Wave 2018 (formerly Scope Month)

[TheDane]

Can someone please fix the wonky LED tape in that sign...

I worked on it this afternoon, it'll be better on Monday I promise!

Also thanks for working on the video stream quality, it was a bit choppy the first couple of streams - at least on my end.
I have a question, which I might not be able to ask on the live Q&A YouTube stream later today (away from computer):

I have been looking into how the arbitrary waveform generator is programmed, and it seems it acceepts two formats: Arb and CSV, which is either static or PC program generated.

Quote from 'How to Easily Create an Arbitrary Waveform Without Programming'
"G. If you prefer to use a software environment to generate your arb, or if you need more advanced math functions than what Excel can provide, you can still avoid having to remotely connect and program your arbitrary waveform generator. Most programming environments, like Matlab and LabView, have APIs for writing and reading CSV files. Simply have your program write the arb to a CSV file and “sneaker network” it to the AWG"

In my ESR tester project I am using a microcontroller which has serial I/O possibilities - so I could cook up a way to sneak data directly to the generator.
My question is: Can I also send commands 'directly', without having an API doing it or spending lots of memory?
(Controller commands a sinewave at a freq, like doing it in Excel spreadsheet, and then the generator does so 'instantly'. Then the controller commands a diff. freq - the generator complies 'instantly') aka, more low level programming registers like I am used to with the AD983x programmable waveform generators - and I plan on using in the project.

I hope it is OK to ask a question here, and that it is possible 
Thanks,
Egon

[Fred27]

No eevblog winners yet? Surely that can't be right. What's going on?

There are some great prize bundles but it's not as entertaining as last year's scope month. Where's Sebastian? Where's the gamed popularity contest and in depth vote trend analysis? Where's the 1GHz induction water heater?

On the plus side, I'm guessing it's less stressful for Daniel and the Keysight team.

[bitseeker]

If I've won, no one has mentioned it to me, yet. But I keep trying.

[metrologist]

I've been trying for a few days to enter, but the site automatically says I'm entered to win!. It also says I can get a daily entry and when I click that, it automatically says I got my daily entry. Is entering automatic just by visiting the site? I have not seen the form again.

You are entered to win!
Want more chances to win?
Don't forget - you can enter once per day!
Daily entry resets at 08:01:00 UTC

You got your daily entry!

[rsjsouza]

If you either refresh the screen or type the URL in a blank tab, a button shows up as below:

[metrologist]

Yes, when I hit the button, I do not get a form. I get the message that I got my daily entry.

[bitseeker]

Clicking the button submits your entry for the day. You will not see the form again because the cookie in your browser identifies you to the site. So, they already know it's you.

You do have to click that button, though. Simply loading the page is not sufficient to get your daily entry.

[rsjsouza]

Clicking the button submits your entry for the day. You will not see the form again because the cookie in your browser identifies you to the site. So, they already know it's you.

You do have to click that button, though. Simply loading the page is not sufficient to get your daily entry.

Exactly. I should have clarified this in my post as well.

[bitseeker]

No worries. I got your back.

[KNSSoftware]

Seriously?!!?

Like an idiot, I have been entering everyday, and watching the draw, and I havn't even been included once, despite seeing an 'you are entered message'.  You seriously have to click another button, even though, there has already been a full postback of the page, and it could have don't it in a single submission.

[bitseeker]

If you submitted the form, you are entered — once — for the duration of Wave 2018. However, if you don't subsequently click the button each day (or re-submit the form if you see that instead of the button), then you're only entered once. By clicking the button (or submitting the form) each day, you get an additional entry.

[KNSSoftware]

are you sure about

By clicking the button (or submitting the form) each day, you get an additional entry.

I clear the browser, so I always get a new form to fill out daily.  I have never received an email conformation until now (which is a typical keysight oversight with these things, so didn't question it), and have never noticed the button that replaces asking for your details again, that appears after a form submit.  After reading your post and pressing it after my usual full entry submission (so probably entered twice today for all i know), I got my first email conformation.   If you are right, that means the email conformation function is only tied into the 'shortcut' button that reuses your cached details, but not the full form submission function, despite both re-entering your details on a daily basis.

[bitseeker]

I cannot guarantee anything since I have no purview nor control of Keysight's systems. However, the submission behavior is how it was explained. There could be bugs. Caveat emptor, etc.

[HighVoltage]

Every time I press this button now, I am getting immediately a confirmation email.
To me it seems to be working perfectly now.

[Bud]

It is amazing how Keysight managed to make it so confusing and complicated out of a simple button click.

[ProBang2]

No eevblog winners yet? Surely that can't be right. What's going on?

There are some great prize bundles but it's not as entertaining as last year's scope month. Where's Sebastian? Where's the gamed popularity contest and in depth vote trend analysis? Where's the 1GHz induction water heater?

On the plus side, I'm guessing it's less stressful for Daniel and the Keysight team.

You are right. Wave 2018 has somehow by far not as much suspense as the Scopemonth 2017.   
Maybe, because the odds for winning are much lower in 2018.
Remember: In 2017 were 5 Keysight 1000x scopes every weekday plus 2 Keysight 4000x on every friday in the sweepstake - for the whole month. That sums up to a total of 125 winners.   
In 2018 are 12 bundles and maybe 6 additional Keysight 1000x scopes possible.
This 18 winners are divided over (IIRC) 17 eligible countries.
Assuming, the part of the people which participate is in every country the same:
Compare the USA with (for example) Venezuela. 322 million people versus 30 million people. Estimate yourself the odds for a guy from Venezuela...     
Or from Chile (18 million people)...   
Even for someone from Germany (81 million) are the odds not very well.

Don´t let me be misunderstood: Big thanks to keysight for making this sweepstake (and making it international). No other company is doing something similar.
And for the winners are the bundles a really fantastic prize, that´s for sure.

But, the lower the odds of winning, the lower is my suspense and interest.
At least, that applies to me. Maybe for others too. 

And: No! Please, not! No second SEBASTIAN!       Really not necessary!    

[Keysight DanielBogdanoff]

Thanks everyone for your patience, this type of system is definitely out of scope for our normal web stuff. 

We did fix the button error if that was an issue you were having - apparently spamming the button would throw an error.

We're also taking notes for next year regarding e-mail notifications, that is new this year thanks to popular demand. It seems like it should be simple, but there's a whole audit process we have to go through before sending any automated e-mail in order to avoid breaking laws. I'll make a stink about it for next time so that we can make sure it is more consistent and reliable.

@ProBang2, we definitely get both positive and negative feedback for our giveaways. In 2016 we gave away only 1 GHz 3000Ts and got a lot of positive responses. People seemed to like that it was a prize worthy of a well-equipped corporate R&D lab. 2017 we went full bore the other way with quantity, and got good feedback about that too with some complaints that a 1000X wasn't that compelling for many professional engineers. This year we tried to find a happy medium. We'll definitely be weighing our options for next year and try to find the best possible option.

Ultimately, this event is a way for us to say thank you to this community and the engineering community as a whole. So THANK YOU ALL! And sure, it's good for business, but that's just how we justify it - not why we do it .

[thm_w]

I've just found out that you need to have cookies enabled and must not auto-delete them when closing the web browser. Unfortunately that isn't explained anywhere. If you're a person concerned about privacy and have set your browser to auto-delete cookies when closing the browser you'll see the registration form again next day. So I re-registered again and again, and I assume Daniel considers this an attempted fraud and removes my entries. Only if the cookie is saved you'll see the webpage for re-entering for the next draw. Keysight, if you require cookies to be saved please tell so. Otherwise privacy concerned users won't have any chance to win because they re-register every day and you'll simply delete their entries because you think they are trying to cheat. But the problem is that the users won't see the page for re-entering the draw because of the auto-deleted cookie.

Its like complaining you have to log into the forum again after you closed your browser and cleared your cookies.

[Brumby]

While it is always great to have an opportunity to win some really cool gear, I did not even attempt to enter the competition available to Australia.  With the 2 prizes offered, I would only have really been able to use the bench gear.  The RF gear was amazing, but really far more than I would ever be likely to use and I would not have felt too comfortable winning that and flogging it off.  So only one prize was ever on my radar.

However, the material from which questions could be drawn being what it was, I just couldn't justify the time to research and prepare - plus there being one set time means that if anything happened, my opportunity would pass.  As a result, I didn't even try.

My hopes lie with Dave and his dumpster finds....

[madires]

Its like complaining you have to log into the forum again after you closed your browser and cleared your cookies.

Sorry, you got that wrong. It was a misunderstanding of what is meant by 'registration' and 'enter the draw'.

[Keysight DanielBogdanoff]

I was wondering where you had gotten to, Brumby!

[capt bullshot]

Todays German translation of the daily questionnaire was quite misleading:

"Wenn längere Netzkabel zur Versorgung eines Geräts verwendet werden, gilt für die Netzkabellänge Folgendes (alle zutreffenden Antworten auswählen):"

The term "Netzkabel" points towards the mains power supply cable (the one that you plug into your wall socket), this shouldn't have any influence on qualtity T&M equipment. So the correct answer would be "none of the answers".

Reading the correct answers " C. Sie ist wichtig, da das Rauschen, bedingt durch Umwelteinflüsse, den an das Gerät gelieferten Strom beeinflussen kann
D. Sie ist wichtig, da die Kabelimpedanz eine Signalverschlechterung verursachen kann ", I found out that the "wires" connecting a lab PS to a DUT (or similar) were mentioned. The German term would be "Prüfleitungen" or lazy language "Messstrippen"

[hscade]

Todays German translation of the daily questionnaire was quite misleading:

"Wenn längere Netzkabel zur Versorgung eines Geräts verwendet werden, gilt für die Netzkabellänge Folgendes (alle zutreffenden Antworten auswählen):"

The term "Netzkabel" points towards the mains power supply cable (the one that you plug into your wall socket), this shouldn't have any influence on qualtity T&M equipment. So the correct answer would be "none of the answers".

Reading the correct answers " C. Sie ist wichtig, da das Rauschen, bedingt durch Umwelteinflüsse, den an das Gerät gelieferten Strom beeinflussen kann
D. Sie ist wichtig, da die Kabelimpedanz eine Signalverschlechterung verursachen kann ", I found out that the "wires" connecting a lab PS to a DUT (or similar) were mentioned. The German term would be "Prüfleitungen" or lazy language "Messstrippen"

Had the same issue with this question and it is not the first with an odd translation.

[capt bullshot]

Had the same issue with this question and it is not the first with an odd translation.

Yes, I'd prefer to read the original English text. I'm familiar with all the English technical terms, and the translation often isn't easily understandable if it wasn't done by a native speaker engineer who knows the correct native terms.

That's a general problem with translated technical stuff, if the original language is English, I always prefer the original document. Vice versa, if the original language is German, the English translation often is hilarious. Don't know if this is the same for other languages.

[Brumby]

I was wondering where you had gotten to, Brumby!

Oh, I was looking...