Saleae Pre-Order Update #4 - Logic 4 is shipping!
Software
Fresh new software posted today! http://support.saleae.com/hc/en-us/articles/201522205-1-1-21-beta-logic-4-support-- New software update : http://support.saleae.com/hc/en-us/articles/201589175-logic-1-1-23-beta
Logic 4
- Now Shipping!
Logic 8:
- Estimated shipping date: September 4th
- Constraint: HDL/software development backlog
- PCB: all on hand (PCBAs done by this Friday)
- Electrical components: all on hand
- Metal case, etc: on hand / in route
Logic Pro 8
- Estimated shipping date: September 12th
- Constraint: HDL/software development backlog
- PCB: all on hand
- Electrical components: all on hand
- Metal case, etc: on hand / in route
Logic Pro 16
- Estimated shipping date: September 12th
- Constraint: HDL/software development backlog
- PCB: all on hand
- Electrical components: all on hand
- Metal case, etc: on hand / in route
Logic 4 Shipping
Logic 4 is now shipping! Woo! Thank you Logic 4 backers, and thanks for your trust and patience! Also, if you haven’t received an email to send us your shipping address please write us (support@saleae.com), you may have missed it.
More on Logic 4 further down, let’s move on to:
What is this HDL/Software Development Backlog Nonsense?
This is what I would be thinking, and maybe I would be just a little bit annoyed (or maybe a lot) if I was reading that after following along with our updates over the past months.
First of all the good news: there are no material / assembly constraints any more — everything is in stock or on the way.
The bad news is that HDL development has some quirks that need to be resolved before we can safely ship. In addition (and to a lesser extent) we need to make sure the software is working perfectly well in conjunction with the HDL. For Logic 8 we don’t expect this to take more than a week, and the reason we have two weeks above is because our intrepid HDL developer Mark is unavoidably detained for a week, which we’re all a little bit stressed about but there’s nothing that can be done about it.
Specifically, there are some remaining HDL issues with the CIC digital filter (a glitch/bug), some timing constraints issues, and some minor security development work. On the software side a bit more time needs to be put on USB 3.0 support for OS X and Linux. The firmware also needs to be fully reviewed. In the scheme of things, this isn’t much, but it is frustrating to us and I’m sure to many of you reading this. For what it’s worth, I offer my apologies. We’ll try and make it up to you by shipping a beautiful, refined, and ‘it just works’ product you can be proud to own and have waited for.
Did we mention Logic 4 is shipping?
Woo! Logic 4 is the smallest and least expensive of the new product family, but believe it or not it’s actually really cool. Here are some fun facts.
Logic 4 Fun Facts
- The code name for Logic 4 for was “Logic Student”
- 136 components (Logic16 only has 163!)
- Uses the Cypress FX2 chip in the tiny 8x8mm 56-VFQFN package
- Uses an I2C crypto chip for resistance against cloners
- Has an RGB led with a cool light pipe (James even built a “light pipe insertion tool”)
- Has a USB micro connector (unlike Logic and Logic16)
- Has a -.23V charge pump IC (helpful for not clipping ground in an op-amp circuit)
- Has dual 74AHC573 latches to make fast 4-bit sampling possible with the FX2
- Has a 7th order passive ant-aliasing filter: 1 resistor, 3 inductors and 3 capacitors
- PCB is 6-layer, .032 thick, 1.5″x1.5″
- The tooling for the logo badge on the top cost the same as a decent used car
- Uses #2-64 screws (Logic/Logic16 used #0-80)
- Has custom machined “feet”
- First units shipped in red!
James is in China
Most parts of Logic are made/assembled in the United States, but the aluminum case is currently not. James is over in China right now making sure that the machined aluminum enclosures are top quality. I’ll see if we can’t get a blog post from him about that. We also should get a post in about our own assembly operation, which is pretty cool.
Testing Software / Hardware
Some of the delays with Logic 4 right towards the end involved getting the testing setup ready for prime time. I’m happy to report it is now happily logging calibration data to an online database.
New Software Release — with support for Logic 4!
http://support.saleae.com/hc/en-us/articles/201522205-1-1-21-beta-logic-4-support-
We’ve just pushed the latest software, and for the first time this includes analog support. It’s a little more rough around the edges than I’d like but the software team is cranking away and it’ll be nice and refined before too long. Chris has added drag-and-drop and it is AWESOME. Try it. Try multiple selections too (shift-click). Analog measurements are a bit rough, but it’s getting there and is going to be fantastic. Behind the scenes, Aparna has been working on securing our software against the cloners.
Next Steps
Software – bug backlog, UI/UX refinement, and and more testing/fixes for Logic 8/Pro 8/Pro 16 integration.
HDL / Firmware – Fixing timing constraint issues and filter-related data glitches.
Hardware – Improvement of automated test software/hardware
Thank You
This has not gone as smoothly as we had planned. I particularly dislike pushing back the ship dates instead of moving them forward! If any of you, in your own lives, have shipped things early –and properly managed expectations — and have some tips or a recommendation for a book or something please do write into support!
Thanks so much for your trust and patience. You’re going to love the new products.