New UNI-T oscilloscopes: UPO2000CS and UPO5000CS. - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Carrington
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 01:25:51 pm
content: Yes, UNI-T has released new oscilloscopes, the UPO2000CS and the UPO5000CS.These new series seem to be in line with some RIGOL or SIGLENT oscilloscopes, even from an aesthetic point of view.I could not find any video, but at least on paper they seem much less crappy than their UNI-T predecessors.Anyway, here's the link:http://www.uni-trend.com/productscatelist.aspx?ProductsCateID=849&CateID=849&CurrCateID=849&showCateID=849Not much more info on the web (for now)...

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 01:43:21 pm
content: They seem a bit pricey compared to the competition. They have a really huge capture memory, and I'm not sure there is anything else unusually well featured about them.

author: omgfire
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 01:58:21 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on October 06, 2016, 01:43:21 pmHow about "Independent Channel Control"?http://uni-tshop.com/product/catalogue/catalogue2016.pdf

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 06:48:36 pm
content: Quote from: coppice on October 06, 2016, 01:43:21 pmWhere did you find pricing?The UPO2000CS series are comparable to the SDS1000X series except without 50inputs.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 06:58:24 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on October 06, 2016, 06:48:36 pmIn the shops and on TaoBao.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 09:42:34 pm
content: Will these scopes be sold outside China?

author: pascal_sweden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 10:03:11 pm
content: Uni-T is good for products that don't have a lot of software, such as e.g. multi-meters.Oscilloscopes require software updates with bug fixes, and Uni-T is not good in this.So better to skip forward and look to another vendor.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 10:24:58 pm
content: Quote from: pascal_sweden on October 06, 2016, 10:03:11 pmWho's to know, really?Uni-T's been around for a good while, in fact I looked hard at buying my first DSO from them ~20 yrs ago.Instead I bought a 2nd hand Tek DSO that was on the market locally for less than anything else I could find new.Any of the Asian manufacturers havesomegood features in their product lines and Uni-T is no different.But aren't the Chinese and Uni-T on Spring break ATM so we'll likely have to wait until next week for much further info.

author: TheBay
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 06, 2016, 10:26:06 pm
content: I'm almost certain that's Rigol based (DS1000Z), the button lay outs are almost identical and the 6 buttons in a row next to the "intensity" knob are the same.Also the software looks very similar, especially the tabbed menus.

author: jjoonathan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2016, 02:13:17 am
content: Yeah, and if anything the UPO5000 series has an even closer resemblance to the Rigol DS4000 series. Slightly higher wfm/s, slightly more memory, USB decoding, double cursor knobs, 4 *different* colors for the 4 channels, all nice incremental improvements, but no hacks or used ebay models to bring prices down. Now that even the Agilent 3000 series has hacks that's probably a tough sell to the hobbyist-one-level-up-from-1054Z market segment depending on how aggressively they price it (my guess: not very -- high end ADCs and FPGAs haven't plummeted in the interim).It's hard to evaluate the software without actually playing with it, of course. The DS4000 was severely buggy at first and still has some stinkers 4 years later (jumpy trigger when scrolling, crusty serial decodes, slow+short+inflexible FFT) so it's not something to shrug off. I don't know whether to read "we lifted the UI wholesale form Rigol" thing as a strategy that gave Uni-T more time to focus on quality or whether to read it as a sign that they care even less about their FW. I guess I'll have to wait for a review.All this competition between B-brands is exciting stuff. Rigol's lineup is getting pretty heavily besieged these days, can't wait to see if we get some turnover in the next year or so, especially with the rumors about them trying their hand at ASIC design.

author: Faith
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 07, 2016, 08:09:22 am
content: Quote from: jjoonathan on October 07, 2016, 02:13:17 amI have always wondered why Rigol opted for two shades of blue to differentiate two of the channels.Are we really that short on colours? >,<"...

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2016, 09:16:00 am
content: Yeahm, that Uni-T 5000 series is clearly "inspired" by the Rigol DS4000 - tried to download the manual but no go. It would be interesting to see some prices - not to mention a review and/or head to head comparison with the Rigol DS4000.jjoonathan,Out of interest, what do you feel is (still) crusty with the serial decoders on the Rigol DS4000?

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2016, 10:12:54 am
content: Quote from: H.O on October 07, 2016, 09:16:00 amI'm not sure if the UPO5000CS models are actually available. Only the UPO2000CS range seems to be on TaoBao or in the shops.

author: JPortici
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 07, 2016, 11:03:51 am
content: Quote from: TheBay on October 06, 2016, 10:26:06 pmthey also have their language skills"TRIGED"

author: bitseeker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 01:50:03 am
content: Quote from: omgfire on October 06, 2016, 01:58:21 pmThat's not independent channel control on the 2000CS series, regardless how the marketing department labels it. One set of controls is shared across four channels, selected via the buttons 1, 2, 3, 4. Independent channel control is on the 5000CS series, where each channel has its own set of controls.

author: jjoonathan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 02:37:09 am
content: Quote from: Faith on October 07, 2016, 08:09:22 amYeah, me too. It doesn't look so bad on any individual part of the system -- the front panel, the probes, the screen -- but in the wrong lighting the light blue probe matches the dark blue line on the screen and it becomes annoying.Quote from: H.OSometimes on the latest FW (2.3.0.3) the decode traces disappear when you scroll / change timebases. This isn't the "only decodes what's on screen" issue, they really do sometimes disappear, and they don't come back until you restart. Even at the best of times, they're obnoxiously slow. They're adequate for hobby use, but I would be quite upset if I had paid money for them and had to use them daily.Quote from: bitseekerNot confidence inspiring.

author: H.O
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 09:40:53 am
content: Thanks jjoonathan,Agreed, guite slow indeed. I don't think I've seen them disapear though but I've probably just not done the right/wrong thing to make that happen (or I've forgotten about it). I've been using the RS232 decoder on a DMX512 project quite a bit (from a hobby perspective) lately and it's actually been working quite nicely for me. For this particular case a lot better/faster than what I'd be able to do with my Saleae LOGIC.We (or at least I) got them "for free" but I agree, had I actually bought a license I would be complaining to them about the speed. Not to mention a year or two ago when they almost didn't work at all (got out of sync, didn't work at all on segemented memory etc). Now it's a lot better and I've actually got real use out of them. Anyway, getting off topic, sorry about that.

author: WackyGerman
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 12:18:39 pm
content: Quote from: JPortici on October 07, 2016, 11:03:51 amThere you can estimate how " well " the firmware was written . What a blooper and a heap of garbage

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 02:09:33 pm
content: Any teardowns yet? It would be nice to know what kind of platform they build these scopes on.

author: jjoonathan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 03:50:51 pm
content: Quote from: H.OAh, I forgot to mention that I'm primarily using the SPI decoder, the RS232 decode might be less buggy. Agreed about the last FW update, it brought the decoders from "not usable" to "usable". For the SPI decoder means that I usually wind up restarting once every few hours. These aren't in the same league as Keysight's decoders, but seeing as the price of those dramatically exceeds what I paid for my entire 500MHz DS4000 I shouldn't be complaining!Quote from: nctnicoIf the insides take after Rigol scopes half as much as the outsides and tech specs, I'd wager that we can make a pretty good guess (modulo a model number or two).DS1000Z,UPO2000CS: HMCAD1511 / Spartan 6 / BlackfinDS4000,UPO5000: ADC08D1000 / Virtex 5 / Blackfin

author: pascal_sweden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 06:23:57 pm
content: Maybe these scopes are produced by Zhiyuan.See the other thread about this manufacturer:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-zhiyuan-zds2022-scope-released/

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 07:26:42 pm
content: Maybe, but the front panel is very different.

author: coppice
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2016, 08:04:09 pm
content: Quote from: pascal_sweden on October 08, 2016, 06:23:57 pmIs that just a random guess, or do you have a reason to say that? The scopes look nothing like each other, don't appear to have similar specs, and the two companies have been producing their own products for years.