@Performa01: Does Siglent have any plans to get rid of the automatic memory depth setting? For me the automatic memory depth adjustment is a total productivity killer. It annoyed the hell out of me during the short time I had the SDS2000.
The short answer is no, sorry.
What engineers want to do is capture a record that represents a certain timespan. What is easier and feels more natural:
• Select the main timebase for the required total timespan and then adjust the zoom timebase for closer inspection of details
or
• Calculate the required memory depth from the required timespan and current sample rate, dig into the Acquisition menu to select the appropriate memory depth (provided it could be selected with similar fine granularity as the timebase) and then have to scroll back and forth through the buffer in order to inspect the entire acquisition
?
You (and Siglent) forgot one very simple use case: trigger on part of a signal and when that looks OK change the timebase to look at the rest of the signal (which was outside the screen during capture). I use this regulary during design verification. And this is much easier to achieve than you think: just set the oscilloscope to the maximum memory depth and leave it at that. I have my oscilloscopes set to the maximum memory depth 99.9% of the time. It is very handy to be able zoom out or pan left/right to examine the signal which was outside the screen. With Siglent's automatic memory depth I'd need to change the time base for each capture twice which is just time consuming and irritating. And why not have the maximum memory depth available? Otherwise the memory just sits there idle anyway.
First this "I have my oscilloscopes set to the maximum memory depth 99.9% of the time."
With 200Mpts and 2GSa/s one acquisition takes 100ms. Are you still sure you want keep oscilloscope nearly always, 99.9%, set for max memory depth. Why need zoom out, also you can use it (zoom out) only after stop in certain scopes.
If I need this kind of, I will turn zoom mode on and look whole memory and details at once and pan zoomed window where ever need. Most of scopes do not even loose vertical resolution using this method. It is just better to learn and adapt for use windowed zoom as "normal" mode. And more when also scopes start get more vertical height and resolution screens.
I do not want scope what have lot of visual blind time, hidden data, at runtime. If I do work what need long capture and still details I turn windowed zoom on. I remember well this time when example Owon did not even have windowed zoom, it have only full screen zoom alone. I have never used so frustrating system. And your working method is just like using full screen zoom, your runtime window is zoomed part of whole acquisition and you can not see rest at all in runtime, you need stop scope. And most captured trace out from screen and then full hassle to find some things there and always stop scope and pan and zoom.
Using scope where whole capture is always visible without overlapp and then zoom window for detail. You have always knowledge about whole capture and where your details window is related to whole trace and this all can do runtime and stopped.
Why need think all need do as always before have done. Human can learn new modes of operations. But also of course one may like tulips and one may like fish. And yes, I remember this first reaction after I have adapted this other system what you expolain... it was first some "shock" when I meet this Siglent principle. How hell I can do my works now, how I can find rest of traces... I zoom out and no...nothing... how this can use. Perhaps this is some kind of bug...or what hell. (There was also full memory available outside of screen in Siglent older models, also as in many many other scopes.
But after then I start use it and today I do not at all miss this method at all.. more like vice versa, I wonder why many still do these. But it need learn so that it is part of your muscle memory and thinking process. Just like changing from algebraic calculator to calculators rolls royces, HP RPN and after familiar, then do not want use any others anymore. But I know, there is peoples who can not or want not use or learn to use RPN.
Lets hope Siglent stay calm and continue this selected road.
What is captured need show and decode (except if decode max data amount is reached.) You many times ask why Siglent do not decode full memory. (It do but somehow you don not want accept it) But I can ask, why many scopes mostly do not display full currently used memory length at runtime... when they start make scopes what can display all what is captured and runtime, wit details.
With these user need stop scope for look this data. With Siglent whole data is visible and can look also runtime, including details, even when capture length is hundreds of megasamples.
Also always bacround working slow segmented acquisition is part of this total. If we always capture your full memory length there is no enought amount enough fast memory and processing power for history buffer. Of course data can cut and use only displayed part