Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Discussion forum for the Picoscope 6 Linux software
Kieran
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Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by Kieran »

Hi all Linux users of Pico software,

We're currently evaluating the needs of our Linux customers in terms of operating system/distro support. If you are a Linux user of PicoScope 6, PicoLog 6 or PicoSDK software and would like to take part in a short survey, please click here. It should take less than 5 minutes depending on how much or little you have to say!

Many thanks in advance for your feedback.

Kieran Winstanley
Product Manager
Kieran
Pico Technical Support
Forum Moderator

dnessett
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Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by dnessett »

Hi Kieran,

I posted a response to this question a day or two ago, but was at the time concerned with PicoScope 6 becoming non-responsive. This is obviously a bug and doesn't really address your feedback question.

So, let me add one thing. The major enhancement I would like to see is ensuring the Windows and Linux versions of the software offer the identical features. For example, right now in the Windows version you can select the termination ohms used to calculate the dBm values output by the FFT algorithm. However, you cannot do that in the Linux version. The Linux version assumes dBm values are expressed using 600 ohms as the termination resistance. For RF work, this is not the correct assumption. So, I have to save the output spectrum using dBV units in .csv format and make the appropriate conversions myself. This is very inconvenient.

Thanks for the opportunity to provide input on this issue.

Regards,

Dan Nessett

bboyes
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Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by bboyes »

Please! Windows forced scans, updates and reboots are a huge headache. They can only be held off a few days and it is a big problem for us in remote logging applications.

elfasys
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Joined: Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:07 am

Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by elfasys »

Hi !
The features I lacked were the possibility to add a previously captured trace to properly decode an SPI frame (storing the CS signal) and, maybe, the availability of advanced triggers (maybe due to the old age of my scope). Finally there is an issue with (Ubuntu 19.04) dark themes and PicoScope drop-downs where the background color is the same as the text. No very big deal since you can see the text when hovering (see attached picture).

This software is overall well supported and stable, nice job here !
Attachments
The display issue, with 500mV hovered
The display issue, with 500mV hovered
2019-08-15_11-14.png (13.83 KiB) Viewed 36283 times

DaveDay
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Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by DaveDay »

Inverting the trace seems to be missing. Or adding custom probes.

Frazer
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Joined: Thu Nov 14, 2019 9:19 am

Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by Frazer »

I have found that a fresh install of Picoscope 6 crashes on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and Kubuntu 19.10. Installing libgdiplus seems to fix this. This library is not core in Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and later but does not appear to install as a dependency for Picoscope 6. There are a lot of people having this problem and it would seem to be an easy fix. A sticky link noting this would help and I can't imagine that this would require much of a change for an updated release.

AnalogueMan
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Joined: Tue Feb 21, 2017 11:25 am

Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by AnalogueMan »

Isn't it possible for you PicoScope software people to make a flatpack for the software so I can it also install it without having the risk of breaking my O.S. when somthing goes wrong?
My O.S. is PCLinuxOS-64bit KDE5

Psi
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Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by Psi »

elfasys wrote:
Thu Aug 15, 2019 9:18 am
Finally there is an issue with (Ubuntu 19.04) dark themes and PicoScope drop-downs where the background color is the same as the text. No very big deal since you can see the text when hovering (see attached picture).
Thats more a mono problem. I use picoscope with a light theme:

Code: Select all

$ GTK2_RC_FILES=/usr/share/themes/Breeze/gtk-2.0/gtkrc picoscope

iq2luc
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Joined: Wed Feb 03, 2016 5:34 pm

Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by iq2luc »

Hello,

thank you so much for being interested and caring about the Linux users.

Issue: PicoScope 6 becoming randomly non-responsive (it freezes every few minutes and the process has to be killed).

Wish: PicoScope sofware - stability and feature parity with the Windows version.

Regards,
Luc

---

Archlinux (kernel version 5.4.15)
Pico Technology PicoScope 6000 series PC Oscilloscope (0ce9:1204)
Device: PicoScope 6402D
Packages: picoscope 6.13.7_4r707-1, libps6000 2.1.0_6r580-1, libpicoipp 1.3.0_4r21-1

davidhigton
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Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by davidhigton »

I'd like to see Manchester decoding for Linux. It's advertised for the Windows version but doesn't appear as a serial decode option in the Linux version.

Guess what I just bought the 2204A for? To work on an OpenTherm project, which uses Maanchester encoding.

grauwacke
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Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by grauwacke »

First of all Thanks for supporting Linux, because we experience the same problems with Windows mentioned above (restart or shutdown of Windows during data logging; great feature for scientific experiments;-).

I use the Picoscope 4262, the software is running on a Debian system.

One aspect, where I am not sure what the software actually does: Increasing the resolution to more than 16 bits seems to have no effect?

Two suggestions for improving the software:
a) Measuring spectra in the averaging mode is an important feature for us. Storing the data as *.csv files, however, gives a dozen or more files with the same data, the averaged data. A single file would suffice. We use the csv files frequently for processing them with Python scripts.
b) It would be great to add measuring the phase shift between channels A and B. Showing the measuring frequency together with the phase difference (in radians or degrees) would avoid tedious post processing.

best regards,
Helge

davidhigton
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Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by davidhigton »

I noticed that there was an update of the Picoscope Linux app recently, and I've been using it today. I'm delighted to see that Manchester decoding has arrived!

There is one oddity, though. "Save as" a JPEG, with a Manchester packet decoded on the screen and the 'scope Stopped, gave a JPEG with the Manchester decoding showing "Waiting for capture" or some such, i.e. I couldn't save a JPEG with the decode showing. Most odd. I had to do a Linux screen grab to be able to see the decode.

grauwacke
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More features, please!

Post by grauwacke »

Hi,
please add for the Linux version by and by all features, which are implemented in the Windows version.
E.G. the option of A-B would allow for differential measurements.

best regards,
Helge

DDT345
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Joined: Tue Oct 13, 2020 9:45 am

Requirement for differential input

Post by DDT345 »

Your Support page 'A-Z of PC Oscilloscopes' on differential inputs shows a Channel C A+B or A-B but this is feature is not available on the Linux version. I understand that it is currently only available on the Windows version.
Please consider adding this feature to the Linux release.

Knaldgas
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Joined: Sun Feb 28, 2021 4:30 pm

Re: Feedback wanted from our Linux users!

Post by Knaldgas »

Just tried to install picoscope on a Debian system:
197 dependencies (Mono), 413 MB of disk required? :shock: :shock: :shock:
413 MB to run an oscilloscope???

Are there any alternatives to this?
Wine?
Static compiled version?

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