Soundcard

Oscilloscope
deutsche Version

http://zeitnitz.de/Christian/Scope/Scope_en.html

Author: Christian Zeitnitz

Main features:

The Soundcard Oscilloscope receives its data from the Soundcard

with 44.1kHz and 16 Bit resolution. The data source can be
selected in the Windows mixer (Microphone, Line-In or Wave).
The frequency range depends on the sound card, but 20-20000Hz
should be possible with all modern cards. The low frequency end is
limited by the AC coupling of the line-in signal. Be aware, that
most microphone inputs are only mono.

The oscilloscope contains in addition a signal generator for 2

channels for Sine, Square, Triangular and Sawtooth wave forms in
the frequency range from 0 to 20kHz. These signals are available
at the speaker output of the sound card. These can be fed back to
the oscillocope in order to generate Lissajous figures in the x-y
mode.

Additional features:

Trigger modes: off, automatic, normal and single shot

Triggerlevel can be set with the mouse
The signals of the two channels can be added, subtracted and
multiplied
x-y mode
Frequency analysis (Fourier spectrum)
Frequency filter: low-, high- and band-pass
Cursors to measure amplitude, time and frequency in the main
window
Audio Recorder to save data to a wave file
For multi soundcard system, the used card can be selected in the
settings tab
The program has completely been written in LabView (™ by
National Instruments). For the actual Sound I/O part the WaveIO
package by the same author has been used. 

Signal Sources:

The signals for the oscilloscope can be internal to the computer

(MP3 player, function generator etc.) or from external sources
(line-in, microphone). For external sources care has to be taken,
not to exceed the voltage range of the inputs. The range is usually
only ±0.7V !! If higher voltage need to be analyzed, a voltage
divider has to be used. Additional protection diodes are
recommended in order to avoid any damage to the sound card and
to the computer. 

Requirements
This program will run on Windows 2000/XP computers with a
sound card and 30MByte space on disk. It will not even install on
older versions of Windows. The speed requirements are not very
hard. A 1GHz machine is suffient. On slower CPUs the load on the
system might lead to reduced responsiveness of the system.

Terms of usage
This Software and all previous versions are NO Freeware!The use
of the software and of the documentation is granted free of charge
for private and non-commercial use in educational institutions.
Any commercial application, distribution and sale is prohibited.
For commercial usage contact the author!All right reserved.

Downloads
Version 1.30

Changes
Improved stability on slower computers
The offset of the signal can now be set with the mouse
directly on the signal screen
Optional automatic on-screen frequency and amplitude
measurement
Possibility to measure the transfer function between two
signals
French and czech Versions available
Program and manual of version 1.30 (all languages):
scope_130 (ca. 25MB)
Only the english manual  for Version 1.30
Acknowledgement 
Thanks to Francis Brouchier for providing the french
 translation
Thanks to Jakub Jermář and Leoš Dvořák for providing the
czech version
Version 1.24

Changes
Bug in re-sampling routine removed 
Re-sampling effects only the display and not recorded
wave forms
For  long time settings the time scale was wrong!
This bug is present in ALL prior versions!
Multiple language version (english, german)
Persistence of the XY-Graph adjustable
Amplitude of frequency analysis graph scales automatically
(can be disabled)
Program remembers the selected sound card for input and
output
Display of sound properties/mixer from the Extras tab
works now on Vista
Program and manual of version 1.24 (all languages):
scope_124 (ca. 25MB)
Only the  Manual  for Version 1.24
Acknowledgement
Thanks to Helio and the american teachers for spotting the
mentioned bug
Due to a bug in the re-samlping of data (thanks Helio), all
versions prior to 1.24 should be updated!

Version 1.23

Update to Version 1.24

Version 1.22 

Changes
Peak hold function in frequency analysis
 Signal generator allows now to generate white noise and a
frequency sweep
Cue points are no longer written to the .wav file by the
sound recorder. The Media Player was confused by
these extra data
Program and manual of version 1.22: scope122_en (approx.
25MB)
Deutsche Version 1.22 des Programms: scope122_ger (ca.
25MB)
Only the Manual  for Version 1.22
Version 1.21

Program and manual of Version 1.21: scope121_en (size

approx. 24MB)
Deutsche Version 1.21 des Programms: scope121_ger (size
approx. 24MB)
Only the Manual for Version 1.21
Version 1.20

The Audio Recorder had some unwanted features:

Minimal time window on file was 50ms long
Trigger was sometimes not stored on the file
Update to Version 1.21  
Version 1.10

Program and manual of Version 1.10: scope110_en (size

approx. 24MB)
Deutsche Version 1.10 des Programms: scope110_ger (size
approx. 24MB)
Only the Manual for Version 1.10
Version 1.04

Program and manual of Version 1.04: scope104_en (size

approx. 26MB)
Deutsche Version 1.04 des Programms: scope104_ger (size
 approx. 26MB)
Only the Manual 
Instructions: Unpack the file into a directory of your choice and
run the setup.exe program. Enjoy !

Final Remarks
This Software is made available under the above conditions free of
charge and WITHOUT support. Do not expect any help with your
individual sound problems. Its up to you to solve these problems
related to your installation. Consult the manual for some common
problems. 

If you have a software related problem send mail to:  C.

Zeitnitz

Last change 13. April 2008 by CZ