QA100 - still usable?

1

I recently acquired a QA100 oscilloscope and having seen a .tar.gz file on the Github I unfortunately made the mistake of assuming that the ‘Source Code.zip’ and ‘Source Code.tar.gz’ files were what they appeared to be. The instrument is arriving today, so I downloaded the source files and extracted them, only to find just a brief Readme inside that says:

QA100

EXE for legacy QA100 product

So is there no Open Source software available for this?

Furthermore, the windows file seems to be a release candidate? Should I use the QA100B windows executable instead?

Fortunately, this was not intended for anything serious just for some Arduino and other MCU and low voltage stuff, but even so, I feel a bit disappointed.

Do the original source files actually exist? Can I get a copy of them from somewhere?

I would also request that Quant Asylum to remove the mis-leading tar.gz and source-code.zip files or else provide the sources. It is disappointing to have been deceived in this way. Perhaps you might have at least supplied a readme.MD at the top level of your Git explaining what platforms are supported?

When the instrument arrives I will test to see whether it can still be used from a Windows virtual machine. It will be a bit inconvenient, but at least if can be used that way, then I guess I can just about live with that. Otherwise it becomes an expensive doorstop that I have unfortunately wasted money on. If there actually is any O/S software that can help me make use of it, then that would be appreciated.

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A couple more points and questions to add:

  1. I see that this is supported by Sigrok, so a possible way forward on Linux. I have used PulseView in connection with a logic analyser. However, has anyone used Sigrok software as an oscilloscope? Is this possible?
  2. I notice from the photo that the board has a 20-way connector and 20 populated positions on the PCB behond the connector, yet according to the Sigrok site, the LA has only 12 channels? what is the rest used for?
3

Hi @SilasRamsey the QA100 is very old. Maybe 13 years old or so? I think if you set the environment up what was common at that time (Window 7) it should still work assuming the hardware is fine.

The source for the QA100 was never released. It would take work to figure out lineage and agreements of the various contributions. So, releasing the source and then supporting the source won’t happen.

One github, when you upload a release, it automatically creates the zip and tar even if empty. There’s a fair bit of discussion on git on how folks would like the ability to turn those off. But looks like for the last few years, that requested option has gone unanswered.

I’ve never tried with Sigrok so I don’t know how it works.

The manual (from the install) should explain the header. In addition to logic analyzer signals, I think there are grounds and also a clock input.

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Thanks for your comment @matt. Well, the scope has arrived in a nice neat case and with an installation CD and both probes as well as an LA probe. The LA probe is interesting as it has all 40 wires populated.There seems to be 4 groups marked A0-A7, B–B7, C0-C7 and D0-D7. As might be expected, there are several black wires marked GND and one makerd CLK. There is also an SMA-like to BNC cable. The software, however, shows D0 to D11. I got a nice little bundle.

I installed the software from the CD on a Windows 10 VM. It starts up a bit oddly, but it works. When the USB port is first assigned to the VM, it identifies as:

Van Oojen Technische Informatica Device

However, in Device Manager it does show as ‘QuantAsylum QA100 Oscilloscope’. You have to start the software. There are no lights or any indication of activity at this stage. You shut down the software and you find the USB port has disconnected. You then re-attach the USB port to the VM and when it comes up again, it now shows as:

QuantAsylum QA100 Oscilloscope

You then fire up the software and the Link light comes on. Calibration and auto-setup worked fine and the ‘Run’ button also now works and the oscilloscope starts.

Obviously it doesn’t have some of the advanced features that the PicoScope has and its a shame there is no I2C decoder. I will have to see what Sigrok can offer. It seems to do the basics which is probably good enough for messing with MCUs.

I think the blue USB cable that came with it is faulty as I couldn’t get it to work at all with that. I used another know good spare that I have and finally got the above result.

I am running it on a Windows 10 virtual machine.

I appreciate that it is a rather old but for spending a little bit more it does manage 100MHz. Most cheapies for chine for that price go to 25MHz or maybe a 50MHz and with a lower sampling rate. Its no Rigol or Siglent, but I as hoping it would do for the kind of stuff that I had intended it for. I have a bigger (and much expensive) scope for the more serious work. Didn’t really want to spend what an equivalent and overpriced PicoScope would cost.

Ot seems that Sigrok does not recognize it despite the LA having an lx2lafw driver which is supported.