PiScope

Thread Starter

bibble235

Joined May 29, 2018
57
Looking to make a Pi Scope as described at

https://www.instructables.com/PiScope-Raspberry-Pi-based-Oscilloscope/

I am happy with the building of it but currently do not know enough about electronics to not use the list of components on the site.

I wondered when it comes to components such as the ADC CA3306 (6 bit parallel A/D converter IC, can up get for instance a 12 bit?

More importantly where can you learn more about this sort of thing. Used to software where it is pretty clear how to upgrade :)

Also want to make the Scope to understand why someone would buy one. This interested me because it looked like it might help debugging the PIO state machines.

Thanks for listening.
 

Ya’akov

Joined Jan 27, 2019
9,072
The project write up is quite extensive but also quite old. Following this project to the end is going to involve a lot of hair pulling as versions of different software will be incompatible and code may need rewriting.

Given your questions, I don’t think this is your best learning tool. It really requires a lot of knowledge before you start even though it appears to cover things from a beginner’s perspective. I probably ssopped being useful to a beginner only months after publication. I can’t find a specific date but is seems very old at this point.

As fast as PIO is concerned, that is a feature of the RP2040 MCU chip used on the RPi Pico, it is not present on the other RPi offerings, so there is nothing to learn about it in this case.

Sorry to be a way blanket but I don’t think this project is going to serve your purpose at all, and expect it to be a festival of frustration and confusion for both you and anyone who tries to help you.
 

Thread Starter

bibble235

Joined May 29, 2018
57
Software side is no worries for me. Contributed to open source and very used to complicated builds.

Have Pico's hence the interest in PIO

Mainly interested in learning the electronics side of the deal.

But thanks for the reply.
 

Ya’akov

Joined Jan 27, 2019
9,072
Software side is no worries for me. Contributed to open source and very used to complicated builds.

Have Pico's hence the interest in PIO

Mainly interested in learning the electronics side of the deal.

But thanks for the reply.
If you are interested in electronics you probably ought to choose a project that isn’t 98% software. This project uses only two chips and has none of the appropriate front end of a real oscilloscope. You said you wanted to understand oscilloscopes (why would someone buy one), I can’t see you learning much from this.

Sorry I couldn’t be more constructive, but I am convinced this doesn’t meet your stated requirements so far as I can understand them. This project, though not a how-to, seems more like the sort of thing you would really learn something from.

Good luck, once again, sorry I am not very helpful.
 

Thread Starter

bibble235

Joined May 29, 2018
57
Excellent recommendation. I am trying to improve my theory as well as practical. Been playing with the pico and PIO. Seen oscilloscope used to monitor debug pins and ended up here.
 

Ya’akov

Joined Jan 27, 2019
9,072
Excellent recommendation. I am trying to improve my theory as well as practical. Been playing with the pico and PIO. Seen oscilloscope used to monitor debug pins and ended up here.
Well, there are many people here capable of helping, and happy to, as you going along.
Ask questions as they arise.
 

Wendy

Joined Mar 24, 2008
23,415
There are many ways to learn electronics, it sounds like you are interested in the programmable chip variety. No problem with that but you really need to start with the basics first. For example, how are your soldering skills? Personally I am disabled (only one working arm/ hand), so soldering for me is quite difficult. I make do. When I was a kid I started off in electronics with the 50 in one projects kit. I don't remember what happened to it but I was quite fond of it. And still have some schematics kicking around but I found extremely interesting. Because of my soldering issues I tend to use protoboards like this.

00 Protoboard 63 columns.png
I occasionally publish articles for beginners using protoboards. I also tend to be the sites archivist. I make indexes to help find things.

Wendy's Index
Wendy's Protoboard Circuits Cookbook
Completed Projects Index
LEDs, 555s, Flashers, and Light Chasers
 

Thread Starter

bibble235

Joined May 29, 2018
57
Thanks for your reply and even more thanks for the links.

I come from a 40 year background of IT, half in project management, half in development. So I am OK on the coding front. Spent time in telcos and five 9s services. Always been interested in electronics and see them as a natural extension to enable data capture and use my coding skills.

Back in the day (40 years ago) I used to assemble PCB for 2 months but with fat fingers was swiftly moved on to the commodore PET computer so my soldering is definitely way worse than yours

Will read the articles. I am a why person so theory is good.
 
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