Indeed, go for it, Whitefields, these are easier to use than I thought they might be, but be aware that there are variants that use the same or similar software and which may not be as easy to set up. In some ways the more you spend the better the facilities (think PicoScope) but this cheap entry level unit is a great hobbyist tool.

Glad you like it Andy, thanks for posting.

Thanks for your post, Drex Projects, good to hear from you.

Stewart, what do you mean "...even I was able to follow and understand it...".? _Everyone_ can understand this stuff, it's not rocket science (well, unless you're making model rockets with an Arduino, of course) with a bit of perseverance, tenacity and what John Wayne called "True Grit"! But I'm very flattered that you think I'm doing a good job at explaining stuff. Thank you and Happy New Year!

You're most welcome, David, nice to have Australians on board for the ride. Thanks for posting and keep tuned!

Cracking, indeed, Tony. I wish I had discovered these sooner, but I was focussed on how I could ever afford a Picoscope (answer: when hell freezes over). So here we have an ideal solution for casual hobbyist use. I must do another, more in-depth video as others have requested this, so I've added it to my backlog. Thanks for posting, good to hear from you.

You must be eager, Michael! But I found it to be a very nice tool, and once set up it "just works". And if you're in the UK you can support the Far Eastern factory that makes these devices for Hobby Components! Yes, I know, too cynical. :)

Glad it was helpful!

Thanks for your post, Douglas Thomson, good to hear from you.

Glad you liked it, thanks for posting.

Awesome, thank you!

A great idea Michael. It would indeed be interesting to show a bit more with this device (another viewer has commented that a more in-depth video would be appreciated) so I can only say Watch This Space! Good to hear from you again.

At that price, George, it's probably worth a punt. Effectively that's what I did on behalf of all my Arduinite followers and with good results, it seems. Just be careful which version you get as I've been made aware that there are several clones (of the Saleae original) and I'm not sure whether this version by Hobby Components is one and the same. All I know is that my version with the opens source software works well (on Windows 10, at least).

It works well and deserves some focussed effort by the user to get the most out of it. I was blown away by the I2C data stream being displayed in the way I showed in the video! Have fun with it, Vince.

That's a great piece of information, whitefields5595, and of course, highlights the problem with links to the Internet (which is why I tend to take a copy of the libraries I use in my demos and put them on my GitHub in case they disappear or get updated without being backwards compatible). Glad you liked the demo, it's amazing what you can get for just a few pounds/dollars.

Glad you liked it!

Thanks for your post, Chris Fredriksson, good to hear from you.

Thanks for your post, Nils Skansar, all useful information, good to hear from you.

Happy to hear that!

Wow, thanks!

Glad you liked it!

Glad you liked it Asger, perhaps you will be tempted to try one out (but read the comments by others here you have found it cheaper).

I'm glad you're finding these videos useful; sounds like you like datasheets as much as I do!

@@RalphBacon Nr.5 needs more input... btw. I used to bitbang LPT & COM ports to 'control'CD4021 & CD4094 (and others) with Qbasic and later VB6, until WinXP protected all acces to hardware addresses. Due to circumstances I was not working the hobby for a few years but last summer I 'found' China (BangXpress..) and You-Tube. For less than 100.=Eu I now have several Arduino's, RTC's, TFcards.., 1 LCD (I2C) and a 6 axis accelerometer (?) and almost all 'old' electronic parts & breadboards. But I do miss my Tektronics oscilloscope (+-1958) with a CD4067 I could used it as a 16 channel logic 'analyzer' ( I could go on for a few hours..) What I am really looking for is a way to 'talk' with an Arduino from VisualBasic (maybe C+-#@), I hoped it would be 'easy' cos the Arduino IDE does it too (via USB). But opening a comm port (3 in my case) with 9600 8,n,1 only gives me garbage. An example I found is made with VisualStudio2013 basic and it looks like I did it right. (i'd like to use VB6, it still works with XP (& 7) ( a *pointer to a tutorial should do the trick.. 8-) /Johnny Five

Exactly so, Joe. For the money even novices can experiment, and by doing so learn quite a bit about the communication protocols that the Arduino uses - and which we just consume without understanding what is actually going on. This is not a tool that we would use on a daily basis. But just like that funny shaped spanner in your toolbox, when you need it you got it! Let us know how you get on.

The devil is always in the detail, glad this demo helped in some small way!

Sounds like you have an interesting time ahead with your project!

And in this heatwave we're having (in the UK), the Bacon's sizzling 🥓🔥 Glad you liked the video!

Haha I'm pretty sure you heard this a gazillion time but I couldn't resist sorry xD The best thing about the video is that you decided to use Sigrok Pulseview instead of Saleae Logic which everyone is using all over UKposts but unfortunately is it designed for legit Saleae hardware and I feel it's kinda unethical to use it with clone hardware like this one. Not to mention ofc that your video is very informative and you describe things in the simplest of words instead of some pretentious people that feel good making things complicated, trying to look smart. I'm an automotive embedded systems professional and basically knew all about that stuff, but I really enjoyed how you talk haha. Hats off sir.

Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad you like my videos and it's feedback like this that lets me know that. Thanks for posting.

Thanks for your post, Philip Orlando, good to hear from you. Good luck with your "hacking"!

What about Weather stations ? Tried that ? Running on 433.95 Mhz in EU , 315 and others in the US. Check the Raspberry PI sites,lots of decoding for environment instruments and weather going on. They use SDR-RTL receivers to cover a wide frequency range.

And a hearty "Welcome Canada", modicon1! I see your point but I don't believe the probes will have 5v present on them; they should be well buffered, I would think. Perhaps others have more direct expertise on this? Anyone?

Thanks for the quick reply Ralph... I did some further digging and was able to answer my own question from the Saleae web site. They sell the Logic 8 analyzer which is functionally equivalent to the the one we are using and they say that the input probes with tolerate 1.8V - 5.5V. That is information enough for me to give it a go. If my Logic Analyzer goes up in smoke I will be sure to report back.

Great news, good luck with that, and yes, do report back on your success!

I haven't done a video on a function generator, Mark, sorry. I have this model: bit.ly/2slz99T because I wanted to create arbitrary waveforms (eg emulating switch bounce) but you can cheaper ones if you don't need that facility. It's a fairly niche product even in this field so I don't think a video is on the cards. But others must have done a few?

Excellent, I'm glad it worked out for you, Joseph.

I don't see why it would not work, OE8PCK, after all, Software Serial is just a software implementation of the hardware serial protocol. Regarding other videos... believe me, the list is long and time is short. What to do?!?

Got the Logic Analyzer working . It is really good. I am sure it is very easy regarding the Software serial if you know what to do. i am trying to send data with max 3 digits before the decimal point and two after up to 900, it just does not work. There is no information on Utube. O well never mind.

That logic analyser has several known protocols built in, so you could just try them all, Mike! But it could just be serial data like the data you send from the Arduino to your 8-N-1 Serial monitor (eg 8 bits, no parity, 1 stop bit). Start with the simplest protocol (like the one I just described) and move to the more complex ones like I2C. No easy way of finding out if the manufacturer won't/can't tell you.

I believe you're seeing the ACKnowldege pulse on D1, Embo, shown as ACK in the Address/DATa line at the bottom of the picture. It is so short that it doesn't always appear because I have not zoomed in enough.

Glad you liked the video, Nelson, great to hear from you.

A rotary encoder would be perfect to set the time on a DS3231, Moonbrony. See video #19 to see how to use one (and how they work, it's important you understand the principles). If you do the sketch in that demo you will probably realise how to write it to set the time. Come back here if you get stuck! I might even steal your sketch, heh heh.

Thanks. If I get this working as intended I'll happily send you my sketch. I bet a lot of people would like to make something like this as a project.

Yes, they would, and would you believe it I almost did one but decided on using two (just two) switches instead. But a rotary encoder would be much slicker. If you ever create that sketch let us all know (and post the sketch on Github or somewhere central - or I can do it for you). Good luck.

Yes, absolutely correct. (They add the pull-up resistors so the board can work as-is, quickly, without beginners stumbling over how to source and connect the resistors.) But adding multiple modules, all with pull-up resistors, will cause the I2C bus to fail, just as you say. Good point, glad you raised it here, thanks for posting.

Best is to see the reviews and comments on these other sites in China. The bad ones will soon get negative feedback and the good ones will get lots of +1s.

@@RalphBacon Sparkfun _does_ offer a device very similar to the one you show in the video, about $20 as of when I looked a few minutes ago. One of those commenting there recommended the "bus pirate" cable to make it easier to hook up ($4.95) and they also offer leads with hook connectors ($4.95) and a logic level converter ($2.95). I think that I may be placing an order in the not-too-distant future...

I believe this will track anything you throw at it, William. If you specify the protocol being used it will arrange them in a more readable format but if it's just a random signal that would be fine too.

Short answer: yes. Longer answer: horses for courses. If you scope has an 8-channel logic analyser as part of its make-up then that's a bonus and should work just fine. Having one connect to the PC means that you might have longer leads or awkward viewing angles along with separate software but a PC-based one will also do the job just dandy.

Ah, logic waveforms, not graphs, point taken (now I know what to call them) thanks for the heads-up. I don't know how well it works in Linux, John, but given its software writers proclaim loudly it works on several platforms I'm hoping that you won't have issues. Anyone else have experience on Linux, guys?

@John: This guy did. ukposts.info/have/v-deo/g5l1eIJsr6qfqGQ.html

I just got my analyser this week (same one, super-cheap from e-bay), and yes, the Sigrok/Pulseview software does just fine on Linux. In some ways even easier, because tusing your distro's package manager makes it a "one click install". No fussing about with drivers. Here's my (less eloquent than Ralph) look at it: ukposts.info/have/v-deo/hpV9Z6WLf3qVmWw.html

Cool that it works so well on non-Windows platforms, thanks for letting us know.

A succinct comment but one which means such a lot to me, Bora! Thanks for your feedback and good to hear from you.

Sometimes one word describes it all.. :-) I have a Salea clone... Great little devices to have around when things go weird...

Is that a new technical term there, Bora, "when things go weird"? Heh heh! Yes, one word is sometimes all that is needed. Less is more and so on. Serious question: you have a Saleae clone which have been mentioned in the comments here by many others - how does it compare to the one I demoed? Does it use the Saleae software or the same I used? I know, stop the questions already! But your input could be useful to others here too... (no pressure then).

It was a gift from a friend, he told me to download the Saleae software, so I did. I works pretty much the same, the interface is almost identical. I did not know there were similar devices and software until I saw your video. I wonder if these devices are competable with each other? I will try the software you used in the video with my clone device. Check this video: ukposts.info/have/v-deo/qoJml3t9iYVqwKc.html This is exactly what I have, and the software I use.

Your device certainly looks *very* similar, although the software looks a bit more sophisticated. Hmm. I might investigate further on this just so that I know what is the same and what is not. But I think we are agreed that it is pretty much the same in terms of functionality. Thanks very much for letting me know, appreciated.

No! The data will be corrupted, Malcolm. However, you can use something like a PCA9515A (Dual Bidirectional I2C Bus and SMBus Repeater) or P82B715 which is a bit like using an RS485 link but specifically for the I2C protocol. It allows up to 50m cable runs. I'm afraid I'm not knowledgeable about these so some research by you will be required! Google "I2C extender" for inspiration.

@@RalphBacon I did a quick search and came across this page: www.hackster.io/chipmc/extend-the-reach-of-your-i2c-sensor-simply-and-inexpensively-ea6b53 which has a rather interesting treatment of that subject. What an amazing little device!

The Nano is plugged into a "Nano Development Board" sometimes called a "Nano Expansion Board". It's almost impossible to use the Nano otherwise! See www.banggood.com/328P-Multifunction-Expansion-Board-V3_0-For-Arduino-NANO-UNO-p-955701.html?p=FQ040729393382015118&

There's a copy of PulseView (in case Sigrok's server ever goes down) in my GitHub: github.com/RalphBacon/Logic-Analyser

Thank you very much Ralph. I will start using it tomorrow.

Every device sold on eBay and elsewhere has the pullup resistors already in place, which means if you put half a dozen devices on I2C it will stop working. Ideally, the first device should have the pull up resistors and all others have them removed - but then they will not work by themselves. Doh!

@@RalphBacon Anyone old enough to remember RS422? Used many devices BEFORE I2C or USB! lol

There are obviously 8 days in a week, Graham (even the Beatles sang a song about this) because you forgot 'someday'. As in, _someday_ I'll tour the world. Or give up work, _someday_ - makes sense, right?

Thank goodness someone spotted (and commented on) that little joke I had there. I repaired my boss' ZX81 (might have been a ZX80) back in the 80s, he was well impressed. It too had a very wobbly RAM expansion pack that would crash the machine as soon as not. Consider yourself awarded an honorary "Eagle Eyes" badge, Embo. I shall have to put more of these little quips into my videos...

What about KIM-1 ? Not many here remebering that one.

Good question, tablatronix. And the definitive answer is: maybe. Look at the other comments here and you'll see similar observations, but whether they are identical internally is another question. As long as the eBay (or Banggood, AliExpress, GearBest et al) item uses the same open source software that I'm using here then I'm assuming it will work. Some use the Saleae software (naughty, as that is not open source) *and* can use the sigrok software too. Try and find a seller that seems knowledgeable about this product rather than just a box shifter as their information may be more reliable. If you get one and it works let us all know!

Yes, with Salae original software. So cheap that I purchased 2. These modules are very sensistive to noise from the USB power lines. Giving false pulses on the screen. Use extra caps 100 nF and 10 uF across +V and GND. Or take power from a rechargeable battery pack. 4X 1.25 V.

Good luck with your project!

@@RalphBacon I'm doing it to save money on a business venture I've been studying the last year or so. Since people I know who I offer very cheap investment opportunities to only see my mental ilness I need to do it myself. What's funny too Ralph is the person is guaranteed to get their money back as it has to do with a non maker hobby we share and it's money they would spend anyway. I've lost almost 1k already because a family member wouldn't cough up 300 because I had bought top of the line parts for their build and they only had to buy a body and transceiver. If people didn't want to do something when asked they should just say haha. Normally I'd say something but it's my father in law so I eat the expense and make a business contact who I had to burn as they were commissioned to build a 72 chev pickup body. It's an rc park for crawlers (the most expensive), and other types. I made it up to the guy but I'd never ask a favor of him again.

A true British expression!

@@RalphBacon i HAVE to visit this side of the world!

Ah ha! That makes sense! Thanks for letting me know.

​@@RalphBacon you welcome, thank you too for very nice video :)

Do you mean, Michael, that I should have chosen some alphanumeric characters, like "A" and "T" instead of just using numeric ones? If so, it was time that beat us all. I was originally intending to use an LED display but it was too complicated to see what was going on (for a beginner) so I eventually chose the simplest thing I could find - that RTC module. Perhaps we'll explore a more in-depth version of I2C or SPI in a future video, where I don't spend half the video explaining what we're going to do! Good point you raise, thanks for posting.

Yes, 2-wire LED comm analysis would be an excellent example. Appreciate your videos and the clarity they offer, looking forward to more.

What would be the I2C part that interfaces with an LED?

My bad...LCD

That makes more sense. I've got several LCD displays interfaced to Arduinos via I2C.

I've now got two of them, Ali G, and very fast they are too. Who knew!?

Yes, I picked a random future date, Ronen, not knowing when I was going to release this video. At least it will stay current for another month (at time of writing this, anyway!). I wondered if anyone would spot that... silly question I know. Your new user name is Ronen "Eagle eyes" Shemesh.

hi Ralph, first a big thanks for this informative video, I bought myself a set of this cheap and efficient set of logic analyzer at ebay so it might help me in the future even though I think I have such an option at my Rigol 1054z but I haven't yet explored, part of it is because I jumped into a much bigger project (for me) trying to design and build a CDI to my old bike which is dismantled at the moment.. As to my comment: I checked a few times before I commented if its possible that we are somehow on December at some part of the world, at least now I know that this date was carefully picked..(-: generally I do check the upload date that most of the clips I watch but what matters most is whether the info is new to me, had I encountered it before, was it helping or has an added value. I love your videos I can tell for sure that they sit comfortably at one of the the categories I mentioned above. please keep with sharing the good stuff, as one of your followers I will be waiting..

Thanks for your support EagleEyes, and good luck with your CDI project [en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CDI ] even though I don't know what that is but probably should do!

I do not like so much that nickname you gave me only because I made a polite remark on a small error or misunderstanding I found during your video, still, I prefer not to respond by calling you by names mainly because you are much older than me. If there is any other reason for that kindly tell it to me.. there is the what connect CDI abbreviation to a motorcycle(bike) related to our small electronic forum/comments: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitor_discharge_ignition

I most certainly did not mean to offend you, Ronen, it was a mark of respect to you that you had spotted something in my video - you have the sharp eyes of an eagle. It was purely a light-hearted (but respectful) name given to you as is the custom in the UK and US to show appreciation of someone. However, from now on I will refer to you again as Ronen. No offense was intended, I think this is a cultural misunderstanding as here you would be pleased to have been given that name, Ronen. I hope this has cleared up this misunderstanding? Now tell me about your "CDI" project.

16 channels are better than none, so I'm sure you can get it to work.

@RalphBacon indeed sir. I plan to decode the 1 wire serial bus for certain rc brands to control things with the spare channels.

I already said that. I'm sorry man I just woke up haha

Sounds like a great project you have in mind there, Jerry, but you do know that "her indoors" will demand half your gains from eBay, right? Or is that just my wife that does that? Regarding that device I don't know if I have one but do be careful with the "charging cable" to the LiPO, it's too easy to get them the wrong way round or the cables in the supplied header are back to front. Double check!

@@RalphBaconWell a few years back, when I was a regular seller on Ebay, well a few packages a week at any rate, my good wife of 50 years pretty much stayed out of it, so long as no money transfered into our bank account, and none came out of it. If, however I used a credit card, or bank transfer, then it had to be paid back on my next sale. Things have changed since then, though so I am not all to sure how it would go now days, should I go ahead with my plans.

Get a PayPal account. Then it all goes into there and out of there and no-one is the wiser!

Well, just a little, Raymond, maybe! But still simple enough for us to decipher very easily using this nifty piece of (cheap) equipment. You got one? Getting one? Don't want one?

But smart. Invented by Philips to save wires onboard Audio equipment between modules. Around 1980 ?

That's a shame. It might be worth ringing them up and negotiating a delivery charge. You never know. Or you may find the same item on eBay (a reseller) who will sell it to the UK islands. Or get it sent to someone on the mainland who can then forward it to you (at your expense, of course!). I'm assuming that "UK islands" is off the coast of Scotland but you could mean the Falkland Islands for all I know which could be a different thing altogether... Just suggestin'!

You've won the prize for the most re-edited post in the history of this channel! I'm still sitting on the naughty step as I was unclear about ground and earth (can be the same) and I even included this very post as part of a future video about encapsulated 5v mains supplies (investigating whether they are they safe). What you say is very much in line with my understanding, so stay tuned for the video results... and can I get off the naughty step now to finish that video, it's most uncomfortable here, heh heh?

‘Ground is not earth’ please write it out 100 times on the naughty step. The terms can only be interchanged by gardeners, builders and parachutists. The term 'ground' is misused, as is 'negative' on a battery as it isn’t negative to anything, it is merely of lower potential than the cathode. Ground is a region of equipotential that can be any (signed) voltage including earth, but earth should not be used to describe ground in the electrical world. To make the point, when you chop open the potted 240VAC (isolated) / 5VDC converter, make a circuit on the secondary side with it’s ground connected through a diode. You'll have a 5V DC difference in potential in your circuit, but your ground will be elevated by the diode’s forward voltage making your secondary voltage relative to ground = (5 +Vf ). Your 5V DC circuit is isolated from the mains and Earth and can take on any value depending on where it is grounded. This is a useful way of getting odd in-between values from floating power supplies such as batteries ….. but also blow kit up if struck by lightning. Now, turn your isolating transformer into one that is referenced to planet Earth by adding a wire from the AC neutral to the earth on your house mains. Nothing will happen. However when you ‘earth reference’ the ground on the 5V circuit to the new earth wire on the mains side everything gets real to Mother Earth as she has infinitely low impedence. If your mains RCD does not trip (or even better if it does?), you will demonstrate the difference between Earth, Ground, Earth Referencing, Potential Difference, Floating Voltages, Common Return Path and Isolating Transformers. You may also cause folk to question if 2 wire ‘double insulated’ hair driers are a good idea. With your back-to-basics skills in visual presentation and verbal explanation you will then keep the magic smoke inside many projects. You may also save some lives. ======================================================== For an encore, use your body as the (intended) earth reference for a critique of one of those lethal neon ‘Electrician’s’ electrical screwdrivers that I think I glimpsed on your desk. Then stand on an insulator and see the neon go out and tell Mrs Bacon to hold the wire 'cos "its safe". Deadly things

Well, a circuit's ground may not (necessarily) be Earth, but Earth is always Ground, I think you'll find (when connected electrically to your circuit, of course). I'm pretty sure I understand the difference but you'll have to wait for my video to see whether we are singing from the same hymn sheet! You are obviously passionate about this subject so I'll appreciate your feedback on that video (when it finally appears). I do, however, take issue with your assertion that Mother Earth has infinitely low impedance - it's the relatively high impedance of Earth grounding rods (up to 50 ohms or even more) that make the use of domestic electrical TT supplies relatively more dangerous than TN-S. In fact, the old telegraphers of the Wild West had terrible problems during the summer when the ground was so dry that the signal had great difficulty getting through (they used Earth grounding and a single wire to send the signal). Eventually, they switched to a two-wire system and all was well from then on. Until radio arrived, anyway. Anyway, I ramble on, so back to the video storyboard, and thanks again for your continued posts.

Tautology. Joining wires = same potential. The earth wire is a non-load carrying conductor for safety. Neutral is the path to earth made at the substation. Put an Arduino to mains earth. The RCD will trip at < at 30mA as it detects the current to earth. Ergo, earth can’t always be ground. Correction. ME has a (very) low impedance and infinite ability to sink charge. Earth loop (UK) should be < 5 Ohms. Only Boonies have >50 Ohms. QED, but I give up.

@@whitefields5595 "...Battery isn't negative..." Actually, it is, it's all relative because ground can be whatever you want it to be and depends on your reference point. EG telco companies connect the positive side of a series of 4 batteries to Earth which means relative to Earth the negative terminal is now at negative 48 Volts. Put your negative terminal of your DVM on to the positive terminal of a battery then measure the voltage on the negative terminal and your display will show a negative voltage.