Owon Oscilliscopes - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: KingSolomon
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 01:21:05 am
content: Hi, I am looking for my first oscilloscope and noticed that Owon makes quite good value scopes. What is the general opinion on Owon scopes? Should I get a keysight or rigol instead? I know that lecroy re-badges some Owon scopes. I want a sub 1000 usd scope with at least 100 mhz, four channels, and a waveform generator. Thanks for your help!

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 08:26:57 am
content: Quote from: KingSolomon on September 15, 2019, 01:21:05 amLeCroy rebadges Siglent scopes.Owon scopes are buggy and weird. They look good on paper but are not like that really. They do kinda work and if you can get one very cheap, they are better than nothing.But there is a reason why people generally avoid them.Go with (order is random, not a preference) Siglent, Rigol, GW Instek, MicSig, or brand names if you can afford.Not to beat a dead horse, but this is literally millionth time this same question was asked here and was answered gazillion times. It always ends up in fanboys debate with no conclusion.Find a vendor you trust, allocate how much money you have, look at what is available for money you have from brands I mentioned before, pick one and buy it.If you get bored doing electronics in few years it's good not to spend too much money. If you keep on doing electronics, in few years you will have to buy something more advanced anyways...

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 09:32:38 am
content: Quote from: KingSolomon on September 15, 2019, 01:21:05 amConsider getting 2 instruments with that budget.A SDG1032X 30MHz 2ch AWG that when paired with a SDS1104X-E can offer 3ch Bode plot analysis and still have one AWG channel free.Example but paired with the single ch AWG module that's available as an option for X-E scopes:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-sds1204x-e-released-for-domestic-markets-in-china/msg1435854/#msg14358542ch example using 3 of 4 channels a few days later:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-sds1204x-e-released-for-domestic-markets-in-china/msg1436912/#msg1436912The SDG1032X standalone AWG suggested offers better output capability than any inbuilt AWG in a scope as they are typically limited to ~5V max output and generally don't also offer the range of functionality of a standalone unit.Study some datasheets.

author: rf-loop
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 10:13:02 am
content: Quote from: tautech on September 15, 2019, 09:32:38 amAnd just tiny sidenote: after these days SDS1104-1204X-E Siglent have today improved SFRA what is now BodePlot II and it is really far over older BodePlot version. There is afaik nothing on the market what can competite with this in this price class. Not even close.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-sds1x04x-e-bodeplot-ii-(sfra)-features-and-testing-(coming)/msg2453655/#msg2453655

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 10:33:25 am
content: The suggestion to have an external waveform generator is a good one because the internal waveform generators inside oscilloscopes are quite limited. And a function generator doesn't need to cost an arm & a leg. The Feeltech FY6900 is a nice (dual channel) entry level model for less than $100.Other than that 2N3055 post says it all.

author: JoeO
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 04:09:43 pm
content: In addition to 2N3055's excellent post, the question that should be asked of the OP is "What do you want to do with the scope?"If, for example, all you want to do is fix audio equipment, you don't need to spend a lot of money on a scope.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 04:26:28 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on September 15, 2019, 08:26:57 amI don't think there'll be much debate here that Owon is an anagram of "no-no".Quote from: 2N3055 on September 15, 2019, 08:26:57 amWhat for?

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 05:19:31 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on September 15, 2019, 04:26:28 pmI wouldn't know, sorry. That is OP's quote..

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 05:31:27 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on September 15, 2019, 05:19:31 pmOh, I messed up the quotes.Question still stands though... "What for?"

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 15, 2019, 09:11:36 pm
content: QuoteI would recommend that too, here (germany) there´s actual a special offer for theSDG1032Xand together with theSDS1104X-Eit´s in the desired price range.Both things I´ve owned before the MSO5, they´re really recommendable.

author: maxwell3e10
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 16, 2019, 02:45:56 am
content: I think Owon scopes bad reputation is overblown. They do have some bugs and limitations, but so do most others. Owon scopes have two fairly unique features: high resolution 12-bit sampling and battery operation. Both of these have real practical implications by enabling certain measurements, not just "nice to have". Micsig is also good for running on battery.So it may not be the best "vanila" scope, but should be considered if the special features are likely to be useful.

author: xavier60
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 02:16:34 am
content: Not only the Owon HDS1022M-N that I purchased recently, other brand/models have a behavior that myself and some others find very annoying.A displayed waveform will freeze on the screen for a second after trigger is lost.Most irritating when probing DC rails. A random disturbance is first displayed frozen on the screen, then a whole second has to be waited for to see an active trace displaying the actual voltage level.The presence of this annoyance caught me totally off guard, so if you think that it's likely to annoying you, then check with the maker.

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 02:56:03 am
content: Expectations should be realistic. I have the Owon HDS1021M-N that I picked up on sale for under $100. I don't think these are worth much more than that and it's already a bit of an old product. But I'm happy enough with it as a handheld for basic tasks in the garage/shop.

author: xavier60
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 03:00:51 am
content: Quote from: J-R on December 06, 2020, 02:56:03 amThe behavior that I mentioned is not a performance limitation, it is a dumb design choice.I also wonder if some bench models are the same.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 04:45:27 pm
content: Quote from: xavier60 on December 06, 2020, 02:16:34 amWhat exactly is issupposedto do? Please tell us.No trigger is no trigger.

author: The Soulman
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 05:29:38 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on December 06, 2020, 04:45:27 pmShow non-triggered noise?!And certainly not a stable (non existent) waveform.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 05:49:32 pm
content: Owon was OK back in 2010 when they had a first scope with a big lcd. Nowadays you should go for GW Instek, Siglent or Rigol. They are not perfect, but still much better than utter crap Owon.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 05:56:12 pm
content: Quote from: The Soulman on December 06, 2020, 05:29:38 pmWhat if you're looking at RS232 data that's only arriving two bytes every second? Should it flash the data on screen for a single frame then show noise?

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 06:01:07 pm
content: Quote from: xavier60 on December 06, 2020, 02:16:34 amAFAIK Tektronix invented this and some other manufacturers have copied it. I find it a handy feature because it keeps interesting information on screen for a bit longer before going back to auto-trigger. It allows to trigger on (relatively) rare events and keep an eye on a signal while there is nothing to trigger on. But yes, it is annoying at times.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 06:09:54 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on December 06, 2020, 06:01:07 pmI think it would be a lotmoreannoying if it didn't.Lesser of two evils...

author: xavier60
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 06, 2020, 06:56:01 pm
content: My HP bench DSO holds for 40mS which allows it to stably display repeating events down to 25Hz. No problem with that.A one second hold is way too long.I can see how this feature could be useful sometimes. There should be the option to disable it for the many occasions when it's definitely annoying and a hindrance to diagnostics.It will be used mainly for checking sensor signals on tractor transmissions. I will always want to know as soon as possible when a signal drops out.For times when a waveform is needed to be kept on the screen after trigger loss, Normal and Single modes are for that.

author: xavier60
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 08, 2020, 09:20:09 pm
content: The Owon HDS1022M-N has a slow update rate, looks to be about 10 times per second.When a signal ends, this DSO is very unlikely to capture the tail of the signal, making the one second hold feature even more ridiculousas it will rarely capture anything of interest.