REVIEW - Rigol DS2072 - First Impressions of the DS2000 series from Rigol

[ve7xen]

Hi EV, I only have DS2072 (until someone can tell me how to unlock it  ) without 2ns timebase, but I think the results are useful anyway. I'm not seeing the same effect on DS2072 FW 1.00.02. See the pics. These captures are with AA on, normal acq mode, I've tried other settings and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

[EV]

Hi EV, I only have DS2072 (until someone can tell me how to unlock it  ) without 2ns timebase, but I think the results are useful anyway. I'm not seeing the same effect on DS2072 FW 1.00.02. See the pics. These captures are with AA on, normal acq mode, I've tried other settings and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Are you using external triggering? It can not be seen from the pictures. Look at Teneyes post earlier. It is on 2 pictures, you have triggered to ch1 not external!

[TP]

I've been playing with the waveform file and getting pretty much nowhere.  I saved a waveform that says it has 1400 pts (50ns/div, 2GSa/s).  The file is 22,376 bytes long and has a bunch of stuff that makes no sense to me.  But if I read the data in as 8-bit bytes I find the trace stuck on the very end as two interlaced 728 point traces (yes it's 728, not 700).  By interlaced I mean one trace followed by 4 bytes then a second trace.  When I stick the two traces together (i.e. deinterlace them) it almost exactly matches the screen capture of the waveform.  I have no clue what this means, but the data I was able to find was straight 8-bit bytes.  (That doesn't mean that other versions of the data aren't hiding elsewhere in the long file.) 

Also, if you save data taken in Hires mode to CSV, the results in the CSV file are quantized at 8-bit (as I mentioned in my original post).  (The Hires mode does give enhanced resolution on the scope screen readout.)

One bug I found (or re-found actually) on my scope (FW 00.00.01.00.02): if I try to save waveforms to a USB stick without first saving a screen capture using the print button, my scope hangs and must be powered down.  If I save a screen capture first, after each powerup, then saving waveforms and CSV work fine.  Tested two USB sticks.

[Sparky]

Hi EV, I only have DS2072 (until someone can tell me how to unlock it  ) without 2ns timebase, but I think the results are useful anyway. I'm not seeing the same effect on DS2072 FW 1.00.02. See the pics. These captures are with AA on, normal acq mode, I've tried other settings and it doesn't seem to make a difference.

Your tests are with CH1 as the (internal) trigger, so this is not a direct comparison.  I think everyone is getting normal results like you show for internal trigger.  The test proposed by Teneyes is to use external trigger, which is how EV has done the test.

[ve7xen]

Your tests are with CH1 as the (internal) trigger, so this is not a direct comparison.  I think everyone is getting normal results like you show for internal trigger.  The test proposed by Teneyes is to use external trigger, which is how EV has done the test.

Ugh, of course you're right. Serves me right for not re-reading the thread I was trying to follow at work...

I have re-done the test can confirm I'm seeing a relatively similar effect, but my delays seem longer at 20MHz. The test is not valid though, as I don't have two matched length BNC cables to do the ext. trig. test and it is few ns per foot.

[EV]

I have re-done the test can confirm I'm seeing a relatively similar effect, but my delays seem longer at 20MHz. The test is not valid though, as I don't have two matched length BNC cables to do the ext. trig. test and it is few ns per foot.

I calibrated the scope and there is a little change to the results. With 10 MHz signal the horizontal offset to left is about 1 ns with rising edge and 5 ns with falling edge on both channels.

[Teneyes]

I've been playing with the waveform file and getting pretty much nowhere.

TP go to the software thread to check out my testing

One bug I found (or re-found actually) on my scope (FW 00.00.01.00.02): if I try to save waveforms to a USB stick without first saving a screen capture using the print button, my scope
hangs and must be powered down.  If I save a screen capture first, after each powerup, then saving waveforms and CSV work fine.  Tested two USB sticks.

 ds2072 fw1.00.02
I have found that starting the DSO with a stick in helps
I can remove and replace many times.
If no USB stick at start , I get hangs when I remove the stick
 

[EV]

Do you think normal triggering would change anything?
Do you think vector interpolation is doing anything ( use DOts maybe)
any at higher 100Mhz

To two first answer is no. With 10 MHz 5 ns, 20 ns 2.5 ns.....100 MHz 0.5 ns. It depend on the frequency as I told earlier.

[Teneyes]

DS2072 FW 1.00.02

Here is a nice rise time with a fast clean Pulse

[EV]

DS2072 FW 1.00.02

Here is a nice rise time with a fast clean Pulse

Put the rise time measurement on from left of the window, so we can see what it is.

[marmad]

I've been playing with the waveform file and getting pretty much nowhere.  I saved a waveform that says it has 1400 pts (50ns/div, 2GSa/s).  The file is 22,376 bytes long and has a bunch of stuff that makes no sense to me.  But if I read the data in as 8-bit bytes I find the trace stuck on the very end as two interlaced 728 point traces (yes it's 728, not 700).  By interlaced I mean one trace followed by 4 bytes then a second trace.  When I stick the two traces together (i.e. deinterlace them) it almost exactly matches the screen capture of the waveform.  I have no clue what this means, but the data I was able to find was straight 8-bit bytes.  (That doesn't mean that other versions of the data aren't hiding elsewhere in the long file.) 

@TP: Thanks for your input. Drieg is decoding the WFM output and he told me that they interleave the data sometimes (I think when single channel saved?). But I'm actually most interested in the display data (not sample memory data saved in WFM files) and I'm not sure the formats are identical. As mentioned before, when you ask the scope for the display memory, It ALWAYS gives you 1400 points per channel - even if the "real" sampled number of points for the screen size is 140 or 56. So what exactly do those 1400 points correspond to? I suspect that a TRC file is perhaps closer to the display memory than the sample memory - but being away from my Rigol means I can't look into it. If someone wants to send me a WFM and TRC file made from the identical single cycle square wave which fills the screen - and another two made from the identical zero voltage input, I could do some comparison here.

[Sparky]

DS2072 FW 1.00.02
Here is a nice rise time with a fast clean Pulse

Wow!    The rise-time is about 1ns!  How did you generate this pulse? Rise times on my signal generator are about 10-12ns.

[marmad]

Wow!    The rise-time is about 1ns!  How did you generate this pulse? Rise times on my signal generator are about 10-12ns.

I'm guessing he modified the saved file and re-loaded it 

[Sparky]

Wow!    The rise-time is about 1ns!  How did you generate this pulse? Rise times on my signal generator are about 10-12ns.

I'm guessing he modified the saved file and re-loaded it 

Owww!   Soon will not know to trust screenshots!! haha

[Teneyes]

It's A JOKE

 The lines are way tooo Perfect

 Here is the best rise time I think given that the dots are interpolated  by the DSO with Sin(X)maybe 1 dot at middle is better and rounding above 90% .
Also see the dots to make the vector display

I Learnt a lot and it was fun, . just a geek at heart

[Sparky]

It's A JOKE

 The lines are way tooo Perfect

 Here is the best rise time I think given that the dots are interpolated  by the DSO with Sin(X)maybe 1 dot at middle is better and rounding above 90% .
Also see the dots to make the vector display

I Learnt a lot and it was fun, . just a geek at heart

Hahaha   Good job!  Yes, I bet you had fun with it!

It's interesting to see the DSOs interpolation of the individual data points.

[sanka]

[...]
See this post in marmad's software tips and tricks thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/software-tips-and-tricks-for-rigol-ds200040006000-ultravision-dsos/msg175707/#msg175707

Be sure to read the warnings and follow instructions upgrading the firmware --- only do upgrade during BOOT!  Search this thread and the above thread for details on the procedure.

Thanks, Sparky. It worked very well. I did the upgrade upon the very first power up after taking the scope out of the box. System Information page shows s/w version 00.00.01.00.05, with h/w version 1.0.1.0.0.

I guess the upgrade completed when the CH 1 button stopped blinking and all the front panel lights came on steady. I waited a long time to see if some screen update might happen. After staring at the steady lights and the blank screen for some 20 minutes, I lost patience, turned off the power, took out the USB stick, powered it back on, and found that everything was fine!

Now, it is time to play :-) Thanks again for pointing me to the right posts.

[marmad]

I guess the upgrade completed when the CH 1 button stopped blinking and all the front panel lights came on steady. I waited a long time to see if some screen update might happen. After staring at the steady lights and the blank screen for some 20 minutes, I lost patience, turned off the power, took out the USB stick, powered it back on, and found that everything was fine!

Hmm...not completely sure it worked correctly. Do you still have your trial options? If not, it went wrong - if so, things are fine.

[sanka]

[...] since the discovery of the Memory Read bug in FW 05 (Software can't read sample memory from scope: #9 in our compiled list of bugs in the first post of this thread), I would just urge you to think a moment before upgrading if you use (or want to use fairly soon) MATLAB, LabVIEW, or any other third party software which needs to read the sample memory for processing.
[...]

Thanks for the warning, Marmad. I did the 01.00.05 upgrade as I don't plan on using third party software any time soon.

[sanka]

I guess the upgrade completed when the CH 1 button stopped blinking and all the front panel lights came on steady. I waited a long time to see if some screen update might happen. After staring at the steady lights and the blank screen for some 20 minutes, I lost patience, turned off the power, took out the USB stick, powered it back on, and found that everything was fine!

Hmm...not completely sure it worked correctly. Do you still have your trial options? If not, it went wrong - if so, things are fine.

Hi Marmad,
Upon boot, Installed Options screen shows three categories of options - TRIGGER, DECODE, and MEM_DEPTH - with a few sub options under them. The Time Left column shows 2122Minute for all rows. Is that a happy scope?

btw, I read in another post here that Self Calibration takes away the trial options. Is that true with 1.0.5 too? Should I refrain from calibrating until after I have played with the trial options?
Thanks

[marmad]

...shows 2122Minute for all rows. Is that a happy scope?

All is well 

btw, I read in another post here that Self Calibration takes away the trial options. Is that true with 1.0.5 too? Should I refrain from calibrating until after I have played with the trial options?

Yes, do NOT do self-cal! When you are down to your last hour of trial options, PM me for instructions to keep trial options going. As long as you don't let them expire, it seems as if you can keep them going, perhaps indefinitely.

[orbiter]

@EV: Thanks for checking. Is it possible we could get one other owner with a DS2072 and FW 01.00.05 to check their screen saver? Sparky? I can't imagine that it has anything to do with model number, but it might be good to be sure.

However now I still have the initial problem.. No screensaver

@Orbiter: Since two others with the same firmware as you have it working, time to try various settings on the scope to see which one might affect it. I'd start with a 'reset' to default settings (I can't remember in which menu that is located on the DSO - but I know it's there) - then try the screen saver again first before altering anything. Then - with screen saver set to time out in 1 minute, I'd try changing some of the more obvious settings/options and give it a minute to timeout.

BTW, do you have any trial or permanent options running? Both EV and I have at least one permanent option - which, theoretically, might make a difference. That's another reason it would be good to hear from another DS2072/FW 01.00.05 user.

Apologies for not replying sooner guys, only just got back to checking the forum.

Thanks marmad, EV and sparky for checking the screensaver mode for me 

Unfortunately my screensaver is still not operational   I don't have any permanent options marmad, but would love to get hold of the advanced trigger some time. I do still have around 300 minutes of all the trial options available though.

Thanks again guys.

EDIT:..   OK an update..

Just forwarded the clock on the scope and re-calibrated it afterwards.. Guess what? I now have a screen screen saver   However now I've lost my trials
Oh-well can't have everything. Wonder if they'll come back if I reverse the clock 

[sanka]

EDIT:..   OK an update..
Just forwarded the clock on the scope and re-calibrated it afterwards.. Guess what? I now have a screen screen saver   However now I've lost my trials

Well, take this with a grain of salt as I have had the scope for just a couple of hours. But here is what I found with my DS2072 running 01.00.05 f/w.

Screen saver doesn't activate.

I tried under two conditions - 1. With the clock set to Beijing time (or so it seemed) as it came from the factory, and 2. With the clock set back to my local time (Pacific Standard Time).

I also did a reset of settings to default values using the Storage->Default menu. No dice!

I didn't play around with any other settings. I also don't have any purchased options. Just trial options. The time left in trial options were unaffected by my system clock settings.

Thanks

[marmad]

Screen saver doesn't activate.
I tried under two conditions - 1. With the clock set to Beijing time (or so it seemed) as it came from the factory, and 2. With the clock set back to my local time (Pacific Standard Time).

Well, clearly there is some kind of screen saver bug, but since at least two of us with 01.00.05 report them working - it must be caused by some combination (or lack of) settings, options, etc. Not really sure how we can figure out the parameters of it. I don't remember them ever NOT working, but I actually didn't start using them until I had owned the scope for awhile and started doing programming for it.

[sanka]

[...]
Well, clearly there is some kind of screen saver bug,
[...]

For what it is worth, I filed a report at http://www.rigolna.com/tech-support/.  I want to see how responsive they are.

[...]
but since at least two of us with 01.00.05 report them working - it must be caused by some combination (or lack of) settings, options, etc. Not really sure how we can figure out the parameters of it.
[...]

I should have some time next week to play with and learn the scope a little bit. I'll tweak some settings and report back if screensaver starts to work.