Can you set up any RIGOL scopes to stop triggering after a specific averaging number?           

The average acquisition mode for the DS1000E/D, DS1000CA, DS1000B, DS4000, and DS6000 scopes are identical in function. They collect a boxcar average of the last n (usually a power of 2)  acquisitions on a rolling basis.

On the DS1000Z, DS2000/A, DS4000, and DS6000 scopes users can enable record mode to capture a specific amount of triggers into a set of frames, but to average all that data together it would have to be done externally.       

To save maximum data to an external USB stick, follow these steps:

Configure the scope to collect the data of interest. Single trigger mode will allow you to "freeze" the data. Alternately, you can use the Run/Stop button to stop triggering and "freeze" the data.

Insert a compatible USB drive into front panel.
Press Storage key in the menu area of the front panel.

Select CSV under the Storage menu label on the display

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Select Maximum under Data Depth menu label on the display

Select External to save to the external USB drive

Select New File and enter a new file name

This is a known limitation of the DS1000E/D series.

The DS1000E and D family of scopes do not have the ability to store the date and time.

Any files written to the USB will not have an updated created on date/time in file explorers like Windows Explorer.

• Press Display Menu key > Down Arrow soft key (From page 1/3 to 2/3) > Menu display and select desired menu display time.

• To save settings:Press Utility Menu key > Down Arrow soft key (From page 1/3 to 2/3) > Down Arrow (From page 2/3 to /3) soft key > Preference > Default load = Last Set

This will store all of the scopes current configuration settings and power on with identical settings.

• Factory defaults > Press Storage Menu key > Storage soft key > select Factory

Some Digital scopes offer the capability of capturing waveforms in Long Memory mode. Utilizing the long memory, Rigol scopes can capture complex signals in great detail over extended time periods. This allows an observer to examine high frequency effects within the captured waveform.

How to use Long Memory Mode on the DS1000D/E Series scopes?
 Enter the Acquire menu by pressing the Acquire button
 Set the Memory Depth field to Long Memory



Sampling rate and Long Memory:

Using the DS1000E and DS1000D Series Rigol digital scopes, users can access the long memory mode to get up to 512Kpts in dual channel mode and up to 1Mpts in single channel mode. In comparison, standard memory depth for oscilloscopes range from 1000pts - 16Kpts. This high sampling rate is a big advantage when observing signals where the application requires capturing a longer waveform, but also needs to confirm higher frequency components within the signal. The best way to visualize these higher frequency components is to use the zoom feature. By pushing the Horizontal knob, you can enter zoom mode. In this screen shot you see a 0.5 second waveform in yellow across the top. In the lower section we have zoomed in to 10 usec/division. Since we are sampling in normal mode you can see the distance between two data points. A straight line connects data points and you can see where the signal rises between samples and is clearly being linearly interpolated. On the DS1000D/E Series scopes this normal mode operation has 16 Kpts per wave. Since the overall wave is set to 50 msec/div the 10 divisions across the screen make the wave 0.5 seconds. 16 Kpts spread across 0.5 seconds means there is one sample approximately every 32 usec. This is confirmed by the screen shot.



Using the method above to switch the scope to deep memory mode we can see the increased sampling rate below. In this image the increased data rate is seen by observing the real shape of the rise time. Now with the increased sampling we have 1 million points over 0.5 seconds for one sample about every 500 nsec.



The table below shows the memory capabilities of all Rigol Oscilloscope series. 


*capabilities above in 1 channel mode, within maximum sampling speeds

In conclusion, memory depth is an important feature to consider when selecting an oscilloscope because high frequency components can be important to the analysis, triggering, and monitoring of signals. Memory depth combined with maximum sampling rates, waveform acquisition rates, and an oscilloscope’s display quality all impact the overall ease of capturing and analyzing data with your oscilloscope. 

FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) is a process which converts a time-domain signal into its frequency domain equivalent. Common applications for usage of FFT waveforms are :
● Measuring harmonic content and distortion in systems
● Characterizing noise in DC power supplies
● Analyzing vibration

How to obtain a waveform's FFT?
For this demonstration an FFT will be generated for the square wave being sensed on Channel 1 as seen below:



Press the “MATH” button, a menu will appear on the side, select FFT and set the source to Channel 1 



A fast fourier transform of the current signal on Channel 1 will appear in violet color below the square wave.



How to save a waveform's FFT?
To save an FFT to the scope or a USB drive, the FFT must be saved as a reference wave “REF” as in the following procedure: Press the “REF” button. When the side menu appears, set the source to be the FFT. Then use the “Save” option in the menu to save locally or externally.



How to Import / Export an FFT?
Press the “REF” button, reference wave side menu will appear . To save the waveform, select save.

To save the FFT waveform to a USB drive press the “Location” buttonThe Location now switches to “External” as in the figure below:



Upon selecting “Save” select the file to save the waveform to and exit upon completion.

The waveform recorder records waveforms from any input channel of an oscilloscope. On the DS1000D/E Series oscilloscopes up to 1000 frames can be recorded at a time. This feature can also be activated by the Pass/Fail test output which makes this function especially useful to capture abnormal signals over a long period of acquisition without the need for constant monitoring. This function offers three modes: Record, Playback and Storage. Waveform recording is a feature in Rigol oscilloscopes that allows dynamic waveforms to be recorded over time so they can be played back at a later time for offline analysis. While a standard reference trace allows users to compare single waveforms, a recording allows you to view and analyze how the signal changes over time beyond a single capture.

How to Record a waveform?
 Press the utility button The Utility side menu will appear, scroll to the next page

Select the “Record” function
 Set mode to “Record” 



 Set the source to the channel to record and the maximum number of frames to record. To record only failure states during a pass/fail test set the source to P/F.



 On the next page set the desired interval in between recorded frames



 Once the record configuration is complete, press the “Operate” side button to start recording.

How to playback a recorded waveform?
 Press the Utility button
 The Utility side menu will appear, scroll to the next page



 Select the “Record” function



 Then select the Playback function from the drop down menu



 The Playback menu will appear 



 “Play Mode” can be switched between continuous or single play mode while Interval determines the time interval between frames
 On the next page we see the following settings. Start frame determines which frame playback starts from; Current frame selects the frame playback position; End frame determines which frame playback stops at.



Use storage mode in the record menu to storage and recall recordings from either an external USB memory stick or the internal storage. In conclusion, waveform recording, playback, and storage can be a valuable tool for analyzing, monitoring, and reporting on signal characteristics that occur outside of a single waveform’s length. When selecting an oscilloscope verify the record and playback capabilities including the amount of frames, acquisition rates, and whether pass/fail information can be used to trigger the recording.