Acknowledgements

Executive Summary

Notation

1. Project Background

2. Design Specifications

3. Fundamentals

        3.1. The Basic CRT Oscilloscope
        3.2. Digital Sampling Oscilloscopes
        3.3. Display Formats
        3.4. Aliasing
            3.4.1. Typical Low-Pass Filter Design Parameters
            3.4.2. Typical Low-Pass Filter
            3.4.3. Software Generation of an Anti-Aliasing Filter
        3.5. The PIC Microcontroller
        3.6. RS232 Serial Interface

4. The PIC16F877 Microcontroller

        4.0. Architecture of the PIC16F877 microcontroller
        4.1. Overview of the File Registers
        4.2. Overview of the 8-channel 10-bit ADC
        4.3. Overview of the Hardware USART
            4.3.1 Baud-Rate Generator, BRG

5. Hardware Development

    5.1. Simplified Block Diagram
    5.2. Digital Circuit Diagram
    5.3. Analogue Circuit Diagram - Mark 1
    5.4. Analogue Circuit Diagram - Mark 2
    5.5. System Powering Circuit
    6.6. Cost of Components

6. Communication Protocol Development

    6.1. Real-Time Mode
    6.2. Storage Mode
    6.3. Control Protocol
    6.4. Frame Structure: Real-Time Mode
    6.5. Sample Rate: Real-Time Mode
    6.6. Frame Structure: Storage Mode
    6.7. Sample Rate: Storage Mode
    6.8. CRC16 (Cyclical Redundancy Check) used in Storage Mode
        6.8.1. Comparison of Raw Calculation CRC & Lookup Table CRC
    6.9. Frame Structure: Control Protocol

7. The Scope Program

    7.1. Data Flow Diagram
        7.1.1. Data Flow Paths
    7.2 The Grid
    7.3 The Traces
    7.4. Storing and Restoring the Pervious Position of the Main Frame
    7.5. Setting-Up RS232 Communications
    7.6. Solving the Flickering Problem
    7.7. Creating the Split Window View
    7.8. Saving / Opening Scope Data
    7.9. Copying the Scope Display to the Windows Clipboard
    7.10. Exporting the Scope Display as a Bitmap (BMP) File
    7.11. Owner Drawn Menus with Bitmaps
        7.11.1. Integrating Brent Corkum's BCMenu Class with the Scope Program.
    7.12. Windows 95/98 Compatibility Problem (scope v1/008a, 20/12/2001)
    7.13. Windows XP Compatibility Problem (Scope v1.017a, 05/02/2002)
    7.14. Additional Video Card Features That May Explain Low CPU Usage.

8. The Simulator Program

9. Test Program   

    9.1. User Manual
    9.2. How is RS232 Communication Achieved?

10. PIC Software Development

   10.1. Mark 1.c (Test RS232 Communications)
    10.2. Mark 2.c (Fully TestRS232 Communications)
    10.3. Mark 3.c (Real-time Mode: 1 channel, fixed sampling delay)
    10.4. Mark 4.c (Test RS232, Baud-Rate Set by dip-switches)
    10.5. Mark 5.c (Fully testSR232 communications, adjustable baud-rate)
    10.6. Mark 6.c (Real-time mode: 1 channel, fixed delay, adjustable baud-rate)
    10.7. Mark 7.c (Test Timer Interrupts)
    10.8. Mark 8.c. (Real-time mode: dual channel, fixed delay, adjustable baud-rate)
    10.9. Mark 9.c (Real-time mode: four channels, chop, interrupt time-base)
    10.10. Mark 10.c (Test External RAM Chip)
    10.11. Mark 11.c (Main Program)

11. Test Results

12. Conclusions

13. Recommendations For Further Work

14. Bibliography / References

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This Web Page was last updated on Saturday October 01, 2005