cheap oscilloscope help please - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: xtal_01
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 05:55:36 am
content: I know this topic has been covered before ... read post after post ... but still trying to decided on a cheap scope to do some testing and learning.This all started because a friend thought I might have some ripple on a power supply I had and said if I had a scope I could put in on and check.He said "any cheap scope" will work for something like this.I have never had a scope .. just want something to "play" with ... say under $100I read review after review ... post after post ....I came up with a few but need help deciding between them ... or maybe someone has a different one they recommend ...Again ... simple testing ... maybe watch my PWM output on an Arduino ... stuff like that.All these are from Amazon ...At the bottom $39.99 ... [urlhttps://tinyurl.com/3cjxtx97] simple .... single channel .... downfalls (as far as I can tell) are small screen, only 3V amplitude on signal generator, limited trigger functions ... not sure if you can use signal generator and scope at the same timeAt $69.99 (89.99 with $20 coupon) ... [urlhttps://tinyurl.com/2m5zevfm] Dual channel ... not sure if I need that ... touch screen, not sure if this is good or bad ... only 7 signal types and you can't use them at the same time as the scope (from review) .. limited trigger function ...At $84.99 (119.99 with $35 coupon) ... [urlhttps://tinyurl.com/nhhhyk99] dual channel ... has multi meter , don't need one as I have two already ... buttons instead of touch screen (maybe better or worse) .... only 7 signal types and you can't use them at the same time as the scope (from review) .. limited trigger function ...And there are dozens more ... Fnirsi 2C53T $89.99 .... Fnirsi DSO152 $36.99 ... Leolov 154-pro $43.99 .....Any advice here?I know for the price these are all just toys ...I am hoping for simple testing and learning how to use a scope, one of these will work.thanks .... Mike

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 06:31:34 am
content: What kind of power supply do you have?And what is the real problem you are trying to solve -- i.e. why do you think ripple might be your problem?Maybe you can use a sound card (audio interface) + a computer:How to measure power supply ripple down to 1uv -- Gabsterhttps://youtu.be/RnGnQdp_8I8(btw - your urls are tracking links -- using the direct Amazon urls are preferable - you can truncate them right after the ?-mark)Update: it is possible that by "any old scope" your friend meant any old analog scope.

author: peter.andaluz@gmail.com
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 06:37:22 am
content: I bought the FNIRSI as it wasn't so expensive and has a simple signal generator two. It's not perfect but if you are on a budget you get a lot for your money.

author: PGPG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 09:46:47 am
content: Quote from: xtal_01 on January 22, 2025, 05:55:36 amLong time ago to have a scope I just designed and build it (single channel and I got 5MHz bandwidth).Nowadays I would say: Two channels is 'must have'. Don't even consider single channel scopes.I suppose for such occasional use probably the USB connected scopes are the good choice. They don't take up too much space when not in use. You have a large screen. Working from laptop battery you can not worry about ground loop.

author: tunk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 11:33:33 am
content: There's also the 2ch Zeeweii DSO2512G and DSO3D12.And Owon HDS25 and Hanmatek HO52.

author: Solder_Junkie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 11:49:49 am
content: The Fnirsi 2C53T has a lot of features for the money. Beware of the false claim of "CAT IV 600V" and "CAT III 1000V" ratings... I wouldn't be happy putting the probes anywhere near mains electricity. Proper meters with such ratings are independently tested and certified.The downside is the fiddly nature of such instruments, but for the money it looks OK.SJ

author: coromonadalix
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 01:07:28 pm
content: there's a limit on how cheap you can be, a scope is a good instrument and a good investmentthe mentioned fnirsi or othersare mostly toysto begin with, if you play with ac voltages etc DO get a real scope with real probes, you can get some under the 200$ mark"thoses toys" lack settings, sensitivity or proper protections / isolation BE WARNED

author: trifusion
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 06:59:43 pm
content: If you are looking at the toy category (sub $200) check my thread here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/oscilloscope-primarily-for-very-occasional-3-35v-module-trouble-shooting/I ended up ordering the DSTouch DS4T252https://www.dreamsourcelab.com/shop/oscilloscope/dstouch-ds4t252/but it just shipped today so still a couple of weeks before I get it.My main advice if you are looking to get something inexpensive from China is that you order soon, lots of companies there shut down during Chinese New Year and there can be an additional 2 week delay as a result.Greg

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 08:04:45 pm
content: Depending on where you live, you might find and old CRT scope on ebay or similar sites, for cheap. Apart from shipping cost, there used to be lots of still working, 20MHz CRT scopes, for $50-100. They are big and heavy, sometimes noisy, but probably much safer for working on mains powered PSU's, than some of these cheap mini-DSO's.I'm planning to get the 2C53T, just to have a portable, mini-scope, I wouldn't want to take my more expensive scopes anywhere. But yeah I wouldn't be using it on anything too high voltage, not on it's own anyways.

author: xtal_01
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 09:15:11 pm
content: OK ..... so I know it is a toy but the The Fnirsi 2C53T is what I was first leaning toward.I guess I only had two worries ...1) it only got a 4.2 on Amazon2) It only has Auto/normal/single trigger. This seems to be the norm for cheap scopes. I could even be convinced I should go to a $200 scope if it it did a bunch more but the problem is I "think" (and you guys can tell me) that I need to go to a $800 scope to jump to the next level. Out of interest, I am not even sure why you need to tell it when to trigger ... I have never used a scope just know it something that keeps coming up in the forums and reviews.I can't imagine doing any high voltage testing .... I need to learn a lot more first.Just FYI ... I understand electrical circuits ... not electronics. I build industrial control panels ... relays, starters, PLC's .... but that makes me much more of end end user. I want to get into the "how it works" and "can I fix it" a bit more.Thanks again !!!!!!!!!!

author: ledtester
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 09:30:51 pm
content: You can get into a high quality scope for about $450... check out the Rigol DHO804 or the Siglent SDS804... there are many posts about both on this forum, e.g.:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/choosing-between-entry-level-12-bit-dsos/If you hunt around I think you could get a used DS1054Z on ebay from around $250 -- easily $300.However, getting a scope just to find out if there is a ripple problem with a power supply seems overkill -- that's why I asked what kind of power supply you have and why you think there is a ripple problem. I've watched a lot of power supply repair videos and almost all of them were diagnosed with a multimeter.

author: xtal_01
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 22, 2025, 10:08:55 pm
content: Oh I completely agree about the power supply.In the end, I finished up that project and everything worked fine.It was just that if I had a scope, I could have checked,And like I said, I am playing more with PWM and such.I just want something to learn on.I am in the middle of building a new workshop (4500 sq ft). When it is done, I will have a dedicated electronics area. Then I can buy some decent equipment.

author: xtal_01
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 23, 2025, 04:06:19 am
content: So ... you have me thinking completely differently now ...I see a few Tektronix 3032 scopes on ebay ... 2 channel, 300 MHz, 2.5 GS/s ... they start at $100 ...sell for about $150 it looks like ... no probes"good probes" are $150 each but from Aliexpress, 500 MHz probes are $15 ... don't know how good they are.Would this be the way to go?How do I know which model to look for ?

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2025, 09:12:33 am
content: Quote from: xtal_01 on January 22, 2025, 10:08:55 pmAs a first "temporary" scope I would buy a ZEEWEII DSO1C81. It's cheap, comparatively powerful and not annoying.https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005007394192248.htmlOf course it doesn't replace a benchtop scope, but for this price (two pizzas) it's a good start.You can continue to use it as a handheld scope, even when you later have a “real” scope on your desk.

author: ahsrabrifat
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: January 23, 2025, 06:33:14 pm
content: You can check Owon oscilloscope. The price is reasonable.

author: MathWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2025, 08:25:40 pm
content: Quote from: xtal_01 on January 23, 2025, 04:06:19 amTektronix makes great scopes, that price sounds too good to be true for those spec's, and a the Tektronix name.IDK you're budget, but there's all kinds of stuff you could do with a 20/50/100MHz CRT/DSO scope, and cheap probes. I don't buy brand name ones, I just bought some on Amazon, and if they don't have any reviews, or real spec's, I pass on them.Since you've been into electronics for a while, I'd go for a used scope, over the little mini "toy" ones, you can do way more, and learn more of how they work. And there is a fair bit of stuff, that can be repaired on these older scopes, and there's lot's of old service manuals, and community knowledge out there.

author: Wallace Gasiewicz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 24, 2025, 11:44:17 pm
content: Recently I have seen Tek 465...475 Scopes go for about $100 at Hamfests. The ones I looked at were in good condition and worked but probably needed an internal cleaning. I have one I would sell for that price.I have purchased probes from China for very little money that work just fine with the scope I needed them for. I believe I paid less than $20 each for them new. Just make sure the impedance range matches the scope. I think the ones I purchased are better quality than the ones that came with my Agilent DSO (which are also Made In China)

author: NickFearnley
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 24, 2025, 11:50:32 pm
content: I've recently been using an HDS242 from OWON and it's actually pretty good for the work I do on automotive projects. The trigger features have been invaluable and I also like the multimeter capes. The file export is useful but isn't a storage scope as such. It was about $99 on Amazon I think pre xmas. It's helping me find transients on my own PSUs (and allowed me to export images for this forum to look at and hopefully help with!)