Gladly. let's go one by one.
2N3055, Thanks for your posts. I think they are insightful and helpful. ![ThumbsUp :-+](https://www.eevblog.com/forum/Smileys/default/icon_smile_thumbsup.gif.pagespeed.ce._JElyJQqdB.gif)
Can you please elaborate on / distinguish between these two comments? Thx
"Respectfully in that post it shows that Siglent is also decoding only what is on the screen.
Explanation: Siglent captured 1000 segments, but on how it is shown on those RF's pics, it is decoding every segment separately. It is not one big table with 2000 packets. It is 1000 segments with 2 packets each, and you have to go from segment to segment to decode that one."
Older Rigols (2000, 4000 series) will not decode from screen pixels. 1000Z does that, it sucks. If you have on screen 10M points, they will decode from 10 Mpoints with full resolution. To the point that you can have packets that are visually on screen all smeared together in one big block, but in a decode table you will see them all nicely decoded.
Hence usual advice to capture big block of data and then zoom in.
Both 1000E-X and older Rigols (2000, 4000 series) can also capture in segments. You capture 1000 separate shorter buffers, and when you go through them it will decode them.
If somebody can check do the new ones (5000 and 7000) also can decode from segments. It is called recording in Rigol parlance.
But both Rigol and Siglent will decode and show only current segment buffer (basically what's on screen, in terms time interval.) At least that is how it was shown on RF's images for Siglent.
That means that if you use segments, in order to decode third burst of data (3 history segment) you go to 3rd segment manually, and it will decode it for you.
Keysight (and Picoscope) decodes in a table, where you can choose to see only current buffer (like Rigols and it seems Siglent 1000E-X), but you can tell it to scan through all buffers, and decode them to single unified decode table. So you can see decode and move around seamlessly. If 1000E-X cannot do that, that would be GREAT upgrade.
And that connects sort of with this:
"Sad part is that Siglent 1000X-E has always running "history buffers" that are VERY useful and very understated function. It is basically always on segmented memory. That is not mentioned enough."
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Picoscope has same always running segmented memory. Meaning that at any time, you can stop and go several hundred trigger events back. R&S 2000/3000/4000 have something similar.
Picoscope also have fast segmented mode (also Siglent), that doesn't update screen to minimize blind time. LeCroy has similar thing.
On all other scopes (Keysight Rigol) you have to manually enter segmented mode, an it is only fast mode.
1000X-E has it running all the time with a bit larger blind time but very useful.
As for as decoding what is not on the screen, that is a funny topic. In my mind (analog scope) you have ONLY what you have on screen. If I want to see more I expand timebase. It seems some scopes capture samples you didn't tell the to capture, so you have pre-screen and post-screen data. And some people got used to it using it that way. I actually prefer that scope takes exactly amount of data I told it to take. And if I need more I will set scope to capture longer set. Long capture +zoom is exactly for that. In which decode table will be for whole capture, and zoomed portion will have visual decode under it. It will not break up because it knows there is more data. Rigol subscribes to this PHILOSOPHY of thinking.
Some other manufacturers are doing it differently. If you are used to this, it feels more right to you. That is fine with me. I have many different tools and they all have their own idiosyncrasies. I learn how they work and adapt to them. Such is life.
For all these reasons I got Picoscope for decoding. Despite their own problems, their way was most logical to me, and let's me use it without problems.
Regards,