Hacking the Rigol DHO800/900 Scope

[AndyBig]

So is it extremely difficult to do these UI mods, and have you discovered any other defects like the screenshots not functioning?

I can't evaluate it objectively. For me - yes, it’s difficult, because... I'm not familiar with Android development, I don't know the basics of Android applications - how they work, how they interact with the OS, how they generate images, etc. I have to google a lot, guess a lot, and in some cases try to act at random and see what happens In addition, I have to change low-level code - DALVIK, which also does not add convenience. I can imagine that for a person who is well acquainted with developing applications for Android, this will all be much easier

IF the label and value was all on one line, it could be smaller.  But would we see enough digits to still be useable?

Yes, I thought about this too, but the names of some dimensions are too long for all the numbers to fit after them. Although in principle you can expand the entire panel

[jsobell]

Side note:  If you care, you might try peeling up the label on the defective fan and look for cold solder joints on the SOT part(s).  There's often a hall effect sensor & FETs under there.

Yes, I did that, and I reflowed the pads I could see, but most is under the plastic. Still no luck.

J.

[AndyBig]

A convenient application for unpacking and decompiling .apk https://github.com/skylot/jadx . It can even work as a debugger, I tried it and it works

[RAPo]

But could we omit the names and only show (a scaled down) icon together with the value on one line?
And for the next wish: make it a setting we can change somewhere using the UI ;-)

Yes, I thought about this too, but the names of some dimensions are too long for all the numbers to fit after them. Although in principle you can expand the entire panel

[Fungus]

It seems to me that only the lazy have not yet scolded the way Rigol shows measurements ) And quite deservedly, I think.

I have.

It's especially criminal how the stat values are split across two lines:


The DHO1000 does it like this:


The firmware is supposedly the same, I wonder if we can get the DHO800 to do it like the DHO1000.

[RAPo]

I would love to have the statistics/measurements in a window that can be moved along the screen.

[AndyBig]

But could we omit the names and only show (a scaled down) icon together with the value on one line?

Icons that are one line of text high will simply not be legible on the screen.

And for the next wish: make it a setting we can change somewhere using the UI ;-)

You think too well of my ability to modify the application )))

[AndyBig]

The DHO1000 does it like this:
The firmware is supposedly the same, I wonder if we can get the DHO800 to do it like the DHO1000.

This is very interesting. You need to get the application from DHO1000 and see how it is done there.

[ebastler]

This is very interesting. You need to get the application from DHO1000 and see how it is done there.

Should all be nicely laid out in the .GEL files which Rigol offers for download, shouldn't it? I certainly appreciate their open format for the firmware update files. 

[RAPo]

But could we omit the names and only show (a scaled down) icon together with the value on one line?

Icons that are one line of text high will simply not be legible on the screen.

Maybe I didn't express myself quite right, but if you take the current icon height (so the same viewing as we are used to) and place the values next to it, it can work.

See the image

You think too well of my ability to modify the application )))

Remember Pipi Longstocking: “I have never tried that before, so I think I should definitely be able to do that.” 

[ebastler]

Maybe I didn't express myself quite right, but if you take the current icon height (so the same viewing as we are used to) and place the values next to it, it can work.

I don't think the icons alone are sufficiently self-explanatory to distinguish all the different measurement flavors.

[AndyBig]

Maybe I didn't express myself quite right, but if you take the current icon height (so the same viewing as we are used to) and place the values next to it, it can work.
See the image (Attachment Link)

Well, at a quick glance, try to distinguish these two icons from each other from your picture on a rather small oscilloscope screen, and also remember which icon means what

[shapirus]

Well, it almost worked You just need to correct the drawing of the border around the dimension

Very promising! Hope this will eventually boil down to a recipe suitable for a regular (advanced) user.

[gabiz_ro]

It's especially criminal how the stat values are split across two lines:

Maybe negligent software developer by mistake replace tab with new line

[RAPo]

If you look at the measurement dialogs, Rigol has supplied a different icon for each type of measurement.
You need the information on which channel(s) the measurement takes place.
That can be done by attaching the coloured text as shown in my image.
Or, if we would be really fancy, place the icon in a bar with the same colour as the channels.

I don't think the icons alone are sufficiently self-explanatory to distinguish all the different measurement flavors.

[shapirus]

Perhaps taking enclosed ball-bearing fans and chopping them is a better way to go? 40mm is not ideal, but as it works effectively and is so much quieter...

I doubt that such a big difference in the loudness can be attributed to the ball bearing vs sleeve (or whatever) difference. Both create almost zero noise on their own, unless broken.
There must be something else -- the number of blades, their angle, and, very likely, the very difference between the 40 mm and 45 mm diameter, where the latter leaves much less space between the edges of the blades and the fins of the heat sink, possibly resulting in the air siren effect.

[ebastler]

If you look at the measurement dialogs, Rigol has supplied a different icon for each type of measurement.

Sure. But I would not be willing to memorize the subtle details to distinguish them all, and recall which one means which. And, when in use, stare at them long enough to actually see all the little details.

[RAPo]

with a bit of practise that is not too hard. Rigol did a good job on the icons, and if you add a measurement, you'll see the corresponding icon.

[shapirus]

If you look at the measurement dialogs, Rigol has supplied a different icon for each type of measurement.

Right, but they are so small and also drawn in gray over dark background, that they become useless unless you look at them up close. It also takes time and effort to distinguish one from another, they all look too similar.
Text is just so much better -- it is read and recognized at a glance, can be read from a (much) larger distance.

[ebastler]

with a bit of practise that is not too hard. Rigol did a good job on the icons, and if you add a measurement, you'll see the corresponding icon.

Good luck distinguishing Vmax, Vtop, Vamp and Vpp, to pick just one example. 

[shapirus]

with a bit of practise that is not too hard. Rigol did a good job on the icons, and if you add a measurement, you'll see the corresponding icon.

There's no way one can realistically tell these three apart from 60 cm, let alone remember which means what:



Text labels, on the other hand, are readable and immediately obvious.

[AndyBig]

If you look at the measurement dialogs, Rigol has supplied a different icon for each type of measurement.
You need the information on which channel(s) the measurement takes place.
That can be done by attaching the coloured text as shown in my image.
Or, if we would be really fancy, place the icon in a bar with the same colour as the channels.

The icons, of course, are different, and they generally indicate what they mean. But the differences are so insignificant and hard to see with a small icon size that you have to look closely to understand which icon is drawn on this dark gray background

[AndyBig]

Very promising! Hope this will eventually boil down to a recipe suitable for a regular (advanced) user.

Yes, you just need to uninstall the native application and install the modified one. All this is easily done through ADB But the ability to take screenshots on an oscilloscope is lost; this can only be done through web control.

Maybe negligent software developer by mistake replace tab with new line

No, it's more complicated than that. Partially specified through layouts in .xml, partially defined in source codes. It’s difficult for me to understand all these intricate interweavings of the structure of the Android application.

[RAPo]

with a bit of practise that is not too hard. Rigol did a good job on the icons, and if you add a measurement, you'll see the corresponding icon.

There's no way one can realistically tell these three apart from 60 cm, let alone remember which means what:

(Attachment Link)

Text labels, on the other hand, are readable and immediately obvious.

60 cm is a bit much, but on the web interface, I can clearly see the differences.
And as I said, it takes a bit of practice, but I really think Rigol has done a good job.
But as asked before: maybe it should be configurable in a settings dialog.

[RAPo]

with a bit of practise that is not too hard. Rigol did a good job on the icons, and if you add a measurement, you'll see the corresponding icon.

Good luck distinguishing Vmax, Vtop, Vamp and Vpp, to pick just one example. 

Maybe I have eagle eyes, but I can easily do that.