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Hi mushero, we (BitScope) are launching a range of power and mounting solutions for Raspberry Pi next week. They can be used to build racks like this. In this case mounting 20 Raspberry Pis. There's a 40 Pi version and we'll have metalwork available too. We'll update this comment with details upon release.

Bitscope Micro - USB , 40MS/s, USD95 in quantities of 10 or more.

Fairly decent set of software tools for it (including a basic FFT spectrum analyser and a protocol decoder that can do UART / SPI / Canbus.) Software runs on windows/linux and Raspberry Pi - You can download the software and tinker with a few bitscopes that are online to get a feel for it.

Specs here

They have a new product for under 150.
http://www.bitscope.com/produc...

But I've been very happy with my Bitscope 10 + assortment of probes (if you can spring for that). Does everything, s/w is a bit 00's (features), but rock solid and has an API for writing your own software. If you can spring the extra 150, you can just get a real scope+analyzer vs high latency toy. Have used them on both Windows and Linux, no issues.

If you are willing to bump your price range to around $150 (or $250 for the more advnaced) you could use http://www.bitscope.com/BitScope.

Check out their store http://my.bitscope.com/store/

If you are willing to bump your price range to around $150 (or $250 for the more advnaced) you could use http://www.bitscope.com/BitScope.

Check out their store http://my.bitscope.com/store/

For digital, these sorts of devices are very nice, portable, inexpensive:
http://www.saleae.com/
http://www.bitscope.com/

I'm willing to put down $2,000 for a decent one, but there are several options and they all seem so archaic and limited. I'm happy to use something that must be controlled through a PC if that gives me more measuring features.

For $2k, you're probably stuck with "archaic and limited" scopes. That being said, depending on what you want to do check these out:

This one ranges from a few hundred to about $1500. In my limited experience with it I wasn't impressed but also didn't spend a lot of time figuring stuff out.
http://www.bitscope.com/

This one's a digital logic analyzer only but it's $150, will analyze SPI, I2C, and asynchronous serial for you. I've found it very useful.
http://www.saleae.com/logic/

What you really need is a digital storage oscilloscope. They're in the $10k+ range for a good standalone unit, but you can find reasonable ones that attach to a PC, such as the BitScope.

You can't go wrong with a Bitscope, USBee, or DigiView, three computer-based logic analyzers with various extra features.

Consider using genderless Anderson PowerPole connectors in lieu of, or in addition to, banana plugs on your test leads. It's nice to be able to just mix and match 'gator clips, micrograbbers, screw terminals, and what-have-you into custom test leads. You can do this with stacking banana plugs too, but they leave the male plug exposed when you're done. You could cover it with a plastic "screw protector" cover, but PowerPoles are cooler. Powerwerx also sells the "floppy noodle" rubber-insulated test lead wire, if you're like me and prefer to just build your own.

Run a big tinned-copper-braid ground strap across the back of the bench. Get the kind with grommets in it so you have easy attachment points for anything, plus the fine braid means it performs better than a busbar at high frequencies.

I've collected a pile of fun links in http://del.icio.us/myself248/electronics, which might also give you some project ideas. Read the Toolmonger archives if you're bored, and post some of your favorite finds using the "submit a tool" form.

As for test gear, you'll always find a reason to have a PC on the bench, and not just so you can run your bitscope. Hell, you'll probably want to play some tunes in the lab, so include some speakers in the plan. Anyway, look at swing-arm monitor mounts, most of which are modifiable to hold a whole laptop. Getting it up off the bench will save a lot of space and discourage clutter. Get an older machine, or a Toughbook, since you'll want a real hardware parallel port for some projects.

If you do RF work, get a Unidapt kit. Mix and match connectors between BNC, N, SMA, TNC, UHF, and so on. They now offer "wifi" connectors like RP-TNC, MMCX, RP-SMA, etc. Thus proving that the FCC's "nonstandard connector" mandate doesn't really stop anyone, it just forces a proliferation of unnecessary "standards". Bastards.

Whatever you're doing, you'll find a use for a Panavise. You'll want several heads, I'd suggest starting with the standard 303 head and the extra-wide 376. Get two bases instead of swapping heads into one base, it'll give you more versatility.

I can't believe I survived so long on five-dollar pencil soldering irons. I recently picked up a refurbished Edsyn soldering station from EAE Sales and the difference just blew me away. Not only does it work more easily, which I expected, but it warms up in no time flat, since it has a big honkin' heating element that it normally runs at a very low duty cycle. If I'm heating something large, it simply runs more, which means this little featherweight iron is actually capable of much bigger jobs than the clunky Radio Shack unit it replaced. I've relegated the cheapies to toolbox duty, and the Edsyn perches proudly in the center of my workspace.

Speaking of soldering, consider ventilation. Another poster mentioned a fume hood, and that's a fine idea. Look into a flexible-arm fume extractor too. Actually, just get the whole catalog from Lab Safety Supply and order one of everything. :)

Ergonomics are important if you're spending a lot of time in the lab. Look at rubber floor mats, with whatever level of chemical resistance you feel is appropriate. Jigsaw-style interlockable sections make it easy to replace worn or damaged pieces, though they can allow spills to reach the base layer. Consider sound absorbing walls too, if you'll have blowers or other noise-generating equipment running a l

While McVoy may be overstating things a bit, I get this sort of vibe from some F/OSS people, most notably RMS, who adovcated outlawing proprietary source code in the GNU Manifesto.

I run SuSE 9.2 at home, and I use Firefox and OpenOffice on Windows at work. I also provide the "freedom" angle for every tool we consider using or purchasing. We use GCC instead of commercial compilers so that we never have to renew a license or pass around a dongle. We use a libre and gratis source code management tool. Our lab machines and test stations run linux.

Even in hardware, I try to inject freedom: we are buying a Bitscope instead of a competitor's product because their gratis (but not libre, duly noted) software runs on Windows or Linux, while the slightly-more-capable competitor only runs on Windows. Additionally, the Bitscope interface is documented well enough that we will be writing one for an automated hardware validation test, something that would be much more difficult if we had to reverse-engineer the protocol.

I found myself explaining this philosophy to our FNG (f-ing new guy) recently, when he asked why we didn't buy tool X from vendor Y: "we want to control our tools, rather than have our tools control us."

Contrast this to our JTAG/ICE which used to support Motorola and IBM PowerPC chips until the company was bought a few times and wound up in the Motorola family of companies. We had to upgrade the firmware and software to support a new Mot chip, and with that we lost the support for the IBM PPC chips.

F/OSS is great, but we will not make inroads if we have an attitude like that attributed to Tridge; we cannot [openly] "look down" on those who are stuck in the land of proprietary software, or we come across as self-righteous zealots, and we all know how well that sort of attitude is taken these days.

-paul

It appears they discuss this issue at the BitScope website here

The Bitscope is an excellent choice. 100Mhz, net enabled, also has a built-in function generator, deep capture, logic analyzier. Very cool.

I was just about to suggest this one myself, so
mod me -1 redundant if you wish. However, feel free to balance the mods as I give the link to the BitScope. A great instrument...

This is a great effort to bring the unnecssarily expensive current array of commercial probe microscopes to a price level more in line with hobbiest and lower-education-tier optical microscopes and telescopes. I know the guy (Andre Schirmeisen) running the show and we discussed this kind of thing since being in grad school together back in Montreal. Kudos to him and the Muenster team for making it reality.

The spread of GPL-style ideas to hardware is really interesting in the sense of community fostering. A similar story was reported in Slashdot a while back for the digital oscilloscope Bitscope which seems to have captured quite a following. In a different vein, the Intel Play QX3 optical microscope, while propriety, has spawned an active mod community. It will be interesting to see if nanotech enthusiasts pick up on the Muenster SXM project in the same way. Let's hope...

-- graham

Bitscope is a great solution, especially if you're looking to hack around a bit (ie build it), since they've got packages ranging from plans only (free) to fully assembled and tested ($lots). However, as an engineering student in a similar situation, it still wasn't worth it to me - for most of the stuff I did at home, a $50 used analog tek scope did the trick. If you *really* need a high-precision computer interfacing 100 mhz scope, use the lab! Try pawn shops for used analog scopes - I've seen quite a few for under 100 bucks in decent condition (including probes).

Some specific links:

xoscope - a software oscilloscope

BitScope - hardware black-box oscilloscope that you control via a PC

Xoscope is Open Source, so hack away if you don't like something about it. The SourceForge page has links to a schematic you can build to use your soundcard as the ADC, though you are of course limited to about 20kHz signals (stereo input = dual trace though). Definitely a cheap way to go.

The BitScope is a really cool design that is open or free (as in beer and speech). You can download all the specs and build it yourself, or buy preassembled kits or BitScopes (cheaper than buying the individual parts yourself). It is a black box that you control via software on a PC, which is pretty cool.

And then, you can always snag a scope on EBay for a couple of hundred bucks. Loads of Tektronix scopes, etc. Wish I could afford a Fluke ScopeMeter myself.

-Roy

I was looking for something along these lines as well, a couple months ago. The software/sound-card solution is xoscope. I'm afraid I haven't had time to try that.

Another cool site is bitscope.com where you can find a completely open-design for an oscope you can build yourself (or order from them, I think.) It includes all the schematics and such, and the finished unit slides into a bay in your PC, with two slots for probes. How cool is that!

Try this