Recently an eBay item caught my attention–a DSO Nano, buy-it-now for $70. I already have several 'scopes (HP 54111D, Tektronix 564B, 547, 7704A) and a sizable collection of plug-ins. But two of these I have trouble even picking up by myself, so an oscilloscope I could carry in my pocket intrigued me, and the price seemed good–I bought it.
At first I was somewhat disappointed by the UI and the fact that the only manual I could find didn’t match the firmware mine came with. But the manual did explain how to install new firmware, so I started searching the Web. I started finding references to firmware that included “benf” in the description, but I didn’t know what that word meant. Then I found this site and learned that BenF is a person who has created improved firmware for the DSO Nano.
I now have a DSO Nano V1 running BenF V3.64 and a Users Guide that goes with it, which have turned my disappointment into joy. Since I didn’t pay anything for this excellent firmware, I assume BenF’s motivation for developing and supporting it is the satisfaction of helping people get the most from their device. I decided I at least owe the time it would take to register here and express my thanks for his efforts, which is the purpose of this post.