doug metzler wrote:
> I agree with the display lag problem - it's disconcerting for the
> display to freeze while the USB channel is trying to re-fill the
> buffer when I change a setting.
>
> The USB control panel is an interesting idea but would require that
> you have a spot for the control panel on your bench.  I like that I
> bring the scope to the circuit and not the other way around.
>
> An iPad app with a wireless connection to the device might be
> interesting, Imagine if you could use the 2-finger separate (like
> enlarging pictures/web pages) to change your vertical or horizontal
> resolution.  If we ever get desktop touch screens then that could
> change everything.

This brings up a idea I've had in the back of my mind for a few years.

I've been thinking about making a cheap but usable scope by getting rid of
the monitor and having a front panel that is all capacitive sense switches.
The front panel could be a circuit board with the right paint, maybe even
just the silkscreen layer on it.

Instead of a monitor, it would have a SVGA output.  Everybody has a old SVG=
A
monitor or two lying around unused nowadays.  These cheaply give you way
more pixels than even high end scopes do, and full color.  No need for more
than 1024 x 768 pixels.  The top of the scope would be flat to make it easy
to perch the monitor on.  I'd also provide a convenience power socket on th=
e
back of the scope so the whole thing only needed a single power outlet.

I'd have a few dedicated buttons (capsence areas, actually), and probably
two rows of soft button at the top of the board just below where the displa=
y
should be.  The bottom portion of the display would always show the current
function of these soft buttons.

If you want to get fancy, allow chaining multiple base units together to ge=
t
more channels on one display.  The units would know they are chained and
everything could still be controlled from the buttons only on the master.
For that matter, you could have separate add on units that had no buttons a=
t
all that are only slaves.

Even if someone didn't have a old monitor they'd have to buy one, but 12"
SVGA compatible monitors are dirt cheap nowadays.  The price would still be
less than what it would cost to build in a display.

--=20
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