Can the Rigol DS4000 save recorded frame data to USB? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: wdeninger
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 27, 2014, 11:54:27 pm
content: Hello forum,Having played around with my DS4014 scope, I've discovered that it doesn't seem possible to 'save' all captured frames to USB. When one captures frames ina recording mode, the options to save WFM and such are grayed out.My use case was to capture 600 triggered frames of data and download them (via a USB flash drive) to my PC for analysis. Everything worked wonderfully until I attempted to save the data.Does anyone have a solution for this, or will I be forced to write a VISA script?-William

author: alex.forencich
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2014, 03:40:34 am
content: By frames do you mean serial data frames or memory segments like Agilent's segmented memory?

author: wdeninger
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 28, 2014, 09:54:34 pm
content: I believe I mean record frames, as per the Rigol DS4000 series definition.In the RECORD menu, I've selectedMode: RecordEnd Frame: 650Interval: 100ns (min default)In the AQUIRE menu:Acquisition: NormalSampling: Real timeSample Rate: 50MSa/sMem Depth: 140k PointsAnti-Aliasing: OFFIn the TRIGGER menu:Type: EdgeSource: CH2Slopt: RisingSweep: NormalI press the RECORD button.The wave signal is sent in on CH1, and a trigger is sent on CH2. At each trigger, the Record=xx increments, until reaching the end frame of 650 or until I press the stop recording button. I can then use the rotary knob above the stop, pause/play,record buttons to cycle through each frame captured. But how do I save them to USB? Under the STORAGE | SAVE menu, the NEW FILE is disabled.-W

author: iDevice
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2014, 11:27:27 pm
content: Did you try the Rgol Utilities written by a poster on this thread ?It's called RUU if I remember, a search should find it.

author: alex.forencich
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2014, 07:36:39 am
content: Quote from: wdeninger on March 28, 2014, 09:54:34 pmAh, OK. I think on most of these instruments you have to cycle through the frames/segments one at a time and save them individually. At least that's the case on the Agilent scopes, unless there is a better way to do that that I'm not aware of. It's odd that it doesn't seem to let you save them to a USB stick. If the options are greyed out, then it might not be possible.

author: Mark_O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2014, 08:15:21 pm
content: Quote from: alex.forencich on March 29, 2014, 07:36:39 amDoes the SCPI on the Agilent let you select and retrieve the segments, without the time delay it takes to display each one? I believe the Rigol is slower, since it pauses to fill the display on each frame. But I don't have either here, so it's just a guess, based on reading of the respective Programming Guides.QuoteIt does seem odd at first. After all, it has the data, so why wouldn't it let you store it to a memory stick?However, I'm not aware of any defined format for a multi-segment, frame-based wave sample file structure* on these scopes, so that might be the stumbling block. I doubt anyone would want it to write out the 1,000 (or 60,000!) frames as separate files![*There's WFDB,for example, but I haven't heard of any scope supporting that?]

author: Carrington
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2014, 08:34:05 pm
content: @ alex.forencich: Surely there is a simpler way to do that.Getting something like that would be great.@ wdeninger: Have you tried this great tool?https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/software-tips-and-tricks-for-rigol-ds200040006000-ultravision-dsos/

author: alex.forencich
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2014, 11:16:20 pm
content: Quote from: Mark_O on March 29, 2014, 08:15:21 pmNot sure. I have not experimented with this very much. I only recently added segmented memory support to Python IVI, and I have not yet needed it for a measurement. The scope is very fast, though, so even if you did have to wait for a display update, it's probably not going to slow it down by all that much.

author: alex.forencich
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2014, 11:18:59 pm
content: Quote from: Carrington on March 29, 2014, 08:34:05 pmThat looks like a video of the scope display, not a series of segments. The only way I have found to get that is to record off of the VGA port on the back.

author: Carrington
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2014, 11:53:02 pm
content: Quote from: alex.forencich on March 30, 2014, 11:18:59 pmProbably, but I was referring to the final result, obviously you can create it from individual frames.

author: Sparky
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 31, 2014, 11:35:45 pm
content: Quote from: alex.forencich on March 29, 2014, 07:36:39 amOn the Agilent X series you can save individual segments, or use the "Save All Segments" button, which will save the lot in one shot.Quote from: Mark_O on March 29, 2014, 08:15:21 pmFor Agilent:When saving segments in binary (.bin) format they arenotwritten to individual files. See section "Binary Data (.bin) Format" on p. 342 of the 3000X series User's Guide. Especially p. 348 for "The following picture shows a binary file of a segmented memory acquisition on one analog channel". The format of the binary file, and all data types, is fully described. MATLAB code to read the binary file is also provided, and it works perfectly.

author: Mark_O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2014, 02:26:09 am
content: Quote from: Sparky on March 31, 2014, 11:35:45 pmThat's cool. Thanks, Sparky!