What is up with HP 54k series scopes? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Basileus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 01:34:54 pm
content: Im constantly checking ebay for some interesting equipment and seems like these hp scopes pop around like mushrooms, and they are sold for quite hefty prices.I read around that those scopes are bad, because the sampling rate is very low. I cant understand why everybody is fighting so hard for getting one.What do you think? How much are they worth paying for?

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 03:10:28 pm
content: They have MSO capability and that's worth something. Unfortunately, the digital cable is seldom included.I saw some on eBay in the $300 range and that's probably reasonable. I don't think I would buy one for $600.100 MHz is a little low if I were buying an analog scope. My Tek 485 is good for 350 MHz and I only paid about $200 when I bought it used about 13 years ago.OTOH, my Rigol DS1054Z is only 100 MHz and I have yet to work on anything that challenges its capability. But my goal for the DSO wasn't bandwidth, I wanted single shot, decoding and 4 channels. When the frequency gets too high, I'll use the 485.

author: edavid
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 05:44:55 pm
content: Quote from: Basileus on January 31, 2017, 01:34:54 pmYour question doesn't exactly make sense, becauseallHP DSOs have 54xxx model numbers. There are models with low, medium, and high sampling rates. You really have to narrow it down a little to get a meaningful answer.

author: Basileus
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 31, 2017, 06:01:24 pm
content: Quote from: rstofer on January 31, 2017, 03:10:28 pmI see that a 500 MHz 2gsas hp can be a good option for 250/300 bucks, what about the lowest end 100MHz 10 msas ones like 54501A? How would you compare it to lets say a tek 2235?I'm no expert but i would say no more than 150 € for such scope, roughly.

author: PaulAm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 01, 2017, 03:35:33 pm
content: There are a lot of different scopes in the 54xxx series. I have a 60 MHz 54603 I picked up for $25. I got it primarily as a parts donor although it is 100% functional. Pretty crappy DSO though. Think entry level student lab scope, but if I use 3 knobs it's a bargain.I think the first with Megazoom was the 54645. Although the sample rate for that is only 200 MS/s it's still a reasonably good scope with a decent sample memory. The 54645d is an MSO which is the version I have. The 54622d is the follow-on with more triggering modes, a floppy, and upgradeable firmware.Later and high end models are still useful and the UI is very good, but they may lack features like serial decode.

author: merox
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2017, 08:33:30 pm
content: Quote from: Basileus on January 31, 2017, 06:01:24 pmI owned one till a few years ago, it's nice to use but not usable for anything else than audio or repetitive waveforms. With it's 10 MSa you are not able to single shot anything above a few 100kHz or 1 Mhz. Just do the calculation what you can capture with 10 MSa, basically 1MHz is the limit.Personally I use a much older 54201A, but this comes with 200 MSa which makes it much more usable till you reach a few 10 MHz (unfortunately with just 6 Bits of resolution but that's ok for digital stuff). So it's usable most of the µC stuff. The 54501A is unusable for this purpose.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2017, 08:56:52 pm
content: I still use 54645d and 54622D as my go-to machines. they have deep memory , 2 analog + 16 digital channels and the 622 has protocol triggers.they are small, lightweight and they boot fast.for heftier work i use my mso7104 or 54831d / 54832d since i can link those with my 16900 LA and combine lots of analog and digital channels.