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Frequently Asked Questions
This page contains frequently asked questions and answers relating to our products and services. You can use your browser "Find" feature to search this entire FAQ listing for the information you need.
> Does the USBee require a USB 2.0 port on my PC?
> Do you have a USB Protocol Analyzer?
> Can the USBee stream data forever at 24Msps (to disk or to my application)?
> What is the file format of the ULB files that are saved by the USBee Applications?
> What PC Operating Systems does the USBee Test Pods run on?
> Do you Provide Linux or Mac Drivers for the USBee?
> Does the USBee AX have 2 analog inputs?
> Where can I find the USBee SX software download?
> Can I run two instances of the Logic Analyzer application, select different pods on each instance and have each application trigger and trace the differenct pods?
> Do you have a LabView driver for any of your USBee devices?
> Is the EX2 backwards compatible to USB version 1.1? I would like to use the higher speed sampling but have only a USB v1 port.
> Do I need to provide power to the USBee Pods or Experimenter EX/EX2 Board?
> When using the logic analyzer, I intermittently receive an error that claims "There was a break in the sample data. Your sample rate has been reduced for your PC configuration." What is going on and how do I fix it?
> Can the USBee AX or ZX device sample all 8 channels at 24 MSPS at the same time (192 MSPS total), or just 1/any combination that adds to 24 MSPS?
> Can I provide the USBee ZX and USBee AX with a clock signal for latching the data?
> For the USBee ZX or AX I2C Controller, what clock is possible? 50K, 100K, 400KHz. What does average 1.5KHz mean?
> Is the I2C controller feature an I2C master?
> Can the I2C Controller work as an I2C slave?
> During I2C Controlling, can I use the I2C decoder?
> What maximum sample rate will I get on my PC?
> I don't see the Wi-Spy on your web site anymore. Where can I get it?
> I need help or drivers for the USBee Flash Drives.
> Your USBee products are great, but I need a modification for my special purpose. Can you customize them for us?
> How long does it take to ship my order?
> Do you take Purchase Orders?
> Do you have an upgrade policy?
> What is the warrenty period on the USBee?
> Do you have a refund policy?
> Do you give demonstration versions of the software?
> Do you give educational discounts?
> I have corrupted my installation of the USBee PC software. the following error msg popped up during the splash screen: "Run-time error '11':Division by zero". How do I fix this?
> During Calibration of the USBee I get a "Calibration Failed" message and the program exits. What is wrong?
> My USBee Oscilloscope always shows about 0V no matter what signal I input to one of the channels. What is wrong?
> Running the Data Extractor I get the message saying pod ID not found. What is wrong?
> How do I register the V File Viewer included with the Data Extractors?
Q: Does the USBee require a USB 2.0 port on my PC?
A: Yes, they will not operate without a high speed USB port (USB 2.0).
To determine if your PC has High Speed USB ports, go to the Hardware Device Manager (Start, Control Panel, System, Hardware, Device Manager). In the USB section you will see one or many Host Controllers. If any of them say the term "Enhanced" then you have high speed USB 2.0 ports on your PC. Otherwise you do not and the USBee ZX or AX will not work on your machine.
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Q: Do you have a USB Protocol Analyzer?
A: Yes, it is a function of the USBee AX-Plus and USBee AX-Pro models.
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Q: Can the USBee stream data forever at 24Msps (to disk or to my application)?
A: The USBee DX can do this with the Data Extractors. See here for more details.
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Q: What is the file format of the ULB files that are saved by the USBee Applications?
A: The File Format is below.
Bytes - Description
20 - Signal 0
20 - Signal 1
20 - Signal 2
20 - Signal 3
20 - Signal 4
20 - Signal 5
20 - Signal 6
20 - Signal 7
1 - Sample Rate (247, 167,...)
4 - Buffer Size in bytes
1 - SG Trigger Mode (don't care, high, low, rising, falling)
1 - Loop
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 0 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 1 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 2 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 3 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 4 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 5 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 6 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 7 Number 1
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 0 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 1 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 2 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 3 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 4 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 5 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 6 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 7 Number 2
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 0 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 1 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 2 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 3 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 4 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 5 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 6 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 7 Number 3
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 0 Number 4
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 1 Number 4
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 2 Number 4
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 3 Number 4
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 4 Number 4
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 5 Number 4
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 6 Number 4
1 - LA Trigger Setting Signal 7 Number 4
1 - LA Clocking Mode (Internal/External)
4 - Prestore Setting
4 - Trigger Position (sample number at trigger)
4 - Center Display Position (sample number at center of screen)
4 - Scale Value
4 - SubScale Value
4 - XCursor Position (sample number at XCursor)
4 - OCursor Position (sample number at XCursor)
4 - Pod ID used
tbd - Data (one byte per sample - each bit is a signal level - bit 0 = signal 0)
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Q: What PC Operating Systems does the USBee Test Pods run on?
A: Windows Vista, XP and 2000.
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Q: Do you Provide Linux or Mac Drivers for the USBee?
A: Not at this time
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Q: Does the USBee AX have 2 analog inputs?
A: It has only one (1) analog channel, but has two inputs which are muxed onto that one channel. The end result is that you can only see one channel at a time unless you are using the Datalogger application which toggles between the input channels.
If you need two independent channels you will need the USBee DX.
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Q: Where can I find the USBee SX software download?
A: The USBee SX has been discontinued, but you can still download the software from here:
http://www.usbee.com/software/sxdemo.zip
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Q: Can I run two instances of the Logic Analyzer application, select different pods on each instance and have each application trigger and trace the differenct pods?
A: Yes, you can run two instances of the Logic Analyzer on the same machine and each application will trigger and trace the different pods.
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Q: Do you have a LabView driver for any of your USBee devices?
A: Not at this time.
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Q: Is the EX2 backwards compatible to USB version 1.1? I would like to use the higher speed sampling but have only a USB v1 port.
A: Yes, the USBee EX2 will run on USB 1.1 ports also. Your overall bandwidth will be less (obviously).
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Q: Do I need to provide power to the USBee Pods or Experimenter EX2 Board?
A: No, the power comes from the USB bus.
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Q: When using the logic analyzer, I intermittently receive an error that claims "There was a break in the sample data. Your sample rate has been reduced for your PC configuration." What is going on and how do I fix it?
A: During a trace capture the USBee detects if even one sample has been missed by the PC being interrupted by other processing or a slow USB bus. On most systems this should not be a problem. To eliminate or reduce this problem try these items:
- Are you using a Hub? If you are using a Hub, make sure it is a USB 2.0 and has its own power supply.
- Are you running other applications at the time you see this message? Run as few other programs as possible on the PC running the Logic Analyzer applications at the same time.
- Does it happen without the leads attached to anything? If so, it could be possible that your signals voltage levels are out of range for the pod.
- Run the Logic Analyzer and select Tools, Sample Rate Test and let it run. The maximum sample rate is set to what your PC can handle after the test (could be as long as 30 seconds).
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Q: Can the USBee AX or ZX device sample all 8 channels at 24 MSPS at the same time (192 MSPS total), or just 1/any combination that adds to 24 MSPS?
A: Yes, the USBee ZXand AX samples all 8 signals at up to 24Msps (192Msps combined total).
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Q: Can I provide the USBee ZX and USBee AX with a clock signal for latching the data?
A: Yes, you can provide external clocking up to 16MHz using the CLK signal.
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Q: For the USBee I2C Controller, what clock is possible? 50K, 100K, 400KHz. What does average 1.5KHz mean?
A: The I2C Controller "bit-bangs" the I2C protocol and does not operate at a fixed SCL rate. Although each bit of each data byte is sent out at roughly 100kHz, the time between the START, ACK, Data and STOP can take a while.
Due to the delays between the START, Data, ACK and STOP, that average bit rate of the I2C controller is 1.5K bits/second.
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Q: Is the I2C controller feature an I2C master?
A: Yes, it is.
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Q: Can the I2C Controller work as an I2C slave?
A: No.
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Q: During I2C Controlling, can I use the I2C decoder?
A: No, you will need another unit to do so.
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Q: What maximum sample rate will I get on my PC?
A: If your PC has High Speed USB 2.0 ports on the motherboard (not on an add-in PCI card) you should be able to get 24Msps. Many Laptops and PC's with PCI add-in USB cards can only get 8Msps due to the architecture of the PC. If you are using a laptop, you will want to disable any power saving features (in the Windows Control Panel) since the USB bus is one item that gets "reduced" to save power. Also, if you have other USB intensive devices such as scanners, printers, or video devices they will reduce the available sample rate when they are active.
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Q: I don't see the Wi-Spy on your web site anymore. Where can I get it?
A: We have discontinued selling the Wi-Spy. You can get the device at www.metageek.net
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Q: I need help or drivers for the USBee Flash Drives.
A: We do not make or sell the USBee Flash Drives. That is another company.
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Q: Your USBee products are great, but I need a modification for my special purpose. Can you customize them for us?
A: Yes, we do custimizations regularly for customers. We do these on a time and materials basis. Just call us at (951) 694-6808 to discuss your needs.
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Q: How long does it take to ship my order?
A: For in stock items, orders are shipped withing 24 hours. Orders placed before 1pm PST for overnight shipping (using your account number) will go out the same day.
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Q: Do you take Purchase Orders?
A: Yes we do. You can fax them to us at (240)220-8868. We may need to contact you before approval.
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Q: Do you have an upgrade policy?
A: Yes. You can upgrade from any USBee device to any other within one year for the price difference plus shipping.
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Q: What is the warrenty period on the USBee?
A: One year parts and labor from the date of purchase. Shipping is additional. You must first contact us at support@usbee.com before sending the unit in for repairs.
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Q: Do you have a refund policy?
A: Yes, you may return the USBee for 30 days from the date of purchase for a full refund less the shipping costs. You must first contact us at support@usbee.com before sending the unit in for a refund.
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Q: Do you give demonstration versions of the software?
A: The complete version of the software that is available for download from this site runs in demonstration mode with no device attached. Once you plug in a USBee, the software operates in real mode.
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Q: Do you give educational discounts?
A: Yes we do, for quantity purchases. If you would like to outfit your laboratory with the USBee, please contact us at sales@usbee.com for a quote.
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Q: I have corrupted my installation of the USBee PC software. the following error msg popped up during the splash screen: "Run-time error '11':Division by zero". How do I fix this?
A: You can completely reset the AX software by clearing out all of the registry keys in the following location:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\VB and VBA Program Settings\usbeeaxmso\Startup
There are actual sections for each of the AX applications.
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Q: During Calibration of the USBee I get a "Calibration Failed" message and the program exits. What is wrong?
A: Make sure that you have plugged the socketed wires onto the pins for GND, CH1 and CH2. If they are not on the pins correctly the calibration and standard measurements will fail.
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Q: My USBee Oscilloscope always shows about 0V no matter what signal I input to one of the channels. What is wrong?
A: Make sure that you have plugged the socketed wires onto the pins for GND, CH1 and CH2. If they are not on the pins correctly the calibration and standard measurements will fail.
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Q: Running the Data Extractor I get the message saying pod ID not found. What is wrong?
A: You need to change each of the Batch files to have your unique Pod ID (instead of the defaulted 3209). Once you change this (using a text editor) your batch files will run. Then you can change the command line parameters to tailor the output and inputs to your liking.
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Q: How do I register the V File Viewer included with the Data Extractors?
A: The V File Viewer is a program made by another company and you need to register the program directly with them. The application will work without registering, but registering will remove the popup messages.
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