HELP ME FIND AN OSCILLOSCOPE!!! - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 11:20:25 am
content: HI EVERYONE!I'm a beginner to electronics and i want to buy a oscilloscope for my electronic hobby. I'm looking at under $300 USD shipped to California, USA.http://www.ebay.com/itm/Owon-PDS5022T-25-MHz-Portable-Digital-Oscilloscope-/191282316343?pt=BI_Oscilloscopes&hash=item2c89508437I found that one for $260 but people say that the PDS5022T is a very bad scope. Can anyone please help me find a scope that suits my needs? I need a digital scope or a DPO scope because i need it to capture waveforms. Such as voltage spikes on startup from a portable power bank.On a side note...How do you think my setup is for basic electronics.Multimeter: Extech EX430Power Supply: Korad KA3005DOscilloscope: TBAAm i missing anything?Thanks in advance!JasonEDIT:Hows this?http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-OWON-SDS5032E-Digital-Oscilloscope-30Mhz-with-VGA-Port-and-FREE-OWON-CASE-/261559397071?pt=BI_Oscilloscopes&hash=item3ce627aacf

author: omgfire
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 11:48:14 am
content: Quote from: cybertronicify on September 02, 2014, 11:20:25 amTable/chair/lighting/rackDMMTest leads (banana, alligator, tweezer, hook, thin)LCR meterOscilloscopeWaveform generatorUSB logic analyzerProgrammerPower supplySemiconductor analyser / Transistor-testerSoldering / desoldering stationHot air gun / heat gunSolderSolder wickFluxFlux cleaningOpening tools, spudger, plastic pry barVacuum sucking pen / vacuum pickupTweezersDental explorer / sickle probePCB holder “Helping hands”Magnification clamp-on lampRubber ESD matCarbon fume filter / fanElectronics diagonal cuttersNose pliersWire strippersCrimperFile setModel knife / scalpelCaliperScrewdriversHeatshrink tubeGlovesHot glue gunRotary Tool / drilling and milling toolsIR cameraParts storageIsolating transformerBreadboardMicroscopeScientific calculatorElectronic components

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 12:08:42 pm
content: HI,Yes i have about 90% of everything you listed including Soldering station and the soldering stuff. Components and stuff, but i was looking at the major stuff/test equipment.

author: Sebastian
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 12:31:44 pm
content: If you need a really inexpensive scope, get the Rigol DS1052E. It doesn't have a lot of functions, but the ones it has work decent.If you can afford a little bit more get a DS1000z or DS2000 series one. They are well worth the extra cost and the Display and UI are better too.

author: MattSR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 12:39:48 pm
content: That's not a bad list actually... I will take note and ensure that I have the requisite inventory!

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 01:28:46 pm
content: THe Rigol DS1052E is a bit pricy, how big is the difference between the Rigol DS1052E and the OWON SDS5032E?

author: Terabyte2007
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 01:45:31 pm
content: Quote from: omgfire on September 02, 2014, 11:48:14 amThat's it?

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2014, 02:39:39 pm
content: Quote from: cybertronicify on September 02, 2014, 11:20:25 am"I'm a beginner to travelling and I want to buy a vehicle costing less than X".Obviously the first point is to outlinewhereyou want to travel, e.g. along roads, along mountain paths, along waterways. That will enable you to define whatclassof vehicle, e.g. town car, off-road car, bike, horse, boat. Only after that is there any point in discussing which type of car/bike/boat to buy!So,whatdoyou want to measure/debug - and equally importantly whatdon'tyou want to measure/debug. You may find that a cheap second-hand analogue scope is best for your requirements - or not.

author: omgfire
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 01:23:28 pm
content: Quote from: Terabyte2007 on September 02, 2014, 01:45:31 pmCorrections?

author: DanielS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 01:31:49 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on September 02, 2014, 02:39:39 pmSince OP said one of the things he wants to measure is turn-on transients, that rules out analog scopes; he needs a DSO of some sort at the very least.

author: Sebastian
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 03:17:34 pm
content: Quote from: cybertronicify on September 02, 2014, 01:28:46 pmI've never seen an Owon scope in person, but spec-wise the Rigol is far superior:100MS/s vs. 1GS/s25MHz bandwidth vs. 50MHz (100 with hack)The DS1000E is already on the very low end, but it is proven to work fine for what it is. I wouldn't give up that certainty for not even $100 difference.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 04:12:57 pm
content: Quote from: cybertronicify on September 02, 2014, 11:20:25 amAs other said forget analog boat anchors and get a decent DSO. I know your limit is $300 but if you can stretch a bit then a Siglent SDS1102CNL could be a good starter scope:http://www.ebay.com/itm/SIGLENT-SDS1102CNL-Digital-Oscilloscope-100MHz-2Ch-1GS-s110-240V-USB-7-TFT-LCD-/290900765039?pt=BI_Oscilloscopes&hash=item43bb09696f

author: JonnyBoats
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 04:35:58 pm
content: Quote from: DanielS on September 03, 2014, 01:31:49 pmWhy can't one measure turn-on transients using an old Tektronix analog storage scope with a single shot trigger?

author: ximac
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 05:26:27 pm
content: Hi,As you are starting out, you can't be expected to have the full suite of gear/tools so don't take too much notice of what your don't have and just gather things together as you find a need. As I expect that you have a soldering iron and some tools, I would suggest the next items would be a solder-less breadboard and some form of waveform generator (usually called a function generator). The later need not be elaborate but you will find a use for one quite soon. As for components, you should be able to get loads of them at a 'knock-down' price from eBay.One last thing - if you possibly can, go for a better scope, say 60-100MHz - you will find the need for it as you go along and it is better to get one now than have to change sometime in the future. It would appear that you wish to do some 'one-shot' work and will find that sampling-rate and memory are your friends here; though, if you are REALLY GOING TO STAY at the low end of the spectrum, forget what I just said. Don't be guided by a free carrying case as the average tech will hardly ever have need for one. I've had several digital scopes and just use mine to keep other stuff in for which a cardboard box would just do as well.All the best in your endeavours - Joe

author: Yago
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 05:42:49 pm
content: I don't wish to make assumptions of your knowledge, so excuse me if I underpitch this post.Without knowing what you want and without understanding the specs/function/performance of the scopes it might be easy to make a costly mistake.In your position I would take the safest bet and go with the scope that has the best reputation and support.Possibly the Rigol (1052 and hack?), there is also the chance of these hitting the used market with some people upgrading to the newer four channel model.I was given an old Tek analog scope, free is pretty cheap!It's not all singing and dancing, but I got quite a lot of other kit for the money I had earmarked for a digital scope.

author: DanielS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 08:55:10 pm
content: Quote from: JonnyBoats on September 03, 2014, 04:35:58 pmThere is no such thing as an "analog storage scope" - these are just analog scopes with digital storage and replay circuitry between the analog front-ends and the CRT back-end. Effectively a crude form of DSO when used in one-shot mode.

author: alex.forencich
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 10:10:16 pm
content: Quote from: DanielS on September 03, 2014, 08:55:10 pmThen what do you call the analog scopes with CRT based storage? Not that I recommend getting one of those, though. The contrast in storage mode is generally quite poor, and you can't do anything with the waveform once it's stored - no cursors, no zooming, etc.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2014, 11:59:15 pm
content: Quote from: DanielS on September 03, 2014, 08:55:10 pmAh, youngsters!Yes, there was life before digital electronics, and there were non-digital storage scopes.Now get your head around an analogue storage computer terminal (VDU). You can write characters and lines, but you can't delete them - all you can do is erase the entire screen and redraw.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tektronix_4010They were the best thing for CAD output (graphs, finite elements etc), e.g. watch one in action

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2014, 07:51:53 pm
content: Analog storage oscilloscopes certainly exist and some of them are even fast. Tektronix last offered the 500 MHz 7934 in 1991 but analog storage oscilloscopes go back to at least 1966 with the Tektronix 30 MHz 549.http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/7934http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/549Bistable storage CRTs are slow and produce only a two tone image but may retain that image indefinitely. Variable persistence storage CRTs are fast and store a continuous image but only retain it for minutes to 10s of minutes to hours.There is not much reason to buy and rebuild an analog storage oscilloscope unless you have a special application for it. I have a 7834 because it was the least expensive way for me to get a fast variable persistence storage oscilloscope.

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2014, 11:45:54 pm
content: Quote from: alex.forencich on September 03, 2014, 10:10:16 pmThey are called DPO's, digital phosphor oscilloscope. It just keeps the phosphor coating on the crt glowing and theres your crude DSO?

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 04, 2014, 11:51:01 pm
content: I have found a couple of scopes near the 300 range. going to the 450+ price point is way over budget, but i understand i need memory and capture speed?http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Siglent-100MHz-SDS1102DL-Digital-Storage-Oscilloscope-2-Channels-1-EXT-7/331209999745?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D24351%26meid%3D081469a0480c4b67a4b11f6ddec36aa3%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D10335%26rk%3D6%26rkt%3D24%26sd%3D290900765039Siglent 100MHz SDS1102DL50GSa/s500MSa/s (realtime)32k Memory<3.5ns risetimehttp://www.ebay.com/itm/ATTEN-ADS1102CAL-100M-Hz-1G-Digital-Oscilloscope-7-LCD/140469625191?_trksid=p2047675.c100010.m2109&_trkparms=aid%3D555012%26algo%3DPW.MBE%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D24351%26meid%3D081469a0480c4b67a4b11f6ddec36aa3%26pid%3D100010%26prg%3D10335%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D24%26sd%3D290900765039ATTEN ADS1102CAL 100MHz50GSa/s500MSa/s (realtime)18KPts Memory<3.5ns risetime

author: DanielS
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 12:10:09 am
content: Quote from: tggzzz on September 03, 2014, 11:59:15 pmHehNever seen a phosphor screen, be it XY or vector, with persistence much longer than a few seconds before.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 12:32:03 am
content: Quote from: DanielS on September 05, 2014, 12:10:09 amYour forbears were a pretty resourceful innovative bunch. Mine tooThere's something about "doing more with less" than appeals to engineers through the ages!When I was young the difficulty was getting information; any information was pored over and devoured. Nowadays the difficutly is the opposite: too much information, so you have to quickly decide which information to ignore. Here endeth the lecture.

author: roderick
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 12:46:08 am
content: Quote from: cybertronicify on September 02, 2014, 11:20:25 amI'm in California, too, and simply got a Hantek 6022BE. It was about $70, and is plenty fast enough to capture power supply turn-on transients. The triggering on the scope is iffy at higher speeds, but I'm willing to take multiple traces until I see the part of the waveform that I want. The low price more than compensates me for the inconvenience. I wrote up my opinions, good and bad, here:http://pididu.com/wordpress/blog/i-dropped-an-oscilloscope-on-my-foot-hantek-6022be/

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 01:01:29 am
content: Quote from: cybertronicify on September 04, 2014, 11:51:01 pmGo for a Siglent CNL or CML with better sampling speed and more memory.My pick for your budget is a Siglent SDS1072CNL (70 MHz) that will perform well for your intended use.http://www.siglent.com/en/product/detail.aspx?id=100000004399111&nodecode=119008001

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 01:12:56 am
content: Quote from: tautech on September 05, 2014, 01:01:29 amHow is this one?http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Siglent-SDS1072CNL-70MHz-Digital-Oscilloscope-w-2-Channels-40kpts-/160865942757?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item25745b7ce5

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 01:16:46 am
content: Quote from: roderick on September 05, 2014, 12:46:08 amHey fellow Californian!! I need a scope that can be used standalone, and im sure that Hantek is not compatible with Mac OSX. (boot camp yeahh i know)

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 01:34:50 am
content: Quote from: cybertronicify on September 05, 2014, 01:12:56 amThat's it.Hunt out US supplier and EEVblog member TEquipment for Siglent supply, a discount and local service.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/special-price-for-eevblog-members/msg212809/#msg212809

author: cybertronicify
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 05, 2014, 02:59:52 am
content: Wow, thats a pretty low price and theres a EEVBLOG discount! perfect!!!