Com-Central.net

Krautkramer makes some excellent equipment too! With the new USN-52 you get the remote toggle, dual knob-style
controls PLUS 24 seperate probe channels!

Mine came in yesterday, just in time as I returned from a trip so I hooked t up last night and fired up CFS3.......this is
MUCH more readable than my old oscilloscope too, you can clearly make out the difference between the Spitfires
and the Tempests now, no more counting on frequency inputs that only indicate the British "roundel" markings!!

They also have a USN-60 model, with this cool "Analog Look" signal processing feature, which displays
additional A-Scan information as "intensity variations" along the waveform for detailed echo dynamics.
I mean, this stuff jumps right off of the display, WICKED!!!!!

What is it used for???? Excuse my ignorance

LMAO Stoopy....

EXOS, I am SOOooooo glad you asked!

In the real world, it's an ultrasonic waveform analyzer, typically used for structural analysis and the like. Th'dude above is using it for the rather mundane task of looking for stress cracks in the pipe at the bottom of the picture. Good thing to have around a nuclear reactor and stuff, I'm guessing.

But....now, consider that it could be slaved to a parallel data analyzer or even common oscilloscope, and the probes modified to tap into specific pins on the video card slot and RAM. One could (theoretically of course) monitor the signals associated with DirectX and basic I/O functions and with the aid of custom O/S kernels and software tools (such as was discussed in the "newbie" thread by Shadow_Banshee), be able to interpret the signals without the muss and fuss of waiting for the funky computer parts to reveal the data - this TOTALLY circumvents issues which we have to deal with on a day-to-day basis - FPS become meaningless because you now have instantaneous data acquisition and monitoring capability...who needs to worry about getting 35 FPS when your equipment is now operating smoothly at 60Hz as Mr.'s Westinghouse and Tesla originally intended!!!!!

And...have you ever heard of an oscilloscope getting a virus? Neither have I!!!!

And another advantage to this OVERALL approach is that you're using fully customized and unexpected equipment that Windows Plug'n'Play schemes can never recognize much less even DETECT.....consider how much trouble we go to updating device drivers and fighting various h/w conflicts......this places you right into the driver's seat (should it work) and all you have to do is learn how to interpret the signals, as well as do hex to decimal conversion (or octal, if you're using older equipment) and some other various common chores in your head. Is it easier than dealing with Windows Device Mangler and constant updates??? You BETCHA!

This is just the start....there's basically no limit to what you can customize using this approach. Rudder pedals can be made from a broomstick and about $7.50 worth of Radio Shack inventory, an old toilet seat with some creative wiring can become a very interesting and surprisingly comfortable trackball device, and yes, even common household Ear-of-Corn holders can be used in conjunction with a breadboard and some resistors to function as a rudimentary keyboard - I'm "typing" on such a device right now!

Stoopy, if the graph shows your cardiograph. humm .....................your dead. beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep

An oscilloscope is a laboratory instrument commonly used to display and analyze the waveform of electronic signals. In effect, the device draws a graph of the instantaneous signal voltage as a function of time.

A typical oscilloscope can display alternating current (AC) or pulsating direct current (DC) waveforms having a frequency as low as approximately 1 hertz (Hz) or as high as several megahertz (MHz). High-end oscilloscopes can display signals having frequencies up to several hundred gigahertz (GHz). The display is broken up into so-called horizontal divisions (hor div) and vertical divisions (vert div). Time is displayed from left to right on the horizontal scale. Instantaneous voltage appears on the vertical scale, with positive values going upward and negative values going downward.

The oldest form of oscilloscope, still used in some labs today, is known as the cathode-ray oscilloscope. It produces an image by causing a focused electron beam to travel, or sweep, in patterns across the face of a cathode ray tube (CRT). More modern oscilloscopes electronically replicate the action of the CRT using a liquid crystal display (liquid crystal display) similar to those found on notebook computers. The most sophisticated oscilloscopes employ computers to process and display waveforms. These computers can use any type of display, including CRT, LCD, and gas plasma.

In any oscilloscope, the horizontal sweep is measured in seconds per division (s/div), milliseconds per division (ms/div), microseconds per division (s/div), or nanoseconds per division (ns/div). The vertical deflection is measured in volts per division (V/div), millivolts per division (mV/div), or microvolts per division (?V/div). Virtually all oscilloscopes have adjustable horizontal sweep and vertical deflection settings.



The illustration shows two common waveforms as they might appear when displayed on an oscilloscope screen. The signal on the top is a sine wave; the signal on the bottom is a ramp wave. It is apparent from this display that both signals have the same, or nearly the same, frequency. They also have approximately the same peak-to-peak amplitude. Suppose the horizontal sweep rate in this instance is 1 µs/div. Then these waves both complete a full cycle every 2 µs, so their frequencies are both approximately 0.5 MHz or 500 kilohertz (kHz). If the vertical deflection is set for, say, 0.5 mV/div, then these waves both have peak-to-peak amplitudes of approximately 2 mV.

These days, typical high-end oscilloscopes are digital devices. They connect to personal computers and use their displays. Although these machines no longer employ scanning electron beams to generate images of waveforms in the manner of the old cathode-ray "scope," the basic principle is the same. Software controls the sweep rate, vertical deflection, and a host of other features which can include:

* Storage of waveforms for future reference and comparison
* Display of several waveforms simultaneously
* Spectral analysis
* Portability
* Battery power option
* Usability with all popular operating platforms
* Zoom-in and zoom-out
* Multi-color display
Wow howstuffworks.com

- Mr. stoopy

Ear-of-Corn holders can be used in conjunction with a breadboard and some resistors to function as a rudimentary keyboard - I'm "typing" on such a device right now!

LOL!! now that i got to see .... sounds like a good way to burn my finger tips off