Equipping the lab €2-3k - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: LPaul
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 07:33:02 pm
content: Hello,I am currently building my small semi-pro electronics lab.Usages:Short-term needs:dc power supply repair and designNoise on <=100khz SMPS<20MHz logic (serial, little to no parallel)analog troubleshooting (simple stuff on furnace control boards and engine control boards)No to precise voltage and current measurement, ...Long run:<=100Mhz logic (FPGA, 32bit MCU)Current equipment:soldering stuff (hakko)"lab" PSUel cheapo Handheld multimeterBased on that I made a basic list of the equipment I consider buying.Oscilloscope: DS1054Z (planning on unlocking software options). The most bang for bucks as far as I know. Though I am afraid it will soon be limiting and hard on the eyes. Not sure I need 4 channels and there is a lot of good options in the €500-2k 2ch range.I’d really like to get a good brand (Keysight, Lecroy, R&S) if I can fit an appropriate model in my budget.Signal generator: Rigol DG1022 (non-A) €300Seems more than good enough for my needs (100s khz square). Maybe other brands have cheaper/better options for this price?DMM:Main use on digital circuit. Might get used on high power circuits (main, 3ph), not quite sure whether a €50 or €100 meter is good enough in terms of input protection.I have budgeted about €200 in test leads and accessories.From this base I have about €900 to improve whatever is worth it. (a bit more if necessary).Obviously not paying VAT and considering an rebate.Any ideas/advices ? Questions I should ask myself before buying the stuff?Thanks !

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 09:26:26 pm
content: If you can spend 500 to 2k euro on a scope look at the GW Instek GDS2000E series.Feeltech makes some nice low-cost function generators (see the other threads) so for less than 100 euro you can have a nice function generator nowadays.For use on mains I recommend to get an A-brand (Keysight, Fluke, etc) multimeter with the proper CAT ratings and at least 4.5 digits. This will set you back about 200 euro.Good HP/Agilent/Keysight lab PSUs can be bought from Ebay and there are good deals for those with a bit of patience.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 03:33:34 pm
content: Quote from: LPaul on April 24, 2016, 07:33:02 pmDefinitely the most bang for the buck. I think you'll take a while to outgrow it.If you're 100% sure you don't need four channels then you might want to look at theR&S 1002as well:It's desirable scope, it's small, it's silent ... but it costs about 800 Euros and the100MHz bandwidthandserial decoderoptions aren't free. It's well within your budget though.Quote from: LPaul on April 24, 2016, 07:33:02 pmChoosing a multimeter for mains work is easy: Get a Fluke 101.Only$42delivered to your door and as much input protection as you'll find on any handheld multimeter (it's currently the leader in therobustness testingthread)Now that "mains work" is covered you have a much wider choice for a second meter for the digital work.(You should probably get at least two multimeters anyway.)