A very slow oscilloscope

Some of the projects on these pages - particularly the atomic clock projects, work with very low frequency signals. It can be a devil of a job to monitor these and detect interference spikes and other annoying occurrences. I did not want to go to the expense of buying a storage scope and decided to use the Velleman board as a standby. The result is quite satisfactory. The scope lays no claim to very high accuracy - it is simply a tool to check slow waveforms. It can display about 5V - which is the maximum the ADCs on the Velleman board can handle and in the horizontal direction 10 divisions represent about 3 seconds at best.

Scope showing 1Hz sine wave

Above is the display window of the 'scope'. It shows a sine wave of about 1Hz and about 5V peak to peak.
The controls are somewhat sparse. The green arrow starts the measurement, the next button pauses and the third, ref button, stops the acquisition and clears the screen. The next two buttons switch between single and continuous acquisition mode. The pop-up menu labelled Scan-speeds lets you select various speeds. Be warned, the faster speeds in particular are not very accurate. To enable you to take precise measurements, the current s/div is displayed in the status bar after every measurement.

If you use this program bear in mind that the amplitude detected by the Velleman board depends on three things. Firstly the magnitude of the actual voltage applied, secondly the position of the on-board potentiometer associated with the input, thirdly the gain of the ADC which depends on resistor R8. In my case this resistor is not fitted and the potentiometer should be turned fully clockwise to give the full 5V reading. It can also be used to attenuate the input voltage.
If you want to measure reasonably precise voltages, you have to disconnect resistor R8 (if fitted) so that the feedback resistance becomes infinity and turn the potentiometer RV1 fully to the right. This should give you a gain of 1 and a maximum input voltage range of 5V. An additional menu lets you choose between ADC channel 1 or 2.

So far this little program has proved to be quite useful and reliable. Below a link to a zip archive with both the BBC BASIC for Windows program code and also a ready to run exec version, should you not own BBC4W

K8055_slowscope.zipVers.3.3


If you have access to the new K8055N you may be interested in the version written for it. Unfortunately the ADC section is only twice as fast as in the K8055.

K8055N_slowscope_3_4.zip


The actual program code is below. If you have a K8061, the same two files are in the folder hidden behind the link below. The only difference between the two version is that the fastest speed is now 200ms/div. Reflecting the faster response of the K8061. The K8061 ADC1 input is used set to 5V by its link on the board.

K8061_slowscope.zip Vers.3.0


  10 REM K8055_slowscope
   20 REM Log analogue data with the K8055 USB board
   30 REM (c) Jochen Lueg
   40 REM http://roevalley.com
   50 REM Limavady, March 2012
   60 REM Vers 2.1
   70
   80
   90 Ch%=1
  100 PROCK8055_init
  110 PROCassemble
  120 SYS K8055_CloseDevice%,0
  130 SYS K8055_OpenDevice%,0
  140 ON ERROR PROCerror
  150 SYS K8055_ClearAllDigital%,1
  160 PROCwindow(1600,400)
  170 PROCinit
  180 OFF
  190 PROCdraw_grid
  200 REPEAT
  210   IF INKEY(-49)T%=1:T$="370ms/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  220   IF INKEY(-50)T%=10:T$="500ms/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  230   IF INKEY(-18)T%=20:T$="1s/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  240   IF INKEY(-19)T%=41:T$="2s/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  250   IF INKEY(-20)T%=60:T$="3s/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  260   IF INKEY(-53)T%=80:T$="4s/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  270   IF INKEY(-37)T%=120:T$="6s/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  280   IF INKEY(-22)T%=161:T$="8s/div":PROCupdate(T$)
  290  
  300   IF INKEY(-83) Mode$="Continuous":PROCupdate(T$)
  310   IF INKEY(-82) Mode$="Single" :PROCupdate(T%)
  320   MOUSE mx%,my%,Button%
  330   IF Button%=4 THEN
  340     REPEAT
  350       MOUSE mx%,my%,Button%
  360     UNTIL Button%=0
  370     PROCplott_adc
  380   ENDIF
  390 UNTIL INKEY(-17)
  400
  410 SYS K8055_ClearAllDigital%
  420 SYS K8055_ClearAllAnalog%
  430 SYS K8055_CloseDevice%,0
  440 SYS "FreeLibrary",K8055_Board%
  450 *QUIT
  460 END
  470
  480
  490
  500 DEFPROCupdate(Speed$)
  510 GCOL12
  520 RECTANGLEFILL 2150,560,400,-30
  530 GCOL 0
  540 MOVE 2200,600
  550 PRINT "Speed     Mode"
  560 MOVE 2160,560
  570 PRINTT$
  580 MOVE 2350,560
  590 PRINT Mode$
  600 ENDPROC
  610
  620
  630 DEFPROCplott_adc
  640 LOCAL X%,Y%,mx%,my%,Button%
  650 REPEAT
  660   VDU 23,23,2;0;0;0;: REM Lines are in double thickness
  670   GCOL 1
  680   X%=1
  690   SYS K8055_ReadAnalogChannel%,Ch% TO Y%
  700   MOVE X%,Y%*2
  710   TIME=0
  720   REPEAT
  730     SYS K8055_ReadAnalogChannel%,Ch% TO Y%
  740     PLOT 5, X%*2,Y%*2
  750     Count%=0:REPEAT UNTIL Count%>=T%
  760     X%+=1
  770     MOUSE mx%,my%,Button%
  780     IF Button%=4 THEN
  790       REM Start/Pause with left mouse button
  800       REPEAT MOUSE mx%,my%,Button% : UNTIL Button%=0
  810       REPEAT MOUSE mx%,my%,Button% : UNTIL Button%=4 OR Button%=1
  820       REPEAT MOUSE mx%,my%,B% : UNTIL B%=0
  830     ENDIF
  840   UNTIL X%>1500  OR Button%=1
  850  
  860   REMUNTIL X%>=500
  870   REM PRINT TIME/1000
  880  
  890   IF Button%=1 GOTO 950
  900   IF Mode$="Single" THEN
  910     REPEAT MOUSE mx%,my%,Button% : UNTIL Button%=0
  920     REPEAT MOUSE mx%,my%,Button% :UNTIL Button%=4 OR Button%=1
  930     REPEAT MOUSE mx%,my%,B% : UNTIL B%=0
  940   ENDIF
  950   GCOL 140
  960   CLG
  970   PROCdraw_grid
  980 UNTIL Button%=1
  990 REPEAT
 1000   MOUSE mx%,my%,Button%
 1010 UNTIL Button%=0
 1020 ENDPROC
 1030
 1040
 1050 DEFPROCdraw_grid
 1060 LOCAL X%,Y%
 1070 VDU 23,23,1;0;0;0; : REM Lines are in single thickness
 1080 ORIGIN 100,100
 1090 GCOL 0
 1100 FOR Y%= 0 TO  500  STEP 100
 1110   MOVE 0,Y%
 1120   DRAW 3000,Y%
 1130 NEXT
 1140
 1150 FOR X%=0 TO 3000 STEP 100
 1160   MOVE X%,0
 1170   DRAW X%,500
 1180 NEXT
 1190
 1200 FOR X%=2 TO 3002 STEP 1000
 1210   MOVE X%,0
 1220   DRAW X%,500
 1230 NEXT
 1240 MOVE 0,-2
 1250 DRAW 3002,-2
 1260 MOVE 0,502
 1270 DRAW 3002,502
 1280 VDU 5
 1290 FOR Y%= 0 TO  5
 1300   MOVE -50,(Y%*100)+ 14
 1310   PRINT;Y%
 1320 NEXT
 1330
 1340 FOR  X%=0 TO 30
 1350   IF X%<10 MOVE(X%*100)-10,-20
 1360   IF X%>9  MOVE(X%*100)-18,-20
 1370   PRINT;X%
 1380 NEXT
 1390
 1400 GCOL4
 1410 MOVE 8, 600
 1420 PRINT"Mouse Button"
 1430 MOVE 8,560
 1440 PRINT "Left - Right . . .  Start/Pause - Stop"
 1450 MOVE 700,600
 1460 PRINT "Scanspeeds"
 1470 MOVE 700,560
 1480 PRINT "Fast - slow . . . 1 to 8"
 1490 MOVE 1250,600
 1500 PRINT "Scan mode"
 1510 MOVE 1250,560
 1520 PRINT "S - C . . . Single - Continuous"
 1530 MOVE 1850,560
 1540 PRINT "Q . . . . Quit"
 1550 GCOL 0
 1560 MOVE 2200,600
 1570 PRINT "Speed     Mode"
 1580 MOVE 2160,560
 1590 PRINT;T$
 1600 MOVE 2350,560
 1610 PRINT Mode$
 1620 ENDPROC
 1630
 1640
 1650 DEFPROCinit
 1660 COLOUR 12,225,225,225
 1670 GCOL 140
 1680 CLG
 1690 GCOL 0
 1700 T$="370s3ms/div"
 1710 T%=1
 1720 PROCtimeloop
 1730 Mode$="Single"
 1740 MOUSE OFF
 1750 ENDPROC
 1760
 1770
 1780 DEFPROCwindow(WindowWidth%,WindowHeight%)
 1790 MODE 30
 1800 SYS "SetWindowPos",@hwnd%,0,0,0,WindowWidth%,WindowHeight%,6
 1810 SYS "SetWindowText","Slowscope"
 1820 VDU 26
 1830 ENDPROC
 1840
 1850
 1860 DEFPROCerror
 1870 PRINT REPORT$;" at line ";ERL  :
 1880 SYS K8055_ClearAllDigital%,1
 1890 SYS K8055_ClearAllAnalog%,1
 1900 SYS K8055_CloseDevice%,1
 1910 SYS "FreeLibrary",K8055_Board%
 1920 END
 1930 ENDPROC
 1940
 1950
 1960 DEFPROCK8055_init
 1970 REM  Typing errors in routine name do not generate an error message - they just hang up the program.
 1980 REM These are all the system calls in the order found in the manual
 1990 SYS"LoadLibrary","K8055D.dll" TO K8055_Board%
 2000 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"OpenDevice" TO K8055_OpenDevice%
 2010 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"CloseDevice" TO K8055_CloseDevice%
 2020 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ReadAnalogChannel" TO K8055_ReadAnalogChannel%
 2030 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ReadAllAnalog" TO K8055_ReadAllAnalog%
 2040 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"OutputAnalogChannel" TO K8055_OutputAnalogChannel%
 2050 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"OutputAllAnalog" TO K8055_OutputAllAnalog%
 2060 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ClearAnalogChannel" TO K8055_ClearAnalogChannel%
 2070 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ClearAllAnalog" TO K8055_ClearAllAnalog%
 2080 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"SetAnalogChannel" TO K8055_SetAnalogChannel%
 2090 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"SetAllAnalog"  TO K8055_SetAllAnalog%
 2100 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"WriteAllDigital" TO K8055_WriteAllDigital%
 2110 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ClearDigitalChannel" TO K8055_ClearDigitalChannel%
 2120 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ClearAllDigital" TO K8055_ClearAllDigital%
 2130 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"SetDigitalChannel" TO K8055_SetDigitalChannel%
 2140 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"SetAllDigital"  TO K8055_SetAllDigital%
 2150 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ReadDigitalChannel" TO K8055_ReadDigitalChannel%
 2160 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ReadAllDigital"  TO K8055_ReadAllDigital%
 2170 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ResetCounter"  TO K8055_ResetCounter%
 2180 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"ReadCounter"  TO K8055_ReadCounter%
 2190 SYS"GetProcAddress",K8055_Board%,"SedtCounterDebouceTime"  TO K8055_SetCounterDebounceTime%
 2200 ENDPROC
 2210
 2220
 2230 DEFPROCtimeloop
 2240 SYS"timeGetDevCaps",tc{},8 TO res%
 2250 IF res% ERROR 100, "Multimedia timer not available"
 2260 SYS "timeBeginPeriod", tc.PeriodMin%
 2270 SYS "timeSetEvent", T%, tc.PeriodMin%,TimerProc,0,1 TO TimerID%
 2280 IF TimerID%=0 ERROR 100, "Could not strt timer"
 2290 ON CLOSE SYS "timeKillEvent",TimerID% : QUIT
 2300 ON ERROR SYS "timeKillEvent",TimerID%: PRINT 'REPORT$ : END
 2310 ENDPROC
 2320
 2330
 2340 DEFPROCassemble
 2350 DIM tc{PeriodMin%,PeriodMax%}
 2360 DIM P% 10
 2370 [.TimerProc
 2380 inc dword [^Count%]
 2390 ret 20
 2400 ]
 2410 ENDPROC

  



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