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FNIRSI 2C53T — Community Issues & Feature Requests

Curated from EEVblog forums, Elektor Magazine, YouTube reviews, blogs, and user communities.

62 issues documented across firmware, oscilloscope, signal generator, multimeter, and UI categories. 35 are critical or high severity. These inform the priorities for custom firmware development.

Custom Firmware Priority (Based on Community Pain Points)

  1. Fix hang/lockup bugs (#1, #2, #7) — the #1 reason users are frustrated
  2. Fix flash filesystem corruption (#3) — proper FatFS mutex protection
  3. Make FFT actually work (#6) — listed feature that doesn't produce usable results
  4. Restore 1MHz signal generator (#11) — biggest regression vs predecessor
  5. Add min/max/avg reset (#9, #10) — easy win, frequently requested
  6. Fix signal generator accuracy (#5, #14) — wrong frequencies below 20Hz, visible steps

Hardware Discovery

Issue #1 confirms the external SPI flash chip is a Winbond W25Q128JVSQ (128Mbit = 16MB). This is much larger than initially estimated — plenty of space for modules, waveform references, vehicle definitions, and other data.

The flash stores both firmware data and system graphics. A firmware update alone is not sufficient to restore a corrupted device — the external flash contents must also be restored.


Critical Bugs

# Issue Source
1 Auto-measurement hang — long-pressing auto starts calibration with no escape; device must drain battery to recover EEVblog (ee00)
2 GUI lockup on vertical position — freezes when adjusting V-pos with probes connected; worsens when ground clips touch EEVblog (Rainwater)
3 Flash filesystem corruption — corrupts user storage (Drive 2) and system graphics (Drive 3), causing "Save failed" errors and missing display elements EEVblog (Dr. Blast)

High-Priority Bugs

# Issue Source
4 Generator output depends on battery voltage — DAC appears tied directly to Vbatt with no reference; at half charge, full 3.3V output is impossible EEVblog / Reddit
5 Signal generator inaccurate below 20Hz — DDS produces wrong frequencies at low end; some values output entirely different frequencies EEVblog (Rainwater)
6 FFT/spectrum analysis non-functional — listed feature doesn't produce usable results EEVblog (tutochkin)
7 Unexpected restarts on AUTO button — device reboots/freezes during normal scope use OneSDR Review
8 Firmware update failures — some Amazon units stuck on old versions, refuse to run past v1.0.3 EEVblog

Feature Requests & Regressions

# Issue Type Source
9 DMM average can't be reset — no way to reset the running average without exiting and re-entering measurement mode Feature Request Community (multiple)
10 No min/max hold reset — min/max values accumulate over entire session with no reset option Feature Request Community (multiple)
11 Generator frequency reduced to 50kHz — was 1MHz on predecessor 2C23T; biggest community complaint Regression Elektor Review
12 Generator output is unipolar only — no output capacitor or symmetrical supply; can't generate bipolar signals Complaint Elektor Review
13 Generator max voltage reduced — from 3.3V to 3V p-p vs predecessor Regression Elektor Review
14 Generator sine wave shows visible steps/flattening — unsuitable for high-quality signal applications Complaint Elektor Review
15 Pause + timebase change doesn't update display — frozen waveform persists regardless of timebase changes Bug EEVblog (tutochkin)
16 Trigger position inconsistent — front edge not always centered on screen for single-shot captures Bug EEVblog (tutochkin)
17 Storage depth limited to ~1k points — possible reduction from predecessor's 32KB Complaint EEVblog
18 Input stage nonlinearity — amplitude increases slightly from 10MHz to 50MHz Bug Elektor Review

UI / Usability Issues

# Issue Source
19 Screen too crowded with multiple measurements displayed Elektor Review
20 Counter-intuitive navigation — button functions change between modes; settings only accessible from startup screen Audio Investigations Blog
21 Language selection confusion — accidentally selecting Chinese makes device nearly unusable; requires right-arrow (not down) to switch back Audio Investigations Blog
22 Manual is tiny and nearly unreadable — online version described as "not very useful" either Audio Investigations Blog
23 Long-press auto button has no warning — silently starts calibration, leading to unintended hangs EEVblog (ee00)

Hardware Issues (Not Firmware-Fixable)

# Issue Source
24 BNC connectors too close — probes with plastic covers can't both fit simultaneously Elektor Review
25 Multimeter socket spacing non-standard — slightly less than 19mm, incompatible with some accessories Elektor Review
26 Difficult to disassemble — rubber gasket appears permanently bonded; only reset pinhole accessible EEVblog (ee00)

Reference: Existing Open-Source FNIRSI Firmware

The FNIRSI 1013D open-source firmware project is a community-developed replacement for a similar FNIRSI oscilloscope (FPGA+ARM+ADC architecture). It addressed display compatibility, touch calibration, and RMS measurement improvements — a useful reference for the 2C53T firmware rewrite.

Sources