Mhz rating for first oscilloscope? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: tehjrow
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 06:24:33 pm
content: I'm not ready to spend over $150 on a fancy digital oscilloscope just yet so I've been searching ebay for analog ones. I've found some in my price range but i'm not sure what mhz range to look for. All the videos I watch on the subject just say "buy one with double the bandwidth that you'll need" but I don't even know what i'll need yet.EDIT: I should add that i'm an electrical engineering student (sophomore) who does electronics also as a hobby. So far a voltmeter has done everything I've needed but I would like to grow my tools.

author: 10101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 06:33:26 pm
content: IMHO if you don't know what will you need then you will not need a scope (atleast that was what i followed...)

author: PeterFW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 06:34:40 pm
content: Quote from: tehjrow on June 01, 2015, 06:24:33 pmSince i do not know what you want to use the scope for, i will tell you this.Last year i set sails to buy a scope, DSOs were to expensive and i searched quite some time on ebay for a used analog one i liked.Finally i broke down and bought a DSO, a year later i can tell you that a analog scope would have been completely useless to me, 80% of the time, and buying a DSO was the right choice.

author: 10101
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 06:55:55 pm
content: Quote from: tehjrow on June 01, 2015, 06:24:33 pmif you like to learn new stuff and you don't yet need a "fancy" scope, you could try to make an arduino/raspberry pi audio grade scope to see if it helps you seeing what you needEdit: try to search for hantek usb scopes or follow PeterFW advise

author: R_G_B_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 08:02:31 pm
content: use it for testing sensors on a car you learn a bit about engine management to.R_G_B_

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 08:13:29 pm
content: Quote from: tehjrow on June 01, 2015, 06:24:33 pmI'd recommend you wait until you can afford "a fancy digital oscilloscope" for the previously mentioned reasons plus:If a DMM is all you have needed, you're unlikely to have the skills and definately not the tools to maintain or repair a CRO.Bandwidth?I have endeavoured to offer the lower priced models and series from the Siglent range to my market and find them continuially slow to sell.They do eventually sell, normally to customers that are "passing through" the EE field, but for you that have selected EE as a possible profession, a 100 MHz is a very good starting point.It will likely do all you want as a hobbyist, and likely later on your employer will have better spec'ed scopes that you could use if needed.I recommend DSO's with 400V channel inputs, especially for novices, to reduce the risk of damage to a scope as they learn to use them.Models?SDS1102CML units are sound and mature DSO's. Search EEVblog for more info from other members.http://www.siglentamerica.com/pdxx.aspx?id=27&T=2&tid=1

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 08:19:33 pm
content: Quote from: tehjrow on June 01, 2015, 06:24:33 pmAsk around the department... I'm sure somebody will know somebody who's got a bunch of old 'scopes in a cupboard.PS: Almost anything you buy under $150 will be a waste of money on the long term. Save up a bit longer for a DS1040Z (which is currently the total killer 'scope, price/performance-wise - don't even consider anything else unless you're spending a lot more).

author: tehjrow
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 08:22:25 pm
content: Thanks for the input guys, i'm currently looking into more funding for a 1054Z.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 08:40:00 pm
content: For digital signals, there is a simple relationship between the risetime (not clock frequency) and bandwidth. BW=0.35/risetime.Ignore the sampling rate, the front-end bandwidth is the key figure.

author: LaurentR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 08:55:08 pm
content: The DS1054Z would also be my recommendation, but if you really can't gather the $375.06 needed to get one, you could try to find its predecessor the DS1052e. At its new price of $309.26, it's not a great deal compared to the DS1054Z, but if you can find one used (there should be lots of them on the market) closer to $200, it could work well.Looking at EBay, I see a lot of very high prices, so maybe not, but worth investigating if you're really short on cash.

author: inteljoe
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2015, 09:13:33 pm
content: I had many of the same questions when I recently purchased my first scope.After months of research and stalking online sources for used equipment, I gave up the fight and purchased a Siglent SDS1072CML.I know many people don't like it, but it's the best scope I could find under the $350 (new/retail price).With work being crazy, I have not had the time to put it through the paces, but after some initial testing, I am very happy with it.It has all the features I could want and it's not something I will need to upgrade for many years to come... Only if my hobby takes off into a career or anything past a certain level of electronics engineering skill, will I likely need to buy something more expensive and capable, but until then, this will do everything I need it to and then some.The Siglent SDS1072CML has 70MHz bandwidth, 1GSa/s sample rate, very clear 7" display, 2 channels and a plethora of options. For less than $320 on Amazon (http://www.amazon.com/Siglent-SDS1072CML-TFT-LCD-Bench-Top-Oscilloscope/dp/B00GQNNHJG), it's a good compromise between price and specs/features.Good luck.

author: ronjodu
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: June 03, 2015, 12:55:26 am
content: I'm an electrician by day and a hobbyist by night. I bought a Tektronics 465B analog scope off Ebay about 3 years ago for $200. I hardly used it and honestly struggled each time I tried to use it.Two weeks ago and after reading everyting on this forum about the Rigol 1045z I decided to go for it. With the coupon code off this forum and the free shipping it was at my door in 3 days for $375. It's an amazing value IMHO. I've used it more in the last 2 weeks than the Tek the entire time I had it. Best feature to me is the I2C decoding. Read more on this forum and you'll see how to add that to the 1045z.Hope this helps..