Which scope should i buy? Owon XDS3202E / Rigol DS1102Z-E / Siglent SDS1104X-U - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: superKris
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 02:57:53 pm
content: I have recently picked up electronics again and am at that point where i need a scope. I actually ordered a Hantek but it never came and am now considering buying something more local on a slightly higher budget.My requirements are the following:- I prefer to buy from a local warehouse (EU) because of delivery time and import taxes.- Budget is € 200-300,- but can be stretched to € 400,-- No need for very high frequency at this point- 2 channels is enough, but 4 might be nice.What i intend to meassue:- A lot of DC transients (events lasting form a few ms to 1 sec)- Some PWM stuff- Bus activity (RS232/422/845, I2C, etc.)I would like something that is easy to use, but does have a few features. I care about a nice screen and a good interface. I think a decent amount of memory would be good to have.Currently i'm considdering the following scopes:Owon XDS3202E: € 333.- deliveredhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/33035545056.html2 channels, 200MHz, ,1GSa/s, 8 bit, 40M memory, 75,000 wfms/s+ I like the price vs bandwidth and memory.- I have some doubts on the user interface, functions, and overall firmwareRigol DS1102Z-E: €240,- deliveredhttps://www.aliexpress.com/item/33035545056.html2 channels, 100MHz, ,1GSa/s, 8 bit, 24M memory, 30,000 wfms/s+ Trusted brand scope with what i have to assume has good firmware. Price is great for the reasonable specs.- Not sure about the the amount of features.Siglent SDS1104X-U: €412,- deliveredhttps://www.eleshop.nl/siglent-sds1104x-u-oscilloscoop.html4 channels, 100MHz, ,1GSa/s, 8 bit, 14M memory, 100,000 wfms/s+ Quality brand and 4 channels- A little above what i would like to pay, and sample rate and memory is shared by all channelsThis shortlist is highly influenced by local price levels and availability.I can only really compare some specifications, and not the user experience and quality of measurements. I hope you guys can advise me in this matter. Please advise which scope would be best for me and why!If i'm missing some models that would be a additional great option, pleas let me know!

author: wizard69
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 04:18:16 pm
content: I haven't used any of the listed scopes but have a few points that might be worth considering. I will try to inline them below.Quote from: superKris on December 29, 2020, 02:57:53 pmThis isn't really specific enough. However for the number of channels I'd look for 4 as you can't add them later. Seriously the one day you might find yourself needing 3 or more channels you will have regretted the two channel scope.QuoteBus monitoring activity usually increases scope cost but can be highly worthwhile to have. This however goes back to is two channels enough and here I'd have to say no. IF BUS related work is important to you I'd most certainly would want more than two channels.QuoteYour best bet here is to look for reviews on line and to create your own comparison chart. Also with anything I buy these days I look for online manual downloads from the factory. If the factory can't supply a decent manual download I will go with an alternative vendor in many cases. Reading the manual can tell you a lot about the machines interface without actually having the unit in front of you.QuoteThere seems to be far less info online, from independent users, about this hardware. One youtuber (xraytonyb ??) has one that the uses professionally and seems to like it for his needs. As for two channels at 200 MHz with only a 1GSa/s sampler that could be a problem. Again it is all about your needs but you really need to understand what your needs are an how a scopes specs impact its usefulness for you.In any event one data point isn't enough to consider a unit acceptable or not. I still think 2 channels is a bit thin if you want to do bus work.QuoteNot much I can say here, haven't used one. Actually never have seen one in real life. I'm still not all that hot with respect to the two channel capability.Quotea four channel scope which to me is much better with respect to some of the things you want to do. However you again need to look at sample rate spread over 4 channels. It may be perfectly suitable for use or maybe not.QuoteI understand the need to control a budget but I really think it can be foolish to be too tight on a scope. A scope with be a central part of a repair or engineering bench and likely will be used every time you are working on a project, I'd rather see corners cut else where and get the scope that really meets my needs. There are all sort of instruments that can be had, that will sit in a cupboard for a long time between uses, that one can go cheap on. I would try to avoid thinking cheap with a scope purchase and instead make a point to get what is needed. If you look at a 10 year life on your bench a ˜¸˛Ç◊◊ı˜Â¯ÒÔÓ˝ÏÎQuote

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 04:46:51 pm
content: You should consider the MicSig TO1072 (https://www.batronix.com/shop/oscilloscopes/Micsig-TO1072.html) as well. The budget is at the low side to have a wide choice of 4 channel oscilloscopes.

author: jemangedeslolos
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 06:02:41 pm
content: Hello,If you ask nicely, I think you can get a good discount and maybe grab a GW Instek 1054B.If we put aside the Micsig which seems very good, I think it is the one that decodes serial buses the fastest.Try to ask simone.pignatti from Batterfly.

author: superKris
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 09:03:44 pm
content: @Wizard69; Thank you. I will certainly use you tips in my final selection. I guess there will always be trade offs when selecting a scope. You simply cant have all the ideal specs at any price. I was looking to purchase a 170,- scope and am now considering $ +400,- models. At some point i have to stop adding another 100, and again another 100.I think your advise about getting a 4 channel scope might be a important one. Although i do not yet have the need for it yet, at some point i will probably mis it.@nctnico; I do love fancy touchscreens but for a scope i think i prefer normal buttons and front mounted connectors. The 4 channel version is also even more expensive so i dont think i will be going for this one, but thanks for sharing!@jemangedeslolos; I have also looked at instek, but the model your suggesting is 500,- inclusing taxes. I doubt they wil give me a 100,- discount, so i dont think i will go for this one. Thanks for your suggestion!I also called with a Dutch store that i like. They sell all of these brands but not all the same models, so for the Rigol is selected the 200mhz (DS1202Z-E) for their comparison. They claim these will probably offer me similar results with the main difference being the overal quantity and support of the Owon being maybe a little bit less than Rigol and Siglent. Their customers are most happy with the Siglemt, but he suggest i would be better of with the Siglent SDS1202X-E. The noise floor and vertical resolution of the E models is better than the U models. This would make the Siglent SDS1202X-E a better basic scope. I guess they have a point, but now i'm also leaning towards a 4 chanel model and a SDS1204X-E will be to expensive for me.I actualy missed that dave did a teardown on the SDS1104X-U recently. Although it definitely has been striped to lower the costs, i feel he was fairly ok with it.After watching many youtube movies i have not made up my mind yet... The pros and cons are still the same as in my opening post. I'm leaning towards the Siglent for its overal quality. The Rigol however offers more value at its low price, and i guess the Owon offers by far the most specs for its very reasonable price. I'm just a little bit scared for bad firmware and user interface.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 09:38:11 pm
content: @superKris:With some shopping around you can find the GW Instek GDS-1054B for around 465 euro including shipping and VAT:https://www.reichelt.nl/nl/nl/7-digitale-opslag-oscilloscoop-50-mhz-4-ch-gds-1054b-p176032.html?r=1The GDS-1054B is pretty much on par with the Siglent 1104-U (almost the same hardware under the hood) but at least this has indepedent channel controls and the firmware is mature.Also don't discard touchscreen scopes right off the bat. They do work well and are easy to adjust to. I find myself pressing on the screens of non-touchscreen oscilloscopes all the time.

author: tv84
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2020, 09:49:32 pm
content: Quote from: superKris on December 29, 2020, 09:03:44 pmGiven all your other stated reasons this could very well be the tipping factor.

author: superKris
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 30, 2020, 08:51:23 am
content: I just pulled the trigger on the Siglent SDS1104X-U. It really looks to be a quality scope with all the features i need. The front end does suffer at all the cost reductions, but is still very capable of decent performance and now i can have 4 channels. I guess there is always a better option that is just a little more expensive, but at some point you have to stop. If i run into its limitations in the future i can always sell it for a decent price, and get a new one that fits my new needs. However, i don't expect this to happen anytime soon.Thank you for all your advise! I love it here!@nctnico; At that price the GW Instek GDS-1054B seems to be a very solid option to, but it is another 50,- more expensive. The GW instek firmware is looking good, but i think i will really like the Siglent firmware and features! Also the siglent can be here tomorrow, and it seems the GW instek will take another 1 or 2 weeks. Lastly i do appreciate the guys at eleshop.nl where i just bought the Siglent. Sometimes its nice to help your local business, especially if they offer a better service!