1 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
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5 This README contains various notes for users of libsigrok (or frontends
6 that are based on libsigrok) about device- and/or driver-specific issues.
12 Some devices supported by libsigrok need a firmware to be uploaded every time
13 the device is connected to the PC (usually via USB), before it can be used.
15 The default locations where libsigrok expects the firmware files are:
17 $SIGROK_FIRMWARE_DIR (environment variable)
18 $HOME/.local/share/sigrok-firmware
19 $prefix/share/sigrok-firmware
20 /usr/local/share/sigrok-firmware
21 /usr/share/sigrok-firmware
23 ($prefix is usually /usr/local or /usr, depending on your ./configure options)
25 For further information see the section below and also:
27 http://sigrok.org/wiki/Firmware
30 Per-driver firmware requirements
31 --------------------------------
33 The following drivers/devices require a firmware upload upon connection:
35 - asix-sigma: The ASIX SIGMA and SIGMA2 require various firmware files,
36 depending on the settings used. These files are available from our
37 'sigrok-firmware' repository/project under a license which allows us
40 - fx2lafw: Logic analyzers based on the Cypress FX2(LP) chip need the
41 firmware files from the 'sigrok-firmware-fx2lafw' repository/project.
42 The firmware is written from scratch and licensed under the GNU GPLv2+.
44 - hantek-6xxx: Certain oscilloscopes based on the Cypress FX2(LP) chip, such
45 as the Hantek 6022BE/6022BL, SainSmart DDS120, and Rocktech BM102, need the
46 firmware files from the 'sigrok-firmware-fx2lafw' repository/project.
47 The firmware is written from scratch and licensed under the GNU GPLv2+.
49 - hantek-dso: The Hantek DSO-2090 (and other supported models of the same
50 series of Hantek PC oscilloscopes) need firmware files.
51 These can be extracted from the vendor's Windows drivers using a tool
52 from our 'sigrok-util' repository/project.
54 - lecroy-logicstudio: The LeCroy LogicStudio requires FPGA bitstream files.
55 These can be extracted from the vendor's Windows software using a tool
56 from our 'sigrok-util' repository/project.
57 Additionally, it requires a Cypress FX2 firmware. This can be extracted
58 from the vendor's Windows software using another tool. Details:
60 http://sigrok.org/wiki/LeCroy_LogicStudio#Firmware
62 - saleae-logic16: The Saleae Logic16 needs a firmware file for the
63 Cypress FX2 chip in the device, as well as two FPGA bitstream files.
64 These can be extracted from the vendor's Linux application using a tool
65 from our 'sigrok-util' repository/project.
69 - The Sysclk LWLA1034 requires various bitstream files.
70 These files are available from our 'sigrok-firmware' repository/project
71 under a license which allows us to redistribute them.
73 - The Sysclk LWLA1016 requires various bitstream files.
74 These can be extracted from the vendor's Windows drivers using a tool
75 from our 'sigrok-util' repository/project.
77 The following drivers/devices do not need any firmware upload:
81 - arachnid-labs-re-load-pro
88 - center-3xx (including all subdrivers)
95 - gmc-mh-1x-2x (including all subdrivers)
100 - ikalogic-scanalogic2
108 - mic-985xx (including all subdrivers)
111 - openbench-logic-sniffer
116 - serial-dmm (including all subdrivers)
117 - serial-lcr (including all subdrivers)
122 - uni-t-dmm (including all subdrivers)
126 - zeroplus-logic-cube
129 Specifying serial ports
130 -----------------------
132 Many devices supported by libsigrok use serial port based cables (real RS232
133 or USB-to-serial ones) to connect to a PC.
135 For all these devices, you need to specify the serial port they are connected
136 to (e.g. using the 'conn' option in sigrok-cli). It is not possible to scan
137 for such devices without specifying a serial port.
141 $ sigrok-cli --driver <somedriver>:conn=/dev/ttyUSB0 ...
143 The following drivers/devices require a serial port specification. Some of
144 the drivers implement a default for the connection.
151 - center-3xx (including all subdrivers)
155 - gmc-mh-1x-2x (including all subdrivers)
158 - mic-985xx (including all subdrivers)
160 - openbench-logic-sniffer
161 - rigol-ds (for RS232; not required for USBTMC or TCP)
162 - serial-dmm (including all subdrivers)
163 - serial-lcr (including all subdrivers)
167 The following drivers/devices do not require a serial port specification:
175 - ikalogic-scanalogic2
180 - rigol-ds (USBTMC or TCP)
183 - uni-t-dmm (including all subdrivers)
186 - yokogawa-dlm (USBTMC or TCP)
187 - zeroplus-logic-cube
189 Beyond strict serial communication over COM ports (e.g. /dev/ttyUSB0), the
190 conn= property can also address specific USB devices, as well as specify TCP
191 or VXI communication parameters. See these examples:
193 $ sigrok-cli --driver <somedriver>:conn=<vid>.<pid> ...
194 $ sigrok-cli --driver <somedriver>:conn=tcp-raw/<ipaddr>/<port> ...
195 $ sigrok-cli --driver <somedriver>:conn=vxi/<ipaddr> ...
196 $ sigrok-cli --driver <somedriver>:conn=usbtmc/<bus>.<addr> ...
198 The following drivers/devices accept network communication parameters:
206 Specifying serial port parameters
207 ---------------------------------
209 Every serial device's driver has default serial port parameters like baud
210 rate, number of data bits, stop bits and handshake status. If a device requires
211 different parameters, pass them as option "serialcomm" with the driver name.
212 See libsigrok docs for the function serial_set_paramstr() for complete specs.
216 $ sigrok-cli --driver <somedriver>:conn=<someconn>:serialcomm=9600/7n1/dtr=1
219 Permissions of serial port based devices
220 ----------------------------------------
222 When using devices supported by libsigrok that use serial port based cables
223 (real RS232 or USB-to-serial ones) to connect to a PC, you need to ensure
224 that the user running the libsigrok frontend has (read/write) permissions to
225 access the serial port device (e.g. /dev/ttyS0, /dev/ttyUSB0, and so on).
227 You can use 'chmod' to apply permissions as you see fit, and/or 'chown' to
228 change the owner of the serial port device to a certain user or group.
230 For USB-to-serial based devices, we recommended using our udev rules file
231 (see below for details).
234 Permissions for USB devices (udev rules files)
235 ----------------------------------------------
237 When using USB-based devices supported by libsigrok, the user running the
238 libsigrok frontend (e.g. sigrok-cli) has to have (read/write) permissions
239 for the respective USB device.
241 On Linux, this is accomplished using udev rules. libsigrok ships a rules
242 file containing all supported devices which can be detected reliably
243 (generic USB-to-serial converters are omitted, as these are used for a wide
244 range of devices, e.g. GPS receivers, which are not handled by libsigrok).
246 The file is available in contrib/60-libsigrok.rules. This file just contains
247 the list of devices and flags these devices with ID_SIGROK="1". Access is
248 granted by the 61-libsigrok-plugdev.rules or 61-libsigrok-uaccess.rules files,
249 allowing access to members of the plugdev group or to currently logged in
252 When using a libsigrok package from your favorite Linux distribution, the
253 files should already be installed in /usr/lib/udev/rules.d/, i.e.
254 60-libsigrok.rules and one of the access granting rules files. Use of
255 61-libsigrok-uaccess.rules is encouraged on systemd distributions.
257 The access policy can be locally overridden by placing appropriate rules in
258 /etc/udev/rules.d/, disabling or ammending the default policy. See the
259 udev documentation, e.g. man 7 udev, for details.
261 If you're building from source, you need to copy the file to the place
262 where udev will read these rules. Local rules should go to /etc/udev/rules.d.
263 Keep the file naming, otherwise interaction between the libsigrok rules and
264 rules shipped by the system will be broken.
266 Please consult the udev docs for details.
269 Cypress FX2 based devices
270 -------------------------
272 Devices using the Cypress FX2(LP) chip without any specific USB VID/PID will
273 be enumerated with VID/PID 04b4:8613 (the default for "unconfigured FX2").
274 These are usually "FX2 eval boards" (that can also be used as LAs, though).
276 On Linux, the 'usbtest' driver will usually grab such devices, and they will
277 thus not be usable by libsigrok (and frontends).
279 You can fix this by running 'rmmod usbtest' as root before using the device.
282 UNI-T DMM (and rebranded models) cables
283 ---------------------------------------
285 UNI-T multimeters (and rebranded devices, e.g. some Voltcraft models) can
286 ship with different PC connectivity cables:
288 - UT-D04 (USB/HID cable with Hoitek HE2325U chip, USB VID/PID 04fa:2490)
289 - UT-D04 (USB/HID cable with WCH CH9325 chip, USB VID/PID 1a86:e008)
290 - UT-D02 (RS232 cable)
292 The above cables are all physically compatible (same IR connector shape)
293 with all/most currently known UNI-T multimeters. For example, you can
294 use either of the UT-D04 USB/HID cables or the UT-D02 RS232 cable with
295 the UNI-T UT61D multimeter.
297 When using the UT-D02 RS232 cable with any of the supported UNI-T DMMs,
298 you have to use the respective driver with a '-ser' drivername suffix
299 (internally all of these models are handled by the 'serial-dmm' driver).
301 You also need to specify the serial port via the 'conn' option, e.g.
302 /dev/ttyUSB0 (attached via a USB-to-serial cable) or /dev/ttyS0 (actual
303 RS232 port) on Linux (see above).
305 Finally, the user running the frontend (e.g. sigrok-cli) also needs
306 permissions to access the respective serial port (see above).
308 Examples (sigrok-cli):
310 $ sigrok-cli --driver uni-t-ut61e-ser:conn=/dev/ttyUSB0 ...
311 $ sigrok-cli --driver voltcraft-vc820-ser:conn=/dev/ttyS0 ...
313 When using any of the UT-D04 USB/HID cables you have to use the respective
314 driver _without_ the '-ser' drivername suffix (internally all of these models
315 are handled by the 'uni-t-dmm' driver).
317 You also need to specify the USB vendor/device IDs of the cable.
318 Autodetection is not possible here, since various other products use the
319 USB VID/PID of those cables too, and there is no way to distinguish them.
321 Since the UT-D04 cables are USB based (but don't use a USB-to-serial chip)
322 there is no need to specify a serial port via 'conn', of course.
323 However, the user running the frontend does also need to have permissions
324 to access the respective USB device (see above).
326 Examples (sigrok-cli):
328 $ sigrok-cli --driver uni-t-ut61e:conn=1a86.e008 ...
329 $ sigrok-cli --driver voltcraft-vc820:conn=04fa.2490 ...
332 UNI-T UT-D04 cable issue on Linux
333 ---------------------------------
335 The UNI-T UT-D04 cable with Hoitek HE2325U (or WCH CH9325) chip seems to have
336 a very specific problem on Linux. Apparently it requires to be put into
337 suspend (and woken up again) before it is usable. This seems to be a
338 Linux-only issue, Windows is not affected by this since apparently the
339 Windows kernel does this for every USB device, always.
341 Thus, if you want to use any of the UNI-T DMMs with this specific cable,
342 you'll have to run the following script (as root) once, every time you attach
343 the cable via USB. The script was written by Ralf Burger.
345 See also: http://erste.de/UT61/index.html
348 for dat in /sys/bus/usb/devices/*; do
349 if test -e $dat/manufacturer; then
350 grep "WCH.CN" $dat/manufacturer > /dev/null && echo auto > ${dat}/power/level && echo 0 > ${dat}/power/autosuspend
355 Enabling multimeter / data logger measurement output
356 ----------------------------------------------------
358 Some multimeters or data loggers will not start outputting measurement data
359 unless a certain action has been performed by the user beforehand. This is
360 usually mentioned in the vendor manual of the respective device, but here's
361 a short list for convenience:
363 - BBC Goertz Metrawatt M2110: Briefly press the "Start/Reset" button on the
364 interface panel on top.
365 - Digitek DT4000ZC: Briefly press the "RS232" button.
366 - Gossen Metrawatt Metrahit 1x/2x devices, driver gmc-mh-1x-2x-rs232:
367 - Power on the device with the "DATA" button pressed.
368 - Metrahit 2x devices must be configured for the respective interface type.
369 - Gossen Metrawatt Metrahit 2x devices, driver gmc-mh-2x-bd232:
371 The multimeter must be configured for the respective interface type.
372 - 'SI232-II' interface ("PC Mode"):
373 The multimeter must be configured for interface type 'BD232' (all),
374 'SI232 online' (28-29S) or 'SI232 store' (22-26x). The interface must
375 be configured to the same baud rate as the host (default 9600).
376 Multimeter and interface must be configured to the same address.
377 - Metrix MX56C: Press the PRINT button to have the meter send acquisition
378 data via IR. Hold the PRINT button to adjust the meter's transmission
380 - Norma DM950: If the interface doesn't work (e.g. USB-RS232 converter), power
381 on the device with "FUNC" pressed (to power the interface from the DMM).
382 - PCE PCE-DM32: Briefly press the "RS232" button.
383 - RadioShack 22-812: Press and hold "SELECT" and "RANGE" together.
384 - TekPower TP4000ZC: Briefly press the "RS232" button.
385 - Tenma 72-7750: Briefly press the "RS232C" button.
386 - UNI-T UT60G: Briefly press the "RS232C" button.
387 - UNI-T UT61B/C/D: Press the "REL/RS232/USB" button for roughly 1 second.
388 - UNI-T UT71x: Press the "SEND/-/MAXMIN" button for roughly 1 second.
389 Briefly pressing the "EXIT" button leaves this mode again.
390 - UNI-T UT325: Briefly press the "SEND" button (as per manual). However, it
391 appears that in practice you don't have to press the button (at least on
392 some versions of the device), simply connect the device via USB.
393 - V&A VA18B/VA40B: Keep the "Hz/DUTY" key pressed while powering on the DMM.
394 - Victor 70C/86C: Press the "REL/RS232" button for roughly 1 second.
395 - Voltcraft VC-830: Press the "REL/PC" button for roughly 2 seconds.
396 - Voltcraft VC-870: Press the "REL/PC" button for roughly 1 second.
399 ChronoVu LA8/LA16 USB VID/PIDs
400 ------------------------------
402 The ChronoVu LA8/LA16 logic analyzer is available in two revisions. Previously,
403 the device shipped with a USB VID/PID of 0403:6001, which is the standard ID
404 for FTDI FT232 USB chips.
406 Since this made it hard to distinguish the LA8/LA16 from any other device
407 with this FTDI chip connected to the PC, the vendor later shipped the
408 device with a USB VID/PID of 0403:8867.
410 The 'chronovu-la' driver in libsigrok supports both VID/PID pairs and
411 automatically finds devices with either VID/PID pair.
417 The Dangerous Prototypes Openbench Logic Sniffer (OLS) logic analyzer
418 driver in libsigrok assumes a somewhat recent firmware has been flashed onto
419 the OLS (it doesn't need a firmware upload every time it's attached via USB,
420 since the firmware is stored in the device permanently).
422 The most recent firmware version that is tested is 3.07.
424 If you use any older firmware and your OLS is not found or is not working
425 properly, please upgrade to at least this firmware version. Check the
426 Dangerous Prototypes wiki for firmware upgrade instructions:
428 http://dangerousprototypes.com/docs/Logic_Sniffer_upgrade_procedure
430 Also, you need to specify a serial port for the OLS in the frontends, e.g.
431 using the 'conn' option in sigrok-cli, and you also need to have the
432 permissions to access the serial port (see above).
436 $ sigrok-cli --driver ols:conn=/dev/ttyACM0 ...