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PC based Virtual Test Instrument Software for BitScope

Measure things an analog oscilloscope cannot even see !

BitScope DSO is much more than just oscilloscope software for your PC.

It provides a full range of test instruments in one easy to use software package.

Integrated functions include:

• Digital Storage Oscilloscope
• Mixed Signal Oscilloscope
• Spectrum Analyzer
• Logic Analyzer
• Data Recorder
• Networking

DSO takes full advantage of BitScope's powerful mixed mode waveform and logic data capture capability.

And in BitScope models that support it, DSO adds arbitrary waveform generation (AWG) networked access for remote measurement and data acquisition as well as offline captured waveform replay and multiscope control, all accessed from the one PC software application.

Fast and intuitive.

BitScope DSO is PC software but it works like a test instrument instead of a word processor.

Control panels surround its large display in a single window providing instant access to all the parameters. There's no need to move overlapping windows or dig through nested menus to find the function you need.

Most parameters may be changed by simply clicking a button or the parameter display itself.

Sometimes it is necessary to select from multiple values or choose from several options so right-clicking some buttons and parameters pops up context menus for fast selection.

For example the display frame rate on the REPEAT button.

DSO dynamically redraws its display using high resolution images of captured waveforms, logic and spectra directly from BitScope's data buffers, and all in real-time.

Whether it's deep one-shot mixed mode captures or dynamic analog waveform displays, DSO presents the available data immediately. And through the use of advanced DSP and data compression techniques it is usually possible to achieve display frame rates of up 50 Hz.

High Bandwidth Oscilloscope

DSO makes maximum use of BitScope's high speed deep buffer capture engine.

Powerful signal processing and waveform rendering mean you see the full picture, no jaggies, aliases or missing details.

Because every frame is captured at full speed you can literally see any high frequency noise, artefacts or other distortion that may be present, just like the best high bandwidth analog scopes.

And because every frame is up to full capture buffer, you can zoom in to see the finest details, often with no interpolation or data recapture.

Naturally DSO supports high resolution mixed signal and logic data displays as well.

In these modes you can set the sample rate explicitly and capture a full buffer allowing you to scroll and view deep captures in every detail.

Powerful Spectrum Analyzer

DSO includes a built-in spectrum analyzer to see full waveform spectra at the click of a button!

Being fully integrated, there are no complicated settings to adjust. The spectrum analyzer adapts automatically to the current DSO timebase, scale, volts/div and screen size to give you the optimum resolution power and/or phase spectrum for the waveforms currently on-screen.

You can even see both waveforms and spectra on screen simultaneously, updating live from analog inputs or scroll through a one-shot capture to view the spectrum at different points in the buffer.

The analyzer uses a variable size windowed DFT processing engine so it works just fine for periodic and one-shot waveforms.

Depending your settings and your BitScope you can view spectra from DC to beyond 100 MHz!

And if you need to make precise time, frequency, magnitude or phase measurements, adjustable cursors work with the spectrum analyzer just they do with all the other DSO virtual instruments.

Multiple Display Modes

DSO allows you to easily switch from one display mode to another

For example you can flip between a mixed signal scope and full screen logic analyzer.

Or perhaps you would like to see an analog X-Y phase plot or a time/frequency display.

The latter is an example of stand-alone transfer function analysis that's possible with BS310.

Or maybe you need to see an analog view of a digital logic transition or explain to some students what the transform of a dirac impulse from the real world (ie, non-zero width) looks like.

All this and more is easy with BitScope and the virtual instruments and display modes of DSO.

Auto-detection, advanced communication and networking

BitScopes connect via USB, Ethernet (or RS-232 in older models). DSO handles them all *.

When powered on DSO auto-detects which model is connected and configures itself accordingly.

You can even control multiple connected BitScopes from the same PC using the DSO.

Simply tell the DSO which BitScopes you want to control and it will find them, whether connected via USB right beside you or on the other side of the world via the Internet. And DSO uses a self correcting communications protocol to verify operation so you'll never miss a beat.

Use the power your PC

Stand-alone scopes are fine but running a scope on your PC has some significant advantages.

For one thing, screen captures are a natural (they're all over this website for example).

You can run multiple scopes from the one PC or plug captured data into third party software applications. And the built-in networking means you can use a lab scope from home or make a virtual visit to a client's test site from your office.

You can resize the application from 1024x768 on small screens right up to 1920x1200 on a high resolution widescreen monitor. The DSO automatically adjusts its display rendering to take advantage of the screen real estate; with a big screen you get to see more of the signal.

For example click this image to see 153 harmonics of a square wave on a 1920x1200 display:

Add persistence, averaging, decay and the possibilities for data visualization are huge.

Windows, Linux or Macintosh, it's your choice !

Most people use Windows, but many students and professionals in science, research, engineering, and education use Mac or Linux as their workstation of choice.

DSO is Linux Compatible

DSO is cross platform meaning it's compatible with them all.

The features and version release dates are always the same.

If Linux or Mac is your preference, you don't need to worry about "lagging behind Windows". You get the same high performance software, the same look-and-feel and the same features running Linux because it's really one and the same application underneath.

Virtual Instrument Software

In fact the DSO is actually a set of integrated Virtual Instruments with a common graphical user interface that does not directly rely on the graphics provided by Windows or Linux.

Instead each instrument has its own data handlers to pass waveforms from BitScope to its own signal processing for display via a shared internal waveform and data display engine.

In this way DSO can exploit BitScope's Virtual Machine Architecture to accelerate acquisition, optimize communications and process much of the data in BitScope itself and the end result is an integrated application that shows you exactly what you need to see from within your own familiar Windows or Linux PC environment.

And because it's a PC program, updates with new instruments are just a download away.

Check the release notes for information about updates.

You can Test Drive BitScope DSO, free of charge.

Requirements and Compatibility

BitScope DSO runs on x86 systems running Windows, Linux or Mac OSX.

For satisfactory performance you will need a 400 MHz PII class CPU or better and 32 MB RAM.
Almost all new PCs and notebooks available these days are more than adequate.

Installation is not required (eg, you can run it from removable media) but it is recommended.

BitScope DSO is compatible with BS325, BS120, BS44x, BS30x, BS31x, BS100, BS50 and BS10. Any original BitScope (kits and BS22x) that has been upgraded is also compatible.