Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

Collapse
X
 
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts
  • Spork Schivago
    Badcaps Legend
    • Mar 2012
    • 4734
    • United States of America

    #1

    Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

    Hello,

    I was thinking of purchasing a logic analyzer and wanted to know what you guys thought of the Agilent 1673G 34 CH Port Logic Analyzer? What would be a good price to pay for one? I've seen these portable USB ones as well but I'm not quite sure I want to go that route. Does anyone have any experience with the USB ones and are there any general drawbacks to using the USB logic analyzers vs a benchtop model? Thanks!
    -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full
  • stj
    Great Sage 齊天大聖
    • Dec 2009
    • 30934
    • Albion

    #2
    Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

    what do you need it for?
    always the first question with tools.

    Comment

    • japlytic
      Badcaps Legend
      • Oct 2005
      • 2086
      • Australia

      #3
      Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

      What sort of bus or digital signals do you want to analyse? This can be helpful in choosing a logic analyser.
      My first choice in quality Japanese electrolytics is Nippon Chemi-Con, which has been in business since 1931... the quality of electronics is dependent on the quality of the electrolytics.

      Comment

      • Spork Schivago
        Badcaps Legend
        • Mar 2012
        • 4734
        • United States of America

        #4
        Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

        Sorry, I should have said more stuff. I wanted to sniff i2C and SPI buses. I want to be able to hook a logic analyzer up to something like my DP832 and see what happens when I power on the unit. I want to see how the different chips talk to each other, stuff like that.
        -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

        Comment

        • stj
          Great Sage 齊天大聖
          • Dec 2009
          • 30934
          • Albion

          #5
          Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

          then you can get away with something like this:
          http://www.ebay.com/itm/141694353386

          Comment

          • Spork Schivago
            Badcaps Legend
            • Mar 2012
            • 4734
            • United States of America

            #6
            Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

            Thanks Stj. What are the disadvantages, if any, to using a USB one vs a benchtop model with a built-in screen? I'd like something that I could continue to use for other tasks when I learn more about electronics. You know, something I'm not going to have to replace within a year or so because I've outgrown it's capabilities. I've looked into the USB ones before, mainly because of the price. I've seen with some models, people had trouble with the probes or whatever you want to call them. For example, the one you showed me only has 8 channels. That's probably fine for now, but in a year, I might need 32 or 64. With USB, what would be the maximum speed I could capture at? Would I be able to sample more data with one channel vs all 8? If the chips running at something like 20MHz, would I successfully be able to capture from all 8 channels our would USB be too slow?

            On another forum, someone suggested a Tektronix TLA715. I guess right now, I should probably be trying to decide on whether I want one of the less expensive USB ones or one of the mainframe benchtop units or what.
            -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

            Comment

            • Spork Schivago
              Badcaps Legend
              • Mar 2012
              • 4734
              • United States of America

              #7
              Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

              I've definitely been looking at some of the USB ones, because of their prices. Basically, is there any time where I wouldn't be able to do something with the USB ones but would be able to do it with a benchtop model?
              -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

              Comment

              • Spork Schivago
                Badcaps Legend
                • Mar 2012
                • 4734
                • United States of America

                #8
                Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                Oooh! RS232 would be nice too. To be able to see RS232 traffic and save it. That'd be real nice. I'm sure I'd use that in the future. I got devices that can talk via RS232. I'd like to be able to decode that traffic so I can figure out the protocol and write my own software to communicate with the devices via the PC.
                -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

                Comment

                • stj
                  Great Sage 齊天大聖
                  • Dec 2009
                  • 30934
                  • Albion

                  #9
                  Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                  look at these softwarez
                  https://www.saleae.com/
                  http://sigrok.org/

                  both do protocol decoding with that ebay hardware.

                  limitations of the saleae clone, no trigger input, only 8 lines, only 24mhz limit.
                  however, it's a lot cheaper than a 16/32line 100mhz unit,
                  and it's good enough for sniffing most comms.
                  works on 2v-5v signals btw.

                  Comment

                  • stj
                    Great Sage 齊天大聖
                    • Dec 2009
                    • 30934
                    • Albion

                    #10
                    Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                    Originally posted by Spork Schivago
                    Oooh! RS232 would be nice too. To be able to see RS232 traffic and save it. That'd be real nice. I'm sure I'd use that in the future. I got devices that can talk via RS232. I'd like to be able to decode that traffic so I can figure out the protocol and write my own software to communicate with the devices via the PC.
                    for that, get a pair of usb-serial adapters and do a "man-in-the-middle" style attack.
                    there is software for that.

                    Comment

                    • Spork Schivago
                      Badcaps Legend
                      • Mar 2012
                      • 4734
                      • United States of America

                      #11
                      Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                      Thanks Stj! I'm trying to decide now between three of them. The USB one you showed me, an HP 16500B with a 16550A Module or waiting to find something like this HP 16702A that came with three 16555A modules and one 16522A module.
                      http://www.ebay.com/itm/161896554869

                      If I saw this HP 16702A before it sold, I would of probably of bought that one!
                      -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

                      Comment

                      • stj
                        Great Sage 齊天大聖
                        • Dec 2009
                        • 30934
                        • Albion

                        #12
                        Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                        i would avoid the old desktop stuff,
                        unless your going to link it to a pc they wont decode modern protocols - simply because the units are older than the modern protocols like can,lin etc.

                        they are great for what they were designed for though, watching data buses on boards.

                        Comment

                        • Spork Schivago
                          Badcaps Legend
                          • Mar 2012
                          • 4734
                          • United States of America

                          #13
                          Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                          Originally posted by stj
                          i would avoid the old desktop stuff,
                          unless your going to link it to a pc they wont decode modern protocols - simply because the units are older than the modern protocols like can,lin etc.

                          they are great for what they were designed for though, watching data buses on boards.
                          Thank you. So would I be able to use it for I2C and SPI type stuff? The older benchtop models I mean?
                          -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

                          Comment

                          • stj
                            Great Sage 齊天大聖
                            • Dec 2009
                            • 30934
                            • Albion

                            #14
                            Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                            i2c is old, i'd expect them to handle it, not sure about spi - specially as it can be pretty fast.

                            do your homework & download some equipment flyers/manuals

                            and remember you need a serial/ethernet port on the analyser and the sotfware for the pc side to transfer your captures.

                            Comment

                            • Spork Schivago
                              Badcaps Legend
                              • Mar 2012
                              • 4734
                              • United States of America

                              #15
                              Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                              I bought one! I got the HP 16702B model with 100Mb ethernet! It has a built-in SCSI CD-ROM drive so I can reinstall the OS and everything. It only has an 18GB hard drive but I plan on upgrading that to a 146GB SCA Ultra320 SCSI drive. I also want to replace the fans inside of it to quiet it down a little bit. I plan on connecting to it mainly via ethernet with an X-Windows remote session. It comes with Option 003 as well!!! And it comes with two modules, the 16771A 48-Channel Pattern Generator Module and the 16740A 48-Channel Pattern Generator Module!!!

                              It needs some TLC. It needs 3 filler plates and although it comes with PODS, it doesn't come with clips or grabbers. I'll have to pick some of those up somewheres. I'm so excited!!! This is the one I bought:

                              http://www.ebay.com/itm/172031834984...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
                              -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

                              Comment

                              • stj
                                Great Sage 齊天大聖
                                • Dec 2009
                                • 30934
                                • Albion

                                #16
                                Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                                if you replace fans, get the flow-spec of the originals and dont go under with the new ones.

                                Comment

                                • stj
                                  Great Sage 齊天大聖
                                  • Dec 2009
                                  • 30934
                                  • Albion

                                  #17
                                  Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                                  wow - nice spec but it's FUCKING HUGE!!!

                                  Comment

                                  • Spork Schivago
                                    Badcaps Legend
                                    • Mar 2012
                                    • 4734
                                    • United States of America

                                    #18
                                    Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                                    Originally posted by stj
                                    wow - nice spec but it's FUCKING HUGE!!!
                                    Wait, how big is huge? I was thinking around the size of my oscilloscope! I see I can add a 500MHz Bandwidth two-channel storage oscilloscope module but they're freaking expensive! They can be daisy chained together though, so if I could have 2 of them for 4 channels, 3 for 6 channels, 4 for 8 channels, etc. Maybe in the future!
                                    -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

                                    Comment

                                    • Spork Schivago
                                      Badcaps Legend
                                      • Mar 2012
                                      • 4734
                                      • United States of America

                                      #19
                                      Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                                      Oh, it's not that bad I guess. 22 inches deep by 16.75 inches wide by 9 inches high.
                                      -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

                                      Comment

                                      • Spork Schivago
                                        Badcaps Legend
                                        • Mar 2012
                                        • 4734
                                        • United States of America

                                        #20
                                        Re: Considering purchasing a Logic Analyzer

                                        I just need to figure out if this accessory kit will work with my Logic Analyzer now or not. If not, I need to find one that will work.

                                        http://www.ebay.com/itm/111863055111...%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
                                        -- Law of Expanding Memory: Applications Will Also Expand Until RAM Is Full

                                        Comment

                                        Related Topics

                                        Collapse

                                        • jiraiyaishere
                                          Recover data from Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Carbon 6th Generation w/ USB Logic Analyzer
                                          by jiraiyaishere
                                          Hi there, apologies I'm a real noob with this sort of stuff so please bear with me:

                                          A week or two ago my laptop randomly started having the Blue Screen of Death and bootloop every time it booted up. So I tried the recovery options while trying to retain the data: the laptop then said you need a Bitlocker Recovery Key. I never selected for the drive to be bitlocker encrypted so this was really weird to me- I have looked through every Microsoft account I own and none of them have the bitlocker recovery key.

                                          After researching I came across this article: https://dolo...
                                          08-13-2022, 07:53 AM
                                        • ohren
                                          Upgrading a Samsung ue55nu7096u with logic board from an ue55ru7105k -- good idea?
                                          by ohren
                                          I hope this is the right forum to post in despite not technically being a repair, but still a question of swapping boards.

                                          I thought I'd explore the possibility to upgrade an existing working Samsung ue55nu7096u with the logic board (and power board if needed) of a newer model (ue55ru7105k) of the same size and appearance (and resolution). The reason being I'd like the extra inputs of that board including component in, an extra HDMI port and bluetooth. Its panel is broken so I have no use for the board otherwise.

                                          The models launched in 2018 and 2019 respectively....
                                          09-08-2023, 05:24 PM
                                        • korben_dallas
                                          Will I have a bricked logic board after reflow of the GPU v-core U8900 chip on my Mid-2012 15" Retina Macbook pro?
                                          by korben_dallas
                                          Hi everyone! I'm trying to fix my black screen / failed U8900 GPU v-core on my Mid-2012 Macbook Pro 15" Retinaby doing a rework/reflow of the chip (once I determine that's the real issue; but it likely is).

                                          I've been disabling the GPU in NVRAM for a few years... but it's just time for a better solution.

                                          I'm new to soldering but the only feasible way to fix this issue is to do something myself.

                                          MY QUESTION:
                                          I've been seeing some people (on this forum mostly) run into issues with the logic board needing a serial number or it being deactivated (?)...
                                          02-14-2024, 12:23 AM
                                        • Yanleb
                                          LG 60PK550 Logic Control Board EBR63450301
                                          by Yanleb
                                          Hi all, I just want to share the repair of my 60PK550-UA TV set.

                                          The TV set was powering on, just no image. After verification, nothing wrong on the YSus or ZSus boards. Nothing wrong on the main board either.

                                          But I noticed that the LED was not flashing on the Logic Control Board. This is an EBR63450301. The LED is supposed to flash even with all the flat cables disconnected, with only the power cable attached.

                                          All the voltages measured at the electrolytic capacitors on the board were good. From top left to bottom right:
                                          C57: 3.30V
                                          C61:...
                                          07-20-2023, 12:38 AM
                                        • mferna14
                                          Logic Board 820-00840-A Missing EDP_BKLT_EN
                                          by mferna14
                                          Hi dear friends., I am working on a Apple MacBook Pro A1708 , Logic Board 820-00840-A that has no backlight. The logic board powers on fine, but no display. After Checking on the backlight driver chip, I found that the EDP_BKL_EN is missing. And this Power Enable comes from the PCH. So does this means this Logic board cannot be repaired & brought back to life again? The resistance from GRD to the test point of EDP_BKL_EN is around is 0.66M ohms. R8442 (0ohms) is ok. Any suggestion/Tip if any would really appreciate. ​
                                          07-10-2024, 05:18 PM
                                        • Loading...
                                        • No more items.
                                        Working...