Parallax 28014 Quick Start Manual

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Parallax USB Oscilloscope (#28014)

Digital Real-time and Storage Oscilloscope

Kit Contents

• Parallax USB

Oscilloscope

• 3 sets of 1X probes

• 1 USB cable

• Parallax CD-ROM

(not shown)

General Information

The Parallax USB Oscilloscope (formerly OPTAscope) is a digital real-time storage oscilloscope that
connects to your PC via USB. The small, portable hardware package uses a high-speed USB cable for
both data and power, so it requires no separate power supply. All oscilloscope controls are managed
through a point-and-click PC software interface. This low-cost and easy-to-use oscilloscope is a perfect
solution for students and hobbyists who need to measure and interpret signals for their projects.

© 2004 Parallax, Inc. • Parallax USB Oscilloscope (#28014) Version 1.0 Page 1

Understanding Signals

The

For a detailed introduction to using the Parallax USB oscilloscope, we recommend the

Signals

Student Guide by Doug Pientak of Parallax Inc. Each activity includes a BASIC Stamp®-controlled

Student Guide

Understanding

example circuit and code, directions for configuring the oscilloscope and placing the probes, and screen­captures of the Parallax USB Software interface displaying the signal.

Understanding Signals

is included
as a pdf on the Parallax CD under Documentation → Educational Curriculum → Understanding Signals
v1.0. You may purchase a printed copy (part #70009) or download the latest version from
www.parallax.com. (

Understanding Signals v1.0

was written when this oscilloscope was sold under the

name OPTAscope, but all the experiments in the text are valid for the Parallax USB Oscilloscope.)

Specifications:

• 2 Channels – view 2 signals at once

• 1 million samples per second maximum sample rate with one channel

• 500, 000 samples per second sample rate with 2 channels

• View sine waves up to 60 kHz

• View square waves up to 100 kHz

• 4 FFT functions: Black-Harris, Hamming, Rectangular, Hanning

• 20 Vpp maximum input for channel 1 and channel 2

• 200 kHz bandwidth

• 8-Bit vertical resolution

• External trigger source: TTL rising edge, 5 V TTL maximum input

• Trigger on rising or falling edge at any voltage

• Variable trigger voltage on channels 1 and 2

• Horizontal trigger position settings at 10%, 50%, and 90%.

• Auto and normal trigger modes

• Vertical, horizontal, and paired cursor functions

• Zoom feature with active cursors

• Built-in screen-capture bitmap function

• 1X probes included

• USB 1.1 for data and power supply – no other power supply needed.

• Size: 5’’ x 2.25” x 1.5” (excluding cable and probes)

• Weight: 8 ounces

System Requirements

Minimum** configuration:

• Windows

• Pentium

• 32 MB of RAM

• At least 15 MB of free disk space

• Graphics card able to display an 800 X 600 resolution at 16-bit color depth.

• HTML Viewer

• Mouse or similar pointing device

®

98 or higher operating system*

®

233 MHz processor

Recommended** configuration:

• Windows XP

• Pentium II 450 MHz processor

• 64 MB of RAM

• 20 MB free disk space

• Graphics card able to display a 1024 X 798 or higher resolution at 32-bit color depth.

• HTML Viewer

• Mouse or similar pointing device

*Windows 95 and NT are not supported, Windows XP is recommended.
** Performance is based on CPU speed.

© 2004 Parallax, Inc. • Parallax USB Oscilloscope (#28014) Version 1.0 Page 2