EEVblog #692 - Digilent Analog Discovery Review

[EEVblog]

Dave reviews the Analog Discovery 14bit 100MS/s USB oscilloscope and multi-function instrument
http://www.digilentinc.com/analogdiscovery/

! Private video

[ncoonrod14]

It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class. Since I haven't tried to order one I guess you might be able to get around that but I'm not sure you could buy this unless your institution is listed as requiring their hardware 

To qualify for student pricing, the customer must be a student at a US academic institution and be required to purchase the board for a class.

https://www.digilentinc.com/NavTop/AboutUs.cfm#academicpricing

[R_G_B_]

As Dave said the network analyser is worth the money alone. When you compare it to other such tools  its a bargain:

https://www.picotest.com/products_BODE100.html

It has its limitation but for low frequency it
Does the job well. One of the problems with it is cross talk. It seems to be very sensitive to this kind of interference. Sometimes its difficult to tell if the noise is coming from the actual measurements or the analogue discovery its self. Also Useful to test mathematical functions analogue computing negative group delays etc using the bode plotter, wave generator and scope. Nice tool to have very handy.

[mtdoc]

It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class.

I was able to get one last year for $99 just by taking the free edX UT embedded systems class and putting that on the order form. It was not required for the class - just suggested by the instructors. That course is being offered again in January.

As Dave says, for $99 it's a steal.   The $20 BNC breakout board is well worth buying.  With it and some inexpensive probes you get usable bandwidth up to 10 MHz.

[orin]

It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class.

I was able to get one last year for $99 just by taking the free edX UT embedded systems class and putting that on the order form. It was not required for the class - just suggested by the instructors. That course is being offered again in January.

As Dave says, for $99 it's a steal.   The $20 BNC breakout board is well worth buying.  With it and some inexpensive probes you get usable bandwidth up to 10 MHz.

If they do run the offer with the edX course again, order early!  I think they ran out quickly as there was quite a delay in shipping when I ordered one.

[ncoonrod14]

To qualify for student pricing, the customer must be a student at a US academic institution and be required to purchase the board for a class.

It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class..
Sneaky bastards! Imagine trying to get away with that.

Well I placed an order for one as well as the BNC add-on and just submitted the details of my university as well as my university email address and I've received a order confirmation so it looks as if you can still order it as long as you can prove you're a student.  I must say though, I was rather disappointed to see their cheapest shipping option was $16 for such a small package when I live less than 300 miles from their facilities... I suppose they don't offer USPS because they want their orders insured. 

[EEVblog]

It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class. Since I haven't tried to order one I guess you might be able to get around that but I'm not sure you could buy this unless your institution is listed as requiring their hardware 

Damn, didn't see that, yeah 

[mtdoc]

It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class. Since I haven't tried to order one I guess you might be able to get around that but I'm not sure you could buy this unless your institution is listed as requiring their hardware 

Damn, didn't see that, yeah 

I don't think that is right. They didn't require that when I got mine.  It looks like ncoonrod14 was able to order one without that as well.

[HP-ILnerd]

Dave!  Pop that baby in your Amazon store!
I've got a pretty good idea what I'm gettin' for XMas!   

[nitro2k01]

Don't want to hear a word about it, eh? Well consider this: If a plot is not a Bode plot, but looks like one, could you then say that it is a Bode-ey plot?

[HP-ILnerd]

Dave!  Pop that baby in your Amazon store!
I've got a pretty good idea what I'm gettin' for XMas!   

If Dave put it in his Amazon store after giving it a generally positive review it would leave him exposed to accusations of conflicted interest.

But there's all sorts of stuff in there he's given positive reviews to.  The first four items that come up The Fluke 87-5, the Agilent U1272A, The Rigol 1052E, The Extech EX339 he has reviewed and recommended.  Look through it, those aren't close to the only things.

[Syntax_Error]

Dave, thanks so much for this video! I've long been hoping you would do a review, and had kind of resigned to thinking it wasn't going to happen. Imagine my surprise when I logged on to see a nearly hour long video posted just four hours prior. Jackpot! Great review, too. I really enjoyed it, because I have seen every review I can find over the last few years for this thing, and they are all the same/similar, except yours. You explored the buried details that I have not seen anybody else look at. Great work!

I've said a few times on the forum here that I have the AD, the BNC board and probes, the parts kit, their multimeter, and a few other parts. I bought them for learning purposes and went through Digilent's Real Analog course before taking some Coursera electrical engineering courses. I have been impressed with the quality of Digilent's products and I still love their Real Analog course to this day.

I also have a Nexys2 and a few Pmods, and did their Real Digital course a few years ago. The board is great, and the course was ok. I learned a lot more from a few FPGA / Verilog books I bought that cited use of that board.

[Syntax_Error]

Also, regarding the student pricing, I'm shocked to see all the thumbs down reviews! The alternative is to have NO student pricing. As Dave mentioned, the cost of parts alone in this board exceed 99USD, not to mention NRE costs and I wouldn't count them as in league with the devil himself if they tried to squeeze a drop of profit out of the thing, either.

We don't know what their price point structure is based off of. For all we know, they could take a loss on every US Student board, or those might be the only boards that they get full subsidy from ADI for, etc. For the record, I bought mine for the full $279 last xmas because I wasn't a student, and I was very disappointed that I didn't qualify for student pricing, but (to me) it is still worth it at that price. And I don't fault Digilent or students for offering special academic pricing cheaper than what I paid. They do this with nearly every product they offer.

Now, I just need to enroll in a course that requires their fancy Virtex5 or Virtex7 boards! They take about 23k$ off for student pricing on that one.

[Postal666]

It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class. Since I haven't tried to order one I guess you might be able to get around that but I'm not sure you could buy this unless your institution is listed as requiring their hardware 

Damn, didn't see that, yeah 

There were a couple of options, including course, design project, and research.  Digilent required fields like school name, school email address, instructor email address, and course website.  I chose the "design project" option and put N/A for the course name and website fields.  Of course I gave valid school email (.edu) for myself and a previous professor.  Whatever their criteria for validation is, it must not be much. Their website said thanks for the order, and had confirmation email within seconds.  Don't knock 'em for having at least some requirements to get the student pricing.

[ncoonrod14]

Don't knock 'em for having at least some requirements to get the student pricing.

It's not that I had a problem with them having some requirements, in fact I actually agree that they should. However I don't think its right that they advertise it simply as "student pricing" when by the terms of the price exclude almost all students. Kind of misleading if you ask me.

[plexuss]

I'd like to get the digilent analog for audio work. But I am in canada and cant seem to find a place that sells this to canadians. Does anyone have a source for these that ships to canada?

[ncoonrod14]

I'd like to get the digilent analog for audio work. But I am in canada and cant seem to find a place that sells this to canadians. Does anyone have a source for these that ships to canada?

On the left side of their site there's an international distributors button
https://www.digilentinc.com/partners/international.cfm

[pickle9000]

I'd like to get the digilent analog for audio work. But I am in canada and cant seem to find a place that sells this to canadians. Does anyone have a source for these that ships to canada?

Digikey

http://www.digikey.ca/product-detail/en/410-244P-KIT/1286-1037-ND/3902834

[plexuss]

They dont list it on their site. I will email. But from what I have seen those available in canada (eg digikey) are on the order of $330. im looking to get one at the sale price at least of $239. thanks for the link n

[ncoonrod14]

I just searched it on their site and found it... like digikey it was also around the $320 mark.

[plexuss]

Yeah. I am trying to find a we-dont-rip-canadians-off supplier for it. I'll keep digging.

[miguelvp]

Yeah. I am trying to find a we-dont-rip-canadians-off supplier for it. I'll keep digging.

Silly question, but, did you try to order directly from diligent?
Sometimes vendors in the States ship to Canada.

[plexuss]

I did. on the order page where you select the country, there is a link that says something like "international? click to see our distributors" and the "state" drop down only has US states listed.

[Postal666]

It's not that I had a problem with them having some requirements, in fact I actually agree that they should. However I don't think its right that they advertise it simply as "student pricing" when by the terms of the price exclude almost all students. Kind of misleading if you ask me.

I hear ya. Was just making a blanket statement and quoted your post is all. Like I said, the criteria must not be much. I didn't even get a verification link to the school email or anything. Maybe they're just using the "for a course" requirement as a way to run off "students" just looking for a deal?     Of course I could be completely wrong. I didn't specify it was for a class, just design project. Maybe I will get a rejection email when a human evaluates my info? I doubt it, but will let you know.

[Selectech]

I got mine from Microchipdirect { TDGL023 } for $219 USD.  They also have the BNC adapter board { TDGL024 } for $20. Ships direct to Canada.

[plexuss]

I got mine from Microchipdirect { TDGL023 } for $219 USD.  They also have the BNC adapter board { TDGL024 } for $20. Ships direct to Canada.

Wow great find! thank you. I also found a student in the classifieds that has one for sale for $100. so I am hoping to hear back from them.

Just a reality check: I plan to use this to do measurement and analysis on audio equipment, such as audio amplifiers for measuring response, phase etc across the audible range. are there any considerations I need to have about the Discovery in this application?

[pickle9000]

Should I infer from some recent posts that Digilent do not ship internationally?

I think that may be if there is a local distributor, fairly typical.

[pickle9000]

I got mine from Microchipdirect { TDGL023 } for $219 USD.  They also have the BNC adapter board { TDGL024 } for $20. Ships direct to Canada.

Any extra fees? Shipping costs for example.

[pickle9000]

Should I infer from some recent posts that Digilent do not ship internationally?

I think that may be if there is a local distributor, fairly typical.

Maybe you check out these guys.

http://www.blackboxconsulting.com.au/digilent-xilinx-boards/1/Analog.html

[miguelvp]

I got mine from Microchipdirect { TDGL023 } for $219 USD.  They also have the BNC adapter board { TDGL024 } for $20. Ships direct to Canada.

Any extra fees? Shipping costs for example.

Why don't you try to add one of the 13 left to your cart?
https://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductSearch.aspx?keywords=TDGL023

[pickle9000]

I got mine from Microchipdirect { TDGL023 } for $219 USD.  They also have the BNC adapter board { TDGL024 } for $20. Ships direct to Canada.

Any extra fees? Shipping costs for example.

Why don't you try to add one of the 13 left to your cart?
https://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductSearch.aspx?keywords=TDGL023

Brokerage and such varies greatly and shippers that don't maintain a company presence inside Canada can't calculate it. Often the carrier will tag on the "extras".

[mikeselectricstuff]

Should I infer from some recent posts that Digilent do not ship internationally?

I've bought direct from Digilent to the Uk a couple of years ago -  I don't recall shipping being too expensive.

[Howardlong]

Even the UK Microchip had a couple in stock for a reasonable price, £138. Great find.

Kinda frustrating as an OEM myself though that realistically Digilent will be getting these the parts at a such a serious discount. The likes of Analog and Linear Tech have some great devices in my line of work, but generally fail at the BOM cost. E.g., 5 quid for an opamp or a switch mode PSU chip when your micrcontroller is costing only 2, it makes no sense.

[f4eru]

"requires windows" seen on the box.

Showstopper right there for a lot of people...

[bitwelder]

By "lot" do you mean less than 9%?

And do you mean that 9% of several hundred millions computers is *not* a lot?

[nitro2k01]

By "lot" do you mean less than 9%? That's acording to this site http://www.netmarketshare.com/operating-system-market-share.aspx?qprid=8&qpcustomd=0
or Wikipedia, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Usage_share_of_operating_systems#Desktop_and_laptop_computers

You can bet your bottom dollar that the number of non-Windows users is higher than 9% among EE students.

[jmaja]

By "lot" do you mean less than 9%? That's acording to this site

That is web browsing based statistic. How real is that? E.g. in my ex job I had two Linux computers for "real work" and one Windows computer for writing reports, e-mail etc. I did 99.9% of web browsing with the Windows computer so the two Linux computers would not likely show on these kind of statistics.

I wouldn't be surprised if 20+% of the potential buyers of this device would like to use it on Mac/Linux. Especially universities use Linux a lot.

[ceteras]

It would be nice if these devices would come with a documented API, so others could build their own UI.
Then we could build microcontroller powered panels with knobs and switches to get a better user experience.
It would also be a huge opportunity for teaching software engineering.

[tggzzz]

"requires windows" seen on the box.

Showstopper right there for a lot of people...

What's windows? Is it something from a company that people used to care about, when they sold GUIs+operating systems that were actually usable? (Hint for the humour impared: Win8 is unusable, Win10 will probably be rented).

I've seen claims that the Waveforms software runs on usable affordable operating systems, under wine - anybody like to confirm/deny?

[nitro2k01]

I'm prepared to concede that point. Also Linux. I had considered that, but I don't know the figures so I just used figures for the general population. But, if it was higher by a significant margin, enough to make developing and supporting versions for other OS's profitable why hasn't it been done? The SDK for other OS's  is something of a concession to the potential market but it might also be an indication of the small size.

I have two comments on this.
From the developer's point of view, writing a cross-platform GUI application can become time-consuming. If you want to do it well, you're basically developing one GUI per application. The alternative is to use some framework, which for a large application will likely be half-baked on all, or all except one platform. Releasing an SDK is on other other hand trivial in comparison, and likely effective since Linux usage often correlates with an interest in coding.

The other thing is the demand side of the equation. Even those who (strongly) prefer to use Linux, or for that matter OSX, have often come expect "Windows only" as a recurring fact of life. Windows only for these people is not a show stopper, but simply an annoyance. They may have a Windows partition, or a second computer for occasions like this. They may manage to run it under Wine. They may choose to use the software only at dedicated school lab computers that have Windows anyway.

[Syntax_Error]

Oh wah wah, it requires Windows. So does most other software. Digilent is an American company, and while many Americans use Linux, nearly everybody uses Windows, including in schools. As for EEs having a different representation statistic, I'd say this is completely irrelevant because those same EEs and EE students that are Linux users grew up on Windows and know how to use it.

Digilent's decision is quite logical: The standard use case for this product is a university student (or high initiative hobbyist/autodidact) with a *laptop* computer. In the U.S. just about all laptps come preloaded with Windows. I say "just about" because I want to say all, but I know there has to be some outlier out there somewhere.

Digilent has also made the API available so some enterprising Linux engineer can port Waveforms to Linux. This also seems logical, since afterall, Linux was created by enterprising computer scientists in the first place. I mean, how else is Linux software made?

[tggzzz]

Oh wah wah, it requires Windows.

So where can I buy a usable Windows to replace my WinXP? I would buy Win7, but MS in their "wisdom", won't sell it to me. (Win8 isn't usable)

So does most other software.

The principal engineering software I use for my job does run on Windows -- but manufacturer drops strong hints that it is much easier to use in Linux/Unix. (Xilinx Vivado)

There are only two other packages I use that require Windows; one of those is a game, one has equivalents runing in Linux (but I couldn't be bothered to faff around). Everything else runs well in Linux.

MicroSoft is in the position that IBM was in back in the early 80s: dominant, but nobody paid much attention to what they were doing because there were much more attractive alternatives coming down the line. Shame.

[Syntax_Error]

Yep, companies screw their product line up all the time. It sucks. I use both Linux and Windows casually, and Windows professionally. I ran into a similar problem with Win8 unusability. Win7 is the ticket (for now) if you can get it. The world still runs on MS, just not Win8. I suspect Win10 will be much more like Win7, or history will repeat yet again. First WinME, then Win8.

It's funny you mention Vivado. I haven't used it (I'm not a professional), but I use ISE and I cannot get it to work right on Linux to save my soul, but on Win7 the thing installs itself and I've never had a problem with it.

Look, I get that we probably aren't going to agree. Ok, that's fine. My experience is largely based on Win7 and WinXP, because I skipped the truly abominable MS OSes. I use Linux casually and it seems a pain at times to me, but nothing unbearable. I see Linux fanboyism rampant just as Apple fanboyism lately, so this topic rung that bell pretty hard.

[tggzzz]

Yep, companies screw their product line up all the time. It sucks. I use both Linux and Windows casually, and Windows professionally. I ran into a similar problem with Win8 unusability. Win7 is the ticket (for now) if you can get it. The world still runs on MS, just not Win8. I suspect Win10 will be much more like Win7, or history will repeat yet again. First WinME, then Win8.

I see Linux fanboyism rampant just as Apple fanboyism lately, so this topic rung that bell pretty hard.

Unbalanced fanboyism = ignorance, of course.

It appears that you won't be able to buy Win10, only rent it.

But then again, MS prevented me reinstalling XP a machine that I owned and for which I had the product key and certificate of authenticity. Stunningly they claimed the "Microsoft says no" screen was Samsung's problem! That machine is still running Xubuntu, years later.

The first Unix I used professionally was made by guess who? (see bottom) Since then all my delivered software has been on one variety of unix or another, for cost and reliability reasons (Do you really want to debug/restart a Windows machine on another continent connected by a 2400bps modem? Relatively easy with unix)

Oh yes, the Unix was made and sold by a small company called Microsoft.

[f4eru]

Hey guys, calm down

I personally am on linux at work and at home, and it's really plasant.
I see more and more devs (HW and SW) working on linux, even if it's still in the 15-20% range ( in Europe), it increases every year.
An obvious advantage for a developer is the simplicity of installing a (friendly) devtool suite.

I still need to use windows from time to time, but only when a config tool is needed for some HW. Yep I tend to avoid such HW....

Last week, the admin of my company felicited me coz i was the only one who did not get the latest virus...

I would not release a HW with an associated program working only on windows. (probably also not a linux exclusive, coz limiting users...)

Just my experience... YMMV

[tggzzz]

I personally am on linux at work and at home, and it's really plasant.
I see more and more devs (HW and SW) working on linux, even if it's still in the 15-20% range ( in Europe), it increases every year.
An obvious advantage for a developer is the simplicity of installing a (friendly) devtool suite.

I still need to use windows from time to time, but only when a config tool is needed for some HW. Yep I tend to avoid such HW....

Last week, the admin of my company felicited me coz i was the only one who did not get the latest virus...

I would not release a HW with an associated program working only on windows. (probably also not a linux exclusive, coz limiting users...)

That pretty much sums up my experience as well.

[orin]

So where can I buy a usable Windows to replace my WinXP? I would buy Win7, but MS in their "wisdom", won't sell it to me. (Win8 isn't usable)

Just install "Classic Shell", pretend you are on Windows 7 and ignore the Windows 8 crap.

At work, I actually use 2012 Server which is Windows 8 based.  Other than the dumbed down task manager*, with "Classic Shell", it looks and acts pretty much like Windows 7.

Orin.

*and you are better off with "Process Explorer" than any version of task manager anyway.

[MaBerY]

I wonder how this device can compete with the Red Pitaya (http://redpitaya.com/)
It's had a interesting review in the Dutch Elektor december magazine. It has 50Mhz bandwith and 125 MSps and also 16 GPIO connections
All Open Sourced so it seems. It costs more than the digilent (375 Euro) , but it has higher rated specs

I was considering a new rigol scope for Xmas but this pitaya thing whetted my appetite.

[tggzzz]

I wonder how this device can compete with the Red Pitaya (http://redpitaya.com/)
It's had a interesting review in the Dutch Elektor december magazine. It has 50Mhz bandwith and 125 MSps and also 16 GPIO connections
All Open Sourced so it seems. It costs more than the digilent (375 Euro) , but it has higher rated specs

I was considering a new rigol scope for Xmas but this pitaya thing whetted my appetite.

The key differentiating factor is the ability to put your code in the FPGA+ARM, which is undoubtedly an interesting benefit. It will be interesting to see how well any ecosystem develops

The GPIO connectors are, IMNSHO opinion, suboptimal: bad GND (too few, not evenly distributed) and no differential input standards due to the I/O voltage. Fine for medium speed stuff, I presume.

The hardware isn't open source; unless something has changed, the schematic is unavailable. It is your decision as to whether that is a problem.

[jaxbird]

Had a look at both the Digilent and the Red Pitaya, in the end I decided to get the Digilent. Mostly because the Digilent software looks far superior. I'm primarily interested in the network analyzer and function generator.

For Red Pitaya the available software appears very limited and honestly looks like some hipster designed browser based crap.

While the specs of the Red Pitaya appear better, I do have concerns with things like 50MHz bandwidth with 125MSPS and max ambient operating temperature being 30 degrees C, sounds like very marginal thermal design.

Would be interesting to see Dave do a similar review of the Red Pitaya.

[jaxbird]

Just saw that Martin posted a quick view video of the Red Pitaya very recently:




Not much detail on performance, but confirms that the current software is very basic.

[ncoonrod14]

Quote from: ncoonrod14 on December 13, 2014, 10:44:00 AM
It looks like there's a catch to the educational pricing. In the terms of their pricing it mentions that the educational pricing is only available if the board is required for a class. Since I haven't tried to order one I guess you might be able to get around that but I'm not sure you could buy this unless your institution is listed as requiring their hardware 

Damn, didn't see that, yeah 

I can now confirm that you can order with just your school information. I entered my university, university email, and link to course descriptions of some of my labs in the space for the course that requires the Analog Discovery and mine is shipped. Great deal on a great product! 

[mtdoc]

Good to hear !

FWIW I was able to order one last year with my edX course info and a yahoo email address. No  .edu email needed.

[miguelvp]

I got mine from Microchipdirect { TDGL023 } for $219 USD.  They also have the BNC adapter board { TDGL024 } for $20. Ships direct to Canada.

Any extra fees? Shipping costs for example.

Why don't you try to add one of the 13 left to your cart?
https://www.microchipdirect.com/ProductSearch.aspx?keywords=TDGL023

Brokerage and such varies greatly and shippers that don't maintain a company presence inside Canada can't calculate it. Often the carrier will tag on the "extras".

Maybe, but now there are only 6 left, so they are selling at 2 per day average.

[LaurenceW]

If anyone in Europe fancies one, German distributer TRENZ Electronic has them, with educational (not US student) discount.  I stated that I am a Technical College lecturer (I am), gave details of the institution, and that was proof enough.  Ordered mine Monday morning, had it in my hands in the UK Wednesday evening! Shipping perfectly reasonable, and no d!cking about with customs delays/charges.

What's it like? - Dunno, Mother Christmas says I can't open it for another week! 

[plexus]

Hi All. I ordered from Microchip too. I am in Toronto Canada. I ordered on Monday and it arrived today!

Analog discovery $219US
BNC breakout $19.99
FedEx shipping $10.20
Tax $32.42
So all tolled: $325 CAD

FedEx left the package at my door as per my instructions. no other brokerage or other fees were incurred.

I am happy to report that it runs find on my Macbook Pro with Parallels 9!

Also, the connector port lettering aligns well to the pins on mine.

I just used the network analyzer to test the response of my stereo tube amps. yup! we have a problem. the left amp has a 15dB boost from 3kH to 30kHz. but, good to know! now I can troubleshoot...

[plexus]

Hi All. I ordered from Microchip too. I am in Toronto Canada. I ordered on Monday and it arrived today!
[snip]

Last year Newark Canada was selling them at U.S student pricing ($99.00), thats when I bought mine. I think its worth the money, I don't know if I would have bought it if it wasn't $99.00 bucks though. I think Newark sold there stock in a couple hours just from this forum.

I see now they don't even stock it in N.America and the price they want is over 4x what I paid last year.

http://canada.newark.com/digilent/410-244/design-kit-analog-discovery/dp/27W5499

yup. i couldnt find it for under $300 in canada just for the device. for me the package is worth $325 easily as I do not have an instrumentation lab and I only need such tools from time to time. so its perfect (for me). in fact for what you get it's unbelievable.

[tggzzz]

I've raised a question in a separate thread; if anyone has any pointers then please post them there.

The question is whether the Waveforms software running under Linux/Wine works with the hardware. I've noted how I've got the Waveforms working in demo mode, but obviously I can't take the next step.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/digilent%27s-analog-discovery-does-it-run-in-wine/

Thanks

[plexus]

I've raised a question in a separate thread; if anyone has any pointers then please post them there.

The question is whether the Waveforms software running under Linux/Wine works with the hardware. I've noted how I've got the Waveforms working in demo mode, but obviously I can't take the next step.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/digilent%27s-analog-discovery-does-it-run-in-wine/

Thanks

I can't give you a definitive answer. but, I wondered the same thing about running Waveform on windoze on my mac with parallels. Since parallels works with other meters I have that have USB (eg. data collective multimeter and dual channel thermometer work fine connected to the mac with the software running under parallels). I was confident it would work. Luckily, it does!

So if you system can connect to other similar devices and work then I would say that it is likely it would work. you may want to buy one from a place that will take returns and perhaps let them know you want to test it first. or just call Digilent and ask?

Let us know if you get it working.

[c4757p]

It almost certainly does not work under WINE.

[tggzzz]

It almost certainly does not work under WINE.

What leads you to that conclusion? Have you tried it, or something similar?

What would be the expected symptoms (and preferably cause) of the failure?

[tggzzz]

It almost certainly does not work under WINE.

There's an informative post by attila in the thread
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/digilent%27s-analog-discovery-does-it-run-in-wine/
Someone with the same name on the Digilent forum is a Digilent employee

[mtdoc]

It sounds like there's a cross platform version of the software in Beta testing.  That's good news!

[plexus]

Not sure if this was posted before: http://www.jensign.com/Discovery/About/index.html

[c4757p]

It almost certainly does not work under WINE.

There's an informative post by attila in the thread
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/digilent%27s-analog-discovery-does-it-run-in-wine/
Someone with the same name on the Digilent forum is a Digilent employee

Interesting, thanks. The USB bits seemed a bit hopeless when looking at the Analog Discovery earlier this year for use with a summer Circuits course - we ended up having the non-Windows students run it in a VM. Perhaps it's changed. I'll have to take a look at that.

[c4757p]

Sorry, this was back in May/June! I don't remember. I remember farting around moving DLLs about trying to make it not crash.

[amyk]

At least their name won't be confused with Agilent anymore...

Digisight is already taken, but Sigsight is still available

[tggzzz]

I presume even though I don't know the formula that from those two values you could calculate the frequency for -3dB attenuation.

In general no, but in practice plausible presumptions could be made.

I have heard Dave talk about -3dB being the point at which the bandwidth of an oscilloscope is determined. Are there also other lesser factors which are used to determine the bandwidth?

Digilent must have had some reason to be so apparently conservative in their claimed BW.

3dB is the standard for scopes and just about all equipment, but it is only part of a specification. Other parts of a specification that can be important (depending on the application) include passband ripple, rolloff rate and phase response. A scope should be benign in all those respects, but be very wary of digital scope sampling rate, since that can hide more than it illuminates.

ISTR reading somewhere that it was felt that the target markegt (beginners) would complain if they felt they has been mislead by finding the amplitude of a 5MHz signal was too low. Personally I don't agree with that, since they will need to understand what equipment's spec does and doesn't mean.

[mtdoc]

ISTR reading somewhere that it was felt that the target markegt (beginners) would complain if they felt they has been mislead by finding the amplitude of a 5MHz signal was too low. Personally I don't agree with that, since they will need to understand what equipment's spec does and doesn't mean.

That is correct.  On page 16 of the technical manual it show plots of the frequency response and states:

"You can see from the plots, that this circuit exceeded the requirements for 5MHz of bandwidth, and the -3dB
point is more than 20MHz. However, since many students who will be using the Analog Discovery don’t
understand the concept of “-3dB” is the “bandwidth” of an instrument, and that a 1V input signal with -3dB
applied will measure 0.707V, it was felt from a marketing standpoint to specify the bandwidth of the analog
inputs as less than -0.5dB as the “bandwidth”. This ensures that when connecting a 10MHz signal on a
traditional instrument (with much higher bandwidth), and the Analog Discovery, the measurements will be
very similar, and lead to less confusion."

I agree with you that students should learn what instrument specifications really mean.

On the other hand, the reality is that without the opotional  BNC adapter board and a x10 oscilloscope probe, the usable bandwidth will be below the actual -3dB point.

[c4757p]

Students should definitely learn what the specifications mean, but unfortunately, you really can't shove too many things at them at once before things start going over their heads. In the Electronics course I've been TA'ing, we tried to keep a focus on common engineering practices like decibels and the -3dB point all the way through, but that's only a recent change - the guy who taught it last year probably didn't use the word "decibel" once.

It tends to be important to limit the d(surprise)/dt to keep their attention, so I do like that they're keeping to a novice-friendly style of specification. If we used this in our class, we'd have no problem looking up or testing the actual -3dB point on our own - in fact, it'd make a good lab exercise to help learn the equipment

[tggzzz]

It tends to be important to limit the d(surprise)/dt to keep their attention, so I do like that they're keeping to a novice-friendly style of specification. If we used this in our class, we'd have no problem looking up or testing the actual -3dB point on our own - in fact, it'd make a good lab exercise to help learn the equipment

That's a justifyable position, but I can't help remembering the a distinguished professor (Eric Laithwaite, an early proponent of MagLev trains and Linear Motors)...

On principle in the final year exams he set for undergraduates, he would include three questons:

• one question could be answered by everyone that had attended and understood his lectures
• one could be answered by people that had explored beyond his course material
• one couldn't be answered in the time available

and he expected that an engineer could determine which was which and avoid the impossible question. If you couldn't, then you deserved not to get good marks.

But nowadays students demand to be spoon-fed and not exposed to the real world.

[c4757p]

But nowadays students demand to be spoon-fed and not exposed to the real world.

Meh. Some definitely do. I've seen students who, faced with a relatively challenging lab exercise, put their hand up and essentially ask for it to be designed for them. That's not what I'm talking about, though. Even for the ones who want to learn, you have to plan how to deliver information to them so as not to overwhelm them. Unfortunately, a few people think that if you put any effort into teaching methods beyond just bashing students over the head with information and expecting them to thirstily drink it up, you're spoonfeeding them, and some people think that if a student can be overwhelmed or doesn't just teach himself everything, he's demanding to be spoonfed.

[tggzzz]

But nowadays students demand to be spoon-fed and not exposed to the real world.

Meh. Some definitely do. I've seen students who, faced with a relatively challenging lab exercise, put their hand up and essentially ask for it to be designed for them. That's not what I'm talking about, though. Even for the ones who want to learn, you have to plan how to deliver information to them so as not to overwhelm them. Unfortunately, a few people think that if you put any effort into teaching methods beyond just bashing students over the head with information and expecting them to thirstily drink it up, you're spoonfeeding them, and some people think that if a student can be overwhelmed or doesn't just teach himself everything, he's demanding to be spoonfed.

All of which is valid. The comment you quoted was over-the-top - but the rest was valid.

I'm becoming a grumpy old man.

[c4757p]

but the rest was valid.

Yup, it was.

I'm becoming a grumpy old man.

Easy solution - you should have been grumpy your whole life, like me! Then you only become old.

There is another thread where generalisations about specific or small sample sizes were on topic. The "hobbyists are useless" thread. This thread has remained useful can we please keep it relevant for future reference?

That one's full of unpleasant people and comments, though!

Okay, I'm done here, sorry. You're right, getting offtopic.

[jaxbird]

ISTR reading somewhere that it was felt that the target markegt (beginners) would complain if they felt they has been mislead by finding the amplitude of a 5MHz signal was too low. Personally I don't agree with that, since they will need to understand what equipment's spec does and doesn't mean.

With high Z the bandwidth of this device is about 20MHz (-3dB): (note the Digilent software does not permit exceeding 10MHz, but using the API you can extend that to 20MHz+)




However with a standard 50R load the -3 dB bandwidth (function gen) is pretty much exactly 5MHz:

[tggzzz]

With high Z the bandwidth of this device is about 20MHz (-3dB): (note the Digilent software does not permit exceeding 10MHz, but using the API you can extend that to 20MHz+)

How irritating. I always like to see the edge of my instuments' performance, so that then I can be sure that I'm not operating so close to the edge that I'm being misled (or misleading myself).

However, congrats to Digilent for releasing the API in the first place.

However with a standard 50R load the -3 dB bandwidth (function gen) is pretty much exactly 5MHz:

I'm content for the scope and AWG to have different bandwidths, providing I'm aware of it.

Thanks for the information.

[jaxbird]

Dave's complaint of the misaligned pinout text was corrected even before he did his review, I guess he had it around for so long several revisions were made in the meantime:

[jaxbird]

With high Z the bandwidth of this device is about 20MHz (-3dB): (note the Digilent software does not permit exceeding 10MHz, but using the API you can extend that to 20MHz+)

How irritating. I always like to see the edge of my instuments' performance, so that then I can be sure that I'm not operating so close to the edge that I'm being misled (or misleading myself).

However, congrats to Digilent for releasing the API in the first place.

However with a standard 50R load the -3 dB bandwidth (function gen) is pretty much exactly 5MHz:

I'm content for the scope and AWG to have different bandwidths, providing I'm aware of it.

Thanks for the information.

Same here, I would much prefer the software to allow up to e.g. 50MHz, even if the signal is 30-50 dB down, it just gives more flexibility and a better understanding of the usable limits. Using API you can get the Function Gen to output 20MHz+ using standard waveforms, but the signal is down.

[jaxbird]

And finally the spectrum analyzer peak at 39.4kHz (with input shorted) Dave complained about and attributed to possible switchmode supply design flaw or similar, is not present on my version:



I guess it could be external as the device isn't shielded at all, or perhaps it was fixed in later revisions. Mine is revision C.

[tggzzz]

ISTR reading somewhere that it was felt that the target market (beginners) would complain if they felt they has been mislead by finding the amplitude of a 5MHz signal was too low. Personally I don't agree with that, since they will need to understand what equipment's spec does and doesn't mean.

I believe Digilent is owned by NI. In that case there might be a less charitable motive for restricting the device, especially the spectrum/network analyser: to "differentiate" between the academic and professional markets and prevent the low-end professional market from being eroded by the academic tools. I carefully avoided using the word "crippling". I'm sure no marketeer would ever think of such a thing, let alone enact it.

I certainly don't know whether or not it has been done in this case.

[Syntax_Error]

Digilent was only very recently purchased by NI, and the AD and the EE board were both available for purchase (as in finished design already fielded for sale) before Digilent announced the company acquisition. Of course this doesn't mean that boardroom meetings weren't already going on for months; who knows. There was some worry online when the acquisition was first announced, as people were curious if the AD would infringe on NI's myRIO and myDAQ products. Since then, Digilent has announced that the AD and EE are not being dropped, and have also added the mentioned NI products to their sale lineup.

If being acquired by NI gives Digilent the stability they need to continue operating, then I'm happy for them. I know of no other company besides Digilent that does what they do in the market/educational spaces they operate in. If NI kills Digilent in the end, well, I will have to stick a few hundred pins in an NI voodoo doll and hope for the best, I suppose. 

[jaxbird]

ISTR reading somewhere that it was felt that the target market (beginners) would complain if they felt they has been mislead by finding the amplitude of a 5MHz signal was too low. Personally I don't agree with that, since they will need to understand what equipment's spec does and doesn't mean.

I believe Digilent is owned by NI. In that case there might be a less charitable motive for restricting the device, especially the spectrum/network analyser: to "differentiate" between the academic and professional markets and prevent the low-end professional market from being eroded by the academic tools. I carefully avoided using the word "crippling". I'm sure no marketeer would ever think of such a thing, let alone enact it.

I certainly don't know whether or not it has been done in this case.

If you are designing automated production tests, I believe this device is very handy, it's cheap, can do advanced waveforms x2 (+/-5V/5-20MHz/14bits), scope x2 (+/-20V/100MSPS/14bits), digital IO x16 (3.3V/100 MSPS) and PSU (+/-5V) plus you can stack multiple of these with trigger IO x2 for more advanced tests. The API is easy and accessible, device is very cheap, pretty much an ideal QC test device IMO.

I wouldn't be surprised if Digilent suddenly experience a peak in sales

[tggzzz]

ISTR reading somewhere that it was felt that the target market (beginners) would complain if they felt they has been mislead by finding the amplitude of a 5MHz signal was too low. Personally I don't agree with that, since they will need to understand what equipment's spec does and doesn't mean.

I believe Digilent is owned by NI. In that case there might be a less charitable motive for restricting the device, especially the spectrum/network analyser: to "differentiate" between the academic and professional markets and prevent the low-end professional market from being eroded by the academic tools. I carefully avoided using the word "crippling". I'm sure no marketeer would ever think of such a thing, let alone enact it.

I certainly don't know whether or not it has been done in this case.

If you are designing automated production tests, I believe this device is very handy, it's cheap, can do advanced waveforms x2 (+/-5V/5-20MHz/14bits), scope x2 (+/-20V/100MSPS/14bits), digital IO x16 (3.3V/100 MSPS) and PSU (+/-5V) plus you can stack multiple of these with trigger IO x2 for more advanced tests. The API is easy and accessible, device is very cheap, pretty much an ideal QC test device IMO.

I wouldn't be surprised if Digilent suddenly experience a peak in sales

I agree with all that, and that is is a good device for the money - so much so that Digilent appears to be not doing itself justice. That was the reason for my extremely jaundiced question.

I'm content that others, e.g. syntax error, can give reasons why it was too jaundiced.

[jaxbird]

I agree with all that, and that is is a good device for the money - so much so that Digilent appears to be not doing itself justice. That was the reason for my extremely jaundiced question.

I'm content that others, e.g. syntax error, can give reasons why it was too jaundiced.

Not my intention to pick on you in any way, I merely wanted to point out the general usability of the device in a production environment. I was probably a bit careless with my quoting.

Anyway I'm confident anyone pro or am investing in this will find satisfaction in its performance. Personally I enjoy being able to measure bandwidth in my (lowish frequency) opamp circuits.

 

[tggzzz]

I agree with all that, and that is is a good device for the money - so much so that Digilent appears to be not doing itself justice. That was the reason for my extremely jaundiced question.

I'm content that others, e.g. syntax error, can give reasons why it was too jaundiced.

Not my intention to pick on you in any way, I merely wanted to point out the general usability of the device in a production environment. I was probably a bit careless with my quoting.

Anyway I'm confident anyone pro or am investing in this will find satisfaction in its performance. Personally I enjoy being able to measure bandwidth in my (lowish frequency) opamp circuits.

You have no reason to apologise. if anything I should be the one apologising for posting unverified (and probably incorrect) thoughts.

[Howardlong]

I wouldn't be surprised if Digilent suddenly experience a peak in sales

I bought one off the back of this and consider it very good. Sure not a replacement for a proper 'scope, but it's impressive. The analogue bandwidth is definitely underplayed.

One thing I haven't manged to do is to properly compensate a pair of probes with the BNC adapter, the range of he probes I was using doesn't seem to be enough.

That said, for a portable piece of kit it is excellent. If I am to compare it with the Bitscope I've had for several years, it makes the BitScope look positively neandertal, particularly with respect to the UI. With USB tools, the software is key, and they seem to have done a pretty reasonable job on that on the Analog Discovery.

[Howardlong]

Hmm, although I am not sure it's such good value at the GBP200 or so Farnell have it at currently. Microchip Direct still showing GBP138 but not in stock until mid January.

[jaxbird]

Hmm, although I am not sure it's such good value at the GBP200 or so Farnell have it at currently. Microchip Direct still showing GBP138 but not in stock until mid January.

I got mine from MicrochipDirect, not sure how they can sell it at 2/3 the cost advertised by Digilent without requiring you to be a student for discounts. But, I guess we are all students of life

Anyway, a pretty decent offer if you are ordering stuff from Microchip anyway with their fixed per order, express shipping rate.

But yeah, as Dave pointed out, not meant to replace a dedicated scope for general measurements and circuit debugging. While the software is very good (compared to e.g. the Red Pitaya) I'd quickly get very frustrated not having any knobs to turn. But overall as a multiple purpose arb func gen, programmable scope and logic analyzer/signal gen it does represent high value at reasonable cost for me.

[Frex]

Hello all,

I ordered mine on MicrochipDirect, and i receive it in start January.
I think too that the device seem very promising but in my own opinion
there is a concern with the connexions.
Of course, only 10cm of  wires cost about nothing and it's a convenient way
to use some fast connect prototype board (student use), but in more serious
lab, good and stable connexions are a requirement.
I have seen also that a small extension board with 4 BNC is available for sale,
but i think that could be better.

So, in order to get that, i will probably build one fit to lab needs.
Does anyone has already think that before me ?
Somebody would be interested ? (i could organize a PCB group buy
like i've already do in DIYaudio forum).
Is there users could help to define precisely "the interface board" requirements ?

For me, the minimum is :
-------------------------------------
4 x female BNC for Analog inputs
2 x toggle switchs for selecting single ended/differential
2 x female BNC for Analog Outputs
1 x HE10 connector for logic probe

Some parts will be added to protect I/O from overvoltage.
The AnalogDiscovery board and the interfec board will be mounted
together in small and low cost Hammond aluminium enclosure, to give
a better EMC shield and also a more pro tool and look and feel.
Does anyone can give me size of the internal board to choose an enclosure ?
Of course, this add-on won't cost more that the tool itself ! (i hope).
Some suggestions ?

Frex
 
 

[softone]

Hello all,

I ordered mine on MicrochipDirect, and i receive it in start January.
I think too that the device seem very promising but in my own opinion
there is a concern with the connexions.
Of course, only 10cm of  wires cost about nothing and it's a convenient way
to use some fast connect prototype board (student use), but in more serious
lab, good and stable connexions are a requirement.
I have seen also that a small extension board with 4 BNC is available for sale,
but i think that could be better.

So, in order to get that, i will probably build one fit to lab needs.
Does anyone has already think that before me ?
Somebody would be interested ? (i could organize a PCB group buy
like i've already do in DIYaudio forum).
Is there users could help to define precisely "the interface board" requirements ?

For me, the minimum is :
-------------------------------------
4 x female BNC for Analog inputs
2 x toggle switchs for selecting single ended/differential
2 x female BNC for Analog Outputs
1 x HE10 connector for logic probe

Some parts will be added to protect I/O from overvoltage.
The AnalogDiscovery board and the interfec board will be mounted
together in small and low cost Hammond aluminium enclosure, to give
a better EMC shield and also a more pro tool and look and feel.
Does anyone can give me size of the internal board to choose an enclosure ?
Of course, this add-on won't cost more that the tool itself ! (i hope).
Some suggestions ?

Frex
 

I have already sold the product that looks alike to your demand in Japan.
Please refer to the following page.
http://softone.a.la9.jp/english/FrontBox/FrontBox1.htm

Shoichi Yoshimoto

[jaxbird]

Hello all,

I ordered mine on MicrochipDirect, and i receive it in start January.
I think too that the device seem very promising but in my own opinion
there is a concern with the connexions.
Of course, only 10cm of  wires cost about nothing and it's a convenient way
to use some fast connect prototype board (student use), but in more serious
lab, good and stable connexions are a requirement.
I have seen also that a small extension board with 4 BNC is available for sale,
but i think that could be better.

So, in order to get that, i will probably build one fit to lab needs.
Does anyone has already think that before me ?
Somebody would be interested ? (i could organize a PCB group buy
like i've already do in DIYaudio forum).
Is there users could help to define precisely "the interface board" requirements ?

For me, the minimum is :
-------------------------------------
4 x female BNC for Analog inputs
2 x toggle switchs for selecting single ended/differential
2 x female BNC for Analog Outputs
1 x HE10 connector for logic probe

Some parts will be added to protect I/O from overvoltage.
The AnalogDiscovery board and the interfec board will be mounted
together in small and low cost Hammond aluminium enclosure, to give
a better EMC shield and also a more pro tool and look and feel.
Does anyone can give me size of the internal board to choose an enclosure ?
Of course, this add-on won't cost more that the tool itself ! (i hope).
Some suggestions ?

Frex
 

You are pretty much describing the bnc addon board, it's only ~$20 just buy it if you cannot work with the pinouts.

Just keep in mind, while high performance, this is not meant to replace a proper arb fuction gen, scope or digital analyzer in a proper lab environment.

[Engineer1]

Dave,

Thanks for this superb review, which I've just found. It was well worth waiting the two years (I'm the person who, back in the day, asked Digilent to send one to you!) I think the unit you have is probably a couple of board revisions back (although I don't know more detail on this - all my units are of the same vintage), so hopefully some of the niggles you saw are improved in the current version.

Anyway, I still use, and love, the AD. I'm glad you like it too.

If anyone wants to do any background reading, there's another thread with some links to useful information through it:

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/new-analog-devicesdigilent-analog-discovery-board/msg170932/#msg170932

I remain evangelical about this magical box.

Cheers.

Steve.

[Floyo]

I am thinking of getting this device as a complement to my other equipment, and mostly for taking on the road to always have the "basics" at hand. And the provided software looks sufficient for this. Then there is the API to make custom measurements a possibility.

One thing I am wondering though, which the docs do not mention anything about, How hackable/reprogrammable would the on-chip FPGA be, especially with regards to real-time continuous streaming of data to the pc, for audio/SDR applications. Some quick guesses show that not all the analogue signals are going to be able to be transferred across the USB 2.0 bus at their full 125Msps.

The documentation http://www.digilentinc.com/Data/Products/ANALOG-DISCOVERY/Discovery_TRM_RevB_1.pdf  (page 33) shows transfer speeds of up to 20MB/s are possible and that an FPGA bit file is loaded at each boot up of the device.

Programming seems to be done with the following software http://www.digilentinc.com/Products/Detail.cfm?Prod=ADEPT2

The Xilinx XC6SLX16-1L FPGA has ~14K and 72K of ram (if I am reading the specs right).

So I would like to know everybody's thoughts on the usage of this device as a potential mixed signal FPGA dev board, Since I do not yet have enough experience with programmable logic to say what can and can't be done with this hardware.

[tggzzz]

I am thinking of getting this device as a complement to my other equipment, and mostly for taking on the road to always have the "basics" at hand. And the provided software looks sufficient for this. Then there is the API to make custom measurements a possibility.

...

So I would like to know everybody's thoughts on the usage of this device as a potential mixed signal FPGA dev board, Since I do not yet have enough experience with programmable logic to say what can and can't be done with this hardware.

If that is important to you, have a look at the Red Pitaya. More expensive, faster, based on a Zynq, ethernet, linux, less mature than the Analog Disovery - but designed to be hackable at the FPGA and software level. Examples are given and encouraged.

The Zynq is faster than the XC6, contains a dual-core ARM-A9 processor which can run linux on both cores, or can have an RTOS on one core and linux on the other. Host software runs on win/linux/osx.

Care with the using the extension connector; the GNDs aren't ideally placed (!) and only 3V3 interface families can be used. AFAIK the hardware is closed source.

http://uk.rs-online.com/web/c/?sra=oss&r=t&searchTerm=red+pitaya

[Floyo]

I already had a look at the Red Pitaya, but to me it has quite some issues. First being the gigE interface, this is going to be relatively hard to hook up in a cooperate network, probably requiring one to carry a router. Then there is the price, quite a bit higher than the 159$ student price for the Analog Discovery.

That said, the hardware choices otherwise look better than the Analog Discovery, having SMAs for the probes, the auxiliary ADC/DACs, and the onboard processing grunt needed to do some beefy processing. But, looking at their website and Mjlortons review, the software seems to be a definite weak spot compared the the Analog Discovery, it looks rather immature and simple in places.

All of this wouldn't be such a big deal if the documentation on how to get started coding for the whole Zynq soc would be easy and accessible, because I imagine programming the Zyng as a novice at FPGA's would be quite a challenge, And in this case I don't want to spend  too much time figuring out and coding the measuring equipment.

So unless more docs become available on a beginner level, or the software becomes better I personally see the Red Pitaya as a bit of a gamble, and would still like to see if the Analog Discovery could perform in a similar role, albeit at reduced performance, just to get started.

[tggzzz]

I already had a look at the Red Pitaya, but to me it has quite some issues. First being the gigE interface, this is going to be relatively hard to hook up in a cooperate network, probably requiring one to carry a router. Then there is the price, quite a bit higher than the 159$ student price for the Analog Discovery.

That said, the hardware choices otherwise look better than the Analog Discovery, having SMAs for the probes, the auxiliary ADC/DACs, and the onboard processing grunt needed to do some beefy processing. But, looking at their website and Mjlortons review, the software seems to be a definite weak spot compared the the Analog Discovery, it looks rather immature and simple in places.

I wouldn't disagree with any of that.

All of this wouldn't be such a big deal if the documentation on how to get started coding for the whole Zynq soc would be easy and accessible, because I imagine programming the Zyng as a novice at FPGA's would be quite a challenge, And in this case I don't want to spend  too much time figuring out and coding the measuring equipment.

So unless more docs become available on a beginner level, or the software becomes better I personally see the Red Pitaya as a bit of a gamble, and would still like to see if the Analog Discovery could perform in a similar role, albeit at reduced performance, just to get started.

Now there I differ: I would regard the Red Pitaya as less of a gamble w.r.t. fiddling with the contents of the FPGA. There are understandable Red Pitaya examples available, and the ecosystem is designed to enable it. Neither of those are true for the Analog Discovery.

Programming any FPGA is non-trivial at any level. The toolsets themselves are extremely complicated, as are the devices, as is the Verilog/VHDL language and coding styles, as is fitting the design into the FPGA within the timing constraints. Getting up to speed is vaguely equivalent to learning Java, learning an IDE, learning a enterprise frameworks, and deploying an application that meets the speed requirements. All do-able, all fun, but not to be underestimated.

OTOH, if you want instruments you can use, I too would choose the Analog Discovery (and have - hopefully mine materialises tomorrow ).

[jaxbird]

I had a look at some of the Red Pitaya code, and if it's correct it translated into that the device needs something like 1000ms to change frequency on the analog output, that makes applications like a network analyzer pretty useless, or you'll need a lot of patience for the scan to finish with e.g. a 500 point plot.

Can anyone confirm that my interpretation of the code is indeed a limitation of the Red Pitaya?

[tggzzz]

I had a look at some of the Red Pitaya code, and if it's correct it translated into that the device needs something like 1000ms to change frequency on the analog output, that makes applications like a network analyzer pretty useless, or you'll need a lot of patience for the scan to finish with e.g. a 500 point plot.

Can anyone confirm that my interpretation of the code is indeed a limitation of the Red Pitaya?

By "code" do you mean "C" or "VHDL"?

That effect (i.e. 1000ms) would be significant. What causes you to believe that figure might be right? What do you think the root cause might be?

[jaxbird]

I had a look at some of the Red Pitaya code, and if it's correct it translated into that the device needs something like 1000ms to change frequency on the analog output, that makes applications like a network analyzer pretty useless, or you'll need a lot of patience for the scan to finish with e.g. a 500 point plot.

Can anyone confirm that my interpretation of the code is indeed a limitation of the Red Pitaya?

By "code" do you mean "C" or "VHDL"?

That effect (i.e. 1000ms) would be significant. What causes you to believe that figure might be right? What do you think the root cause might be?

I'm referring to the C code, I have not looked seriously into the VHDL code.

And of worth notice they have not released any Network Analyzer app for the Red Pitaya yet.

[tggzzz]

I had a look at some of the Red Pitaya code, and if it's correct it translated into that the device needs something like 1000ms to change frequency on the analog output, that makes applications like a network analyzer pretty useless, or you'll need a lot of patience for the scan to finish with e.g. a 500 point plot.

Can anyone confirm that my interpretation of the code is indeed a limitation of the Red Pitaya?

By "code" do you mean "C" or "VHDL"?

That effect (i.e. 1000ms) would be significant. What causes you to believe that figure might be right? What do you think the root cause might be?

I'm referring to the C code, I have not looked seriously into the VHDL code.

And of worth notice they have not released any Network Analyzer app for the Red Pitaya yet.

I suspect they are hoping that third parties will do something and contribute it to the bazaar. One starting point mighe be http://blog.redpitaya.com/?p=501

But again I ask: that effect (i.e. 1000ms) would be significant. What causes you to believe that figure might be right? What do you think the root cause might be?

(You won't be crucified for making an honest mistake! I know: I've made enough in my time )

[jaxbird]

...
I suspect they are hoping that third parties will do something and contribute it to the bazaar. One starting point mighe be http://blog.redpitaya.com/?p=501
...

Notice that the example shown is based on just 20 measurements from 1kHz to 10MHz, it could be for simplification or add to the evidence that there is an issue with speed.

Would be interesting to hear from anyone owning the unit.

[tggzzz]

...
I suspect they are hoping that third parties will do something and contribute it to the bazaar. One starting point mighe be http://blog.redpitaya.com/?p=501
...

Notice that the example shown is based on just 20 measurements from 1kHz to 10MHz, it could be for simplification or add to the evidence that there is an issue with speed.

Would be interesting to hear from anyone owning the unit.

What evidence is there? You have only supplied unjustified assertions.

I'm listening, and don't expect a fully justified watertight answer - even a hint as to the reason for your assertion would be helpful.

[boffin]

I was happy enough to pick one up used off a local classified site.  They're going on ebay for nearly $200, and I got one with a little parts kit and breadboard for $100.  Picked up some cheap scope probes from China as well, and will order the BNC adaptor from Digilent tonight.

So, keep your eyes open if your local uni/comm college uses these in their teachings.

[Quentis]

Hello,

I have bought analog discovery recently and a I tried it in loopback mode and I applied a 100mV (and 200mV) DC to the waveform generator and I measured 96-97mV (and 196-197mV) in the oscilloscope. After that I measured the AWG with a multimeter in 200mV range (0.5% error) and it showed 95.4mV (94-96mV) so it seems the AWG has a nice offset. In terms of bits: let say low gain is 1.25V * 2 = 2.5V and (2.5V / 2^14) = 0.15mV so it means 3-4 bit error which means the effective number of bits are 10-11.
Have you experienced similar to this or is there any problem with my calculations?
It is possible to calibrate the device so I will try to get something more precise stuff and do it. I just wanted to know if this is common or other units are more precise. (the factory calibration page is filled in of my unit so it seems strange)

Best regards,
Quentis

[tggzzz]

Yes.

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=analog+discovery+calibrate

[Howardlong]

Quick note regarding a fault that developed yesterday on my original Analog Discovery.

This is still a really useful device, so although I upgraded to the AD2, I still regularly use the AD1.

At first it was an intermittent micro USB connection, then after a further half dozen or so re-insertions as I tried to understand the nature of the fault, it failed permanently.

So I opened it up and of course three of the five pads on the micro USB receptacle had separated from the board, including D+, D- and Vcc. To fix the D+ and D- is just a matter of scraping the tracks and adding a short couple of millimeters of link wire. The vias for Vcc underneath the receptacle so I removed the receptacle completely to take a look. There are large pads on both top and bottom of the board underneath the receptacle next to each other and connected with a few vias, so you can safely link the Vcc connection round to the reverse of the board.

After testing the repair, with a micro USB plug inserted, I added a tiny blob of superglue to the USB receptacle's pins in an effort to alleviate too much strain in future on the repair rework.