FAQ

General sigrok questions

What is sigrok?

sigrok is a portable, cross-platform, Free/Libre/Open-Source logic analyzer software that supports various logic analyzer hardware products. It is licensed under the terms of the GNU GPL.

What does the name sigrok mean?

sigrok is a logic analyzer software that groks signals for you.

Is my logic analyzer supported?

Check the Supported hardware page for a list of supported logic analyzers, and those that are currently being worked on. Also, each device has its own wiki page, which lists the details of the hardware support for the respective device.

Will you add support for the XYZ logic analyzer?

Maybe. We generally try to support as much hardware as possible. However, as there are really many devices out there, this is of course a non-trivial task. We only have limited spare time, and a limited amount of money, too. Thus, naturally, we're happy about both code contributions as well as hardware donations (contact Bert Vermeulen and Uwe Hermann if you want to help out).

Do you build/sell/design logic analyzers?

No. The sigrok project is a pure (open-source) software project. We're not designing, building, or selling hardware. We only add software support for already existing logic analyzer hardware.

Which logic analyzer do you recommend buying?

We generally don't make any buying recommendations. There are many, many logic analyzers from different companies, with highly different capabilities and features out there, in price ranges from $60 up to $5000 or more. It all depends on your specific needs and preferences, and on the amount of money you are willing to spend.

However, as a small starting point for your own research in order to find a device which fits your need, we provide a Logic Analyzer Comparison table which lists some (but not all) relevant data points which you may want to compare.

Logic analyzer questions

What is a logic analyzer?

A logic analyzer is a device which can display and/or analyze the state of one or more signals of a circuit or target device. For details see the respective Wikipedia page, or read Tektronix: The XYZs of Logic Analyzers (PDF) for an introduction.

Further recommended readings include:

• Tektronix: The XYZs of Logic Analyzers (PDF)
• Tektronix: The Importance of Timing Accuracy in a Logic Analyzer (PDF)
• Agilent: Application Notes: Logic Analyzer
  • Agilent: Application Note 1589: Evaluating Logic Analyzers Objectively (PDF)
  • Agilent: 6 Tips for Successful Logic Analyzer Probing (PDF)
  • ...
• Janatek: F.A.Q: What to consider before buying a logic analyzer
• EE Times/Agilent: How Much Bandwidth Does Your Logic Analyzer Need?
• EE Times/Agilent: A "How To" tutorial on logic analyzer basics for digital design