Modern oscilloscopes usually have various functions, but sometimes you will encounter a function that seems easy to implement but is not available. [kgsws] wanted to use his RIGOL ds1074 to display real-time measurement results in YouTube video, but found that the oscilloscope did not support video output. Unmoved, [kgsws] decided to add this feature himself. In the embedded video below, he described in detail the process of adding USB video capture (UVC) interface to the oscilloscope.
The basic idea is to find the signal entering the oscilloscope display and read it out with cypress EZ-USB board. This is a development board, which can be used to design USB devices and support UVC mode. However, since there is no documented record of any RIGOL internal circuit, [kgsws] must probe the display connector to find out which pin carries which signal. Since he had no other telescope than this Rigo telescope, he connected the various parts of the decomposition instrument so that it could (clumsily) detect its own internal signals.
After drawing their own display signals, it’s time to connect them to the EZ-USB board. [kgsws] this is achieved by welding about 24 thin wires on the SMD pad on the main board. The EZ-USB board itself is placed on the back of the oscilloscope shell, but in order to save space and power, unnecessary components must be removed. A very clever trick is to add a reed switch, which allows [kgsws] to set the EZ-USB board to the programming mode by holding a magnet near the switch without opening the oscilloscope shell.
After welding the USB connector into the spare slot of the RF shield, the project is completed. RIGOL can now connect to a PC and simply display as a video capture device to stream or capture video for [kgsws] future projects. We have also seen other hacker attacks on RIGOL ds1000z series. They can capture a series of screenshots or enable additional bandwidth and functions, but so far, adding real-time video output is not one of the options.