Frameoscope

Frameoscope is a fully open-source oscilloscope implementation in the form factor of a standard Framework Expansion Card, developed by jlcjak¹². It samples at 40 MSPS with 10 MHz bandwidth, using a Texas Instruments ADC, an iCE40 FPGA, and an FTDI FT232H USB PHY. It is compatible with ngscopeclient, the open-source streaming oscilloscope client¹³. The FPGA also serves as a user-programmable module with a >40 MB/s bidirectional data link to the host²⁴.

In Development

Frameoscope is in pre-release as of June 2026. Assemble-from-source (~$60 via JLCPCB) or an interest check for assembled units at $80 is available on the project website¹.

Technical Specifications

Specification	Details
Sampling rate	40 MSPS12
Bandwidth	10 MHz12
Resolution	8-bit12
Interface	USB 2.012
Input impedance	8.5 kOhm12
Input capacitance	~5 pF12
Input voltage	0–5 V (protected against reverse and over-voltage)12
Channels	1 (single-channel)1
ADC	Texas Instruments ADC12
FPGA	Lattice iCE40 (protocol translator)12
USB PHY	FTDI FT232H12
PCB thickness	0.8 mm12
Design tool	KiCad (schematic, PCB layout, symbols, footprints)2

Design

The board is built around three main ICs: a TI ADC, a Lattice iCE40 FPGA, and an FTDI FT232H USB bridge¹². The FPGA acts as a protocol translator between the ADC and the USB PHY. There is no onboard flash for the FPGA — it is reprogrammed over USB via the FT232H on every insertion (or can use iCE non-volatile configuration memory)².

The 8.5 kOhm input impedance is a deliberate cost optimization. A 1 MOhm input buffer would add roughly $10 to the BOM; the board stays under $30 at low quantity¹⁴. This makes Frameoscope suitable for low-to-moderate-speed signals but not a replacement for a proper benchtop oscilloscope⁴.

Software / Firmware

Frameoscope uses ngscopeclient as its oscilloscope UI¹³. The setup is automated by an install script¹²:

curl -fsSL frame.fasterscope.com/install.sh | bash

The script installs, starts, and enables a systemd service that automatically flashes the FPGA upon insertion and runs a bridge converting the data stream into ngscopeclient-compatible packets². Uninstall:

curl -fsSL frame.fasterscope.com/uninstall.sh | bash

The firmware and source code are in the /software directory of the GitHub repository². Ubuntu 24 is the primary supported OS; other distributions require adapting the install script².

Manufacturing & Pricing

Item	Detail
BOM cost	<$30 (low quantity)25
Assembled cost	~$40 for 2 units via JLCPCB; ~$60 shipped4
Target retail	~$80 (interest check)1
Component sourcing	All parts from LCSC2
Sponsor	NextPCB sponsored the first prototype run26

The first prototype PCBs arrived in May 2026, sponsored by NextPCB⁶. By June 2026 the hardware, firmware, and software were all working and published on GitHub⁷.

Community Reception

Frameoscope was posted to r/framework in June 2026, scoring 1,189 points with 98% upvoting and 46 comments⁴. Community members suggested using multiple cards across expansion slots for multi-channel operation, and several expressed willingness to buy at the $80 price point⁴.

Caveats

• Input impedance: 8.5 kOhm instead of the standard 1 MOhm found on most oscilloscopes — loads high-impedance circuits¹²⁴
• Single-channel: No multi-channel support¹
• Input range: 0–5 V only (not switchable)¹²
• USB 2.0: Interface bandwidth limits sustained capture throughput¹²
• FPGA volatility: No flash — must be reprogrammed on every reset/insertion²

Related Projects

Project	Description
DongleHider+	LeoDJ's expansion card housing USB dongles inside the card
Dual USB-C Expansion Card	Community project adding two USB-C ports to an expansion card
OCuLink Expansion Bay Module	High-speed PCIe expansion via FW16 bay (related oscilloscope community project: Oscilloscope Expansion Bay)

Footnotes

1. Frameoscope official website — Interest check and project overview ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴

2. jlcjak/frameoscope — GitHub repository (KiCad files, firmware, software) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷ ↩⁸ ↩⁹ ↩¹⁰ ↩¹¹ ↩¹² ↩¹³ ↩¹⁴ ↩¹⁵ ↩¹⁶ ↩¹⁷ ↩¹⁸ ↩¹⁹ ↩²⁰ ↩²¹ ↩²² ↩²³ ↩²⁴ ↩²⁵ ↩²⁶ ↩²⁷

3. ngscopeclient/scopehal-apps — ngscopeclient releases ↩ ↩²

4. I open sourced a Framework oscilloscope module — r/framework (jlcjak, June 2026) ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

5. Frameoscope initial spec announcement — @jlcjak on X (May 2026) ↩

6. Frameoscope PCBs arrived, NextPCB sponsorship — @jlcjak on X (May 2026) ↩ ↩²

7. FRAMEOSCOPE IS HERE — @jlcjak on X (June 2026) ↩