What’s Completely different with the Analog Discovery 3? – Digilent Weblog

As a lot of you could have heard (in any other case I presume you wouldn’t be studying this publish) the Analog Discovery 3 has been launched by Digilent. One of many greatest questions that I had as one of many crew members answerable for creating the documentation on the Analog Discovery 3 Useful resource Middle was “How does the Analog Discovery 3 examine to the Analog Discovery 2?”

On this publish, I’ll undergo and spotlight as most of the variations and adjustments that exist between the 2 gadgets. I’ll begin out with what improved.

MSRP:
MSRP is definitely an enchancment – which I personally didn’t anticipate. The Analog Discovery 3 retails for $379 USD, which is $20 lower than the retail worth of the Analog Discovery 2 of $399. The educational worth of the Analog Discovery 3 goes for $249 USD for those who qualify as an educational by way of our verification system.

Pattern Buffer Dimension:
That is the most important {hardware} enchancment that the Analog Discovery 3 advantages from is due to the Spartan 7 FPGA current contained in the system as an alternative of the Spartan 6. The entire pattern buffers for gathering information (or sending custom-made information out for issues just like the Waveform and Sample Turbines) have doubled in measurement. As a substitute of solely with the ability to accumulate as much as 16,384 samples of analog and digital information per channel (the quantity of buffer allotted to every instrument kind depends on what Device Configuration you choose after all) that the Analog Discovery 2 was restricted to, every system can now purchase (or ship out) as much as 32,768 samples on the full pattern fee per channel. Admittedly, with this bigger quantity of information seize you may be on the hook for analyzing longer sequences of complicated information, however that’s what you needed proper?

Giant pattern buffer sizes aren’t the one ones that profit; the entire minimal pattern buffers have been elevated as nicely. Beforehand on the Analog Discovery 2, for those who chosen Configuration 4 to extend the Logic Analyzer and Sample Generator to their most pattern measurement of 16,384 samples per channel, the analog channels suffered fairly a bit with the analog enter channels on the Oscilloscope, dropping right down to a 512 pattern buffer measurement. The analog output channels on the Arbitrary Waveform Generator suffered even additional, going to solely 256 samples. Configuration 3 was even worse, dropping help for the Logic Analyzer and Sample Generator fully to let the AWG have 16,384 samples.

Not so with the Analog Discovery 3; now all techniques each analog and digital may have not less than 2,048 samples to work with it doesn’t matter what configuration is chosen.

The FM and AM parameters of the modulation function of the Arbitrary Waveform Generator additionally acquired a bump. Reasonably than being subjected to a spread of merely not present (taking a look at you configurations 4 and 6) to a excessive level of 2048 samples at solely 9 bits of decision, the Analog Discovery 3 now has a minimal of 2048 samples at 16-bit decision for each the FM/PM and AM/SUM (did I point out that part modulation and summation choices at the moment are obtainable?) on each channels and a good bigger pattern set of 8192 samples at 16-bit decision in configuration 6. I don’t find out about you, however I’m glad to see that configuration 6 turned its round.

The above buffer measurement enhancements are solely a part of the story.

One of many lesser recognized capabilities of the Analog Discovery 2 was the flexibility to make use of the 2 person Energy Provide channels by way of the Arbitrary Waveform Generator and manipulate them as very gradual arbitrary waveform generator channels of their very own. This was helpful to have the ability to apply a gradual ramping impact to the facility provides output and observe how the exterior circuitry being examined reacted to altering provide voltages. Nevertheless, the buffer was solely obtainable in Configuration 6, so that you needed to really need the flexibility in an effort to entry it.
With the Analog Discovery 3, you may all the time management the 2 energy provides as their very own AWGs. They’re nonetheless very gradual as they’re nonetheless energy provides, not DACs, however now this function shall be available in any configuration.

Whereas pattern buffer measurement will increase are all nicely and good, who says upgraded {hardware} must be restricted to easily that when it’s also possible to have…

Digital Loopback:
One often requested function with the Analog Discovery 2 and the opposite Digilent Take a look at and Measurement gadgets was the flexibility to instantly view what the Arbitrary Waveform Generator was producing with out having to sacrifice one of many Oscilloscope channels to do it. Or conversely, instantly take the information captured by the one of many Oscilloscope channels and ship it proper again out the Waveform Generator with out having to first save the seize after which play it again as a customized waveform. With the Analog Discovery 3, we are saying, “Why not each?”

New to the Analog Discovery 3, customers can now digitally seize and look at analog information between the Oscilloscope and Arbitrary Waveform Generator. Must echo an analog sign being obtained on the Scope however with a special amplitude and offset? No drawback.
How about having a very simple visible reference of the sign generated by the Arbitrary Waveform Generator so you may examine it to the attenuated sign after it goes by way of a filter? Truly, why hassle organising an exterior filter in any respect when you should use…

{Hardware} Filters:
{Hardware} filters! No, not the software program filters that allow you to implement a band-pass filter or a Lock-In amplifier that WaveForms does for you on the pc aspect, however a FIR filter applied and instantly configurable on the Analog Discovery 3 itself to assist clean out your rippling incoming alerts; even made up modulation nonsense uh I imply, fully wise alerts you would possibly generate whereas taking part in round within the Waveform Generator instrument.

Pattern Fee:
Initially solely restricted to the Analog Discovery Pro ADP3000 (or by overclocking the Digital Discovery), the Analog Discovery 3 can alter it’s System Clock Frequency away from the default worth of 100 MHz to as little as 50 MHz and as excessive as 125 MHz, permitting samples to be taken at sooner charges (whereas utilizing the upper frequency clock after all), whereas the Analog Discovery 2 was eternally caught at 100 MHz. Why not simply merely lock within the system clock frequency to 125 MHz and name it a day you ask? Whereas tempting thought, on account of how sampling (or producing) frequencies are derived, reaching a few of the extra acquainted frequencies akin to 50 MHz on the increased 125 MHz just isn’t possible in {hardware}. So the default of 100 MHz is left however can simply be modified within the Clocking tab of the Gadget Choices.

DIO Pin Settings:
Talking of issues initially restricted to the ADP 3000 sequence boards and the Digital Discovery, the Analog Discovery 3 may also change the interior pull resistor kind for all of its digital I/O pins. Good perk, I prefer it.

Energy Provides:
The 2 programmable person energy provides on the Analog Discovery 3, when utilizing an auxiliary energy provide, have now elevated their present output for each channels from Analog Discovery 2’s ranking of 700 mA or 2.1 W per channel as much as 800 mA or 2.4 W for each the 5 V and -5 V provides. In equity, it’s not a drastic leap however you by no means thoughts having a bit of additional headroom with energy provides. It additionally helps which you can extra simply management them instantly from the Waveform Generator instrument like I discussed earlier.

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Within the curiosity of readability, here’s a listing of issues that stayed the identical between the 2 gadgets (not essentially a foul factor):

Software program Help:
WaveForms, WaveForms SDK, MATLAB, LabVIEW. Each little bit of software program help that you’ve come to anticipate and recognize with the Analog Discovery 2 remains to be right here proudly supporting the Analog Discovery 3.

Backwards Compatibility:
That is in all probability one of the crucial urgent questions individuals have when evaluating the 2 merchandise: “Can I migrate my venture from the Analog Discovery 2 to the Analog Discovery 3 with out subject or issues”.

As the principle engineer who put collectively the Analog Discovery 3 Reference Handbook and curated the related Specs doc, I’ll say that 98 to 99% of initiatives might be migrated from the Analog Discovery 2 to the Analog Discovery 3 with out subject. Merely click on ‘Sure’ on the immediate when requested in order for you open the prevailing workspace with the Analog Discovery 3 and proceed in your merry approach.

The one to 2 % of customers that received’t have the ability to migrate fairly so simply are the customers who’ve a WaveForms SDK utility hardcoded to make use of the Analog Discovery 2, customers depending on the embedded audio jack of the Analog Discovery 2, and those that used the 1.8 V Digital enter setting. The final two are addressed in additional element in a while this text.

Decision:
The Analog Discovery 3, prefer it’s predecessor, has 14 bit decision on its Analog inputs and outputs (protecting that candy 335 uV decision throughout your complete low acquire setting of -2.5 V to +2.5 V) and 16 bit decision on the digital I/O.

That’s to not say there was no enchancment on this space although; the noise buffer on the Oscilloscope now could be now its personal devoted buffer and is at 14 bit decision slightly than 13 bit decision, and the Scope inputs themselves additionally help 15 and 16 bit decision if you’re utilizing a decrease pattern fee (try the Oscilloscope part of the Reference Manual for extra particulars).

Communication with Host PC:
The Analog Discovery 3, whereas it has the brand new USB Kind C® port (and included USB C to USB C  cable) for simpler connectivity with out having to show each the board and cable over a number of instances earlier than they lastly match collectively and for the upper rated energy spec that comes with USB Kind C, the general communication fee makes use of USB 2.0 because it was decided that the improved throughput of USB 3.2 Gen 1 (and later generations) didn’t enhance the accessibility and value of the Analog Discovery 3 with most functions. Options that have been restricted by the USB 2.0 fee have been improved although, akin to the utmost Report fee rising from 1 MS/s to as much as 10 MS/s for a single channel.

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And since I wish to provide you with all of the information, the issues which can be not obtainable with the Analog Discovery 3:

Audio jack:
The audio jack is not embedded within the Analog Discovery 3. The performance that it supplied is now as an alternative current within the Audio Adapter+ with it’s pair of mono/stereo inputs and pair of mono/stereo outputs.

{Hardware} Design Information:
Regrettably, it was determined that the now-more-busy-than-they-used-to-be R&D group shouldn’t recreate the {Hardware} Design Information for the Analog Discovery 3. In case you have any particular {hardware} functionality questions in regards to the Analog Discovery 3, please be happy to publish them on the Take a look at and Measurement part on the Digilent Discussion board, https://forum.digilent.com/forum/8-test-and-measurement/, and we’ll do our greatest to answer your question.

1.8 LVCMOS Digital Enter help:
This unloved possibility (not less than so far as the developer of the WaveForms software program may inform from all of their years of supporting and bettering on the WaveForms software program) was sadly eliminated as a {hardware} possibility for the Analog Discovery 3.

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Okay, we’ve lastly made it to the top of the article (absolutely you didn’t scroll down right here with out studying). The brief model of what we realized is that the Analog Discovery 3 brings a number of enhancements and enhancements over its predecessor, the Analog Discovery 2. With a decrease MSRP and elevated pattern buffer sizes, customers can now accumulate and analyze bigger quantities of information, permitting for extra in-depth evaluation and experimentation.

If this sounds just like the product for you, discover out extra on the Digilent retailer web page: https://digilent.com/shop/analog-discovery-3/.

Nonetheless uncertain if the Analog Discovery 3 is for you? I extremely advocate testing the 2 Useful resource Facilities for the Analog Discovery 3 and the Analog Discovery 2 for a complete set of assets which you can browse to your coronary heart’s want.