Seeking Recommendations for Budget Oscilloscope for Switching Converters Design - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: hamza zughibi
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 05, 2024, 11:50:20 am
content: Hi everyone,my English writing is bad so I used chat GPT sorry for thatI'm an electrical engineer diving into the world of switching converters design and I'm in need of a budget-friendly benchtop oscilloscope to aid in my projects. I've been researching various options, but there are so many choices out there.Can anyone recommend a reliable and affordable oscilloscope that would be suitable for working on switching converters? I'm particularly interested in a model that offers good performance, sufficient bandwidth, and perhaps some additional features that would be beneficial for this specific application.If you have personal experience with a particular oscilloscope in this context, I'd love to hear your thoughts and any tips you might have. Also, if there are specific specifications or features I should prioritize for switching converters, please share your insights.Thanks in advance for your help!

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2024, 12:08:20 pm
content: It will probably be cheaper to buy new HV differential probes and use those with any cheap oscilloscope.

author: kimballa
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2024, 05:02:42 pm
content: Pound for pound, if you're buying a new scope, I think the Siglent 2104X / 2104X+ scopes are the best value for money.They have a lot of features normally only available on scopes 5x their cost, and work well. There's also plenty of advice on how to buy one of the base 100MHz models and, er, liberate the higher bandwidth and other options. (And 100MHz is already plenty of bandwidth for power system design, unless you're designing a power system for your own 5Ghz wifi base station.)I got a 2104X+ this past summer and it's been great to use. Bode plot tool has been very helpful for the audio system work I do.There's a power analyzer software module for it too, although you'll also need to buy a separate set of current probes (true for any power analysis though).

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2024, 05:39:33 pm
content: I'll second tggzzz's comment about needing a set of high voltage differential probes.In my opinion, the most important thing is to be sure that you get a scope with enough bandwidth for your slew rates / rise times. There are lots of other things you could look at, but I think HV differential probes and sufficient bandwidth are the most important ones.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2024, 06:49:28 pm
content: Quote from: kimballa on February 05, 2024, 05:02:42 pmHow suitable are they for the OP's requirements, SMPSs? Frequently those involve:high voltagesdirect connection to high-energy source (i.e. the mains)can't connect a probe's shield to an ungrounded point (please don't suggest isolation transformers and similar)multiple "reference" voltages, e.g. simultaneously measuring Vdsand Vgsof both high-side and low-side transistors

author: pdenisowski
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2024, 07:27:11 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on February 05, 2024, 06:49:28 pmIndeed, although there aren't many scopes out there that have isolated channels (we make one - the RTH handheld oscilloscope). As you mentioned above, a differential probe is probably more important than the scope itself, since that would address all of these points**And help keep the OP from electrocuting himself and/or destroying the scope

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2024, 07:38:33 pm
content: Quote from: pdenisowski on February 05, 2024, 07:27:11 pmJust so.I have a £200 THS720, about the cost of an HV differential probeBut it is easier to buy those probes, and they are easier to ship around the world.