running my scope from an inverter - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / projects

author: p.larner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2023, 07:14:58 pm
content: Hi,i am trying to power my rigole dso from a 150w-240v inverter,it gives noise on the display,is there a way to cleanup the inverter output to stop this?,its the same running the inverter from a car battery or my psu,thanks.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2023, 09:08:09 pm
content: Power something else with your inverter, and then measure it's output with your rigole oscilloscope (and a suitable probe).When you see the output of the inverter, you may understand why the rigole does not work properly when powered from your inverter. Then you can experiment with mains filters to improve upon that.As an alternative, you can also hack into your rigole and completely replace it's power supply with a low voltage DC SMPS circuit.Also, Rigol, another brand with a similar name recently put a new model scope on the market which can be powered by an external DC adapter (or presumedly a battery pack)https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/rigols-new-dho800-oscilloscope-unbox-teardown/Another option is to get an extra scope that is purpose built fror battery usage. Micsig has some nice scopes, and for occasional use the small handheld Owon's (starting at around EUR150) seem to have a quite good performance for their modest price.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2023, 10:03:32 pm
content: Which Rigol is it? Some of them will work down to about 36V. Scrap the inverter idea and use several batteries in series, or a boost converter.I toyed with the idea of building a battery pack for my DS1054Z, but lost interest in the project, when I bought an Owon with a built-in rechargeable battery.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/battery-pack-for-rigol-ds1054z/msg717702/#msg717702

author: p.larner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2023, 10:31:33 pm
content: its a rigol ds1052d,its usable as is on the inverter but could be better,how do i make a mains filter?,i have a few from old bits of test gear,is it called an iec?,there metal cans about an inch wide about 2 inches long and about an inch and a half wide,would one iof those be ok?,there is room to fit the inverter inside the scope but think electrical noise will cause issues,i think its a square wave job so will be rich in harmonics!.

author: donlisms
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 26, 2023, 11:42:38 pm
content: I thought there were inverters that were more expensive, more sophisticated, and produced better waveforms. Is that an option?

author: p.larner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2023, 12:25:32 am
content: maybe is an option but im a tightass aqnd want to use what i have already.

author: uer166
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2023, 02:51:49 am
content: Watch out, if you're a tightass then it's likely a modified sine inverter that outputs square waves. If that's the case it can overstress the input filter to Rigol PSU and blow it up.

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2023, 07:40:41 am
content: use only sinewave inverter.J

author: CosteC
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 27, 2023, 07:59:01 am
content: Not sure WHY you power oscilloscope from inverter, however in general, inverters are noisy and will degrade measurements.If you need to measure mains voltages good practice is to use separation transformer for device under test or use probes which provide insulation like differential probes.Cleaning voltage from inverter will be difficult and expensive

author: p.larner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 06:44:44 am
content: Quote from: CosteC on September 27, 2023, 07:59:01 ami know but it doesent answer my question,would some sort of filter help like take a kettle plug like on a lot of test gear,the ones that have rifa caps inside?.

author: CosteC
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 07:26:21 am
content: No. Unless you have lot of time and space to make awesome filter. Or get very good "quiet" inverter.

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 03:07:15 pm
content: "Running >>RuiningIf scope has linear PSU and mains trafo expect poor PSU reg, and overheat of mains trafoIf scope has SMPS, depends on the inverter wave and THD.Most cheap Chine inverters have a "quasi" sine out = three level high +, zero, high -.Very bad.A harm filter will be larger than the inverter perhaps by 2..3x and need large inductors and oil caps.j

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 28, 2023, 06:48:41 pm
content: The Rigol DS1052D just has a basic switched mode power supply. No power factor correction or anything fancy. It won't be harmed by a modified sinewave. The problem is the noise.What do the noise look like on the screen? Does it have any relation to the mains frequency?I wonder if having the inverter and powering it off the DC bus would work. It won't help if it's the DC which is the noise source, rather than the harmonics of the modified sine wave.

author: p.larner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2023, 01:26:25 am
content: well,i should of mentioned i was running it from my lab psu,just tried t on a car battery,it now looks ok,i do auto electrics can bus etc,so a scope from 12v is handy as not always near power,see pic.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2023, 07:05:53 am
content: Quote from: p.larner on September 29, 2023, 01:26:25 amGood. The next step is to learn how to take a screenshot, rather than a photograph of the screen. You'll need to convert it to a PNG before posting it here.http://www.righto.com/2013/07/tips-for-using-rigol-ds1052e.html

author: p.larner
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2023, 08:31:16 am
content: i would if i could make it talk to my pc,have grief trying to get ultrascope working on in 10.

author: Zero999
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 29, 2023, 09:17:29 am
content: Quote from: p.larner on September 29, 2023, 08:31:16 amYou don't need to. All you need is a USB drive. Click on the link in my previous post. I've never installed any Rigol software and have taken plenty of screenshots.

author: soldar
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2023, 03:36:32 pm
content: Quote from: Zero999 on September 28, 2023, 06:48:41 pmIn this case it seems to me some serious filtering should solve the problem.

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2023, 10:22:41 am
content: or find an inverter smps with high frequency switching, way over 100-300khz, some goes in the 600khz range, it will push the harmonics way higherthere is a few but getting them ....