Adding a GUI for Linux on Analog Discovery Pro (ADP3450/ADP3250)

This guide discusses how and why to add a Graphical User Interface (GUI) for the Analog Discovery Pro (ADP3450/ADP3250) using Virtual Network Computing (VNC) and presents how to install WaveForms on your device and use it with a wireless screen.

Inventory

Hardware

  • Analog Discovery Pro in Linux mode
    • If you haven't used Linux mode before, check out the Getting Started in Linux Mode guide for information on how to switch from the default Standard mode into Linux mode, boot into Linux, and connect to it with a serial terminal.
  • A computer connected to the same network as the Test & Measurement device
  • Ethernet cable or a USB WiFi Dongle (see the Specifications for a list of compatible dongles)
  • A USB flash drive formatted with a FAT/FAT32 filesystem (Optional)

Software on Your PC

Note: To start, you are required to have the latest Linux image on your device, and your device has to be connected to the internet. To update the Linux image on Analog Discovery Pro (ADP3450/ADP3250), follow this guide: How to Update or Recover Linux Mode on the Analog Discovery Pro (ADP3450/ADP3250). To connect your device to the internet, follow this guide: Connecting the Analog Discovery Pro (ADP3450/ADP3250) to the Internet.

Setting Up a Remote Desktop

Connect your PC to the Analog Discovery Pro with a terminal emulator, either over a USB cable or with SSH. Log into the device. By default, the username and password are both “digilent”.

First, a desktop environment should be installed. In this guide, XFCE will be used, as it is one of the most lightweight desktop environments. To install XFCE, enter the following line into the terminal and wait several minutes until the necessary packages are installed (the sudo password is “digilent” by default). 

sudo apt install xfce4 -y

As the Analog Discovery Pro doesn't have a display, a VNC server must also be installed to stream the desktop to another device (PC, phone, or tablet). Install the VNC server with the following command: 

sudo apt install tightvncserver -y

Start and stop the server to create the necessary configuration files, by typing: 

vncserver

At the first start, you are required to enter a password for your remote desktop. When you are asked if you would like a view-only password or not, choose “no”. Stop the server by entering: 

vncserver -kill :1

Now open the configuration file: 

sudo nano ~/.vnc/xstartup

and add the following line to the end of the file: 

startxfce4

Hit Ctrl+O and enter to save the changes and Ctrl+X to exit from the editor.

Start the server again with: 

vncserver

Note the X desktop name (here it is ADPro:1).

Open the VNC viewer and add a new connection with the noted X desktop name. Enter your password and connect to the device.

On the first start, choose “Use default config”. At this point, you have a working GUI for Analog Discovery Pro, but the server will stop when you turn off the device.

To enable autorun for the VNC server, open Applications → Settings → Settings Manager and select Session and Startup from the System group. Select the Application Autostart tab and add a new entry. Set the name and the description of the entry to something suggestive and the command to: 

vncserver

Save the changes. Now the VNC server will be started on boot. You can connect to the device after booting by double-clicking on its icon in the VNC viewer.

Note: You may have to wait a few minutes after booting, for the network connection to be established.

Using the Remote Desktop

In this part, we will install the WaveForms GUI on the Analog Discovery Pro, then use an Android tablet as a wireless screen. Before continuing, check your browser. If the browser doesn't open, expand the drop-down below for detailed instructions about how to fix it.

Fixing the Browser on XFCE

If you receive an error when opening the browser, you will have to install a new one and set that as default. Open the terminal, then type: 

sudo apt-get install falkon -y

When the installation finishes, open Applications → Settings → Preferred Application. Open the Web Browser drop-down and choose Other…. In the window that appears enter: 

falkon --no-sandbox

Save the changes. Now you should have a working browser.

Installing the WaveForms GUI

On your device, open the WaveForms Download page. Fill in the required fields, then download WaveForms for Linux ARM-32-bit.deb.

Alternatively, if you want to download the WaveForms installer to your computer first, then transfer it to the ADP, rather than using a browser on the device, you can download the installer now and place it on your FAT/FAT32 flash drive.

Open Downloads folder with the file manager, or after inserting the usb stick, click on the new icon from desktop and enter the password in the pop up window to mount the USB flash drive. Then, from the File menu, select Open Terminal Here. Install the downloaded package with the following commands (don't forget to change the name of the file according to its version): 

sudo dpkg -i digilent.waveforms_3.14.3_armhf.deb
sudo apt-get install -f

Using the WaveForms GUI

WaveForms can be opened from Applications → Development or Education → WaveForms. WaveForms will connect to the Analog Discovery Pro on startup.

You can connect other Test & Measurement devices to the Analog Discovery Pro and use them with WaveForms.

While WaveForms is not supported on Android, you can still install a VNC viewer to your tablet and use it as a wireless display for Analog Discovery Pro.

Exchanging Files with the Analog Discovery Pro (ADP3450/ADP3250)

To copy/move files between your PC and the Analog Discovery Pro, you can use the Secure File Transfer Protocol (SFTP). To start the file transfer, open a command prompt, or terminal on your PC, then type: 

sftp digilent@ADPro

When required, enter your password.

You can use the following commands to set the working path: 

lpwd - view the local working directory
pwd - view the remote working directory
lcd directoryname - change the local working directory
cd directoryname - change the remote working directory
lls - list files from the local working directory
ls - list files from the remote working directory

When the local and the remote paths are set, you can copy files from the remote directory to the local directory with the following command: 

get filename.extension

To copy a file from the local directory to the remote one, use: 

put filename.extension

When finished, you can exit with: 

bye

Next Steps

For more guides on how to use your Digilent Test & Measurement device, return to the device's Resource Center, linked from the Test and Measurement page of this wiki.

For technical support, please visit the Test and Measurement section of the Digilent Forums.