SVG Based Vector Scope
a day ago
- #animation-pipeline
- #vector-display
- #DIY-electronics
- Oscilloscopes have an XY mode that enables them to function as vector displays by using voltage inputs for horizontal and vertical beam positioning.
- A vector-based pipeline was built to convert SVG files, with one layer per frame, into animations for display on a Sencore CRT using an ESP32.
- Animations were created through methods such as rotoscoping in Inkscape, using Blender's Freestyle for 3D line art, freehand drawing, Processing for text generation, and porting a differential growth generator.
- SVG frames were traced with custom scripts to convert them into x/y coordinate pairs in C++ format for integration into Arduino code on the ESP32.
- Hardware setup involved connecting the ESP32's DAC outputs to the oscilloscope's probe inputs for X and Y control, with power derived from the scope's internal rail, and animations were also converted to GIFs for online sharing.