Xoscillo is an inexpensive open source software oscilloscope that acquires data using an open source Arduino micro controller. When debugging an electronic circuit, a multi-meter is an indispensable tool, but many a time we find the information we get from a multi-meter to be vague. We need a more sophisticated tool to understand what is going on in the circuit, in the form of wave forms. This calls for an oscilloscope. The cheapest of the commercially available oscilloscopes cost around a few hundred dollars, which is beyond the limit of many people. The Xoscillo was developed on the arduino platform, which is inexpensive and very handy Although the product is no where near the functionality of a normal oscilloscope, it has the potential to meet the needs of many hobbyists.
Links[edit | edit source]
- https://code.google.com/p/xoscillo/
- http://web.archive.org/web/20110915234510/http://www.arduino.cc:80/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1285785582
- https://code.google.com/p/xoscillo/wiki/arduino
Materials and costs[edit | edit source]
| Material | Quantity | Cost | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arduino Duemilanove | 1 | ||
| Prototyping shield | 1 | ||
| Panel-mount LED | 1 | ||
| 470R resistor | 1 | ||
| Black test clip or probe | 1 | ||
| Yellow test clips or probes | 8 | ||
| Black panel-mount socket | 1 | ||
| Yellow panel-mount sockets | 8 | ||
| Black line plug | 1 | ||
| Yellow line plugs | 8 | ||
| 5m shielded single-core cable | 1 |
Detailed assembly instructions[edit | edit source]
- The hardware of the Xoscillo is basically just an arduino with its analog inputs connected to the output of the circuit where the waveform is needs to be observed. This setup is connected to a PC, and the inputs read by the arduino are analysed and shown on the screen of the PC. This can be made using the Xoscillo software which can be obtained online.[1]
