New Zoyi multimeter+oscilloscopes - ZT-70xS, up to 50MHz/250MSps (nov 2022)

[uncle_sem]

Tell me. has anyone managed to install the new firmware ZOYI-703S-FW-V156.ZTK?
Tell us how to do it.

1. device turned off. push F1 and then power, connect to PC, upload new firmware to firmware folder
2. device turned on. scope mode - menu - right, right - F3 (USB) - connect to PC, upload new firmware to firmware folder
3. not enough space on internal drive to upload the firmware
device turned on. scope mode - menu - left - F1 (more apps) - imgview (enter with menu button) - any F1-F4 (menu usb|delete|format|exit appears) - F3 (format). after format completed push mode to exit app, turn off, and go to p.1 or p.2 - internal drive should be empty and have enough space

[swalayan]

i would offer replacing that chip if anyone needs help in the european area. its around 11€..

A properly sized MCU would sure save me a lot of work (that could be spent on additional features and not on a custom bootloader). The core of the STM32H743 is even 200MHz faster, that chip is pretty powerful.

I cannot decide this myself, please post your opinions here.

i prefer replacing the mcu than brick my original mcu

[bffargo]

A properly sized MCU would sure save me a lot of work ...

Part of the fun of programming on these devices and retro computers is learning and proving what can be done with limited resources. (Look at some of the amazing games they are still making for an Atari 2600, 50 years after release putting the original versions to shame). Too much code / compilers today just assumes unlimited storage, bandwidth and CPU power, and thus we get very bloated software across phones and computers that constantly require hardware updates to keep up.

An ability to get something done and "fit" in the confines of some particular device definitely something many can't do. I wish you the best on your efforts here to make it all work!

[ajar171]

Part of the fun of programming on these devices and retro computers is learning and proving what can be done with limited resources. (Look at some of the amazing games they are still making for an Atari 2600, 50 years after release putting the original versions to shame). Too much code / compilers today just assumes unlimited storage, bandwidth and CPU power, and thus we get very bloated software across phones and computers that constantly require hardware updates to keep up.

An ability to get something done and "fit" in the confines of some particular device definitely something many can't do. I wish you the best on your efforts here to make it all work!

Sure it is fun to reach and work around the limits of the hardware, and 100MSPS dual channel oscilloscope is at the limit of an MCU without the help of an FPGA.

The HAL code of CumbeMX is very bloated, eating up a lot of flash, but I am not willing to go the bare metal programming route, just to rewrite everything for a different MCU later. So bloated CubeMX it is. Most of the flash space is eaten up by the fonts

My solution to the problem is using the external SPI flash as firmware storage, and copying everything from there into RAM at boot time. This way I have about 900kB of firmware space, that should be plenty enough.

This is a compromise, and this way the bootloader is only a sort-of bootloader, which has the limitation of not working anymore if a firmware update gets messed up (ex. power loss while updating).
In the unlikely case of a messed up firmware update, only recovery by JTAG is possible. This should not be a huge problem, because installing the firmware for the first time will require a JTAG adapter (at least an ST-Link) anyway.

The bigger MCU is still very tempting, because of the 480Mhz f_max of the core. I would just love to tell everyone, that my DMMs CPU is running at 400MHz My first computer (C64) was running 400x slower....

[bffargo]

My first computer (C64) was running 400x slower....

Just don't make the screen light blue on dark blue and we're okay   I'd take cyan on white (VIC20) first!

Joking aside, for the font size issue, could you RLE that and then expand it on copy to RAM like you're planning? Add a second to boot up or something?

[ajar171]

Just don't make the screen light blue on dark blue and we're okay   I'd take cyan on white (VIC20) first!

Joking aside, for the font size issue, could you RLE that and then expand it on copy to RAM like you're planning? Add a second to boot up or something?

The screen will be yellow on light blue, so absolutely unreadable

At the moment I am more concentrated on making the features work. My normal workflow is getting stuff to work, and optimize for size or speed later, maybe it's wrong, but that is the way I like it 

The fonts are already only 4 bits/pixel, I would estimate another 40% size reduction with RLE. I have all the memory I need for now, so I will save RLE for later

[ajar171]

Rant on

Words can not describe how much I hate the intel hex file format.

Rant off

sorted it out. what a waste of time...

[Phb]

Tell me. has anyone managed to install the new firmware ZOYI-703S-FW-V156.ZTK?
Tell us how to do it.

I just wanted to add, if I may, that  I upgraded from 1.42(6?) to 1.55 first, then to 1.56 and had no issues. Worked on the first try. Am wondering if this may have helped?

I do not have my HW version available, as I have never opened up my unit.

[metehoca]

Has anyone tried the new firmware? Are there any easily reproducible and demonstrable issues? From what I understand, ZOYI is unaware of what's going on and is requesting video evidence.

[Casper94]

Thanks guys! It's updating now. Fingers crossed

[tol]

The Single mode trigger bug is still present <=250ns. Anything you trigger in single mode at 250ns or faster won't trigger at the selecter trigger point. You need to scroll right a good deal (a few pages) to find the correct trigger point after the trigger. I'm amazed nobody has noticed this rather major bug - I wonder if it's only mine at this point!

I contacted them about this issue many times through emails and even through their youtube channel, and they always write (after a VERY LONG delay) that they have high quality products and value our feedback very much, but now it's v1.5.6, more than a half of a year passed after I bought this device, and I still don't see any positive changes in the firmware, all the bugs are the same. What's even worse, they don't publish a detailed log of changes, so we cannot know what new bugs were added in the new version I don't understand their approach. Evidently the guys who developed this device are not stupid because a stupid guy cannot develop such a device. Still I don't understand is it really difficult to revise the bugs that were already found and verified by many users many months ago... instead of fixing bugs they changed the running icon to a green one and added a clumsy Russian translation. It's like software development in the beginning of the 2000s, if you are too lazy to add new features, but want to release a new version, just change icons and that's enough

I wonder what firmware version is considered the most reliable at the moment?

[indman]

I wonder what firmware version is considered the most reliable at the moment?

There is no reliable firmware for this product! All versions have errors and bugs. I use version 1.3.8
For those people who choose the quick operation of the "Auto", version 1.3.2 is more suitable.

[TylerDurden]

Has anybody encountered the following error with a ZT-702S:

When range switching up from 200mV to 500mV (relay is clicking) it sometimes shows grossly distorted waveforms going up down in range fixes it after 1-5 cycles, again on the switching up. Restarting the device also fixes it.

This shows the distortion sampling from the calibration output:


The device is on the latest firmware (58).
Any ideas what could be wrong?

[tol]

Has anybody encountered the following error with a ZT-702S:

My 703 once had a strange signal distortion on channel 2, when the signal dropped to -infinity periodically with no reason. The only thing that helped was complete reset to defaults and recalibration. After I recalibrated the device, I've never seen this issue again. So I don't know where it came from and were it has gone to

[tol]

I've been playing with the 1.5.6 version and I found that the auto range works really fast in comparison with 1.4.x versions and it works correctly. Most signals are found within 1-3 seconds. I tested it with the ESP32 signal generator (up to 40 Mhz square and 1Mhz sine) and also with a GM328A generator. It does have difficulties with low frequency but I was able to autorange 10 herz from the second try and it took around 10 seconds. Sometimes it takes 3-4 tries to autorange 10-20Hz. Stable but slow autorange works from 30Hz and above. The autorange speed increases as the frequency increases. 500 Hz takes 3 seconds and 1+kHz is around 1 second or less.  I don't have a professional signal generator so I tested with simple devices that I have. If you have different experience, please share your opinion, but I think it is more usable than it was before.

I also found that loosing the trigger at 250ns and below takes place only with frequency <= 80kHz. As I see it, 90kHz and above can be seen at 250ns with the correct trigger place. Please check if it's the same on your devices.

This bug is rather annoying and I want to make a video showing this bug and send it to Zoyi support and also upload it to youtube and send them the link. If you have other serious issues  with the 1.5.6 firmware, let me know, and I will add it to my video if I am able to reproduce it.

[TylerDurden]

Has anybody encountered the following error with a ZT-702S:

My 703 once had a strange signal distortion on channel 2, when the signal dropped to -infinity periodically with no reason. The only thing that helped was complete reset to defaults and recalibration. After I recalibrated the device, I've never seen this issue again. So I don't know where it came from and were it has gone to

I already tried this - unfortunately it did not help.

[mebel]

i would offer replacing that chip if anyone needs help in the european area. its around 11€..

A properly sized MCU would sure save me a lot of work (that could be spent on additional features and not on a custom bootloader). The core of the STM32H743 is even 200MHz faster, that chip is pretty powerful.

I cannot decide this myself, please post your opinions here.

I also prefer more powerful MCU.

[ajar171]

I have already ordered the more powerful MCU, that RedFox01 suggested. I only took a quick look, but they seem to be pin compatible.

Edit: the STM32H743VIT is not compatible with the ZT703 v2.2 PCB! It can be made to work, but the MSB of the green color is on the wrong pin. Also the "function generator" is a lost cause, it also on a wrong pin. I should have checked this first. All other compatible MCUs have the same f_max, so there is no advantage of replacing the MCU.


Got screenshots working, finally no more photos with my potato phone 

[cncjerry]

For all the bugs this meeter has, I am amazed how well it was calibrated at the factory.  I have a number of .1%, 10ppm resistors and it reads them nearly perfectly.  The one issue I have though, is you need to have it in the correct range when you use the "Rel" function.  I don't remember this being an issue with any other meters I have.  For instance, if I null the meter and then try to read a 1k resistor, it is out of range.  You need to select the correct range for the DUT and then hit "rel".

Jerry

[Mindstorm88]

  You need to select the correct range for the DUT and then hit "rel".

Jerry

most Fluke are like this too and it is the same for the min/max feature..

[tol]

Video:
https://youtu.be/pOL6pB-g_70

Firmware V1.5.6.
200 ms realtime picture shows that the testing assembly works perfectly.
reduce time to 100 ms.
test auto/normal/single trigger mode - all of them show garbage or unreliable. Single mode is slightly better, but skips every second button press.
Maybe I do something wrong, but it feels that the trigger system is very unreliable as it shows different results (or does not show anything) with every button pressing.

Your comments if it's OK or not are welcome.

[chebo]

At a scan rate of 200 ms or slower, synchronization does not work. Is this the case for everyone?
FW 1.5.6.

[OLderDan]

Only if the frequency is below 85khz do I lose sync at any time division smaller than 500ns.

[Astur_TorQue]

thanks!

looking forward to your firmware

[Astur_TorQue]

A properly sized MCU would sure save me a lot of work ...

Part of the fun of programming on these devices and retro computers is learning and proving what can be done with limited resources. (Look at some of the amazing games they are still making for an Atari 2600, 50 years after release putting the original versions to shame). Too much code / compilers today just assumes unlimited storage, bandwidth and CPU power, and thus we get very bloated software across phones and computers that constantly require hardware updates to keep up.

An ability to get something done and "fit" in the confines of some particular device definitely something many can't do. I wish you the best on your efforts here to make it all work!

Sure but out intention is to make a good firmware and make this device works the best, it is not worth losing thousands of hours and not having original recources of bootloader and so on