DSO2000X memory extension & bus decoding option - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 08:59:09 am
content: Hi,did you notice that Agilent has extended the options for the DSO2000X scopes?Two days ago I've got a mail from German distributor Datatec who offers 1Mpts memory extension now & as an separate option alsobus decoding.I think, that makes especially the DSO2000X series more interesting again since the 100kPts memory was a reason why I decidednot to buy it more than a year ago - was simply not sufficient for my purposes.Kind rgdsGunb

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 12:45:38 pm
content: Quote from: Gunb on March 21, 2013, 08:59:09 amIf true that changes things up quite a bit.

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 01:40:13 pm
content: http://www.datatec.de/(sorry, German but however comprehensible, I think.)As you say, makes it a bit more interesting, at least you've the optionafterwards if running out of memory according to the needs.

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 01:56:59 pm
content: I just reached out to my sales contact at Newark here in the US to see if I can get confirmation of it's availability here. Interesting. Depending on the price that is. Definitely changes my math and makes the "certified premium used" MSOX2024 a lot more interesting...

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 01:57:41 pm
content: This looks good, thanks.

author: elCap
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 02:08:02 pm
content: Great! I have been waiting for this.160 Euro doesn't sound too expensive for the mem upgrade. But RS232/UART and I2C&SPI at 401 Euro each is a bit on the high side, better to get a good USB logic analyzer I guess.So far nothing on the Agilent web about DSOX2MEMUP..

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 03:11:07 pm
content: Quote from: elCap on March 21, 2013, 02:08:02 pmSeventh entry in the list for mehttps://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/editorial.jspx?ckey=2308179(no idea if the form is valid without an offer)

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 21, 2013, 03:33:36 pm
content: Quote from: elCap on March 21, 2013, 02:08:02 pmYes, nothing in their website. Typical for salesmen: faster sold then made - if Agilent's developers already know that their new features are available?Kind regardsGunb

author: elCap
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 09:24:43 am
content: I couldn't see anything in the link posted by B@W.In this link I can see all options.https://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/editorial.jspx?cc=US&lc=eng&ckey=2308179&nid=-33028.0.00&id=2308179Here are all the new ones if link does not work.DSOX2AUTO - Automotive serial triggering and analysis (CAN,LIN)DSOX2COMP - Computer serial triggering and analysis (RS232/422/485/UART)DSOX2EMBD - Embedded serial triggering and analysis (I²C, SPI)DSOX2MEMUP - Memory upgrade to 1M per channel

author: afho
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 10:01:22 am
content: For detailed Information see the new upgrade options with pricing in Germany:Option Price wo VAT Price w VAT (in Germany)Agilent - DSOX2MEMUP - Memory upgrade - 1 M for 2000 X-series oscilloscopes EUR 160,00 ~ EUR 190,00Agilent - DSOX2AUTO - CAN and LIN Automotive Serial Decode EUR 401,00 ~ EUR 477,00Agilent - DSOX2COMP - RS232/UART Serial Decode and Trigger EUR 401,00 ~ EUR 477,00Agilent - DSOX2EMBD - I2C and SPI Low Speed Serial Decode EUR 401,00 ~ EUR 477,00Kind regardsAlexander

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 24, 2013, 05:22:24 pm
content: OK... Will DSOX2MEMUP also enable theSearchbutton of DSOX2000?

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 02:57:23 pm
content: Just heard back from my sales guy here in the US and they are available. The memory upgrade is $200 USD and the decodes are $500 USD. That's full retail though so the actual price will be a bit lower. Definitely makes choosing s scope a bit more difficult for me now between a factory refurb 2024A and a Rigol 4014!

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 05:50:19 pm
content: Buy Rigol 4014 if you need the large 140MB memory, but without possibility to search or place marks in the long waveform. No tools like this Tek's Waveform Inspector. But maybe you can use Marmad's PC software for that - but I haven't tried it.

author: _Sin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 07:32:37 pm
content: Good news by the sounds of it, though I assume this will need a firmware update as there doesn't seem to be any reference to those options in the currently released software.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 09:37:48 pm
content: Yes, it's true, but it's not quite the official launch date yet, but obviously the cat is out of the bag.Warranty is also going up to 5 years.No surprise really, I said two years ago this would happen when the competition eventually caught up and were a threat. And they were smart and designed this in by keeping the serial key on the front panel available etc.Dave.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 25, 2013, 09:41:48 pm
content: Quote from: _Sin on March 25, 2013, 07:32:37 pmYes, it will need a firmware update, which will no doubt appear on the Agilent site shortly.I do think it's a bit tight-arse they separated out the UART option from the SPI+I2C module.Dave.

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 02:52:37 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 25, 2013, 09:41:48 pmYes, € 400 for just the I²C and SPI seems a bit steep - especially compared to € 188 for RS-232, I²C and SPI on the Rigol. But it is nice they've provided RS-485 - I wish the Rigol had that; I haven't used any RS-232 in ages.

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 03:06:24 am
content: Quote from: marmad on March 26, 2013, 02:52:37 amWell the Agilent decode is also on the digital channels which makes it more useful than the Rigol decode IMHO. That's just me though. It is still kind of steep considering you can get a nice LA with all the decoding for a fair amount less than a couple of decode options on the Agilent.

author: Rufus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 03:44:33 am
content: Quote from: marmad on March 26, 2013, 02:52:37 amThere is nothing RS485 specific about the option. It is just asynch serial with various options and a switching threshold for analog channels or the shared threshold for digital channels.

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 04:11:41 am
content: Quote from: grego on March 26, 2013, 03:06:24 amI just noticed they're grouped and priced almost identically (slightly cheaper) to the Rigol DS4000 decodes (which presumably would work with upcoming MSO modules).

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 04:18:20 am
content: Quote from: marmad on March 26, 2013, 04:11:41 amI don't see where Rigol will fit a MSO module. I don't see any module ports unless I am missing something.

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 04:33:31 am
content: Quote from: grego on March 26, 2013, 04:18:20 amUn-removed cutout in the front panel and high-speed connector on main board (see the DS4014 teardown posted a week or so ago in a different thread) - it's unknown yet if the upcoming modules will be offered to owners of current models or not.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 07:43:50 am
content: Quote from: marmad on March 26, 2013, 02:52:37 amSerial decode prices are crazy€188 for all three on the DS2000 series vs €856 to get the same capability on the DS4000?!

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 09:23:23 am
content: yes this should be standard feature on an MSO I think. but you know business is business...once one of them sell it for free, all other will do but till then...

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 10:25:33 am
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on March 26, 2013, 09:23:23 amAnd that's the trap.Sure, someone could sell a 300MHz scope with every feature and protocol decode under the sub for $500, and maybe even make some money from it.But it won't be enough profit in order to do R&D for higher end products and stay in business. Therefore no one is going to do it, it would be cutting the throats of the entire industry. The first company that does it will have a flurry of sales and them promptly go out of business, or just keep putting out mediocre products with no support etc.Big companies that put serious effort and money into developing new scopes and gear have to make enough profit back to stay in business to keep on doing that. So they do that by offering many price/performance options, and software options.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 10:49:07 am
content: I dont want all protocol decoders for free, but come on i2c spi and rs232 are quite common todaydont tell me it's a huge effort in R&D departments to support that !ok for more complex one like CAN LIN they can sell it apart but not for simple one. they should be with every MSO scope (not with DSO)

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 12:05:57 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 26, 2013, 10:25:33 amThat's not quite right. The low-end T&M market is a highly competitive and highly price-sensitive cut-throat market, and the profits are tiny unless you ship in big numbers. And even then it doesn't bring in enough dough to pay for any real R&D, and especially not for high-end products. If you're lucky it pays for product improvements or manufacturing/support cost reduction measures, but that's about it. This is the reason why Agilent has sold Rigol OEM stuff (apparently they now can make their own low-end stuff similarly cheap), and why LeCroy sells Siglent and Tek sells 10+ year old technology.Manufacturers are not in this market because it rakes in huge profits, they are in because it increases brand awareness for their higher end products. And it's the higher end that offers huge profit margins (despite fewer sold products) and pays for most of the real cutting edge R&D costs.QuoteNo, they won't do it because the current system of charging extra works extremely well. Why derail the gravy train?QuoteIf all this company makes is low-end stuff then yes, they perhaps would go bust because they selling the low-end scopes alone hardly makes them any money unless they can manufacture extremely cheap (as Chinese companies can do at the moment if they don't care for quality or working conditions) and sell a lot, and without a higher end that pays for R&D there would not be much money left.It wouldn't be a a major problem for the big names, though, as they make most of their revenue from their higher end stuff anyways. Of course it would mean to voluntarily give up profits, which is a no-no in business, and therefore won't happen.QuoteYou seem to think that the price manufacturers charge for options somewhat reflects their own costs (i.e. development costs), but that is not the case. The price is set by what the manufacturer believes the market will pay, plain and simple. Of course there are some options that to develop have required noticeable investments, but these are generally found in high-end products and not in the low-end market (where the major R&D work for most options has already been paid by the high-end many years ago).The only reasons why manufacturers get away with charging extra for even basic options on entry level scopes is becauseit's a very good way to squeeze additional money out of a market where profits are slimthey can as their major competitors all do the samebecause they would look stupid if they charge enormous amounts of money for the software options for their high-end products when the cheap low-end variant comes with everything as standard (even when some of the high-end options were actually expensive to develop)And I agree with kripton2035, these days basic stuff like I2C and RS232 decoding should really be free. But apparently the market bears that these options are charged extra, so it won't change any time soon.

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 12:13:58 pm
content: I am happy to see "evolving" the 2k series, though a bit pissed off at the same time. When i bought mine agilent came out with a free wave-gen and dvm license just a week after. Now i saw they are about it give away one free license (of your chioce) for new customers (country dependent). Is it only me who paid the full price for the basic model?!

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 12:17:07 pm
content: Quote from: Baliszoft on March 26, 2013, 12:13:58 pmWelcome to the wonderful land of Earlyadoptionistan.Edit:The only advantage of being at the frontier, so to speak, of new products, is that sometimes you can exploit lax or not-yet-strictly-enforced rules - if you know what I mean.

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 12:43:15 pm
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on March 26, 2013, 10:49:07 amScopes are common for engineers for years - are they for free?Are you working for free?Do you like to work for a starvation wage?Do you like to get support for a poduct?Nothing's for free, not even your own salary (if you get one). Neither the developer nor the support engineer, not the merchandiser.It's not a question of R&D efforts, it's a question how a company earns money, stays alive by making profit and is able to offer people a job.You pay for something, you'll get something - fair play in my eyes. Think about it, it could be your job that could be cut down to reduce costs.

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 01:35:53 pm
content: Quote from: Wuerstchenhund on March 26, 2013, 12:05:57 pmIt isabsolutelyright.See it all: development, support (contact, spare parts sustainability), merchandising - and: an equitable salary for a well done job.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 04:09:07 pm
content: I'm not about the making money or not making money question.I say that selling an MSO scope without any simple protocol is like selling a car with 3 wheels and saying"well you can have a 4th wheel but I must sell it to you, but it's ok you can roll with only 3 wheels it will be ok"for me it's the sameI'm ok they sell a DSO without any protocol analyser, but not a MSO, and UART i2c spi are the very basic protocol you can have with your already expensive MSO.

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 06:27:57 pm
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on March 26, 2013, 04:09:07 pmThe very basics of an MSO are 8/16 channels for measuring 8/16 channels in parallel, the same as 20 years ago. Analyzing UART, SPI or I2C is a quite different thing that does not even imply 8 channels, so it's OK to pay for that option extra.My first digital analyzer could measure 16 channels in parallel, and could not be used for anything else. Then manufacturers moved that function into DSOs and named that MSO. Bus analysis is a feature that appeared during the last years, compared to MSOs that still a young feature. So they want to earn money with it, especially where scopes are much more powerful today and cheaper then 20 years ago.Maybe they will include this feature for free in two/three years, now they want to earn money.The comparison with the car is wrong. Worked for a few years in automotive and was involved in a few car projects.Of course the car has got 4 wheels, also the scope is complete, but 15 years ago you had to pay extra money for the air condition, the ABS, the electric windows, and so on. Today in most cars these features are included, but you still have to pay for things like DSG, parking assistant....With the scopes it absolutely the same: you get a complete device, but for extras as bus decoding you've pay.Concludingly, the 4 wheels are there, the air condition also, but for navigation system you've to spend more money.RgdsGunb

author: kxenos
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 07:33:35 pm
content: IMO as long as the rules of the game are clear it's ok. I knew beforehand that I would have to pay for the protocols. And I can avoid this by buying a separate cheap LA to do this.On the other hand, I find this strict corporate logic silly, because I believe that there are smarter ways to make more profit. For example think what would happen if Agilent decided to provide a way so that people could write scripts and upload them to their scopes to get whatever protocol analysis they want. If you wanted to buy an MSO wouldn't you choose to buy the one that has a community that develops free software for it? Agilent could blow the market by doing this and until the next vendor did it, it would be on top.It's like arduino for atmel, the wavegen feature, the rigol hack, mdo of tek etc. And they still could make more money because then at some point you would need memory upgrade for supporting more protocols or they could charge the capability of having e.g more than 5 protocols loaded etc.Which company provided seatbelts or diskbrakes for the 1st time? Doesn't people think of volvo's as secure cars even after 40 years? Progress is not linear. It comes in steps. You add a feature, you are the market leader for a while and then everyone else copies you but you're always the first who did it. And again from the start. Add free right mirror, add free second reverse gear light, add 1 airbag, add 2 airbags, add 8 airbags etc.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 09:21:56 pm
content: Quote from: Wuerstchenhund on March 26, 2013, 12:05:57 pmNo, I have never said that.I have said exactly what you have said, it's simply a way for them to make the high profit margins required to keep themselves in business and making a sustained profit (the PRIMARY responsibility of a publically listed company)It's impossible to account for real R&D costs like that within a large company and fairly spread it across the options, that's not ho the game works, ever.The point here is that the money they make on the options allows them to invest in more R&D which means innovation in the industry, and eventually new technology filtering down to the lower end chain, like Agilent did originally with the 2000 and 3000 series, and what Rigol are doing now with the 2000 series for example.You can argue all you want over what things should be included for free, that's beside the point.QuoteYes, of course, that's big business 101.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 09:26:05 pm
content: https://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/editorial.jspx?cc=US&lc=eng&ckey=2308179&nid=-33028.0.00&id=2308179QuoteOh, why??

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 09:27:48 pm
content: Quote from: kxenos on March 26, 2013, 07:33:35 pmThat won't happen because that suddenly saddles the company with the support of all the shitty protocols that people write, and their customers download for free, and then they cop all the flack when the customers product fail. Think that won't happen? Think again. It is the #1 reason why a professional test equipment maker like Agilent will never do this, ever.Fluke are the same for example. I asked them why they won't relase the protocol for their bluetooth wireless modules, and their response was exactly that. It's not for trade secret reasons, or sales, or whatever, it's to protect their reputation of providing safe and realiable test equipment. They will not trade that for some extra sales and kudus because they release they made their protocol open.

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 09:38:10 pm
content: Quote from: kxenos on March 26, 2013, 07:33:35 pmBut you hit upon (at least part) of the problem early in your post - it's a MUCH different world than when Volvo introduced the seat belt- which, BTW, was ~65 years ago. We are in the throes of corporate capitalism - and the idea of slow, incremental change towards a long-term goal is rather an anachronism now.I agree with you, Gunb, about equitable wages, sustainability, etc. but OTOH, it's no coincidence that the newly introduced protocols for the X2000 are split up and priced almost exactly the same -except a tiny bit cheaper- than those Rigol ones.Let's face it - there are people smarter than us about these things - who work for corporations whos job it is to figure out exactly what and how to sustain profits, as Dave put it - because nowadays, if you're a corporation, the ability to meet or exceed Wall Street expectations is the bottom line.

author: kxenos
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 26, 2013, 10:06:05 pm
content: Dave has a very good point there. Reputation plays quite important role in this business on any other business for that matter. It's like android and the shitty apps that people blame the phone vendors for their phones being "slow". Plus Agilent's and Fluke's main business is not the hacker-maker market anyway - yet.

author: afho
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 12:08:37 am
content: Is there a chance that Agilent will make USB decode to the 3000X series!? The 4000X series has this option (as we can see in Daves review) an is based on the same hardware.Please Agilent, give us USB decoding on the 3000X series ...

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 12:10:38 am
content: Just contact Agilent and ask their support.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 01:10:37 am
content: QuoteActually there is a precedent for this - back in the days of the 1650/51 logic analysers, HP sold a software package that allowed users to write their own disassembler (Or inverse assembler as they called it) to run on the logic analyser.Of course that was pre-internet so chances are anything a customer developed would probably not have been distributed much.Protocol decode (efficiently) is so tightly bound to the hardware that it's hard to see how you could implement a user-definable system.And you do always have the option of post-capture analysis by downloading the captured traces over ethernet - not quite as convenient, but for the sort of jobs where you really need protocol decode, probably not a huge inconvenience.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 01:49:17 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on March 27, 2013, 01:10:37 amAFAIK the older Tektronix logic analysers (TLA700 series) had user definable protocol decoders but that worked so bad they removed it in later software versions. However some people did some reverse engineering on the assembler support packages which allowed me to write my own I2C and SPI decoders for the TLA700 software in C++.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 02:54:28 am
content: And I forgot to mention that the protocol decoding in the Agilent is done in hardware, inside the ASIC, as well as functionality in the software.Even if it was an FPGA, that's not the same ball-game when it comes to letting users write their own or play around with it.Dave.

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 08:32:06 am
content: Honestly I'm glad that not everything is open source.Implementing firmware on embedded systems, also for embedded linux. Don't want to see hobby programmers writing firmware for professional measurement equipment and would like to see support from the manufacturers. By the way, especially manufacturers with self-made ASICs would have to reveal there intellectual properties - wouldn't do that either.Manufacturers would be blamed for buggy firmware, not good for them.On the other hand: there are cheap China scopes with open firmware - where are the programmers implementing the first bus analysis? Or are they still available? Instead of implementig Ping Pong for these scopes (which I had for my ZX81) it would make more sense to implement such useful applications. So, I would like to see first that people are able do implement decoders on these scope before asking for open source on Agilents, Teks,....Kind rgdsGunb

author: hammil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 09:01:44 am
content: QuoteI.. don't think that happens... And even if people are silly enough to expect manufacturer support, what of it? Not like they're going to get it. It's about choice, I guess... manufacturer support, or hacking/customisation. And only people who have no idea what they're doing would blame a manufacturer for problems in third party firmware.QuoteThe DS1052 isn't open source by any means. In fact it's pretty closed... there's a single window for modification (the firmware upgrades) and a single way of working out how to program the thing (the serial console). Rigol provides absolutely no documentation or support regarding firmware modification. It's quite incredible that people have managed to change anything at all - in fact this whole idea has only just come to fruition; barely in the experimental stage, let alone ready for user distribution. So yeah, at first, people are going to implement Pong and little messages on screen. Eventually, when everything is better documented, we'll see some useful modifications come about.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 09:42:24 am
content: Quote from: hammil on March 27, 2013, 09:01:44 amBut with the communications revolution came the ability for a single disgruntled person to sew the seed to publicly damaging the reputation of a company, rightly or wrongly. Companies have to be more careful these days with stuff like this.

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 09:54:17 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 27, 2013, 09:42:24 amNot that I care about spelling errors, Dave, but the image of someone sewing seeds give me a smile.

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 11:02:37 am
content: Quote from: hammil on March 27, 2013, 09:01:44 amDon't know which manufacturer you mean, but I've always got support from manufacturers (Hameg, Rigol, Agilent) when I needed their advice or I've found bugs.Anyway, it's the good right that companies protect their intellectual property and to decide themselves how to deal with there code.Quote from: hammil on March 27, 2013, 09:01:44 amThat's your opinion, manQuote from: hammil on March 27, 2013, 09:01:44 amDidn't mean the DS1052.I would recommend to develop an open source scope from scratch, then we'll see how much work it really means to reach the manufacturers level and if it is really only a money-making option to implement proper bus decoding. There are powerful FPGAs for less money today, also raspberry pi offers hardware accelerated graphics.If I would develop a scope, I would rather want to earn money with it than to give it away for free - my opinion.However, have a nice day

author: hammil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 11:50:21 am
content: QuoteI was referring specifically to your suggestion that "hobby programmers writing firmware for professional measurement equipment and would like to see support from the manufacturers". However if it's the manufacturer's own firmware, then they should of course offer support.QuoteOh, alright. It just looked that way when you mentioned Pong - since someone very recently got Pong to work on that scope (you should check it out - it looks awesome. I'm going to see if I can contribute to that project)QuoteSure. That's why a lot of people do... Regarding open-source hardware and software, there's a whole bunch of different factors. Ubuntu, for example, is developed by a commercial entity and given away for free, because they sell support services for it, and make a lot of money that way.I could, for example, develop some hardware, release the schematics with a noncommercial licence (CC BY-NC-SA for example) so that people could either build their own, or buy a premade unit which I would profit from. Even if someone copied it, they wouldn't be able to sell units for much less than I could, and it wouldn't be legal either. This doesn't work if you have huge R+D costs though... So.. -shrug- It really depends. I understand why not everything is open-source, but I strongly support the movement and applaud those who apply it to their products.Regarding hacking/tinkering - it's my belief that if you buy a product, it is yours to do with as you wish. If companies want to cripple their devices so they can charge the consumer a fortune for 'upgrades' in order to offset their R+D cost, fine by me. But they shouldn't be surprised or offended if people find a way to do it themselves. The reason bus decoding costs so much as an upgrade isn't because it's a lot of work, because it really isn't. It's because it's so useful. They already have everything developed, so they're charging as much as people are willing to pay. It's all just marketing.QuoteYou too, mate

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 12:00:49 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on March 27, 2013, 09:42:24 amIMHO this is simply not true. Take the Tektronix TLA700 series (and current logic analysers) as an example. Tektronix has an API to control the logic analyser through DCOM (.Net) so you can actually control the logic analyser through an Excel sheet or any application. Even remotely over the network if you want. C++ examples are also included. There are several third parties which develop support packages and hardware for analysing memory busses. All in all there is an entire eco system of third party and self made software for use with these machines.In the end it would make sense to have some kind of scripting inside an oscilloscope and be able to display the result. Most scopes have automatic measurements. It would be great if you could script your own.

author: hammil
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 12:08:29 pm
content: QuoteWhich can make them /really/ popular

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 12:29:10 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on March 27, 2013, 12:00:49 pmIndeed it is not true.QuoteOr take LeCroy.http://teledynelecroy.com/options/productseries.aspx?mseries=289&groupid=144QuoteOr take Tektronix:http://www.tek.com/technology/using-matlab-tektronix-instrumentsMatlab directly running on oscilloscopes, too.QuoteNot enough examples? What about Agilent?http://www.home.agilent.com/en/pd-1559383/matlab-data-analysis-software-for-oscilloscopesQuoteSo to all those "it is the end of the world", "it must not be done": Get over it. It is already available off the shelf from the big players.

author: HackedFridgeMagnet
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 12:33:20 pm
content: QuoteHow annoying, it's no fun being discriminated against. What to buy?

author: pe1oxp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2013, 07:46:02 pm
content: My reseller told me that the options are available and there will be a firmware upgrade mid April.

author: Franz Zinn
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 08:18:49 pm
content: From the horses mouth :http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/5990-7668EN.pdfAgilent's industry comparison literature between Hameg HMOs and DSOX 2000 lists that latter as having serial decoding and 1Mpts memory.I am still waiting to find the prices. Looks like I have to rethink my choice of Hameg 2024 in greater detail if the Agilent prices for serial decoding and memory upgrade are attractive.I wonder how often does an average amateur end up having to search for an elusive glitch in his project to make it worth paying for the premium on the refresh rate of the X2000.

author: pe1oxp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 08:29:51 pm
content: Some distributors like Farnell have the prices online.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 08:34:24 pm
content: Quote from: Franz Zinn on April 02, 2013, 08:18:49 pmWhoa! So does that apply to the MSOX2000's as well? Just bought an MSOX2024A and I wonder if it'll come with the 1Mpts deeper memory. Or is that added functionality going to come with the new firmware?

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 08:38:36 pm
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 02, 2013, 08:34:24 pmI doubt it - the eBay ad says 100kPts.

author: pe1oxp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 08:39:20 pm
content: According to my local distributor there will be a new firmware release mid AprilBut the 1M is only available when you upgrade with DSOX2MEMUP

author: Gunb
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 09:18:21 pm
content: Quote from: Franz Zinn on April 02, 2013, 08:18:49 pmI mean, it's well known that the Agilent has got higher refresh rates, but the discussion about these scopes is not new. Few years ago at mikrocontroller.net this issue was also discussed, and the former product manager of Hameg made a list comparing a few details more. The wfm/s discussion has taken place a few times. To my opinion this is not the most important feature for daily use as for instance the sensitivity.Agilent does not have real 1mV/DIV, it's scaled (also mentioned in Agilent's datasheet), the HMO series has got real 1mv/DIV with very low noise level. And there are more functions included, options are cheaper.Nothing against Agilent, but they're more expensive and I don't know if it is really helpful to have an function generator included. I would prefer a decent external arbitrary generator instead a compromise. Also the voltmeter - for what? Would like to see more memory without the need to buy an option.Only my opinion.Attached a pdf with another comparison - sorry, German only.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 09:20:03 pm
content: Can anyone explain to me how this deal works:https://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/editorial.jspx?ckey=2308179&lc=por&cc=BRWho qualifies for this exactly?

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 09:38:04 pm
content: Hameg is acompactscope good for digital work. The 1mV/div is good. It has no Trig Out, but you might hardly ever need it, so no problem...On the other hand, Agilent DSOX2000 probably has no search or place mark function. Maybe it will change after the DSOX2MEMUP?? Nevertheless, Hameg is more feature-rich.Anyway, doesanyscope by Agilent havereal1mV/div? It seems that not.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 10:29:26 pm
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 02, 2013, 08:34:24 pmYou have to pay extra for the 1M memory option.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 10:33:16 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 02, 2013, 10:29:26 pmYea thats what I figured. No chance in getting in on whatever this deal is huh?https://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/editorial.jspx?ckey=2308179&lc=por&cc=BRIm waiting to hear back from Agilent's eBay seller about pricing on the deeper memory. They usually discount quite well from what I have seen if you ask.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 10:59:28 pm
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 02, 2013, 10:33:16 pmFill in the form and see if it works!

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 11:01:26 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 02, 2013, 10:59:28 pmOh believe me I will do, but I dont have my MSOX2024A in hand yet as I just ordered it last night. Was just curious if anyone else had tried it and how it played out for them. Regardless Ill give it a go.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 11:04:54 pm
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 02, 2013, 11:01:26 pm"B"? Typo?

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2013, 11:06:50 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on April 02, 2013, 11:04:54 pmYep, I was kicking around going for an MSO7014B and then have been researching scopes for the pact couple of weeks and bouncing back and forth between Tektronix and Agilent all the model numbers are getting mixed up in my head! But yes I meant A and have changed it in my post, thanks for the catch!

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 03, 2013, 06:33:25 pm
content: Well Agilent Used via eBay does not have access to sell the DSOX2MEMUP upgrade unfortunately, so no deal there. Ill have to find somewheresomehow else to get it cheaper. I can however confirm that when I got the Sales Order Acknowledgement (SOA) from Agilent for my Certi Prime/Premium Used MSOX2024A they did include in the description and quote a 5 year warranty over the standard/old 3 year warranty, so now Ive got it in writingNot bad for a basically brand new unit with all packaging and base accessories for $1850. Only downside is it wont get to me until May 4th they said. Slooooooooow shipping from Malaysia.Now Im working on getting the DSOXLAN VGA/LAN module for $150. We'll see how it goes...

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 03:42:14 pm
content: Not sure whether this video has been posted yet:Looks like the 2000X gets the search & navigation capabilities as well as the full set of serial decodes.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 04:22:10 pm
content: Thanks for the video.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 04:27:29 pm
content: Doesnt seem to have pricing yet:http://www.home.agilent.com/en/pd-2252460-pn-DSOX2000-LSS/embedded-serial-triggering-and-analysis-ic-spi-for-infiniivision-2000-x-series-oscilloscopes?cc=US&lc=engHowever it looks like they are running a promotion right now until Sept 30th, 2013 for buy one get one free on software upgrades.http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/editorial.jspx?cc=US&lc=eng&ckey=2309757&nid=-33573.970736.00&id=2309757Awesome for me considering I was going to buy three or four of the upgrades anyway!

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 05:16:08 pm
content: Retail pricing per my vendor is $500 for the decodes and $200 for the memory upgrade. That's full retail pricing mind you so some discounting is to be expected.

author: pe1oxp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 05:50:46 pm
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 04, 2013, 04:27:29 pmOnly not for buyers in Europe...So waiting for an offer...

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 06:09:56 pm
content: I "love" the term : Availability: Worldwide (except Europe, Middle East, Africa)that's quite a wide exception ...

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 06:12:42 pm
content: Quote from: kripton2035 on April 04, 2013, 06:09:56 pmYea well, its no different than the free WaveGen and DVM promotional offer that those countries get and the rest of us dont...http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/editorial.jspx?cc=US&lc=eng&ckey=2137356&nid=-33573.970736.00&id=2137356&cmpid=1226

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 04, 2013, 06:41:19 pm
content: Latest press release from Agilent regarding the 2000 X-Series:http://www.agilent.com/about/newsroom/presrel/2013/03apr-em13017.html

author: _Sin
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 10:35:54 am
content: New firmware, with support for the new licensing options, is now available for download.Will need to wait until I get home to try it out.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 11:01:56 am
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 04, 2013, 06:12:42 pmIn fact, I'm sure you would like a free wavegen and dvm with your new premium msox2024 - but you dont haveand if I buy an msox2024 (I would like but no money actually) I dont care for wavegen and dvm butI would like a free option when I buy one and I'm in europe ...I hate these policies restricted to certain countries. internet is worldwide so should also be the companies selling worldwide.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 05, 2013, 06:54:15 pm
content: Looks like the new firmware is out today for the 2000 and 3000 X-Series. You can get it here:http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/software.jspx?ckey=2014479&lc=eng&cc=US&nid=-33575.970754.08&id=2014479Here are the Release Notes:http://www.home.agilent.com/upload/cmc_upload/All/Agilent_2000X_3000X_Series_Oscilloscope_Readme_0230.pdf

author: grenert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 06, 2013, 03:05:33 am
content: It looks like a benefit of the new firmware and the serial decode options is that the paltry 25 segments in the segmented memory option has been upgraded to 250.http://www.home.agilent.com/agilent/redirector.jspx?action=obs&nid=970773.3.00&lc=eng&cc=US&ckey=1374506&pubno=5989-7833EN&ltype=LitStation&ctype=AGILENT_EDITORIAL&ml=engDoes anyone know if the serial decode options will work on the analog channels, and if so, is there a way to attach a clip to the probes (a smaller one than the standard hat)?

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 06, 2013, 03:47:05 am
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 05, 2013, 06:54:15 pm" When stopped, roll mode waveforms now expand about the trigger reference point, instead of just the right side of the display. "Good, that was getting a bit annoying.

author: baljemmett
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 06, 2013, 10:54:57 pm
content: Quote from: grenert on April 06, 2013, 03:05:33 amThey will work on the analogue channels (see the Agilent video AndyC posted earlier in this thread, showing I2C decoding in action) but I can't help with the probe question I'm afraid!(Currently resisting the temptation to hit the 'trial' button on mine to have a play with the serial decoding; think I'd be better advised to wait until I actually need it for something...)

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 12:17:29 am
content: Quote from: grenert on April 06, 2013, 03:05:33 amOn the 6000 series, decode works on the analogue channels, and uses the trigger level settings as the thresholds.

author: afho
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 08:56:21 am
content: Did someone recognise this in the release notes:"The standard memory has been upgraded to 100 Kilobytes of MegaZoom acquisition memory per channel."The list of enhancements for the 3000X series is very short...Kind regardsAlexander

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 02:38:52 pm
content: Yes, it's great.

author: CarlG
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 07:06:40 pm
content: Quote from: grenert on April 06, 2013, 03:05:33 amThey have the dual lead adapter8710-2063at the sick price of US$50which you can connect to the clips that comes with the digital probe kit or to std 0.635 mm posts.

author: 500in1
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 07:28:17 pm
content: Quote from: CarlG on April 07, 2013, 07:06:40 pmProbe Master has this adapter and only US$27.50.http://www.probemaster.com/product_info.php?products_id=263

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 07, 2013, 10:02:03 pm
content: The pictures look similar, but better check the dimensions. These adapters (and probe tip dimensions) are not universal, but it's quite reasonable to believe that ProbeMaster cloned the Agilent dimensions.

author: grenert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2013, 02:54:01 am
content: Quote from: 500in1 on April 07, 2013, 07:28:17 pmThanks for the suggestion, but I have some Probemaster 4900 series probes, and unfortunately the tips are different. The Agilents are a little wider diameter.On a side note, I don't really like the Agilent probes (N2863B) that come with the 2000 and lower-bandwidth 3000 scopes. They really feel cheap and plasticky, with visible and tactile molding seams, and the hooks are thick and clumsy. I'm amazed they have the nerve to charge $152 apiece for them. For that matter, I don't like Agilent's DMM probes, eitherThis stuff isn't cheap, it shouldn't feel cheap. Good that Rigol et al are keeping the pressure on them.

author: Dad-O-Rama
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2013, 03:12:18 pm
content: One time 30 day trial enable for all options in firmware 2.30Though not mentioned in the release notes, all options can be enabled for 30 days by pressing the help button, and selecting "start 30 day trial". No need to contact Agilent for trial licenses, etc.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2013, 04:32:42 pm
content: Yes, I know. What will happen if I set year to 2100, press "Start 30-days Trial" and set back year 2013??EDIT: Fixed.

author: grego
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2013, 05:34:55 pm
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on April 17, 2013, 04:32:42 pmI like how you blurred the SN at the top but left it on your info screen.

author: pe1oxp
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2013, 05:55:41 pm
content: They released Version 2.31 a few days ago.Just a minor bugfix with the installation as far I can see

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 17, 2013, 06:05:02 pm
content: Does new firmware 2.31 reenable the Start 30-days Trial button?

author: fpga
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2013, 04:36:18 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on April 17, 2013, 04:32:42 pmHas anyone tried this? Damn tempting but don't want to brick a new, expensive, scope.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2013, 04:38:58 am
content: Pretty sure you can't brick it by changing the date.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2013, 02:38:42 pm
content: Quote from: fpga on April 20, 2013, 04:36:18 amYes, it doesn't do anything. There is no way to brick the scope by pressing some buttons.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2013, 02:45:52 pm
content: So try it someone! Does it work?

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 20, 2013, 02:56:10 pm
content: Yes, I have tried it. It doesn't work. Agilent is hack-proof.But I hope that in say 5 years the 3V button cell will get discharged and the clock will stop.Photo taken by David Jones.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 20, 2013, 03:31:01 pm
content: If you just want the cell to die might as well just short out the cell. The RTC chip it's powering would be powered from the normal circuit supply while the scope is plugged in like any sane designer would do.

author: vl400
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 02:22:44 am
content: Is it possible to run a secure erase and get the 30day trial option back? Cant recall if this removes the license options or not.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 08:12:42 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on April 20, 2013, 02:56:10 pmDoesn't work how exactly? Is the time remaining not affected by RTC setting?Are the trials individually enableable or all at once?QuoteNothing is hack proof - just a matter of effort requiredInternal trial enabling without licenses has to provide some additional opportunities.QuoteBear in mind it's possible the battery also maintains RAM for cal and possibly license data. It would be easy enough to establish this - see what devices on the board have battery power, and if the RTC is a seperate identifiable I2C device , look up how much RAM it has, and scope what gets read at startup.However disabling the RTC crystal might be worth a try. If the software somehow detects this, an enhancement could be to only disable the RTC when power is off, so it lasts 30 power-on days.Bear in mind that the PSU has soft on/off and there may be a standby supply running things when power is apparently off.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 01:10:20 pm
content: When you change the system time and date, the 30-day expire date also changes!!

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 01:12:57 pm
content: I am not sure, what theSecure Erasedoes... I hope that it will not make my optional features like WAVEGEN or DVM disappear...

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 02:13:24 pm
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on April 21, 2013, 01:10:20 pmAnd what happens when you dial the clock back? If the file installed trials are any indication the 30 days ones should still be there but with the exp date still on 2040.Secure erase just erase the general settings and stored waveforms. I've pressed it when new FW uploads were refusing to patch, it doesn't touch the licenses.Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on April 21, 2013, 08:12:42 amBut surly these days everyone has moved on to EEPROM? It makes no sense to use battery backed ram when EEPROM is cheap and have a charge holding life longer than any possible chemical battery.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 02:27:25 pm
content: Well, there is no trick to make the 30-day trial last longer.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 21, 2013, 03:26:08 pm
content: Quote from: Hypernova on April 21, 2013, 02:13:24 pmNot necessarily - SRAM would be more tamper-secure, and if there is a battery already for a clock, not necessarily any more expensive. Using NVSRAM would also avoid any issues with write endurance for preserving settings at next power-on - with eeprom it gets messy as you don't know when power might disappear, so deciding when to save a changed setting becomes nontrivial.

author: fpga
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 07:20:04 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on April 21, 2013, 02:27:25 pmSo what happens when you change the date back by one day? Does the 30-day trial end date also change?If the trial end date also changes, then it could be that they are using elapsed time (RT clock chip, powered by that soldered coin cell, tick count) rather than calendar dates. Another possibility is that they change the end date each time the current date is changed such that the current difference between the two dates remains the same.

author: fpga
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 07:28:12 am
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on April 20, 2013, 02:56:10 pmLooks like U2601 is some type of I2C RTC clock or micro. The picture is too blurry to make out the markings. If that's the case, then it could be the chip that keeps track of the time and may have a small amount of EEPROM storage to keep track of the 30-day trial.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 01:04:54 pm
content: Quote from: fpga on April 22, 2013, 07:20:04 amExactly. The 30-day trial end date also changes.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 02:41:55 pm
content: Guess you have to play Cinderella and dial it back to start of each day before the clock strikes 12 then...

author: marmad
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 22, 2013, 03:14:05 pm
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on April 21, 2013, 03:26:08 pmMost security measures (keys, times, limits, etc) worth their salt are stored in at least two separate areas to resist tampering - and then verified against each other at boot-up. Rigol finally learned the lesson from the DS1000 hack - and instituted these measures in their latest models.

author: Dad-O-Rama
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 06:41:38 pm
content: I'll have to wait until the 30 day trial expires to test if it can be extended by changing the clock.Right now, the screen shows the enabled options, and the date 2013-5-17 in parentheses immediately before them. Since I enabled the one time 30 day trial on the 17th, I figure it represents the expiration date.I adjusted the clock forward and back a few days and the "expiration date" date changes accordingly. I'll wait until May 16th and change it then to add another month and see if on the 18th it still works....

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 06:50:55 pm
content: I just called and had the quote sent over for the MSOX2SGM and for free the DSOX2MEMUP. Waiting to see the pricing they come back with to see if it might maybe hopefully magically be lower than the website MSRP.

author: Dad-O-Rama
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 07:10:34 pm
content: I had a could distributors quote upgrades (Test Equity, Metric Test), they came back with 5-8% off MSRP. Also, if you're thinking of more that two upgrades, get them in pars- the promo is for every purchased option another of equal or lower value is free. I got quotes for 2 serial decode options and the segmented memory and memup, one of the serial decodes was free, as was the memup, so the total quote was $740.. not bad, all things considered..

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 08:21:46 pm
content: Quote from: Dad-O-Rama on April 23, 2013, 07:10:34 pmYea pretty much the same thing here. Test Equity came back with a total of $285 for the two upgrades.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 08:30:27 pm
content: Man, so these upgrades are just License Keys? Not associated to the serial number of the unit. That sucks. Someone needs to get that key gen!

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 08:43:28 pm
content: You get a certificate from Agilent.See attached pdf.Then you visit the Agilent website. You type the Order Number, Certificate Number, serial number of your scope and model of your scope. After that you will receive a licence file via email and load it into your scope.QuoteUnfortunately, the serial number is important.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 23, 2013, 08:51:40 pm
content: AH! That does make more sense. Then the Test Equity guy was incorrect as I specifically asked him why no one had yet asked me for the units serial number.

author: Hypernova
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 01:05:15 am
content: Quote from: Dad-O-Rama on April 23, 2013, 06:41:38 pmBe careful not to let it expire, once they are gone they are gone forever, dialing back at that point won't do anything.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 07:39:29 pm
content: Just got my license files from Agilent. Everything went very smoothly.

author: DavidDLC
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 07:42:53 pm
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 24, 2013, 07:39:29 pmDid you take advantage of the promotion code 5.922 ? Buy one application get another one free ( same value or less ).David.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 07:50:34 pm
content: Quote from: DavidDLC on April 24, 2013, 07:42:53 pmOf course. And got a small discount from a reseller too. Still debating whether or not I want to get any other upgrades, but I do have have until late Sept to decide. I just wish that WaveGen upgrade was less expensive. I already have a MUCH nicer arb gen from Agilent, but I would like to have the built in one active too just because. Might get it and a serial decide though. Meh, save that decision for another month.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2013, 07:57:14 pm
content: Quote from: ben_r_ on April 24, 2013, 07:39:29 pmThat is what I would expect.