DSO203 GCC APP - Community Edition (2.51+SmTech1.8+Fixes)

[clist]

after installing the wildcat version and reinstalling the original factory app, I can no longer install the wildcat. It installs ok with .rdy message, but boots to a blank screen.

Any ideas?

[Wildcat]

App1, app2, etc do refer to slot residency. However, most apps, including mine and the originals occupy 2 slots.
So if, for example you have the original in slot 1, adding another version in slot 2 wipes off the last half of the one
installed in slot 1. Likewise, installing in slot 3 wipes off whatever program is in slot 4. The gabonator app installed
in slot 4 I believe adds the rest of the code in some undocumented part of the ROM. This needs to be kept in mind
when adding programs so they don't overlap and destroy each other and kind of limits it to only 2 programs unless
2 of them can fit in only 1 slot each.
There has been some effort to rewrite the code to all these apps so only the first part of each of the programs fit in 1 slot
only, the rest to the aforementioned undocumented area. However this was only compatible with the older 2M devices.

The meters in my version can be changed like the original app, but the controls to do so may be different. While the
first "page" showing displays for both ChA and ChB can't be changed, the 4 remaining pages, each set up for one
of the channels can be changed to any relevant meter with source from any channel, but only until the page is changed.
Change pages with long press left toggle center. To change the meter items or source, long press right toggle center,
this will change the focus (blinking) to the meters. Use the right toggle to change between meters and the left toggle to
change the meter item itself (Vdc, Frq, etc). With a meter highlighted (blinking) short press button 4 to cycle between the
different channels as the source (Item will change to the channel's color). Note that voltage meters are not available for the
digital channels. Keep in mind what while you can cycle between small, large and no meters without changing the selected
items, changing pages will return the pages to their default settings.

Custom meter settings can be saved by saving the entire configuration to a different config file, but only 1 page can be
saved (the one showing), since changing between pages restores defaults. When recalled, the custom settings will be
restored. My version allows 9 additional config files to be saved/restored. Hold button 3 down to access config save,
then if desired, change file number with left toggle. Config #0 is the boot up file. In order for all this to work, 9 extra
config files MUST already be on the device's flash drive as the program will only save them if a file already exists.
This was done for compatibility with older devices which had systems that corrupted files. Copying these files and
putting them early in the file allocation table prevented the corruption. The 8Mb devices I believe fixed the corruption
problem, as did the Alterbios add-on for the 2Mb devices. Simply copy 9 instances of the xxxxx.WPT file with a
Windows machine, then rename them CONF001.CFG to CONF009.CFG.

For further info on operation, check out the changelogs and other info in the readme.txt enclosed in the archive.
A brief description on how to use the different functions is included. Holding down button 1 on the device will show
a chart of button functions. I've started to write a comprehensive "user's manual" for my version. When I can find the
time to finish it, I will post it, along with some likely further updates (finishing up an additional log amplitude screen
option for the FFT function). The program is getting a bit complex, hopefully this will be of help.

[clist]

wildcat, thanks, all that above really helps.

Why do you think it won't install? If I use app1 and have nothing in #2, I still get a blank screen when I load your program. It worked the first time. It is almost like it is stuck in standby mode???

Now that I know how to change the meter pages I would like to install it in slot 1.

Thanks.

[Wildcat]

wildcat, thanks, all that above really helps.

Why do you think it won't install? If I use app1 and have nothing in #2, I still get a blank screen when I load your program. It worked the first time. It is almost like it is stuck in standby mode???

Now that I know how to change the meter pages I would like to install it in slot 1.

Thanks.

What happens when you boot up? Do you see the startup screen with hardware,
FPGA, system version, program version and so on? Or does it just go directly to a blank screen?

If it shows the startup screen, there will be a message showing whether the
program loaded a config file: if it found a file it will read "Reload parameter from disk".
If no file is found you will see "Parameters not found" or something like that.
If a config file is loaded and it freezes up after that, you should delete any
XXXXX.WPT on the flash drive; you will need to boot up to a running program
and connect to a computer via USB to do this. It's possible a corrupt config
file may be causing this. Earlier versions used a WPT extension for their
config files, but I think the later (with 8Mb devices) versions use a different extension.

If it goes directly to a blank screen something likely got corrupted.

Can you load any other programs into slot 1 (or any other) and have them work?
I take it you get the .rdy file after copying the hex file when you instal the program
with the bootloader? If other programs load/run OK and there is no WPT config file
on the device maybe the HEX file got corrupted somehow?

[clist]

I deleted the .wpt file, reloaded, and off it went. Thanks again.

[tmyoloenr]

How do you save screenshots and buffer with wildcat. I have 3.2 installed and accourding to the readme it appears it has the capability but my searches have turned up nothing.

[Wildcat]

How do you save screenshots and buffer with wildcat. I have 3.2 installed and accourding to the readme it appears it has the capability but my searches have turned up nothing.

The same way you do with the original apps. Didn't write specific info as most were familiar with them already.

Select file menu: shift right toggle to the right until file menu appears in the notification area. You can just hold
the right toggle to the right until the selection stops the end with the file menu. The default from boot up will be
to "LOAD FILE000.CFG" This is to make it easy to select different config files. Button 4 will cycle between LOAD,
FILE000, and .CFG. With LOAD blinking, use left toggle to change it to SAVE. Select different files with
FILExxx. Cycle through the file types with left toggle, then save by center pressing left toggle.

CFG are configuration files.

BMP are screenshots of anything displayed on the screen, including the FFT, MAP and spectrograph,
etc. (you can use the load function to view these on the device or view them via USB on a computer),

DAT files save the screen trace buffer from all 4 channels (you view these by first loading them back into the
device with the LOAD function. This then makes them available to recall and display from channel D via
"REC_A, REC_B etc..." selecting the saved ch A, B, C, or D trace).

BUF files, unlike the DAT files which save only what is shown on screen, save the entire buffer. After loading
these back up, the device will be in PAUSE with the saved trace displaying. You can use the XPOS control to scroll
through the buffer, if it was saved with the full buffer. Pressing RUN will return the device to it's previous state.

CSV files are a comma delimited readout of the entire buffer for all 4 channels, used to export the waveform
data to external programs that can then reconstruct the waveforms. These cannot be loaded back into the device.

Note that saving more than a few files on the early (2MB) devices will quickly corrupt them unless the Alterbios
add-on is installed. This is a problem with the early operating systems used on these devices and not the program.
Alterbios patches the OS so the files are saved correctly.

[cdragon]

Hi Wildcat,

Awesome firmware! Unfortunately with version 3.2 it seems to limit voltage to 30V. Is this a bug or by design? I had version 2 installed and I don't think it had that limitation, though I only had it installed briefly so I might not have noticed. I noticed it first after calibrating. My calibration source was 53V but the scope showed 30V as Vmax and using the markings on screen. I slid the pot down on my volt source and as it went below 30V the screen updated to show under 30V. I also looked at a sine wave peaking over 30V and it clips flat at 30V.

If it's a bug and I downgrade to v3 to try to fix it, will it lose my calibration settings?

I'm running hardware v2.7 (2mb ram), sys 1.52, FPGA 2.61.

[Wildcat]

Hi Wildcat,

Awesome firmware! Unfortunately with version 3.2 it seems to limit voltage to 30V. Is this a bug or by design? I had version 2 installed and I don't think it had that limitation, though I only had it installed briefly so I might not have noticed. I noticed it first after calibrating. My calibration source was 53V but the scope showed 30V as Vmax and using the markings on screen. I slid the pot down on my volt source and as it went below 30V the screen updated to show under 30V. I also looked at a sine wave peaking over 30V and it clips flat at 30V.

If it's a bug and I downgrade to v3 to try to fix it, will it lose my calibration settings?

I'm running hardware v2.7 (2mb ram), sys 1.52, FPGA 2.61.

There is nothing in the program that can do this. If you are getting full screen voltage on the lower ranges then it's
likely a hardware problem. Some of the later devices have clamping diodes at the inputs that clamp right around
30 volts. These have been reported to be found in hardware v2.72 Perhaps your unit has these?
There is no resistor ahead of these clamps to limit the current. This was a rather bad design to say the least, and it's
recommended to remove them, since applying any more than 30 volts directly to the input could likely result in a shorted channel.

You can check if your unit has them by connecting a power source of say 50 to 60 volts through a limiting resistor in series
(10K ohm or larger) with a multimeter at the input (scope side of the resistor). If the voltage limits to 30 volts or so at the
input, this is your problem.

There is more info on this on the wiki:
http://www.seeedstudio.com/wiki/DSO_Qua ... g_Firmware

Also search the Quad forum for: Channel A short (bad) (solved)

[cdragon]

Thanks Wildcat. You're right that it's limited to +30V but can see -43V. However, I didn't have the +30V limit with the stock firmware. Before I installed Wildcat I was looking at +83Vmax sine waves that showed no clipping or distortion. Also, when I did the calibration with your firmware and it asked for 50-60V, I gave it 53V and the calibration screen read near 53. So it seems very unlikely that it's a hardware problem.

I went back to Wildcat v2 and it had the same problem:

IMAG001.png

but I found that when I slid YPOS down, Vmax started showing larger values:

IMAG002.png

and when I slide it down far enough, I see +44.8V as expected, but I have to slide it almost to the bottom of the screen:

IMAG003.png

I swapped the battery poles and it reads -43.6V but I don't have to slide YPOS way up, I can see -43.6V even with the line at the bottom of the screen:

IMAG000.png

In fact, I can slide YPOS down much father and it keeps reading -43.6Vmin for awhile but when it gets low enough (maybe 3/4 down the screen?) it starts scaling down and showing lower voltage for Vmin.