Choosing a logic analyzer...

It seems that the Saleae logic analyzer is pretty popular for $150 for the 8 channel or $300 for the 16 channel:

http://www.saleae.com/Logic

Or the Dangerous Prototypes one that does 32 channels for $50:

http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/preorder-open-workbench-logic-sniffer-p-612.html?cPath=75

It seems from research that there are at least two important aspects in making the selection, those being the quality of the probes and the quality of the software. The Saleae software seems pretty descent and does a bunch of protocols. The free SUMP software seems to only do I2C and SPI, but those are the most important two.

The Saleae includes probes for the price, but probes are not that expensive.

And of course Saleae will support their product.

What do you all think, is the Saleae worth the extra $100? Or worse yet, is it worth $300 for the 16 channel unit?

I've got a Saleae (8 ch) and I think it's fantastic. I can personally vouch for their support as well.

I think the DP one is faster but way less storage.

What will you be doing with it?

If debugging serial protocols and general low-speed signals (say < 5-10MHz)then I'd go for the Saleae, if looking at high-speed timing maybe the DP (assuming I'm right about the speed).


Rob

I use the Saleae one too. It is worth the money.
Very convenient to keep in your laptop bag.

(* jcl *)

Okay thanks guys, I ordered one. I actually ordered the new 16 channel one. I probably don't need 16 channels, but it has some benefits over the 8 channel one. It has protection against over voltage, a faster sampling rate and buffered output. Its more than I wanted to spend. I considered getting a bitscope instead, but I realized by the time you get all the probes and such, the bitscope is expensive. I'm sure I'll need an o scope at some point, but there are many good used ones to choose from on Ebay. For now, this should help me write my I2C code that I need.

Thanks for your comments!

congrats
look forward to full report!

... how are you finding the Logic 16?

mmcp42:
... how are you finding the Logic 16?

I like it quite a bit. The shortest pulse I have seen so far is a 65nS pulse, while sampling 3 channels at 16MHz. I have been using it to see if there is any drop outs from a voltage regulator on my board. It sees the occasional 65nS drop. I borrowed an oscilloscope from a friend but its old and can't log data.

I have used the Logic 16 to measure interrupt timing and to debug a problem on the board. I could not have fixed the problem without.

The support from Saleae has been very good. They are very responsive to questions.

So I'm pretty sure its a keeper.

ta v much
I'm trying to decide if I should get the Logic or the Logic 16
16 has more channels, but lower input impedance (and higher £$€!)

mmcp42:
ta v much
I'm trying to decide if I should get the Logic or the Logic 16
16 has more channels, but lower input impedance (and higher £$€!)

Yeah the impedance is lower, that and the price tag are the big down sides. But it also has input protection and buffering, and a higher sample rate. That's what sold me on it. And I know there are other, cheaper things available, or other slightly more expensive things, like the Bit Scope and such. But I prefer to have a device that is very competent doing what it is doing, rather than a device that does more things but not so well. And I didn't have the money for an expensive device.

So anyhow, I'm happy with the logic 16 and the support and software. I'll bet the logic would have made me as happy, but I guess I'll never know for sure. :wink:

Good luck with your decision.

Oh, I think Salaea has a 90 day return policy also. So you can try with little risk.

thanks for the update
I may well bite the bullet :slight_smile:

mmcp42:
thanks for the update
I may well bite the bullet :slight_smile:

I got an OLS just recently ... bite the bullet get the Saleae if your going to buy something