Oscilloscope utilizing external ultra wide screen

[KrzysztofB]

Hi there folks.
I was wondering if any scope has ability to utilize ultra wide screen, just so you can see more samples on a wider time axis?
Or maybe two screenns.
We have Tek 5 series, but that one doesn't even seem to be able to deattach chart to separate window.

Regards
Krzysztof

[squadchannel]

Not happy with zooming and turning the knob?
I have never seen an oscilloscope with two screens.

If you want to see very small events, you should use an oscilloscope, but if you want to observe something very long and continuous, you should probably use a data recorder(chart recorder?)

It looks like MSO5 has a video output, so what would happen if I hooked it up to a widescreen? Maybe it will be wider? Will it simply be displayed in 16:9?

[dietert1]

Lecroy scopes running on MS Windows used to have a real PCI bus. So one can install a second display driver card. Their software is very flexible and can produce higher resolution diagrams on an external screen.

Regards, Dieter

[Fungus]

Maybe a USB 'scope.

[norbert.kiszka]

Some scopes have a HDMI. Or a scope without screen but with Ethernet. Eventually export memory and view it with a computer.

[tautech]

You don't need a wide display when your scope has a good Zoom feature.

[KrzysztofB]

You don't need a wide display when your scope has a good Zoom feature.

Well that is not exactly true.
Maybe that is my preference, but I would really love to be able to plot waveform on screen with 32:9 ratio.
So far I couldn't achieve that on TEK 5 series nor Keysight MSOS804.
Need to follow what Norbert mentioned, maybe TEK PC software can do that.
At least Keysight can deattach plot to separate window, so using two screens or wide screen gives some options.
Maybe new upcomming Keysight?
What about higher models of R&S?

[KrzysztofB]

I have never seen an oscilloscope with two screens.

Now when oscilloscopes come with for example 8 channels, it absolutely would make sense to split them to two displays.

If you want to see very small events, you should use an oscilloscope, but if you want to observe something very long and continuous, you should probably use a data recorder(chart recorder?)

With larger memory in current scopes, those are pretty much data recorders.

It looks like MSO5 has a video output, so what would happen if I hooked it up to a widescreen? Maybe it will be wider? Will it simply be displayed in 16:9?

Will give it one more try when im back to work

[norbert.kiszka]

Need to follow what Norbert mentioned, maybe TEK PC software can do that.

There is a plenty of unofficial and open source software for scopes. But remember, not every model will work for a particular soft (even when it's for similar model/serie) - unless You will make some changes (maybe very small or maybe one month of work) in a code.

[tautech]

You don't need a wide display when your scope has a good Zoom feature.

Well that is not exactly true.
Maybe that is my preference, but I would really love to be able to plot waveform on screen with 32:9 ratio.
So far I couldn't achieve that on TEK 5 series nor Keysight MSOS804.
Need to follow what Norbert mentioned, maybe TEK PC software can do that.
At least Keysight can deattach plot to separate window, so using two screens or wide screen gives some options.
Maybe new upcomming Keysight?
What about higher models of R&S?

$ $ $ top end DSO's can provide multiple displays as I discovered when fiddling with a SDS7000A a couple weeks back at HQ.
However a protocol stream capture and Zoom gives you all you need and movement through the stream is as easy as turning a knob, hell even a $340 DSO can do this.
Would a 1s capture be sufficient ?

Used a SDS1104X HD as SDS800X HD models are packed for a road trip.
A couple screenshots for your study.

[KrzysztofB]

Used a SDS1104X HD as SDS800X HD models are packed for a road trip.
A couple screenshots for your study.

I totally understand your point.
I'm just saying it would be nice in devices with DP/HDMI outputs could adjust to ultra wide screens or two monitors.
If I remember correctly, Keysight can work with 2 screens, so for example you can put statistics on other screen, but there is no way to stretch view of waveform to wide format.
TEK on the other hand might be stretching to wide screen, but i couldn't find way to deattach waveforms to separate window that could be moved to second screen.

And again, I know that is not needed, but see no reason why that should not be possible.

As an example I had captures with decoding of some protocols, and simply there was not enough room for that decoded data, that would be there if i could use wider screen.

[Someone]

And again, I know that is not needed, but see no reason why that should not be possible.

Because the rendering methods (be they hardware or software) are often optimised for specific pixel counts and aspect ratios.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/agilent-54831d-modernising/?all
counterpoint
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/agilent-infiniium-dso8000a-hacking-anyone-done-this/msg932041/#msg932041

if you want fully arbitrary resolutions and adjustable windows, get one of the Lecroy scopes that supports it (and all the downsides of that architecture)

[2N3055]

Used a SDS1104X HD as SDS800X HD models are packed for a road trip.
A couple screenshots for your study.

I totally understand your point.
I'm just saying it would be nice in devices with DP/HDMI outputs could adjust to ultra wide screens or two monitors.
If I remember correctly, Keysight can work with 2 screens, so for example you can put statistics on other screen, but there is no way to stretch view of waveform to wide format.
TEK on the other hand might be stretching to wide screen, but i couldn't find way to deattach waveforms to separate window that could be moved to second screen.

And again, I know that is not needed, but see no reason why that should not be possible.

As an example I had captures with decoding of some protocols, and simply there was not enough room for that decoded data, that would be there if i could use wider screen.

There are many scopes that can have 2nd monitor. But as Someone said, rendering engine usually renders in hardware for specific resolution.
For instance, on SDS7000A you can connect external monitor, and it is 1920x1080 resolution output.
Also as Someone said, there might be LeCroy scopes that would cooperate.

If you want full flexibility, get Picoscope, and run it on a PC with your choice of screen combinations...

[BeBuLamar]

Maybe a USB 'scope.

Yes why not a USB scope? You can have any screen you like.

[norbert.kiszka]

Maybe a USB 'scope.

Yes why not a USB scope? You can have any screen you like.

Some USB scopes can work with a unofficial software, including Android.

[5U4GB]

For people saying "use the zoom on your scope", the very best zoom in the world on a poky little 7" screen is still worse than any kind of larger screen.

Why do multi-thousand-dollar scopes still use displays that would have been marginal in the 1990s?  It's like they spent tens of thousands of dollars and years of engineering time designing the best front-end they could and then when they got to the display said "get the intern to grab a $20 panel off Aliexpress and slap it in a case, that'll be good enough".

[Someone]

Why do multi-thousand-dollar scopes still use displays that would have been marginal in the 1990s?  It's like they spent tens of thousands of dollars and years of engineering time designing the best front-end they could and then when they got to the display said "get the intern to grab a $20 panel off Aliexpress and slap it in a case, that'll be good enough".

It is the other end of the market from todays cheap/disposal junk: "can you supply this exact panel (in relatively small quantities) for at least the next 10 years"

For people saying "use the zoom on your scope", the very best zoom in the world on a poky little 7" screen is still worse than any kind of larger screen.

The "small" screens are usually fine for people without glasses, if you can see the pixels and a larger screen does not increase the resolution (which is true for many/most scopes) then there is no advantage to anything larger.

[Doctorandus_P]

Another option is to buy an USB scope and use it with a normal PC. Then you can also make a little box with switches and rotary encoders, that looks and works just like the user interface of a regular scope. I find it quite weird that people who sell USB scopes do not have boxes like that as a standard option for use with their for their scope.

You can even make something like that yourself relatively easy. Just have your box emulate keystrokes to control the scope software.

[dietert1]

Maybe its the USB interfaces fault, as there isn't something like a web browser with javascipt for USB.
With ethernet it would likely be a standard browser for the GUI, not a proprietary app. In 2009 we made a Win32 app for a Lecroy scope with a user interfaced based on a picture of the real scope, combined with digital video of the physical screen. It did not support flexible diagram size but can serve as another example of what doctorandus proposed.
http://www.cadt.de/notes/DesktopVI.pdf

Regards, Dieter

[KrzysztofB]

So today I checked again with Tek, and I was wrong.
You can stretch app sideways a lot. Here you can see it streched between 2 screens.
Then, if that is possible it's big shame that you can't deattach one chart to separater window, or arrange views like in R&S MXO5.