Logic Analyser by IKA Logic - the ScanaLogic-2 EDU - neat little kit to build

[Fraser]

Whilst searching for a simple unit or kit to monitor RS232 data coming out of Embedded computer engineering ports I stumbled upon a neat little 4 channel Logic analyser that is designed for monitoring and decoding serial data of various types including RS232, SPi and I2C.

Having looked at the software and design of the ScanaLogic-2 I decided it might prove useful to me. I already own the Zeroplus LogicCube LAP-16128 and Hantek 4032L but the small 4 channel unit still has its uses when dealing with serial protocols etc. Plus it looked a fun little unit to play with 

The ScanaLogic-2 comes in two versions. The built unit in a plastic case, and the EDU kit that has all the SMD components mounted and requires only the through hole parts to be fitted. The EDU kit was designed for those who wished to learn about the units design and so the PCB is laid out in sections with annotation describing the functions of each. A neat little idea that I have seen on other educational kits such as experimental radio receivers.

The built kit has just been discontinued as there is a new version of the ScanaLogic-2 about to be released (October 2015).  The EDU version is still available however and so I bought that. I may or may not bother buying the new ScanaLogic when it is released. The cost of the EDU kit is lower than the built unit at 33 Euro's. Not bad for a European sourced kit. It is designed and based in France.

The little padded envelope arrived today. Delivery was swift and hassle free 

I am attaching pictures of the received items.  Note that the test probe leads are also included with the EDU kit which was nice to see. No case is supplied but small rubber feet are. The full schematic is supplied and I attach it here.

The company may be found at

http://www.ikalogic.com and the EDU kit link is http://www.ikalogic.com/scanakit

I thought that this might be of interest to others. Take a look at the free software. It looks OK for the intended purpose.

Aurora

[pascal_sweden]

Their current LA design: 4 channels
I can understand the background: small form factor, just enough for SPI, I2C.

Their new upcoming LA design: 9 channels
What? Really 9? Where did they get that number? Either 8 or 16 I would expect.
I guess this is a French thing.. they like to do things different.
While the rest of Europe was using PAL, they were using SECAM - Séquentiel Couleur A Mémoire.

The pricing is not that impressive either: 200 EUR.
And they don't mention the memory depth per channel for the new design. Maybe this is done deliberately?
How can people judge on buying a device without memory depth details?

And actually why would people buy an unknown 200 EUR LA instead of a well known Zeroplus Logic Cube?
If it's really cheap, people can compromise and go for an unrecognized brand.
But the moment things become in the 200 EUR range, it's better to go for an industry known product such as Zeroplus.

[Fraser]

I agree on the 9 channel unit. I went for the Zeroplus Logicube as my main LA. The Scanalogic2 is being replaced by another 4 channel cheap unit so there will still be a serial analyser in the range at an affordable price.

Aurora

[ebastler]

Their new upcoming LA design: 9 channels
What? Really 9? Where did they get that number? Either 8 or 16 I would expect.

8 bit data bus plus a trigger, clock or control signal -- why not?

I do agree that they may have a hard time attracting new customers at that price point. Maybe the brand is well-established in France, possibly in the educational sector?

[Fraser]

The ZeroPlus LAP series takes some beating in the value for money stakes, especially as most 16032 units may be 'upgraded' to the 16128 specification easily. From memory, the 16032 costs around £100 (~130 Euros). The masses of included protocols are also an incentive to buy the ZeroPlus offering. A well formed product that is well understood in the EE community 

I wanted a 32 channel capability as well and bought the Hantek 4032L. Its software is nowhere near as good as that of the ZeroPlus product, but it does work fine in my usage. I could have upgraded the 16032 to 32 channels as well, but for my needs, the Hantek unit was adequate, and not very expensive.

As has already been appreciated, it is sometimes nice to have a compact little device for serial works such as RS232, SPi and I2C. I have a 'Bus Pirate' on order but it is taking an age to arrive. The IKA Scanalogic was here within a few days.

As has been said, the Scanalogic2-EDU may make a useful educational tool in the learning environment. It certainly makes little sense that it is SMT combined with 'through-hole' passives when such could also have been SMT and fitted for little additional cost. Its a weird DIY project in that respect. The few passive components are hardly worth the effort to leave out of the SMT run. I do note that the very early EDU kits were 100% DIY and the SMT devices had to be fitted by the owner as well. They likely had too many issues with users not being able to solder the SMT components though.

With the Euro so weak against the £ these days this kit was pretty cheap to play with. It cost me ~£23 

Aurora

[Fraser]

The replacement for the Scanalogic-2 will be the ScanaQuad.

The Twitter feed has some details

https://twitter.com/ikalogic

[Fraser]

The very young looking IKA team.

I wish them well in this very competitive market place.

Worthy of an interview with Dave I wonder ?

Aurora

[Fraser]

I have brought this thread to Dave's attention in case he is interested in interviewing this embryonic company.

Aurora

[Eartoot]

...
Their new upcoming LA design: 9 channels
What? Really 9? Where did they get that number? Either 8 or 16 I would expect.
...
And actually why would people buy an unknown 200 EUR LA instead of a well known Zeroplus Logic Cube?
If it's really cheap, people can compromise and go for an unrecognized brand.
But the moment things become in the 200 EUR range, it's better to go for an industry known product such as Zeroplus.

Did you actually look at their website at all?

"Plus, a logic analyzer with 9 channels, will allow you to work with 8-bit buses, having a 9th channel left for a synchronization signal."

If I understand correctly you don't own a Zeroplus and have a habit for regurgitating press releases without applying any critical though. Owning both I find the Ikalogic software easier to use, has a wider range of decoders and better support for custom decoders. Also better OS support. 

[ikalogic]

Hi there!

This is Ibrahim KAMAL, From Ikalogic (the one with the white shirt in the middle of the picture!).

We are indeed a young company, and we are trying to bring new fresh ideas. It's not always easy, but where is the fun in reinventing the wheel?

By the way, the ScanaQuad series is finally there, you can check all the details on our website.

@pascal_sweden: The ScanaPLUS streams data to host computer, so, the few kilobytes of embedded buffer memory is irrelevant and can't be counted as a "memory depth" as for the zero plus.

By the way, in case Dave reads that, i am more than happy to speak about our project(s)!

[Fraser]

Hi Ibrahim,

Welcome.

Great to see you on this forum. I have yet to find time to build your EDU unit, but look forward to using it. I have taken a look at your new units and will consider whether to 'upgrade' to one later.

I wish your company well in its endeavours.

Fraser