Author Topic: cool $1 gadgets ebay  (Read 17951 times)

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Offline cdev

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #50 on: October 15, 2017, 11:49:46 pm »
The first 24 Mhz FX logic analyzer was the (Cypress FX/FX2) reference design made with their development board

The chip manufacturer's reference design basically downloaded its software on the fly into their board.

If we consider that, one can only conclude many manufacturers essentially cloned those boards.

That was the reference design, it was encouraged. So the manufacturer could sell more chips.

 Sigrok.org >> Pulseview  = free and open source software.

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« Last Edit: October 17, 2017, 12:12:36 am by cdev »
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Offline Cyberdragon

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #51 on: October 15, 2017, 11:53:28 pm »
Electricity savers: If you can get it for the price of the capacitor within, you break even. ;D

Would you really trust that cap though? I'm sure they're not X rated despite being across the mains. :scared:
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Online Brumby

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #52 on: October 16, 2017, 12:38:26 am »
Electricity savers: If you can get it for the price of the capacitor within, you break even. ;D

Would you really trust that cap though? I'm sure they're not X rated despite being across the mains. :scared:

I can hear the marketing angle ...  Oh, did it fail?  You must have poor quality power.  Buy this model.  It is much better and is worth the $99 cost! <add extra bullshit here>
 

Offline VEGETA

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #53 on: October 16, 2017, 05:24:20 am »
Sigrok.org >> Pulseview

Seems like a nice well developed tool. It is mainly for Linux but there are windows binaries... unfortunately, they are for installation only. No portable zip version.

But will 5$ analyzer be good enough for normal uses? I haven't used any logic analyzer before though, only oscilloscopes. I didn't really try any I2C or SPI with PIC MCUs, only with Arduinos... hence pretty much confident they will work.

Offline technogeeky

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #54 on: October 16, 2017, 05:41:57 am »
Sigrok.org >> Pulseview

Seems like a nice well developed tool. It is mainly for Linux but there are windows binaries... unfortunately, they are for installation only. No portable zip version.

But will 5$ analyzer be good enough for normal uses? I haven't used any logic analyzer before though, only oscilloscopes. I didn't really try any I2C or SPI with PIC MCUs, only with Arduinos... hence pretty much confident they will work.

I have one and it's wonderful. It works fine with the Saleae software and you can put that software on a USB key if you want. We recommend them all the time in ##electronics and we constantly get people saying how awesome they are for $5.
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #55 on: October 16, 2017, 07:43:28 am »
I bought a single AAA flashlight for my keychain from Aliexpress for a few dollars. Best buy since getting a Victorinox Classic on the keychain.

Don't google "victorinox minichamp". You have been warned.
 

Offline Jeroen3

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #56 on: October 16, 2017, 08:06:22 am »
I already have an Outrider with my name engraved in the blade.
 

Offline VEGETA

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #57 on: October 16, 2017, 08:07:32 am »
Sigrok.org >> Pulseview

Seems like a nice well developed tool. It is mainly for Linux but there are windows binaries... unfortunately, they are for installation only. No portable zip version.

But will 5$ analyzer be good enough for normal uses? I haven't used any logic analyzer before though, only oscilloscopes. I didn't really try any I2C or SPI with PIC MCUs, only with Arduinos... hence pretty much confident they will work.

I have one and it's wonderful. It works fine with the Saleae software and you can put that software on a USB key if you want. We recommend them all the time in ##electronics and we constantly get people saying how awesome they are for $5.

If so, then what is the difference between them and original Saleae?

Offline stj

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Offline VEGETA

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #59 on: October 16, 2017, 08:49:22 am »
price.  8)

https://sigrok.org/wiki/Saleae_Logic

https://sigrok.org/wiki/MCU123_Saleae_Logic_clone

They are using nearly the same MCU which is a Cypress. So it gets down to mere software quality since hardware quality will not make a difference (only one MCU). This might be a reasonable 5$ vs 100$ comparison since Chinese manufacturers will not care about labor cost so programming this thing didn't cost them much, and it is one time only. Now all they need to do is program new ICs and ship units xD.

I don't think they copied the software from the original one though, I bet it is read protected.

What else worth getting from China for cheap like this?

Offline Fungus

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #60 on: October 16, 2017, 09:55:10 am »
I already have an Outrider with my name engraved in the blade.

On your keychain?
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #61 on: October 16, 2017, 09:57:20 am »
If so, then what is the difference between them and original Saleae?

a) They don't have any R&D or software development costs because they're just cloning
b) The Saleae have analog inputs as well.
 

Offline VEGETA

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #62 on: October 16, 2017, 10:22:28 am »
If so, then what is the difference between them and original Saleae?

a) They don't have any R&D or software development costs because they're just cloning
b) The Saleae have analog inputs as well.

I talked about point a.

What does these analog pins do? you mean like oscilloscope?

Offline stj

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #63 on: October 16, 2017, 10:43:49 am »
i dont think the first-gen original has analog inputs - i think that's only the newer ones.

there is nothing to program btw, the firmware is uploaded to the chip's ram over usb by the application software.
just a tiny eeprom with usb vid/pid numbers.
 

Offline Fungus

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #64 on: October 16, 2017, 12:32:54 pm »
What does these analog pins do? you mean like oscilloscope?

Yes.
 

Offline Jeroen3

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #65 on: October 17, 2017, 05:45:06 am »
I already have an Outrider with my name engraved in the blade.

On your keychain?
No, that's a bit much. It also isn't 1$.
 

Offline Mr. Scram

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #66 on: October 19, 2017, 10:17:40 am »
They are using nearly the same MCU which is a Cypress. So it gets down to mere software quality since hardware quality will not make a difference (only one MCU). This might be a reasonable 5$ vs 100$ comparison since Chinese manufacturers will not care about labor cost so programming this thing didn't cost them much, and it is one time only. Now all they need to do is program new ICs and ship units xD.

I don't think they copied the software from the original one though, I bet it is read protected.

What else worth getting from China for cheap like this?
The software is definitely not a one time only cost, as they are continually improving it and adding more decoders. It is also very notably the area where a lot of other companies have failed. Making the hardware is generally done right, so that seems to be easy. Making the software turns out to be the hard part.

While it is a to be expected stance on a forum full of hardware designers, developing proper and effective software is far from trivial.
 

Offline bitseeker

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #67 on: October 19, 2017, 11:24:14 pm »
So, any other cool things on eBay for $1? Maybe even stretch to $5? :o ;D
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Offline mbless

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #68 on: October 24, 2017, 03:56:22 pm »
the difference between 2.0 and 2.1 is huge if your not using windows and installing a bucket-load of drivers.
they enumerate over usb in a completely different way.
2.1 "just works"

also, i dont think 2.0 supports the serial link in parallel to the swd bus.
so your project cant transparently send back debug messages.

I've been using the ST-Link v2-1 on a Nucleo with Mac OS for about a year. I've gotten tired of having to lug around the dev board to program/debug an embedded system, so I decided to buy one these $2 ST-Link v2 after seeing this thread. I had basically no trouble getting it working. I did use a windows machine to update the firmware with the st-link utility, but after that I could flash and debug via OpenOCD and GDB in Eclipse. (I use the GNU ARM Eclipse toolchain.) You just have to select the correct config file.

I rarely use the serial port in the v2-1 because I send debug messages with the semihosting debug channel via SWD. I don't have to setup the uart toolchain if that specific system doesn't need it. If the system has USB, then it has an embedded uart converter or usb capability in the MCU, so I use its port to make sure everything is working.
« Last Edit: October 25, 2017, 06:27:02 pm by mbless »
 

Offline sony mavicaTopic starter

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #69 on: November 01, 2017, 03:27:38 am »
cool
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Offline cdev

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #70 on: November 01, 2017, 02:16:04 pm »
Those little STlink2 (cheap clone) dongles can be re-purposed to make other things, too, with their nice aluminum cases, etc. they are a pretty good deal.

I've been using the ST-Link v2-1 on a Nucleo with Mac OS for about a year. I've gotten tired of having to lug around the dev board to program/debug an embedded system, so I decided to buy one these $2 ST-Link v2 after seeing this thread. I had basically no trouble getting it working. I did use a windows machine to update the firmware with the st-link utility, but after that I could flash and debug via OpenOCD and GDB in Eclipse. (I use the GNU ARM Eclipse toolchain.) You just have to select the correct config file.

I rarely use the serial port in the v2-1 because I send debug messages with the semihosting debug channel via SWD. I don't have to setup the uart toolchain if that specific system doesn't need it. If the system has USB, then it has an embedded uart converter or usb capability in the MCU, so I use its port to make sure everything is working.
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Offline cdev

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Re: cool $1 gadgets ebay
« Reply #71 on: November 01, 2017, 02:25:09 pm »
i dont think the first-gen original has analog inputs - i think that's only the newer ones.

there is nothing to program btw, the firmware is uploaded to the chip's ram over usb by the application software.
just a tiny eeprom with usb vid/pid numbers.

The original (Altera?) USB/FX dev board logic analyzer reference design I think also had MSO functionality.   (At low voltages.)

"What the large print giveth, the small print taketh away."
 


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