This column provides the name of the company and the model number of the product. In most cases, this is clear, in some cases, where an overseas manufacturer is involved, this company name is their main reseller or distributor.
The number of channels that can be sampled simultaneously. In the current rev of this comparison, they range from 8 to 34 channels.
Does this unit have any analog oscilloscope capabilities?
For my purposes, a sample rate specified in megahertz (the default unit of measurement if none else is listed), is the same as a sample rate specified in million samples per second. I've tried to use the manufacturers' verbiage where possible.
This describes how fast the logic analyzer can sample the inputs. The first measurement, "int", is the Internal clock rate. This refers to Timing acquisition mode, where the logic analyzer is using its own internal asynchronous clock to determine when to sample the inputs. This mode is often the fastest mode the device can perform and is useful for determining timing relationships between the signals. The second measurement, "ext", is the External clock rate. This refers to State acquisition mode where an external clock pin from the system under test tells the logic analyzer when to sample the inputs. This is used when you want to determine the validity of a signal or group of signals within the context of the device's clock. If there is no listed EXTernal sample rate, then the device may not support state acquisition mode, or the datasheet did not provide a specific rate for it.
This is the amount of memory used for storing samples, either per channel, or total across all channels. As each manufacturer's method of storing data is different, how the manufacturers describe this spec on their datasheets are different. In conjunction with the sample rate, this effectively tells you how many samples you can store, and how long the total acquisition time will be. For long acquisition times of slow data rates, see compression below, and how this helps the situation.
This column tells whether the logic analyzer has the ability to export captured data in a standard format like .txt, .csv, and so on. Most of these analyzers have the capability of saving the data, but in some cases, they are only useful within the software. STANDARDIZED file formats make this data useful for post-processing, whether it be in Excel, or parsed in a custom script or program.
This describes whether the logic analyzer software can be decode any of the captured data in a high-level easy to read format. I checked support for a few commonly available protocols. Where SPI and I2C should be self-explanatory, 232 refers to asynchronous RS232. This isn't necessarily RS232 level voltages, nor is it necessarily inverted data. It should probably read asynchronous serial, but that wouldn't fit in my column, now would it??
This column describes whether or not the logic analyzer supports Data Compression, also known as transitional timing, sample compression, and so on. If there are large periods of inactivity between occasional bursts of data, simply sampling each and every idle bit for as much memory allows results in an inefficient sample of the data. You might end up with large sections of unchanging data which is useless. This method allows the logic analyzer to just store the actual transitions, and when they occur. The logic analyzer makes a note of idle time periods, and keeps track of when they occur, but this does not consume as much memory as storing transitions. In the end, the software displays everything normally, and you end up with a longer sample, with the more interesting data preserved. Note that this method can really help logic analyzers that have a shallow memory depth.
Has a recent version of the firmware been released? This is important because it tells you whether you are dealing with an older mature product, or if current development is still ongoing. Note this could be "hardware firmware" or this could be PC-based software. Either way, a YES means that I've seen a version of software dated within the last year or so. Otherwise, I list a date of the last version. Note that there are more than one way to look at this. Older software MIGHT BE more stable and more reliable. OR, the software could be abandoned with no future development or bug fixes. You decide.
This is the current price from either the manufacturer's site, or from a stocking reseller. I tried to find the lowest possible street price, but I did not do heavy shopping, or dig into available rebates, and so on. In some cases, when the price was quoted in foreign currency, I converted it to US Dollars using the current exchange rate.