Ten years ago on Kickstarter, Gabriel Anzziani unveiled plans to produce an oscilloscope watch. The project caught on in popularity before fading into the ether for about a decade. After nearly forgetting about the project, early backers were surprised this month to receive a package containing the oscilloscope watch.
The project page received an update on July 30th of this year from Anzziani confirming that backers are now officially starting to receive their watches. According to the post, Anzziani is sending out between 10 and 20 rewards per week. The goal is to have all early rewards shipped by the end of 2023.
10 years ago I saw an oscilloscope watch on #Kickstarter Today it arrived! pic.twitter.com/svowwpAqQxAugust 25, 2023
The oscilloscope watch has two modes. As the name suggests, it functions as both a watch and an oscilloscope. The watch mode has several useful features including formatting options for 24 vs 12 hour layouts and even an alarm. Of course, it also has an oscilloscope mode that works when the probes are inserted.
The watch is powered by an 8-bit Xmega microcontroller with an internal PDI. It can be programmed to use custom mods using C. It has 8 buttons that can be programmed, as well, that surround the watch face on the outer edge. According to Anzziani, one goal of the project was to enable users to create their own apps for the watch.
The screen is a 1.28-inch, low-power E Ink display. Anzziani explains the expected battery life varies depending on whether or not the oscilloscope is in use. Without using the oscilloscope the battery can last around 30 days on a single charge. Using the oscilloscope cuts that down to about 12 hours.
If you want to get a closer look at this project, you can find details about it over at Kickstarter. Rewards are no longer available but you can still read more about how the project goes together. If this project seems up your alley, you might also want to check out this project that uses a Raspberry Pi Pico to power an oscilloscope with a smartphone UI.
