Magnova oscilloscope

[jusaca]

We are still on schedule to begin delivering the series devices around the beginning of June. The devices are already available for pre-order on our website, and we will release further information in the upcoming weeks. The datasheet will be available in a few days, and the "damn good software" exist.

Is Dave going to get a demo unit for some tests and showcasing?
Would be very interesting to see Dave play around with it and hear his opinion on the new design choices.

[Martin72]

Nervously turning/toggling/tapping back and forth and tapping on BNC sockets....The (probably) intended target group for the scope does not watch such “shows”.

[core]

We are still on schedule to begin delivering the series devices around the beginning of June. The devices are already available for pre-order on our website, and we will release further information in the upcoming weeks. The datasheet will be available in a few days, and the "damn good software" exist.

Is Dave going to get a demo unit for some tests and showcasing?
Would be very interesting to see Dave play around with it and hear his opinion on the new design choices.

Or "The Signal Path" for in-depth analysis, including software implementation.
But it's localized in the USA, so it's not really handy for Batronix.

Considering the prompt response from Andre77, maybe soon we'll find something interesting even on Batronix's Youtube channel.
I'm certainly interested, and it's clear that there are others here who are very interested.

[ebastler]

Or "The Signal Path" for in-depth analysis, including software implementation.
But it's localized in the USA, so it's not really handy for Batronix.

In contrast to Dave in Australia! 

I would agree that, if Batronix is interested in an external video review, The Signal Path might be the better reviewer due to his approach and audience. Might want to wait until the required apporvals for US sales have been obtained though.

[Martin72]

Considering the prompt response from Andre77, maybe soon we'll find something interesting even on Batronix's Youtube channel.

You can subscribe to a Magnova newsletter, has anyone done that?
Is it like R&S (MX05"news"), where you only get adverts instead of information?

[Martin72]

Or "The Signal Path" for in-depth analysis, including software implementation.

I didn't know him at all...
But yes, it should go in that direction, because the task would first be to find out what this scope has/can do better than other competitors in the price range.
That's the big question.
And that only works with a deeper analysis.
It may look like a tablet, but it's not a portable scope (and so micsig is still quite alone).
It has a relatively “low” bandwidth and “normal” memory size.
So where are the advantages, that would have to be found out and presented.
The “Dave Show” would be less suitable for this.
However, if performa01 had the time and inclination to do a review like the recent SDS800X HD, it would be a win-win situation for everyone, including Batronix.

[core]

Considering the prompt response from Andre77, maybe soon we'll find something interesting even on Batronix's Youtube channel.

You can subscribe to a Magnova newsletter, has anyone done that?
Is it like R&S (MX05"news"), where you only get adverts instead of information?

Yeap, I've subscribed after the initial message about Magnova. No news until now 

[core]

Or "The Signal Path" for in-depth analysis, including software implementation.

I didn't know him at all...
But yes, it should go in that direction, because the task would first be to find out what this scope has/can do better than other competitors in the price range.
That's the big question.
And that only works with a deeper analysis.
It may look like a tablet, but it's not a portable scope (and so micsig is still quite alone).
It has a relatively “low” bandwidth and “normal” memory size.
So where are the advantages, that would have to be found out and presented.
The “Dave Show” would be less suitable for this.
However, if performa01 had the time and inclination to do a review like the recent SDS800X HD, it would be a win-win situation for everyone, including Batronix.

Performa01 is located practically next to Batronix, compared to the above (Dave and The Signal Path).

If Batronix and Performa01 can agree, it would be the most handy option, and we would have access to a very honest analysis.

[ebastler]

Performa01 is located practically next to Batronix, compared to the above (Dave and The Signal Path).
If Batronix and Performa01 can agree, it would be the most handy option, and we would have access to a very honest analysis.

I would assume that Performa01's relationship with Siglent (as a consultant?) precludes him from working for a direct competitor. But there is a forum member who is in a much better position than me to comment on that. 

[LoneWolf6912]

I'm really excited about this! It's refreshing to see smaller companies like Batronix taking bold steps and embracing innovation.

It's a bit disappointing that the preorder discount doesn't cover the AWG and logic probe, especially since they're technically part of the Magnova. You're still paying full price for them.

I'm hopeful that the software will have a strong support system going forward. It would be great to see features like USB protocol decoding, Manchester coding, and power analysis. It's still upon reach of serious hobbyist.

I'm also intrigued by the probe interface, particularly the potential for Batronix to develop their own active probes in the future. It's something I'll definitely keep an eye on.

Nonetheless, I really care for the European economy. And as a engineer working for a small R&D laboratory, probably one like Batronix work with for developing the Magnova, I will surely order some of them for my company. And probably one for myself too.

[2N3055]

I, for one, wish them all the luck.
Some innovative thinking there.

Prices are quite steep, though...
But being the quite large T&M distributor, they have advantage of having good market research info...
So maybe they realized there is a niche for such instrument.
Only problem is when market changes quite rapidly sometimes, after years of stagnation....

[Martin72]

It's a bit disappointing that the preorder discount doesn't cover the AWG and logic probe, especially since they're technically part of the Magnova. You're still paying full price for them.

In view of the discount of 30%, this can be tolerated...
Although I would buy a stand-alone 2-channel AWG for the price.
Incidentally, that would be something Batronix could do differently from other manufacturers:
External control over the common function generators on the market.

I'm also intrigued by the probe interface, particularly the potential for Batronix to develop their own active probes in the future. It's something I'll definitely keep an eye on.

Here the same and at the same time a very important point:
I cannot imagine that it is "forbidden" to be able to use active probes from other manufacturers.
We, for example, have only bought Lecroy scopes for decades because we have their Probus probes/current clamps and they would not be usable otherwise.
If I were Batronix, I would not necessarily invest energy in designing my own active probes, but instead in appropriate adapters for "third-party" probes.
The electrical part of such an adapter is easy to make, the compatibility is created in the software, which would have to be maintained accordingly.
I consider this to be a purchase reason that should not be underestimated if companies could continue to use their existing (expensive) probes.

I'm hopeful that the software will have a strong support system going forward. It would be great to see features like USB protocol decoding, Manchester coding, and power analysis. It's still upon reach of serious hobbyist.

At least with the USB protocol, the current maximum bandwidth could become a problem.
Otherwise I agree, most manufacturers offer rather few additional options, it wouldn't be bad if someone could stand up to Lecroy in this matter.
Because their list of software options goes on for pages...

[mk_]

I'm also intrigued by the probe interface, particularly the potential for Batronix to develop their own active probes in the future. It's something I'll definitely keep an eye on.

Here the same and at the same time a very important point:
I cannot imagine that it is "forbidden" to be able to use active probes from other manufacturers.
We, for example, have only bought Lecroy scopes for decades because we have their Probus probes/current clamps and they would not be usable otherwise.
If I were Batronix, I would not necessarily invest energy in designing my own active probes, but instead in appropriate adapters for "third-party" probes.
The electrical part of such an adapter is easy to make, the compatibility is created in the software, which would have to be maintained accordingly.
I consider this to be a purchase reason that should not be underestimated if companies could continue to use their existing (expensive) probes.

there has been a discussion with Batronix and I assume that they are open for some related discussions about the I2C-protocoll to the probes for reducing somehow this bottleneck. As an example: ntcnicos diffprobes with an batronix-adapter could be an interessting solution for that chicken/egg problem...

[Njk]

If I were Batronix, I would not necessarily invest energy in designing my own active probes, but instead in appropriate adapters for "third-party" probes.

Unless doing so will not create IP infringement issues. Location makes the company very vulnerable to that kind of problems.

[LoneWolf6912]

If I were Batronix, I would not necessarily invest energy in designing my own active probes, but instead in appropriate adapters for "third-party" probes.

Unless doing so will not create IP infringement issues. Location makes the company very vulnerable to that kind of problems.

Yes indeed. They need to be extra careful if they choose to doing this. A lot of big company have better lawyer than product...

[LoneWolf6912]

It's a bit disappointing that the preorder discount doesn't cover the AWG and logic probe, especially since they're technically part of the Magnova. You're still paying full price for them.

In view of the discount of 30%, this can be tolerated...
Although I would buy a stand-alone 2-channel AWG for the price.
Incidentally, that would be something Batronix could do differently from other manufacturers:
External control over the common function generators on the market.

I'm also intrigued by the probe interface, particularly the potential for Batronix to develop their own active probes in the future. It's something I'll definitely keep an eye on.

Here the same and at the same time a very important point:
I cannot imagine that it is "forbidden" to be able to use active probes from other manufacturers.
We, for example, have only bought Lecroy scopes for decades because we have their Probus probes/current clamps and they would not be usable otherwise.
If I were Batronix, I would not necessarily invest energy in designing my own active probes, but instead in appropriate adapters for "third-party" probes.
The electrical part of such an adapter is easy to make, the compatibility is created in the software, which would have to be maintained accordingly.
I consider this to be a purchase reason that should not be underestimated if companies could continue to use their existing (expensive) probes.

I'm hopeful that the software will have a strong support system going forward. It would be great to see features like USB protocol decoding, Manchester coding, and power analysis. It's still upon reach of serious hobbyist.

At least with the USB protocol, the current maximum bandwidth could become a problem.
Otherwise I agree, most manufacturers offer rather few additional options, it wouldn't be bad if someone could stand up to Lecroy in this matter.
Because their list of software options goes on for pages...

Indeed you could buy a standalone AWG for that price but when the AWG is integrated in the scope you can perform a quick and dirty Bode plot.
Not sure at this moment if Batronix think of a easy way to do that with, for exemple, a Siglent external AWG. It will be neat nonetheless.

[edit: typo]

[pdenisowski]

If I were Batronix, I would not necessarily invest energy in designing my own active probes, but instead in appropriate adapters for "third-party" probes.

Unless doing so will not create IP infringement issues. Location makes the company very vulnerable to that kind of problems.

Yes indeed. They need to be extra careful if they choose to doing this. A lot of big company have better lawyer than product...

I work for a German company that manufacturers oscilloscopes and for many years we have offered an adapter to use Tek probes with our oscilloscopes

https://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/manual/r-s-rt-z2t-user-manual-manuals_78701-572609.html

[pdenisowski]

Indeed you could buy a standalone AWG for that price but when the AWG is integrated in the scope you can perform a quick and dirty Bode plot.
Not sure at this moment if Batronix think of a easy way to do that with, for exemple, a Siglent external AWG. It will be neat nonetheless.

The answer is SCPI   Assuming your scope and your (external) AWG are both SCPI controllable, it's very easy to write a program to do this.

But yes, an integrated function generator is a much better solution for Bode plots / FRA.

[LoneWolf6912]

For those interested, Batronix has just sent the complete data sheet for their oscilloscopes.

You can find it via this link: https://www.batronix.com/files/Batronix/Magnova/Magnova-Datasheet.pdf

[nctnico]

Some interesting specs in there. Vertical offset range seems quite large and the post trigger delay is also exceptionally long (hence the external clock input). Also the adjustable trigger hysteresis is nice; then you can at least make the trigger use about the same logic levels as the actual hardware (and thus trigger on an actual edge instead of a point which adds a lot of noise horizontally). Just one question about trigger jitter spec though: I assume it is 2ps RMS? And what is the peak-to-peak value?

Some minor niggles:
I'm missing the possibility to trigger on the waveform generator. Also, is the waveform generator clock derived from the external reference clock input? And what is the frequency setting accuracy of the waveform generator?

Edit: another thing that doesn't make sense to me is the deskew resolution. It is limited to the sample time interval which is 800ps minimum. That makes no sense to me; deskew should be adjustable in picoseconds given the 100ps channel-to-channel skew, minimum of 200ps/div and the trigger jitter.

[Sariel]

I received the data sheet today.

Will it be possible to change the sampling rate manually or is just set automatically according to the number of channels used and the horizontal time scale?

[Ulrich.G]

I'm wondering why there is no picture from the backside. I would like to see which connectors are available and how the optional AWG will be mounted.

[matimati]

Wow, I have just looked at the data sheet and would like to congratulate Batronix on this new oscilloscope! I think there are not many companies out there that can bring such a scope to the market as a first product. Not only can it match the specifications of scopes from well-known brands in the same class, but in some respects it is even better. Very remarkable. As a physicist, I really appreciate the ability to trigger on very small signals. Thanks a lot to Batronix for developing this and for the new ideas in this field!

[egonotto]

Hello egonotto,

......

How much memory would you have at 10 ms/div?
80 Mpts surprises me a little.
Would you then have 666,666 Mpts/s sample rate?

If the memory is no longer sufficient for the entire recording time at the highest sampling rate, the next lower rate is used. At 10 ms/div (120 ms/screen) and 4 channels, this would be 500 MSa/s. The memory remains at 60 Mpts per channel.

Best regards,
Andre

Hello,

I don't understand the thing with the 320 Mpts and the 12 divs.
When do you have 80 Mpts with 4 channels?

Best regards
egonotto

[egonotto]

Hello,

Comparison of the noise of the Magnova with R&S MXO4 and R&S MXO5 and LECROY HDO4034A

It is noticeable that the values are given with an inappropriate accuracy.
The values are only roughly comparable because the measurement method is different.   

Best regards
egonotto