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Forum Index : Microcontroller and PC projects : [Electronics] Seeking oscilloscope recommendations
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thwill Guru  Joined: 16/09/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4311 |
Hi folks, Given runaway inflation and a crumbling economy the money in my pocket is worth less every day so I'm wondering if now is the time to invest in a "proper" DSO (assuming the silicon shortage hasn't made them unavailable ?) Any recommendations for a hobbyist ? It doesn't need to be bargain basement, and I don't want to be thinking to myself in a couple of years that I wish I'd spent a few hundred more. I want a standalone model with sufficient range, functionality, etc. for working with 'mites, not a device that converts a PC into an oscilloscope. Best wishes, Tom MMBasic for Linux, Game*Mite, CMM2 Welcome Tape, Creaky old text adventures |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5090 |
Hi Tom, EEVBLOG has done a lot of oscilloscope reviews. From the 1000 pound up to as low as 100 pound. Google on EEVBLOG + OSCILLOSCOPE I am not sure what your budget is, but in the 300-500 pound range there is actually some nice stuff availble (how different was that 15 years ago, where you needed several thousends to get something useable). Tek shootout (shootdown) Below may be a nice scope for money. I actually looked for it for myself, but my old 5000 euro HP is still working... Siglent Comparing to the next competitor Rigol vs Siglent Volhout Edited 2022-07-05 03:59 by Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7937 |
I got one of these a while ago. It's not the greatest scope, but IMHO it's pretty darn good for the money and has more facilities than I need really. You get what you pay for, unfortunately. If you want to see high speed glitches then it will cost. Hantek DSO5102P if people don't want to click the link. Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
I use a Picoscope I always have a laptop or a Windows tablet so why carry more bulk than I need to. Craig Edit: Oops, I didn't read the bit where you stated that this is what you don't want  Edited 2022-07-05 04:30 by Tinine |
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| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
So here's my "standalone"  Craig |
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| matherp Guru Joined: 11/12/2012 Location: United KingdomPosts: 10315 |
The consultant in me says "What are your requirements?" Do you want a DSO or MSO? For working with mites one of the key requirements is protocol inspection and analysis which is really MSO territory. You can do most with a 4 channel DSO but make sure it includes the protocol analysis S/W and that it isn't an expensive optional extra. Do you need to see the really fast signals that some of the mites are capable of? Do you need isolated inputs? In which case battery powered. Do you want a built-in signal generator? etc. Personally, like Tinine, I mostly use a Picoscope, in my case a 3204B which has 60MHz bandwidth, 2 channels, 500MHz sample rate and a built-in siggen. In addition I have a lovely old Hameg HM407 40MHz analog + 100MHz sampling digital. Also a Fluke 199C, 200MHz, 2.5GHz sampling rate, battery powered with isolated inputs (even from each other). This is great as you can connect the probe earth to 240V if you want without everything blowing up as happens with most scopes. All purchased second hand at huge discount from new prices. As I said, you really need to properly list your requirements and then search for a scope that meets them. If you aren't sure then go cheap as you can always upgrade later once you know better what you want |
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TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6283 |
It's a bit like asking what's the best car... I have a 4 channel Siglent on the bench and DSO Nano for portable use. The protocol decoders on the Siglent are extremely useful as Peter advised. Also a 20+ year old Techtronics and 45+ year old Telequip (poor mans Techtronics), both bought new. Make sure it comes with probes when comparing prices. Probes are expensive and critical. Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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| pwillard Guru Joined: 07/06/2022 Location: United StatesPosts: 313 |
I bought a LeCROY, (based on excited vocabulary from Dave Jones at EEVBLOG) but it's much the same as a SIGLENT or RIGOL model variant, it's just that LeCroy costs a few bucks more. I'm quite pleased and unless I'm working on TRUE analog signals... these are great. For Analog... I haul out my BECKMAN 30MHZ CRT O-scope. |
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hitsware2 Guru Joined: 03/08/2019 Location: United StatesPosts: 719 |
What the world needs is a S.S. , flat panel , ANALOG , O - Scope . Something like 8 bit x 8 bit LED matrix ... fast A - D to each ( X - Y ) axis ... Conventional analog front end . my site |
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| robert.rozee Guru Joined: 31/12/2012 Location: New ZealandPosts: 2442 |
my recommendation is the Siglent SDS1104X-E. the difference between the X-E and X-U are: * X-E has dual ADC's (500msps/channel when using 4 channels simultaneously), while the X-U has a single ADC (250msps/channel when using 4 channels), * X-E has twice the waveform memory (28mpts shared over 4 channels), as opposed to 14mpts shared over 4 channels for the X-U, * X-E has a web interface, the X-U does not, * X-E can be software upgraded to 200MHz (takes 5 minutes to do), X-U can not. see: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-1120-new-sds1104x-u-4-channel-100mhz-1gsas-economy-oscilloscope/msg3356644/#msg3356644 i don't consider the slightly cheaper price of the X-U to be a worthwhile saving considering the reduced feature set. like other have said, a cheap/small CRO for analog stuff is a worthwhile compliment. btw, in general, the digital side of a (lower-end) MSO performs poorly when compared to a dedicated logic analyser. i use one of the us$10 saleae clones attached to a PC which performs admirably as an 8-channel 20Mhz analyser. cheers, rob :-) |
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| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
Ex wife:"A red one." Craig |
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| PeterB Guru Joined: 05/02/2015 Location: AustraliaPosts: 655 |
Grogster went through this some time back and I have no idea what he went for. At that time I think I said, I have a CRO and I understand what every knob does. I also have a Hantek 5102 DSO and I have no idea what most of the knobs do. The 5102 is a wonderful thing but I don't get to use it often enough to become familiar with it. A DSO can also give problems with aliasing but back when I did this for a living I would have loved it. It really is a very nice problem to have..............a new toy........should I? Good luck Peter(B) |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5090 |
Best investment I ever made. The latest Saleae software may no accept the cheap chinese clones, but slightly older versions do. Also on Linux (32 and 64 bit). And when you are hunting for artefacts, the Saleae UI (the way the app works on browsing data) is far better than any MSO scope. Edited 2022-07-05 16:24 by Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| Mixtel90 Guru Joined: 05/10/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 7937 |
+1 for the el-cheapo clones of Saleae logic analyzers. An excellent bit of kit and more useful than a scope for a lot of stuff (particularly chip addressing and serial comms). I didn't mention that I also have an old Hitachi V211 CRT scope. It was probably one of the last models to be built using transistors rather than custom ICs, consequently it's big, bulky and repairable (with difficulty in getting to some bits). :) There are some jobs where it's nicer to use than the Hantek, but it needs *a lot* of bench space. Edited 2022-07-05 16:57 by Mixtel90 Mick Zilog Inside! nascom.info for Nascom & Gemini Preliminary MMBasic docs & my PCB designs |
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| thwill Guru Joined: 16/09/2019 Location: United KingdomPosts: 4311 |
Thanks folks, Peter is of course right to identify that I don't know what I want it for and I don't know what I'm going to do with it when I get it, even if he didn't quite put it in those terms  .For reference I currently have a toy DSO 138 that I built from a kit and which I'm not convinced is working completely correctly - the baseline likes to wander about - but that may well be user incompetence. I suspected as much, personally I'm happy with one with 4* wheels that goes "Brmmm". * assuming you aren't going to be awkward about the steering wheel, spare wheel, etc. Perhaps I might have been better saying which one I was considering buying and having you shoot it down, so we will try that: It may be at the extreme end of my price range, but why should I not buy a Rigol DS1054Z-S Plus with the additional RPL1116 Logic Analyser Probe Set ? Best wishes, Tom MMBasic for Linux, Game*Mite, CMM2 Welcome Tape, Creaky old text adventures |
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| Tinine Guru Joined: 30/03/2016 Location: United KingdomPosts: 1646 |
 We talking about this thing? I grabbed one, thinking I needed it but had solved the problem before it arrived. What's the best software to get? Craig |
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| PeterB Guru Joined: 05/02/2015 Location: AustraliaPosts: 655 |
PeterM's idea about making a list of what you want is correct but the problem is knowing what you want before you have one. Your second DSO/CRO/??? will be a ripper because then you know what you want. Over the years I have bought many tools with no idea of how much use it will get. Some rot away in the back of the shed while others get used for a lot more that we ever thought of. I still have my first electric drill but it is in retirement. :-) like me. Peter(B) |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5090 |
@Craig, Yes, that is the thing. Software: 1.1.34 I know this software works with the unit you have. The later (1.2.x) versions, somewhere there is a change that does ot support the cheap chinese stuff anymore. @Tom, I'll check it a bit... PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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| TassyJim Guru Joined: 07/08/2011 Location: AustraliaPosts: 6283 |
Bugger... That rules out an EV. They don't go Brmmm, just mmm. Jim VK7JH MMedit |
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| Volhout Guru Joined: 05/03/2018 Location: NetherlandsPosts: 5090 |
@Tom Maybe compare the Rigol 1054 to the Siglent SDS1104x-e. Regards, Volhout PicomiteVGA PETSCII ROBOTS |
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