I've been looking for an inexpensive and compact oscilloscope to round out my test equipment collection. I'd seen some of the ones that are PC based, and wasn't really interested in something tethered to a computer - I don't have one on my electronics workbench. After a bit, I found the DSO Nano, an open source Digital Storage Oscilloscope based on the ARM CortexTM-M3 32 bit processor. It's not especially powerful or capable, but does the basics and is quite inexpensive: $89 delivered.

It has a 320x240 pixel color display, a micro SD card for waveform storage, is powered by a lithium polymer battery, and is rechargeable via USB cable. It has a built in, basic signal generator, and comes with a set of probes. It fits neatly in the palm or your hand, and also comes with a simple stand that makes it very comfortable on the bench top.

As I mentioned, the device is open source, meaning that its firmware is available and hackable, and it has well and truly been hacked. Nobody who has used one of these little gems for long sticks with the standard frmware. There is a free replacement written by someone calling himself benf, that is a great improvement over the original, adding greater sensitivity and accuracy, a more coherent set of menus, better performance, and many new modes operation.

This morning I upgraded my firmware to benf 3.62. While it took me a while to figure out all the pieces I would need to do this and gather them from the far corners of the net, once I got it all together, the upgrade was simple, painless, and quick. I have uploaded all the files necessary to upgrade any model of DSO Nano to benf 3.62 in a single zip file in the Documents section of my own profile.

I'm waiting on an Elenco basic signal generator, which should be here in the next day or so. When it arrives, I'll play more with the scope, and post some pictures, and mayne even video here.

You wouldn't pick one of these up hoping for Tek or B&K capabilities, but if you just need the basics, the DSO Nano looks like a great deal.

More later.

My undergraduate degree is in Electrical Engineering, but I really can't remember much of it. Heck, I graduated in 1980 and I really can't remember much of anything that far back. I guess I learned lots of theory: power systems, circuits, electromagnetic fields, solid state stuff - you name it.

Not too upset that most of it is hazy in my mind.

We also learned quite a bit about test equipment in our labs: oscilliscopes, signal generators, frequency counters, and a bunch of other doodads I can't remember.

That stuff I wish I remember better!

I've been playing with a variety of electronics stuff, mostly related to the N8VEM project and the Arduino, both very cool things to do if you like being close to computer hardware and tinkering. Follow the links if you want to know more about either project.

Both of these projects require me to breadboard, solder, and test. They provide a great excuse to buy more stuff: a digital temperature controlled soldering station, a multimeter, a logic probe, a circuit board vise, a variety of minuiature hand tools, and most lately, a mini-osclloscope. I've also collected a batch of electronics parts: resistors, capacitors, switches, relays, LEDs, and a bunch more. I've even put together a small lab. Great fun!

I'll follow up this post with others containing information about the equipment I've amassed over the last few months, hoping others that would like to get into electronics might want similar, relatively inexpensive things.