay on top of the main trace with big fat coloured grid lines you can see at a glance over a shoulder (old fogies like me tend to have poor eyesight...)

The idea is to make it a bit simpler to spot if a particular pulse
falls within a specific window.

Eg manchester encoding requires a mark/space or space/mark
within a 1779 uS window. If you could set a variable visible
grid at 1779uS spacings you could quickly see what was going on (pulse value - jltter pulse counts duty cycles etc)

This isn't something I've seen elsewhere - it just occured to me it may be helpful while I was squinting at my laptop.
(come to think of it - I seem to recall my old tektronix scopes had adjustable variable timebases...)

john

ziko
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Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by ziko »

Hi thank you for your suggestion, I have forwarded this to the relevant person.

Kind regards
Ziko

Technical Specialist

Mech
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Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by Mech »

Hello JohnW.

I am interested in your post about the variable grid and would like to know if you have written the software to make this work.

Regards,

Mech.

johnw
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Location: England

Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by johnw »

Hi Mech

Sorry - if I only had time!
Sadly I'm a scope user not designer although I probably
wouldn't turn the work down if offered!

Perhaps Pico could organise some sort of "design collective"
to work on some of the suggestions they don't see as priorities
but others may still find useful. Some sort of financial reward
would probably be needed though I expect.

Maybe a cash prize for the upgrade voted most useful in the forums or something. People seem to love competitions.

I have to say I love my picoscope - it's proven itself
very valuable and easy to use. It can be frustrating though knowing it could do so much more. But then I guess it would have to cost so much more.

To be fair I have seen a number of additions and improvements
over the short period I've been using it so they aren't ignoring
requests.

Maybe they are working on this one for a future release.
john
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Mech
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Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by Mech »

Hello johnw.

Thanks for the reply. Ziko has replied to my other post about a custom timebase and says it cannot be done so there we have it. However, your mention of a Tektronix scope having an adjustable timebase is what I had in mind and I am convinced something can be programed to work in a similar way.

Regards,

Mech.

ziko
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Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by ziko »

Hi,

As far as I am aware some old Analogue scopes did have variable timebases and DSO tend to have fixed timebases (correct me if I am wrong).

You can however use the horizontal zoom to a fine degree.

Kind regards
Ziko

Technical Specialist

johnw
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Joined: Tue Mar 16, 2010 9:14 pm
Location: England

Re: Variable size visible grid

Post by johnw »

Hi Ziko -

I tend to find the zoom (and capture) features of pico 6 a bit cumbersome to use and it doesn't quite do the job.

I can guess why you may have been told this can't be done - I suspect you are right about the digital timebase. Presumably
it's a granularity issue with the A to D or something.

Still - that shouldn't prevent simply drawing a grid over the display
and calibrating it to the scope timebase with a variable adjustment.

You couldn't use it for triggering - you still need the hardware timebase signal I think - but for display and measurement it should work ok and you could provide options to adjust the
display thickness and colour to help with my squinting problem!

Just an idea anyway. I'll leave it at that.
john
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