An Affordable, High-Bandwidth, Real-Time Sampling USB Oscilloscope

Haasoscope Pro is a full redesign of the original Haasoscope, a successful Crowd Supply campaign from 2018 that introduced the world’s first open-everything USB oscilloscope. The new Pro version increases the bandwidth from 60 MHz to an impressive 2 GHz, the resolution from 8 to 12 bits, and the sample rate from 125 MS/s to 3.2 GS/s. It’s the first open-everything, affordable, high-bandwidth, real-time sampling USB oscilloscope.

Until now, scopes with bandwidths of 1 GHz or more have primarily targeted the professional market, where price is of little concern, often costing tens of thousands of dollars. Haasoscope Pro is designed to be low cost, while maintaining super-fast performance. Extensive R&D and testing has made possible a design that uses standard PCB material (impedance controlled, but no blind or buried vias), off-the-shelf components, and automated SMT / BGA assembly processes, ensuring affordability without compromising on quality.

Haasoscope Pro works with standard x10 passive oscilloscope probes, but they are typically limited to under 500 MHz bandwidth. For higher bandwidth, one generally needs active probes, typically costing thousands of dollars. To unlock the full bandwidth of the Haasoscope Pro, this campaign also includes an affordable 2 GHz bandwidth active probe, making it accessible to hobbyists and professionals alike.

Opening Up the High-Speed World

The oscilloscope is an indispensable tool for designing, testing, repairing, and learning about electronics. With 2 GHz bandwidth, Haasoscope Pro allows hobbyists, designers, technicians, researchers, and students to explore the world of high-speed electronics and high-frequency signals like never before. Having a scope as capable as this on your bench is a dream come true for any electronics enthusiast.

Electronic parts that produce fast signals are common and inexpensive today. Microprocessors, low-end FPGAs, and even digital logic chips often have outputs with rise times of 500 ps or less. Standard protocols like USB 2.0, DDR3 RAM, HDMI, Ethernet, etc., all use signals with rise times of about 250 ps. Until now, users of these devices could only dream of seeing these signals accurately without access to $20k of test equipment.

A typical high-end oscilloscope with 350 MHz bandwidth can only measure signals with rise times above 1000 ps. In contrast, Haasoscope Pro offers a rise time as low as 340 ps (or 220 ps with two Haasoscope Pros using oversampling). It allows you to validate signal integrity, measure length matching between pairs, and directly observe RF signals up to 2 GHz (or ~3 GHz with attenuation). This opens up the UHF, 433 MHz, 915 MHz, and even L bands to direct measurement. Imagine taking an FFT of your signal, from 0 to 3200 MHz!

Flexible and Modular Design

Most scopes come with a fixed number of channels (usually four) and a sample rate high enough to support the bandwidth of each channel. But often, you don’t need four channels, and rarely do you need all of them running at full bandwidth. This leads to thousands of dollars of high-speed hardware going unused most of time.

Haasoscope Pro lets you to buy just the hardware you need. A single unit has 2 channels with 3.2 GS/s sampling rate (enough to support 1 GHz bandwidth on a single channel or 500 MHz on two channels). But you can easily combine and sync multiple Haasoscope Pro units to expand channels and interleave ADCs, creating flexible configurations. A single Cat5 cable (like those used for Ethernet) connects the units, automatically syncing sample timing and triggers to within tens of ps. You can combine two Haasoscope Pro units to achieve 6.4 GS/s on a single channel (unlocking the full 2 GHz bandwidth) or distribute the bandwidth across multiple channels (two channels at 3.2 GS/s each, one at 3.2 GS/s and two at 1.6 GS/s, or four at 1.6 GS/s).

Open-Hardware, Open-Firmware, Open-Source Everything

Haasoscope Pro is fully open hardware, running open firmware and using open-source software. All hardware, firmware, and software files are available on GitHub. You can study the schematics and layout to learn about high-speed design, or customize the firmware using free Altera tools to add triggers or new features. The software is based on Python/Qt and runs on Windows/Linux/Mac. Of course, the community will continue enhancing the software (and firmware) it as time goes on. A simple "git pull" or zip download will bring updates to anyone who wants to take advantage of new features and capabilities.

Additionally, the design files for the Active Probe are available to anyone who wants to explore or modify the hardware.

Features & Specifications

Haasoscope Pro:

• 2 analog input channels (expandable)
• 50 Ω (<1 pF) or 1 MΩ (10 pF) input impedance
• 2 GHz analog bandwidth at 50 Ω, 800 MHz at 1 Ω
• 12 bits of real-time vertical resolution per sample
• 3.2 GS/s for 1 channel or 1.6 GS/s for 2 channels (expandable to 6.4 GS/s)
• Switchable anti-alias filtering for each sample rate
• Up to 40k samples recorded per trigger, adjustable trigger time offset
• 100 ps/div to 24 hour/div, for 10 div
• Max analog input: ±5V (50 Ω) or ±3V (1 MΩ), ±30V with x10 probe
• Input sensitivity: 32 Vpp down to 80 mVpp (5 mVpp using 12->8 bit digital zoom)
• Programmable AC or DC input coupling per channel
• Programmable DC offsets per channel
• External trigger in, Aux trigger/clock out, and External reference clock in
• Standard triggers (rising/falling edge, time over threshold, etc.), customizable in firmware
• Qt-based Python software interface for Windows/Mac/Linux
• Uses ~7W, powered by 5V 1.5A USB Type-C or 12V 1A 2.1 mm barrel connector
• Aluminum case with quiet 40 mm internal fan
• Dimensions: 220 x 165 x 35 mm (8.7 x 6.5 x 1.4 in)
• Weight: 0.9 kg (2.0 lbs)

Active Probe:

• DC - 2 GHz analog bandwidth
• Flat response from DC -1 GHz within 0.3 dB
• 1 MΩ input resistance with 1.1 pF input capacitance
• 100 Ω minimum impedance, near 1.6 GHz
• x10 probe attenuation, input voltage range ±30V
• 50 Ω SMA output, 1m SMA to BNC cable (included)
• 12 V power at ~80 mA, via 2.1 mm barrel connector, or 5V to 12 USB cable (included)

Comparisons

Support & Documentation

The README file on GitHub provides instructions for using the Haasoscope. Further documentation for software will be released soon. We welcome support questions through GitHub issue tickets.

You can also follow the development of Haasoscope Pro on the Hackaday.io page.

Manufacturing Plan

The PCB for Haasoscope Pro is manufactured at JLCPCB, a top-rated Chinese manufacturer. Most of the board is assembled with automated SMT pick-and-place. Final assembly (including soldering and testing) takes place in New York City, which includes soldering of through-hole connectors, soldering the main ADC, adding the heatsinks and fan, and mounting it all in the aluminum case. Assembled units then undergo firmware programming, testing, and calibration before being boxed up for shipping.

Fulfillment & Logistics

Haasoscope Pro comes in a sturdy custom box with foam packing to ensure safe delivery. After our production run is complete, we will box everything up and send it along to Crowd Supply’s fulfillment partner, Mouser Electronics, who will handle distribution to backers worldwide. You can learn more about Crowd Supply’s fulfillment service under Ordering, Paying, and Shipping in their guide.

Risks & Challenges

Many prototypes have been produced without any manufacturing issues. The main challenge for a larger volume production is the procurement of all the needed parts in the needed quantities. Effort has been made to only use readily available parts. Key parts like the FPGA, main ADC, amplifiers, etc. are all in active production and in stock from many distributors, ensuring minimal delays.