Questions about Siglent SDS1202X-E's SCPI interface - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: enthdegree
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2023, 06:26:38 pm
content: Hi, I'm having trouble finding certain details about the SDS1202X-E before I go down to Microcenter to pick one up.Basically I am wondering if there are any general ways that it's horribly crippled.In a perfect world, I imagine the scope would present itself as a serial device over USB (or with Ethernet, talk/listen on some network socket) and you could read and write SCPI commands to it there. Is this the case, or do you have to go through some nonsense proprietary middleman software?At what rate can you pull floating points out of the device?Can you configure the scope to print out raw IEEE float data, or are you limited to ASCII float strings?What is the latency for trigger/reconfiguration commands issued by SCPI? Like is it <~10ms or > ~100ms?Thanks!

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2023, 07:01:29 pm
content: Quote from: enthdegree on January 12, 2023, 06:26:38 pmUnfortunately these don't have an inbuilt webserver with a SCPI page.Instead you use Siglent's free SW EasyScopeX that requires at least a NIVISA Runitime install for the connectivity drivers.Or if your are running Linux on your PS you can instead use member lundmar's great SW.Here where he started developing it Siglent sent him some gear to test with:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/open-source-lxi-tools-and-liblxi-v1-0-released-for-gnulinux/msg1394796/#msg1394796Later it's evolved into a more recent version here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/open-source-lxi-tools-v2-0-released/Programming guide:https://int.siglent.com/u_file/document/SDS1000%20Series&SDS2000X&SDS2000X-E_ProgrammingGuide_PG01-E02D.pdfIf the additional SW required turns you off the 4ch X-E is the cheapest from Siglent with a webserver followed by the 2ch SDS2000X-E series.

author: tv84
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2023, 07:03:20 pm
content: You can telnet to the SCPI port and send the commands in that shell.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 12, 2023, 07:04:01 pm
content: Quote from: tv84 on January 12, 2023, 07:03:20 pmYep, that too and was busy hunting out further info:https://siglentna.com/operating-tip/instrument-socket-and-telnet-port-information/

author: enthdegree
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2023, 08:54:04 pm
content: Thank you everyone for answering my questions. I'm able to connect to it and query samples via telnet.Silly issue but this had me scratching my head for a while:even with the channel enabled, "C1:WF? ALL" would only return samples with a probe plugged in.In a perfect world, I imagine the scope would present itself as a serial device over USB (or with Ethernet, talk/listen on some network socket) and you could read and write SCPI commands to it there. Is this the case, or do you have to go through some nonsense proprietary middleman software?I have it plugged into the back of my desktop via ethernet and can talk to the device with SCPI over telnet on port 5024 and 5025.At what rate can you pull floating points out of the device?When I have a need to pull them out programmatically I'll try and remember to report back latency figures here.Can you configure the scope to print out raw IEEE float data, or are you limited to ASCII float strings?Limited to raw binary float data. (run `template?` in SCPI prompt)What is the latency for trigger/reconfiguration commands issued by SCPI? Like is it <~10ms or > ~100ms?See above. SCPI prompt "feels responsive" so my guess is the latency imposed by the network stack + command interpretation is somewhere below 150 ms.Very happy with the thing. I only wish: XY was less choppy, the FFT included phase information instead of just magnitude, there was a Gaussian window, could compute spectra of C1 and C2 simultaneously, bandpass filter+mix+downconvert settings for FFT.

author: alm
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 14, 2023, 09:52:21 pm
content: For more advanced FFT, you could acquire the time domain data and do FFT outside the scope using something likeOctave.

author: Performa01
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 15, 2023, 08:01:27 am
content: Quote from: enthdegree on January 14, 2023, 08:54:04 pmNot sure what you mean by "choppy" - the movement or the rendering.I don't have a SDS1202X-E at hand right now, but:If it's anything like the more advanced models, then the movement should be totally smooth at least with reasonable record lengths <1 Mpts. Likewise, the rendering should be quite nice because of the high waveform update rate and intensity grading. Of course, it is still 8 bits, especially noticable in XY-mode, where a LSB corresponds to two pixels on the screen. An SDS2000X Plus in 10 bit mode does a much better job in this regard.Quote from: enthdegree on January 14, 2023, 08:54:04 pmAt least on an SDS2000X it does; just download the FFT data from the scope, it contains everything.Quote from: enthdegree on January 14, 2023, 08:54:04 pmYes ... and Kaiser, Blackman-Harris, Barlett ...Remember, this i just an 8-bit scope. I dare to say that Flattop and Blackman is all you need in practice.Quote from: enthdegree on January 14, 2023, 08:54:04 pmThis would require two math channels like an SDS2000X Plus. Maybe too much asked for a bottom of the barrel entry level model?Quote from: enthdegree on January 14, 2023, 08:54:04 pmSince Siglent offers decent math - not just on heavily decimated data, or even only screen data - this takes quite some resources, available in higher end models only.Quote from: enthdegree on January 14, 2023, 08:54:04 pmVery interesting request. I've demonstrated something similar on an SDS2000X HD, using the formula editor. It worked well on a 12-bit device, but not with just 8 bits.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-sds2000x-hd-12bit-(published-for-chinese-domestic-market-only)/msg4320658/#msg4320658

author: tonycstech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 03:09:32 am
content: I tried USB and LAN cable connected to my router to which my PC is also connected.EasyScopeX does not find the scope either way.What am i doing wrong ?

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 03:21:03 am
content: Quote from: tonycstech on October 06, 2023, 03:09:32 amEasyScopeX is a Windows program and requires the NIVISA connectivity drivers forbothLAN and USB connection.The NIVISA Runtime package is the least you need.Within the scopes UI you will need set a valid IP for your LAN but with USB it should auto-discover.With USB Windoze thinks it knows best if NIVISA drivers aren't preinstalled and assigns a generic USB driver that never works.If you are at this point the attached doc can guide you to make the necessary USB driver changes to obtain connectivity.

author: tonycstech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 03:29:00 am
content: wow that was a lot of garbage to download.System changes, several services added to windows startup WOW and on top of that, refresh rate for the scope wave is pathetic at best.I guess i need a brand change

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 03:44:04 am
content: Quote from: tonycstech on October 06, 2023, 03:29:00 amGood, you have it working then.The thread opened with needing SCPI advice, have you got that working to your needs.As for refresh rates, nothing beats the webserver that was added later into the 4ch X-E's but not to SDS1202X-E.Much easier to use too and offers more and better features without any need for those darn drivers.

author: tonycstech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 04:42:05 am
content: Very good.My computer was bricked. I was unable to load Windows after reboot.Startup repair did not help.I have no idea what files i had lost on my desktop thanks to that software.Good thing i have a flash drive with windows 10 so i was able to reinstall it from a scratch.Good times.Oh wait, not i gotta fix windows 10 installing a bootloader to another drive other than its own.Gotta wipe the system again, this time with other SSD's disconnected during installation.What a wonderful day.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 05:20:26 am
content: From where did you source the NIVISA package you installed ?Maybe it was from a dodgy host ?

author: tonycstech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 06:23:23 am
content: https://www.ni.com/en/support/downloads/drivers/download.ni-visa.html#484351

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 07:58:26 am
content: I've had EasyScopeX on several machines over 10 years, W7, 8 and 10. i3, i5 and i7, all 64 bit but always with just the Runtime driver package, not the full NIVISA install.On this box are EasyScopeX, EasyWaveX, EasySDL and EasyPower.Did you study the Easy***** install instructions, attached.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2023, 10:19:07 am
content: i use Rhode & Schwartz Visa package, simple lightweighthttps://www.rohde-schwarz.com/us/applications/r-s-visa-application-note_56280-148812.htmland inside you have a 32 / 64 bit trace tool software tool to help / do some "read and talk" tests ....I run Rigols, Siglent ... and Keysight meters ...