Is this "Cleqee Direct" store's 300MHz 5000V oscilloscope probe good? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Edin
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 07:46:47 am
content: I came across this 5000V 300MHz scope probe on eBay at a decent price, but I wonder how good is it, does it really meet the specs, has anyone tested it.I notice it doesn't have any sort of a spring for very high frequencies, which is suspect to me.In case the link doesn't work, here is the image of it with its accessories:The link to the store item is here:https://www.ebay.com/itm/165865878983

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 08:16:42 am
content: Quote from: Edin on October 24, 2024, 07:46:47 amI think 5000V might be able to jump across the gap on one of those springs.

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 09:39:32 am
content: It is probably OK at the rated voltage, but without a ground spring I doubt it gives good measurements at high frequency.And you'd want to try find some documentation with derating curve, as no way is it going to be able to do them at the same time.The price is pretty good for a 100:1 probe, but it is sold by many companies other than Cleqee so I doubt they manufacture it.There are a few posts here about Cleqee probeshttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/buying-a-bunch-of-probes-leads-etc-on-a-budget/Note post 3 where bdunham7 mentions having one of their 5kV probes. You could send him a message to see if he has any thoughts.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/cleqee-p4100-high-voltage-oscilloscope-probe-1001/Discussion of a different model 2kV probe. Here bdunham7 mentions using the P2301C successfully with 4kVp-p @ 20kHz.PS. When posting links to shopping sites, it is best to remove all the tracking crap from the link. With AliExpress and eBay you basically only need the item number and nothing after it.PPS. I just looked on AliExpress Cleqee Official Store and these are 20-30% cheaper than eBay prices right now - at least for me AUD ~$92 vs ~$64.https://cleqee.aliexpress.com/store/1810103

author: Edin
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 05:40:01 pm
content: Of course I wouldn't use the spring when measuring such high voltages, only for measuring high frequencies.According to the specs, its loading capacitance is only 6.5pF, which is better than almost all 10x probes, but still not great when going into the high MHz frequencies.

author: Edin
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 05:41:48 pm
content: Thank you for your helpful answer. I will check those links and also ask bdunham7 about it.Also thank you for the advice about links. It DID look terrible. I have shorted it now to the bare minimum.

author: FlexibleMammoth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 06:33:17 pm
content: Quote from: Edin on October 24, 2024, 07:46:47 amEdit: Oh boy. I just had a closer look at the ebay listing. Without doubt, these are a chinese copy of a popular design by Stäubli. The whole thing about this type of probes is that they should be used with properly rated equipment and tested to work at a certain CAT rating (usually 600V CAT III or IV), which means they will withstand voltage spikes of multiple kV without causing an arc flash and potentially killing you. Only then can you use them in mains installations (e.g., the breaker panel etc). Other than that, this type of probe is clunky and you do not really want to use them in the lab. As is, i would not risk it if I were you.These probes (if it is a genuine one, which I doubt at this price, the others cost $300+) are all manufactured by one company, I think it was Stäubli - then they are relabeled by Fluke, Rohde&Schwarz, MultiContact et al.They usually come with isolated, hand held oscilloscopes.Andreas

author: DaneLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 07:04:15 pm
content: Quote from: FlexibleMammoth on October 24, 2024, 06:33:17 pmThey work, fine for lab/bench use..which other 100X probe would you otherwise recommend to OP? price/budget clearly plays a factor when OP centers on a brand like Cleqee.I use these with my Micsig for 100X use-cases, and the performance (as far as I can tell) and quality are decent with the price in mind.Sofar has done the job when probing HV, but you obviously need to use common sense, when dealing with HV (100x) no matter what probe you're using.Just don't overpay for these Cleqee, as the prices seem to vary a lot.OPs link above would (in my case) be more than double then what I can see I paid a year or two back from an Aliexpress seller. (69$ vs 34$ / incl. 25%EUVAT)Seems both Fluke (VPS200-R) and also Tektronix (P5122) got models that look a lot like these - just with lower frequency & voltage ratings.https://www.fluke.com/da-dk/produkt/tilbehor/prober/fluke-vps200-rSince your based in Europe, Testec got a decent-priced portfolio of various passive probeshttps://testec.de/en/

author: DaneLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 07:31:32 pm
content: Is it the Fluke VPS200-R that Dave is using here or a Cleqee, as the older Cleqee 100X version did have red cable and not grey..?Sourcehttps://youtu.be/qgZgSDqmVMg?si=odtvGF6Q5MiDXMS4&t=1196

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 08:19:42 pm
content: Quote from: FlexibleMammoth on October 24, 2024, 06:33:17 pmFYI, Multi-Contact became Stäubli. That's why to this day, many Stäubli products have "MC" embossed into the housing.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 08:40:05 pm
content: Cleqee is cheapo Chinese brand making test leads and probes. They are generally acceptable but don't expect high quality, silicon insulated wire and similar luxuries. OK for banana leads but 5kV rated scope probe I would buy from a reputable manufacturer rather than eBay. I value my life and the scope for more than this.

author: stj
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 09:06:20 pm
content: the voltage divider is in the probe,as long as you get the ground clip properly connected you wont see high voltages through the cable

author: DaneLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 24, 2024, 10:01:19 pm
content: Quote from: janoc on October 24, 2024, 08:40:05 pmAs far as I can tell "Cleqee" is just a reflipper brand.... You can find the same so-called "Cleqee" products under many different brands, also western brands that have sourced it from the Far East.China is mind-boggling huge when it comes to creating anything under the sun, and a lot of these products are "no name" and can be relabeled.As far as I can tell, it looks to be "Jiangsu Zhongce Electronics" that is actually making these "Cleqee-HV probes" alongside many other things that you often see labeled with Cleqee and other brands.Jiangsu Zhongce Electronics emphasizes all their high-end SMT production-lines and how they cater/source for many brands and also refers to 1.5G scopes, 3G able sig-gens, and HV-probes.- if Jiangsu Zhongce is the same company as (Zhongce Instruments) aka "ZCtek" that makes a lot of lab-test-gear.. I don't know, but I reckon it is the same company, as "Jiangsu" looks to be a province and "ZCtek" was awarded that Jiangsu award in 2010, so clearly the same region... looks to be the same company.Zhongce seems to be of a decent size with numerous daughter companies in various different segments.It's a maze trying to find heads & tails of these Chinese companies that are very entangled.https://en.zctek.com.cn/product/15/You can find these probes in numerous variants..2300A/B/C and they likely all come from the same Chinese production backland... (attenuation & specs vary)If these brands have sourced their models, from the same backland in China.. I don't know, but It wouldn't surprise me, a lot of denominators between them.* U1562A KEYSIGHT Agilent 300MHz/3½KV (Blue & Grey variant)* Hioki 9666 Probe (100:1) 200Mhz 5KV (blue)https://www.testequity.de/product/33673-1-9666* Peakelect P2301C 300MHz 5KV (blue & Red)* Cleqee P2301C 300MHz 5KV (Red)* It also seems to be the same 100X model that is highlighted as an accessory for a lot of isolated handheld scopes. fx Siglent SHS800 (blue variant) and also Keysight Agilent U1604B where the datasheet highlights that it also exists in an X100 variant that can manage a tad over 3½KV / 300MHz.Likely also why, these probes aint labeled with any brands..there is nothing in this product that says "Cleqee".. they come in the standard transparent pouch envelope that any vendor could bundle with a given scope.I get that some users really don't like these "no name" products, and will gladly pay 5x or even 10x for that "brand-label" of the exact same item from a reputable seller, and it also makes sense when it comes to test gear, not least for HV, where you really dont wanna chance it, and you as an individual or as a responsible company need a certain assurance that tolerances are met.'Are Keysight older passive probes made in China.? (this 300MHz U1562A were made obsolete 2 years back by a new 500MHz B-model)https://www.keysight.com/us/en/product/U1562A/passive-probe-100-1-300-mhz-1-2-m.html

author: Kean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 10:49:53 am
content: OP, can you tell us what your goal is?Do you just want a cheap 100x probe that you could occasionally use for a few kV?Do you need to probe fast signals? How fast, and does it need a 100x 5kV probe?Is it for hobby or professional use?If you didn't see it already, Joe Smith does a test to destruction (unintentionally) & teardown of a P4100 probe.It didn't handle handle the published derated specs.I personally very rarely look at signals over about 50V, and when I do I try to stick to using test gear specifically designed for the purpose (e.g power analyser).I have a Cal Test CT2707 100x 1200V 250MHz CAT 1 probe, but being CAT 1 would only be using that carefully on isolated & protected stuff. They have some 100x & 1000x CAT II HV probes.I also have a Pintek HVP-15HF 10/20kV 50MHz probe which I've only used a couple of times in the more than a decade I've owned it.Generally if scoping something with higher voltage I'll grab one of my differential probes (Pintek and Micsig).Of course, that doesn't mean I haven't done things in the past that I now know wasn't so smart. I damaged my 121GW DMM for example when measuring the output of an ultrasonic driver without thinking.

author: janoc
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 02:53:49 pm
content: Quote from: DaneLaw on October 24, 2024, 10:01:19 pmIf it was only a rebrand of a generic product it would be fine. But are you sure that is the case? eBay and AliExpress is full of knock-off products that look identical to the "good stuff" - and are utter crap inside. When one buys this kind of probe from Hioki or Agilent, one pays premium because the ratings on the probe are actually tested and real. Would you trust the $29 probe from eBay to have that? That probe certainly hasn't seen any lab.I don't mind buying no-name "white box" stuff, I am also not made out of money. But when it comes to safety relevant gear like this, that is a major hazard and saving in the wrong place, IMO. Obviously, if the OP isn't planning to actually use the probe to the rated specs, then it will be possibly OK - but then why to buy such probe in the first place?

author: DaneLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 03:19:21 pm
content: Finally found confirmation on who makes them P2300C/2301C, and as speculated, it isn't Clegee who is the actual maker of these passive probes, Cleqee looks to be a reflipper, and sells various third-party Chinese products.It is the behemoth "Zhongce" that is listed as the actual maker of all these passive probes X10, X100, X1000, and seems to supply many of the bigger brands with passive probes, they even highlight that they are making these exact models for Keysight Agilent and why Zhongce can highlight that they meet "Keysight Agilent European std " (thumbnail below)The specifications is also very similar.Keysight Agilent [U1561A X10-16pf] and [U1562A X100-6.5pf] versus [P2301B X10-16pf] and [P2301C X100-6.5pf]Also looks like some "non-official" Keysight Agilent resellers, are using this loophole, with qoutes. (*its from a non-authorized line, and even highlight 299GBP/390$ as normal value)https://www.radwell.co.uk/Buy/KEYSIGHT%20TECHNOLOGIES/KEYSIGHT%20AGILENT%20HP/U1562A?https://www.radwell.co.uk/Buy/KEYSIGHT%20TECHNOLOGIES/KEYSIGHT%20AGILENT%20HP/U1561AWhen I looked into getting myself an X100 probe a year or two back, I couldn't find a better X100 probe than the P2300/1C series that back then could be had for 34$ and without EUVAT, your down around 26$, so a fraction of what they are being sold for, when sold under the bigger brands.Other models I was looking at, was from Testec (German brand), they also carry some passive X100 probes at attractive prices and got numerous resellers i Europe.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 04:11:44 pm
content: Quote from: DaneLaw on October 24, 2024, 10:01:19 pmWait wait wait, are you suggesting that just because they look the same, those big brands are selling rebadged cheap Chinese probes?As someone else already said: the originals are from Stäubli (née Multi-Contact). Those are widely rebadged by major manufacturers.The Chinese are copying the Stäubli design. The Chinese did not originate it.

author: DaneLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on October 25, 2024, 04:11:44 pmCome again.. what did you miss above?..shouldn't be necessary to take you up on my shoulder.. use the links above, and make an effort.Let me see if I can get you up to speed..Keysight U1561A and U1562A.. look up who makes these probes...!As far as I can tell, it's "Zhongce". a big Chinese test-gear brand, that also is behind ZCtek (link above) and Zhongce electronics, and numerous other segments.. a behemoth (links above),.. they seem to cater to a lot of the bigger brands with their portfolio of not least passive probes.The original part-number from Zhongce is P2300 and P2301C (X100) and P2301B (X10) and as you can read above (screenshot).. they even highlight they are also made for Keysight Agilent, and why Zhongce can emphasize that there is an official European Agilent std on them already..Zhongce are making them in numerous colors.. Blue, Grey, Red, Black.Quote from: tooki on October 25, 2024, 04:11:44 pmSure "rebadged" out of thin air.Maybe you should examine a bit how the world works, and you will hopefully realize.. that even "out-of-thin-air-rebadging " usually has a far-east sense..

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 05:22:51 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on October 25, 2024, 04:11:44 pmThe way world work today, maybe Stäubli also manufacture in China. Who knows anymore..

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 05:59:11 pm
content: Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pmYou tell me, since you’re so convinced I overlooked something.Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pmWell, clearly you’ll have to spell it out for a dumdum like me…Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pmAnd how do propose doing that? Keysight does not list its suppliers.Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pmThat does not even begin to prove anything. They can make clone products and write whatever they want. So nothing there proves (or even suggests) that they are Keysight’s supplier. They could be, but they could also not be.Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pmWhat is that reply even supposed to mean?!?Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pmBased on your posts in this thread, I don’t think you are in any position to tell others they don’t understand the world! 😂Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 05:16:27 pmAnother nonsensical phrase. I have no idea what you’re trying to say.

author: DaneLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 06:08:33 pm
content: Quote from: tooki on October 25, 2024, 05:59:11 pmWho do you think are doing this "rebadging" you're talking about for all your "big brands"?A wild guess.Hmm' could it be a vendor in China?If so.. who??.. as I highly doubt they are dropping out of the sky.. that is what is explained above.. as far as I can tell.. It looks to be Zhongce.. but maybe you can examine a bit and not simply deliver noise in lack of better.I have these probes and tried to examine who makes them, I explained it above what I found out... IF you can supply anything of relevance.. let me hear it.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 25, 2024, 06:50:32 pm
content: Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 06:08:33 pmUmmm, it’s already been stated: Stäubli.They will happily make branded versions of their products for other manufacturers. (For example, back when Philips still made test gear, their test leads were Multi-Contact. Philips test gear became part of Fluke, and Multi-Contact became Stäubli. Fluke’s own test lead/connector manufacturer, Pomona, doesn’t make insulated oscilloscope probes, so Fluke continues to get those from Stäubli.)Quote from: DaneLaw on October 25, 2024, 06:08:33 pmWhat, you seriously think only Chinese companies will make OEM stuff for others?A “wild guess” is literally all you’ve provided. The only “evidence” you’ve shared with us is websites saying “for Keysight” (which anyone can say) and the visual similarities, which are completely useless as evidence since the Chinese will slavishly copy things.I know that Stäubli makes their oscilloscope probes at their factory in Germany, and if you search for the “country of origin” for both Stäubli and Fluke oscilloscope probes, you’ll find “Germany” listed.Stäubli also has a manufacturing site in China of its own, so even seeing “China” as a country of origin doesnotprove a given probe is a clone.(The U1562A, for example, lists Malaysia. Keysight has its own manufacturing there, and it’s possible that they buy probes from elsewhere and do juuuust enough to them that the country of origin can be labeled as Malaysia. Or it’s a clerical error by someone who doesn’t understand what “country of origin” actually means and listed the place it ships from, not where it was made.)

author: FlexibleMammoth
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: October 28, 2024, 03:24:03 pm
content: Ok so now you made me curious. I have quite a collection of these (name brand) and had a look at the "manufactured in..." section. I know there are various loopholes around final assembly, but thought it was interesting. So here goes nothing.Rohde&Schwarz RT-ZI10 500MHz, 1:10: not stated (seems to be the same as Fluke VPS410-II)Fluke VPS510-G 500MHz 1:10 compact probe: GermanyFluke RS400 Accessory Set: GermanyFluke VPS101 30MHz 1:1: GermanyFluke AS200-R/G Accessory Set: GermanyFluke VPS200-G 200MHz 1:10: GermanyAll of these are CAT III or even CAT IV rated, carry the UL listed, CE and double insulation marking. All of them are also stamped on the probe (and not only the manufacturer name).