https://www.baldengineer.com/category/tools/test-equipmentRecent content in Test Equipment on Bald EngineerHugoen-USSun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/arbdraw-intro.htmlSun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:00 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/arbdraw-intro.htmlSometimes the test signal needs a flaw. A clean waveform is easy to generate, but a narrow glitch in the middle of it can replicate a behavior or gives an oscilloscope something (in-band) specific to trigger on.https://www.baldengineer.com/hands-on-with-picoscope-7.htmlFri, 26 Jul 2024 15:16:47 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=9037I dive into Pico Technology’s latest PicoScope oscilloscope software, PicoScope 7. Using a PicoScope 2000A (from the element14 Community), James walks through key measurements and demonstrations using the built-in arbitrary waveform generator. He explores new functionalities in PicoScope 7, such as the improved UI, a unique feature called DeepMeasure, and decoding I3C traffic. I have been using the Pico Technology PicoScope 2000A for years. (Here is my older review!) It is an entry-level oscilloscope with 10 MHz bandwidth, 100 megasamples per second sample rate, and 8 kilosample of acquisition memory. Since it is USB-based, it has companion software running on Windows, macOS, and Linux.https://www.baldengineer.com/bk-precision-das60-hands-on.htmlWed, 05 Jun 2024 16:42:26 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=8985The B&K Precision DAS60 is a data recorder. It features 6 wide-range voltage inputs, 16 digital channels, and RTD thermal sensor inputs and comes in a small compact form factor. In this video, I show what it can do. The DAS60 is designed for lab and fieldwork. Its built-in battery means you can deploy it in a facility and let it log data. It has built-in ethernet and support for generic Wi-Fi dongles. The computer runs Windows CE and has RealVNC pre-installed. This combination lets you connect remotely to configure the instrument, check its status, or review recorded data.https://www.baldengineer.com/how-to-profile-battery-usage-for-iot-devices.htmlSat, 25 Jun 2022 13:08:00 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=8664When running on a battery, it is important to know what parts of your circuit draw the most current. Profiling is a process where you look at sections of code or interactions with hardware to see how much power each requires. In this video, James shows four tools (and their tradeoffs) when profiling IoT or Edge Machine Learning devices. See if it makes more sense for you to use a Digital Multimeter (DMM), Power Supply with history graphs, an oscilloscopehttps://www.baldengineer.com/do-all-scope-probes-need-ground.htmlFri, 24 Jun 2022 13:05:00 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=8661When connecting multiple oscilloscope probes to a circuit, does each probe need to connect to ground? The short answer is yes! Why? The long answer is kind because of the ground loop. Remember, a circuit needs a closed path. And while on DC circuits we may rarely think about the distance of that path, it absolutely matters when there is an AC or frequency component. When you do not connect each probe’s ground, the signal path because enormous since it must connect to the circuit’s ground through another probe. (See the animation in the video above.)https://www.baldengineer.com/how-oscilloscope-acquisition-modes-work.htmlThu, 23 Jun 2022 13:38:00 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=8658Every digital oscilloscope I have ever used has a menu or dialog for “acquisition modes.” And depending on the current settings, changing that acquisition mode does not seem to have an effect on the signal. Or sometimes, changing to something like Average mode can completely destroy your measurements. It turns out, that the analog-to-digital converters in digital oscilloscopes can do more than just “sample” the data. Well, the ADCs just samples. The controller behind the ADC offers modes like Peak Detect and Average and High-Resolution.https://www.baldengineer.com/hands-on-with-bk-precision-9140-power-supply-workbench-wednesdays-53.htmlWed, 22 Jun 2022 15:36:22 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=8654Bench power supplies are an essential piece of test equipment gear. And like most test gear, they have a wide range of capabilities. For example, the B&K Precision 9140 is a triple output supply that can output up to 300 watts. But, the basic capability isn’t what interested me about the supply. Instead, it was advanced features like rear panel triggers, adjustable slew rate, and built-in sequencing. The element14 Community arranged for a B&K Precision 9140 power supply to be sent to me for a hands-on overview of those features.https://www.baldengineer.com/diy-solder-in-oscilloscope-probes-workbench-wednesdays-50.htmlThu, 03 Feb 2022 00:19:00 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=8363When you cannot get an oscilloscope probe into a tight spot, can you just use a piece of wire? Sometimes. When signal integrity matters, you CAN use a low-cost DIY solder-in probe. These probes attenuate the signal and use an oscilloscope’s high-bandwidth 50-ohm input. James shows how to build some solder-in probes when they work and when they do not work in this video. Special thanks to Shabaz on the element14 community for the guide used here.https://www.baldengineer.com/instrument-basics-logic-probe-workbench-wednesdays-27.htmlThu, 13 Aug 2020 21:36:00 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=8309Logic probes are great for debugging 7400 series logic chips and digital circuits. In this video, James makes a counter circuit and debugs each stage as he builds, with a Logic Probe. If you are wondering, “do I need a logic probe” this video shows how one can be used and even answers when you should consider buying one.https://www.baldengineer.com/spectrum-analyzer-basics.htmlThu, 17 Oct 2019 02:06:58 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?post_type=link&p=7953A spectrum analyzer displays signals in the frequency domain. To use one, you only need to know about four controls: reference level, center frequency, and resolution bandwidth. In this episode, see how to use a spectrum analyzer and determine the transmitting frequency of a device. The example device is my microphone transmitter. It operates around 500 MHz with FM modulation. You’ll see how I step through the spectrum analyzer controls to find the exact frequency. At the end of the episode, I show some advanced measurements you can do with a modern spectrum analyzer. My favorite one is the demodulation.https://www.baldengineer.com/tenma-72-2660-supply-review.htmlMon, 13 May 2019 13:25:12 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?post_type=link&p=7783The TENMA 72-2660 portable power supply offers bench supply capability in a backpack-friendly package. The single output is capable of 45 watts with up to 30 volts and 3.75 amps out. The built-in USB ports offer an easy way to power 5 Volts Arduino or Raspberry Pi projects while limiting their current. See how this portable supply performs, the things the Bald Engineer likes about it, and the points to consider before buyinghttps://www.baldengineer.com/fpc1500-review.htmlWed, 04 Apr 2018 13:00:15 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=7076Everyone’s first piece of test equipment should be a multimeter. Next is probably a power supply with current limiting. For many engineers, the next step is an oscilloscope. At least those working on digital electronics. Even if you are not working with RF, do not overlook a spectrum analyzer. The Rohde & Schwarz FPC1500 is three instruments in one: a Spectrum Analyzer, RF Signal Source, and a Vector Network Analyzer. In this post, I combine an FPC1500 review with an introduction to these frequency domain tools.https://www.baldengineer.com/aeroscope-review.htmlWed, 19 Jul 2017 13:11:36 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=6609Previously, I reviewed the smartphone DMM, Mooshimeter. It is a great meter. One feature I didn’t spend much time on in my review was the ability to graph. Some see it as an “oscilloscope alternative.” The past couple of weeks, I’ve been using Aeroscope. It is a Bluetooth-based oscilloscope about the size of an older active probe. The Aeroscope runs $199 direct from Aeroscope Labs. The question I address in this Aeroscope review: is it better to buy this, a USB-based, or standalone scope for about the same money. How does it measure up?https://www.baldengineer.com/test-equipment-alternatives.htmlWed, 03 Aug 2016 13:17:55 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=6132A couple of weeks ago, I asked my subscribers for their favorite test equipment alternatives. The reason I asked, was because I recently picked up a Mooshimeter. It is a modern take on the multimeter. However, I will cover that in more detail soon. While I am fortunate that my bench has the usual equipment like an adjustable power supply, oscilloscope, multimeter, and function generator, I know that not everyone else does. I also had to think back to before I had this equipment, what did I use to troubleshoot my circuits.https://www.baldengineer.com/digitalwrite-on-a-logic-analyzer.htmlWed, 22 Jul 2015 13:00:55 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=5228Recently I picked up a device called Logic from Saleae. It’s a 4-channel USB-based logic analyzer. While learning how the simple, but effective, UI works I ran some timing benchmarks on my Arduino Uno. The subject? digitalWrite(). I wanted to know how fastdigitalWrite() could turn on two (or more) pins. Almost all Arduino users start out with the simple “blink” sketch. Turn pin 13 ON, delay, turn it OFF, and delay again. The heart of this version of “Hello World!” is the digitalWrite() function. Many Arduino users never even think about all of the stuff this single function call hides.https://www.baldengineer.com/review-nis-virtualbench-one-instrument.htmlWed, 11 Feb 2015 15:13:40 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?p=3453The first time I saw the VirtualBench from NI, I was amazed by its shear size—or lack of size. At the time, the unit I had access to an uncalibrated pre-release unit at the Austin TechShop. So I didn’t think it was fair to do a full review. Fast forward to today. Now that I’ve spent a week working with the VirtualBench I have some comments and thoughts. What follows is a review of this “All-In-One Instrument” that runs $1999 USD.https://www.baldengineer.com/diy-active-differential-probe-project.htmlTue, 27 Jan 2015 15:28:50 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?post_type=link&p=3411Active Probe Setup (via xellers) Back when I worked for an Oscilloscope company, we were pretty proud of our differential probes. Even the “low-bandwidth” probes were still around 1GHz of bandwidth. Daniel Kramnik built an active differential probe and looks like he is seeing about 400MHz usable bandwidth. And really, it looks relatively flat. Not bad for a DIY effort. I’m impressed. Pretty amazing to think about the possibility of building your own (active) scope probes.https://www.baldengineer.com/hpdisk-gpib-disk-emulator.htmlMon, 26 Jan 2015 15:25:46 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?post_type=link&p=3406Images from http://www.dalton.ax/hpdisk/ Popular on eBay are old test equipment like Spectrum Analyzers, Oscilloscopes, and Multimeters. HPDisk by Gustafsson Anders creates a virtual GPIB interface that stores data to a SD-Card.This is done by emulating a special HP disk drive, that some HP instruments know how to write to when connected. (As Anders points out, this is not emulating a built-in floppy drive.) Keep reading if you aren’t familiar with GPIB.https://www.baldengineer.com/rigol-offers-100mhz-and-mso-for-1000-usd.htmlMon, 05 Jan 2015 17:02:24 +0000https://www.baldengineer.com/?post_type=link&p=3263Oscilloscopes are the most critical tool when it comes to debug and analysis of electronic circuits. In recent years, digital oscilloscopes finally surpassed their analog equivalents. (10 years ago I would still make an argument for analog, but not anymore.) The most innovative change to digital scopes came with “Mixed Signal Scopes.” In addition to the high-resolution analog channels, you get 16+ digital channels time-correlated. Digital channel in this context means only seeing a 0 or 1, kind of like a logic analyzer.