Noise problem on Agilent oscilloscopes - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2011, 01:34:09 pm
content: hey guys,I'm in the final stages of buying my oscilloscope, i'm getting the DSOX3014A Oscilloscope.However I am across a thread on Agilent website than some people have experienced noise problems with there scope.http://forums.tm.agilent.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27796&sid=77499592f0d9c2296bbbb5dfcb1ef248has any one else noticed this? I think its a one offDave if your reading this did you notice this while doing your tests on the 2000 and 3000 series?thanks antony

author: rf-loop
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2011, 06:28:25 pm
content: All know that original Hewlett-Packard Test Equipment company was destroyed years ago. This sad year was 1999I remember this catastrophal news just as yesterday. No one can understand why this happend.

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2011, 07:27:44 pm
content: So much half-comprehensible babbling, not enough pics and detailed explanations of how the scope in question was configured to arrive at said nonexistent pics.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2011, 08:26:49 pm
content: Yes, folks are better off discussing their concerns on this forum, where there are more owners and clearly more knowledgeable folks here about this scope. Further many of the questions raised are already answered in this forum, at least search for it. I mean, why instead of referencing Dave's videos, why not speak to Dave or other owners directly?

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2011, 11:03:15 pm
content: that's what i was thinking, I trust you guys allot more than those guys. if none of you have had a smmilar problem i will order it as soon as i get my formal quote

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 13, 2011, 11:17:21 am
content: Quote from: aparlett on November 12, 2011, 01:34:09 pmMy 3000 has around 1mV max single shot noise at the highest timebase setting, 2mV max if you free run it, both floating input.Slightly better when the input is terminated.If you use the HiRes mode then it's better than 200uV at low timebase settings (<1us) with the input open.I see no "pulses" or such to suggest it's anything other than fairly wideband random noise, although I have not done a spectral analysis of it.I agree with slateraptor, without pics the comments don't carry much weight (my comments too)Dave.

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2011, 02:36:41 pm
content: thanks Davethat's good to know. I'm really looking froward to getting a scope, they are giving me an awesome deal at trio-smart-cal, I told them that you mentioned a student deal and they still said they will give it to me(it expired in July) and 20% off.thanks Antony

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2011, 07:35:03 pm
content: Quote from: aparlett on November 13, 2011, 02:36:41 pmYet another reason to hate being a poor college student.<--- This guy is envious.My time will come. *patience*

author: M. András
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 13, 2011, 08:47:25 pm
content: i think it can be an invidual unit batch with these problems or some glitch in the manufacturing process, but its intresting to see such opinions about a product. btw i would like to see some pics of that improved shielding of the scopei have a weller wd1000m solder station set with their micropencil its a nice tool but within 1.5 month of buying it from an authorized dealer i had to take it back to the shop cos the thing wouldnt heat up or a very low temp and displaying insane numbers, displays 500 ? and i held the tip of the iron and it was cold, after a week it came back from the weller service center and i was told they found no problems, after i brought it home and plugged in i noticed every damn setting was set back to default which is not a problem, but the damn thing now overheats the iron while displaying lower values, set to 100 ? while melts the solder which melts at 183 ? according to the manufacturer sheet now waiting for a tip thermometer to see somehow how hot is the iron versus the displayed value, so i can think of these like an invidual problem with an expensive lab/production gear (muprhy lived and will live)

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 08:32:32 am
content: Quote from: M. András on November 13, 2011, 08:47:25 pmMy WD1000 had same problems and even more. I even sent it at my cost to Germany for new FW to be installed ( i had an early production one and did not have the USB module fitted) and it still did not work. Then i bought the Weller most fine WX2, that did not absolutely work. Weller admitted that they are crap by desing and is bringing them back to the sketch table and returned my money. I would never buy weller again, im sticking to Hakko because they just work!Ok not to steal original thread we should not post this kind of issues but i have my way of story for this topic too.I would never and i mean never buy my 3024A if i could go in past. I started hating Agilent for buying this scope and i will never, ever buy anything from them again. Yes the scope has some noise problems but i cant say surely because my scope boots only 1 time of 150 tries so im using it as expensive paper weight *. I tried to sell it lower than 1/2 price but who wants a dead scope? Agilent does not accept warranty claim because it was a demo unit, because the distributeur sold it ilegally and what not excuse they managed to think off? Is it my problem, I paid my scope fair?Now i feel easier and hope to soon buy the Hameg as from previous experience i know they care and communicate with buyers.* a useless or broken piece of equipment, especially electronic equipment

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 10:15:25 am
content: Quote from: hacklordsniper on November 14, 2011, 08:32:32 amHow much money did you save by buying it "under the counter" so to speak?How much will Agilent charge you over there to repair it?

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 10:55:10 am
content: Quote from: tronixstuff on November 14, 2011, 10:15:25 amI bought it at official Agilent point. They first quoted me waiting time so long i would die before getting it but i accepted. After payment i wait, wait and wait... And nothing after the date come. The then say some random blah blah and offer to take a new scope which just arrived but for them as Demo unit and its not anyway different than usual and they will take mine when it arrives for them. But since they should not do that "officially" they will not issue me a receipt and gave me some symbolical discount (approximately enough for a diet coke and BigMac). They don't want to accept the scope anymore and even estimate the repair cost (they even don't have an idea what could be with it" and for them the transaction is solved.I could report this to local institutions, start a lawsuit and get all my money back they would get a fine enough big to force them to close business but you see I'm not so mean to make people loose job's (especially those people that are simple workers) but i will never-ever touch anything with the Agilent name or anybody from my colleagues, employees, friends, cooperating companies...I regret Fluke does not have something in this range, usually when there is a problem with Fluke they solve it so fast and nice you dont regret even one cent that you paid for their gear.

author: johnboxall
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 11:00:49 am
content: I'm probably going to get flamed for saying this - but your gripe is with the dealer and yourself, not Agilent. All equipment will have a certain percentage of failures, and by a complete shitty coincidence you got one of them. Have you contacted Agilent directly? I'm sure a polite explanation of the situation should get some help from them, their service departments are usually excellent.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 11:02:15 am
content: Quote from: hacklordsniper on November 14, 2011, 08:32:32 amDid you actually ask the distributor if the demo unit was still covered under warranty? If they said it was, then they have to either honor that or risk losing their official distributorship.If they said it wasn't (or you didn't ask) and you knowing took the risk then really you can't really blame Agilent for not replacing effectively a 2nd hand unit.If you bought the unit legally, then Agilent would have bent over backward to fix it for you, as there have been several reports on here and various places that attest to that.Dave.

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 11:13:40 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 14, 2011, 11:02:15 amHello Dave. To quote myself "new scope which just arrived but for them as Demo unit and its not anyway different than usual and they will take mine when it arrives for them" as said by them there is no difference and warranty should be. Legally (atleast here) you cant sell anything without warranty. They installed me the licenses i ordered and said they will leave mine scope for them when it arrives. I would not buy a such piece of equipment at that price if i would not have warrantly (i would do that only if it was 1/4 of original price or something). The unit was not even used by them i think since i got it nicely packed and all accesories were sealed.Agilent does not care i wrote to them allready, they even did not bother to copy&paste some general answer. Dave dont offend please but you got a quite expensive scope free so i think you cant judge them and their actions fair. If anybody here got one free they would jump arround the forum screaming how Agilent is the nicest company in the world.Quote from: tronixstuff on November 14, 2011, 11:00:49 amYou will not get flamed. They represent Agilent oficially, they are on Agilent distributors list, so "they are" Agilent.

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 11:22:10 am
content: Quote from: hacklordsniper on November 14, 2011, 10:55:10 amYeah, the distributor should take the scope back and exchange it for the serial number you bought, or otherwise replace you scope. If they don't, I would seriously do two things: 1) Report the distributors actions to agilent. They need to know if their distributors are screwing their customers. When presented with the whole story they may or may not be able or willing to do anything to help you, but they might consider revoking the authorized dealer status, or otherwise penalizing them. 2) If the distributor did not tell you specifically that the item was not covered by warranty when they offered it as an exchange, they should legally be obligated to fulfill the warranty claim. In this case, I would file suit against the distributor. In all likelihood, this will simply convince them to replace your scope and cost no more than the cost of a scope. I wouldn't worry about the consequences for the distributor: if they won't make it right, they are a bad company! In 2011 distributors are an endangered species: if all they do is fill out a customs form and repack merchandise in a box with their own label the manufacturers are going to continue cutting out the middleman and doing direct sales to customers. Make them earn their keep by providing better service than you could get directly from the manufacturer.On the other hand, if you bought a scope that they explicitly said was out of warranty, you are kind of screwed. You should still report the problem to agilent: this is not the kind of behavior they expect from their distributors, but you probably have no legal recourse. Don't buy expensive equipment on the grey market unless the discount is enough that you are willing to take the failure risk.

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 11:32:01 am
content: Quote from: ejeffrey on November 14, 2011, 11:22:10 amThey refuse to change the scope for the original i ordered (did they even order it?)I allready reported it to Agilent, they did not even respondIn our law (in other countries may be different) no company can sell anything to anyone without warranty, and even if i heard such thing i would surely not buy it. However they could do what they wish at that moment since they allready had my money.Again im repeating myself but i did not buy it in gray market (altrough i take the trip there sometimes too). I bought it at official Agilent distributeur, they have nice Agilent signs all over the place, they are on Agilent website as their official distributeur so they are Agilent in some point.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 11:35:28 am
content: Quote from: tronixstuff on November 14, 2011, 11:00:49 amI second that.Blaming Agilent for this is not right, they had nothing to with it, it is the dealer at fault here.You should contact Agilent directly and explain it all.Although you can still hold a grudge against Agilent for the failed unitDave.

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 11:57:15 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 14, 2011, 11:35:28 amBut there is one interesting thing also there. Why would the dealer not replace it if Agilent would do it too? They have nothing to lose personally except gain a happy customer. They actually did complain at some time that warranty claims are handled hard by Agilent and they even dont pay shipping unit to them and back for failed units. And Agilent does not respond to my complaint also, is it coincidence ?

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 12:47:08 pm
content: I just spoke to a dealer - and according to them an Agilent Demo unit can only be sold after 6 months in the dealers hands. So that might be the "cause" of the problems that the dealer sold a demo unit to you without having it for 6 months. That can give them some problems with Agilent. But Agilent should not pass the problems on to you....Anyway. Usually if you have intermittent boot's in a computer (which is what the DSOX is) - it is either memory faults or more likely a daft power supply. I'd check the power supply and compare to Daves notes from the review.Anyway - if you do not want it - then advertise it HERE? There might be some adventurous people would would buy it and expect to fix it. :-)-kaz

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 01:15:28 pm
content: Quote from: kaz911 on November 14, 2011, 12:47:08 pmIm not sure about this unit being demo since all acessories were packed nice originally sealed. Also i have seen manufacturing (or shipping) date on the box (i cant remeber now) and i know it was dated about month earlier than what i had in hands so it was surely not 6 months old. I have no fear of repairing the unit but first i have expected to recieve some help or answer from Agilent, and i recieved nothing. Also i would expect to find atleast one sign of demo unit (stickers or whatever) but i could notIm wondering will they react towards me now when i said my opinion in public.

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 01:20:20 pm
content: You can't tell a demo unit from a normal unit.... they are not labeled as demo. They are meant to look just like the normal scope. The only difference is the dealer buys it at a great discount compared to normal units. Apart from that - everything is the same. But the dealer is not allowed to sell it before he had it for 6 months. (Else some dealers would ONLY sell Demo units...)

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 01:29:05 pm
content: For example before i bought my Fluke 199C i got one to try it out. The unit had clear "DEMO - NOT FOR RESALE" text when turned on and below FN keys there was printed the same text.Since Agilent sells them after the demo period then they dont label them. However it was maybe on a store "look" demo. Because when i first connected a probe the copper circle behind BNC has becomed little bit damaged (the contact probe point draws a circle when you connect/discconect a probe) and there was not any. This atleast gives some insurance it was not used.

author: Nermash
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 01:46:35 pm
content: Few years ago, my company was authorized distributor for professional video products. Under that agreement we were obliged to purchase some models as demo units at special discounted pricing. We were also not allowed to sell it for some period, I think 3 months or so. Sometimes we used to sell it sooner, sometime later, but always! every unit we sold was covered by standard 24 month warranty.I suspect this is the thing with Agilent dealer, he had to purchase one 3000 series as demo, and your order conveniently came at the "right" time. So they ordered the demo at special pricing, told you that your order is delayed (they never ordered it), and pocketed nice margin in price.Only thing is, now they won't honour the warranty, altough the don't have to say to Agilent they sold the demo...I don't know what is the thing with Agilent dealers in SE Europe, I asked two times for two different quotes, and both times I had to resend the inquiry. Once I received a response that they never got my first request, but even then they didn't gave me a quote!Second time I again had to resend inquiry, and I received a quote with 2 or 3x inflated price.So Agilent, change your dealers in Croatia and BiH, obviously they do more harm than good!

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 02:27:06 pm
content: Quote from: Nermash on November 14, 2011, 01:46:35 pmI completly agree with bolded text and believe that could be verry possible.Yeah Agilents dealer here is total crap and i see you did not have better experience either. One of the best dealers i came by here is Fluke, and second best experience is Hameg (which does not have a dealer (just third hand importers) ) but once i chatted them about one of their bench voltmeters and they really spent alot of time to assist me, and anytime you ask nicely for service manual you will get it

author: DaveDE
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 14, 2011, 06:09:48 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 13, 2011, 11:17:21 amI think the guy on the Agilent forum was complaining about switch mode power supply noise inside his scope coupling into the the input channels. If you look for this using the fastest timebase setting and you don't trigger near the noise, you might not see any smps glitch. I guess another way to look for any smps noise is to either slow the time base down into the realm of switching power supply frequencies or just run on infinite persist and see if you catch any smps glitches. Will you or someone else on the forum please do that? I want to buy one of these scopes sight unseen but want to make sure there isn't a switching power supply noise problem. Another quick test would be to attach a scope probe with ground lead attached to probe tip and sniff around near the the scope to see if any emi is picked up.By the way Dave the way I read the Agilent spec on these scopes:" ** 1 mV/div and 2 mV/div is a magnification of 4 mV/div setting. For vertical accuracy calculations, use full scale of 32 mV for2 mV/div sensitivity setting."it would imply that the 1mV/ div setting and 2mV/div settings are just digital zoom and do not have better sensitivity than the 4mV/div vertical gain setting. Do you agree with this? Thanks!

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 10:23:13 am
content: yeah will be getting one soon

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 10:41:40 am
content: Quote from: hacklordsniper on November 14, 2011, 11:32:01 amThat is not good.Keep contacting them until you go blue in the face, and also point them to this forum thread and tell them many people are watching this and it is a public issue.Dave.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 10:54:07 am
content: Quote from: DaveDE on November 14, 2011, 06:09:48 pmHere you go, screen capture at different timebase settings, infinite persistence, 1M input unterminated (i.e. worst case).First 4 are "normal" mode, last 4 are "HiRes" mode.Dave.

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 10:54:41 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 15, 2011, 10:41:40 amI sent a link, cant wait to see what will happen

author: DaveDE
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 03:37:27 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 15, 2011, 10:54:07 amThanks Dave, these screen shots look ok to me. I don't see any noise that doesn't look random and 2mV p-p noise for a 500MHz bandwidth DSO is reasonable.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 03:48:02 pm
content: Quote from: DaveDE on November 15, 2011, 03:37:27 pmis it? how usefull it is to observe low amplitude signal at this 1mV/div setting?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 04:16:36 pm
content: Bandwidth limiting or averaging helps. Just the Johnson noise for an 1Mohm input (though the screen shots specify 50 ohm?) with 500MHz bandwidth would already be a few mV RMS. Plus an unterminated input will always pick up some noise, which is why you measure amplifier/digitizer noise with shorted inputs.

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 15, 2011, 11:56:35 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 15, 2011, 10:54:07 amthey look quite good to me , but im really not sure. haven't been thought much on using a scope at uni well anything :-(thanks dave

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2011, 12:30:01 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on November 15, 2011, 03:48:02 pmthis is a stupid question but whats wrong with observing low amplitude signal at this 1mV/div setting?

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2011, 12:51:26 am
content: Quote from: aparlett on November 16, 2011, 12:30:01 amis it? so what should an "intelligent question" sounds like? is that means this thread is only for clever people?

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2011, 02:12:13 am
content: Quote from: Mechatrommer on November 16, 2011, 12:51:26 am?

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 16, 2011, 06:10:17 am
content: Quote from: alm on November 15, 2011, 04:16:36 pmAh yes, it is 50ohm, sorry.More shots attached.Dave.

author: Mechatrommer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2011, 06:47:33 am
content: Quote from: aparlett on November 16, 2011, 02:12:13 amsorry didnt mean to hijack. but compared to Dave's earlier pic, it made my (cold uncalibrated unterminated) cheapo DSO noise level is very well "normal" (<1mVpp), so hence my enquiry.

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 16, 2011, 02:36:33 pm
content: RMS noise is (at least in the case of thermal noise) proportional to the square root of the bandwidth. A 50MHz scope will show less noise than a 500MHz scope, everything else being equal. It may also be the case that the Rigol DS1052E enables a bandwidth limit at the highest sensitivity (for exactly this reason), further reducing the noise.

author: DaveDE
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 17, 2011, 06:14:17 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 16, 2011, 06:10:17 amI don't own one of these scopes (yet), but I'm assuming that the pink trace is the FFT output showing spectral response. It appears that there is some internal scope noise showing up at 125MHz and harmonics thereof, about 10dB above the noise floor. Maybe this is an internal reference clock. Interesting how the spectrum goes all the way from DC to the Nyquist BW of 2GHz in the first two screen shots. According to Agilent, high res mode reduces the effective sample rate (third shot) by averaging adjacent samples. It appears that in the case of the third shot, 4 adjacent samples are averaged, the effective sample rate is 4Gsps/4=1Gsps and so the FFT shows DC-500MHz (nyquist) bandwidth. The p-p noise in the yellow time domain waveform also drops by about a factor of 2, expected when averaging 4 samples. The averaging function also makes sense because when 8 averages are applied, the noise floor drops by 20*log10(sqrt8), or about 9dB. The noise spikes are unaffected however, as one might expect. This is all pretty interesting. Too bad the noise spikes are there, but I don't plan on doing any serious low level spectrum analysis with this scope anyway; that's what I use my high end spectrum analyzer for. I wonder if the switching power supply noise that the guy on the Agilent forum is complaining about could be seen by doing an FFT when the scope sample rate is lowered to about 5Msps so that it displays dc-2.5Mhz bandwidth, or maybe ~20Msps with high-res mode turned on. I wouldn't be surprised if you (Dave) have zero time to do this. We're thankful for what you already provided.

author: M. András
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 19, 2011, 04:47:18 pm
content: the guy on agilent forum posted several pictures from his modding, well, i think its intresting and wonder if that metal foil shorts something out will he be pissed cos the hardly voided warranty?

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2011, 01:40:40 pm
content: Just a quick update that i got a response after posting my problem here and on Agilent forum. Anyway all that i got for asking for help is a quite a lot of threats with law suits from their rep. Way to go Agilent!

author: ToBeFrank
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2011, 03:23:11 pm
content: Quote from: hacklordsniper on November 23, 2011, 01:40:40 pmDid you contactthis guywho offered to help you?Quote

author: grenert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2011, 04:09:28 pm
content: Quote from: M. András on November 19, 2011, 04:47:18 pmYeah, that would make me nervous! I think it would be easier to just get an analog scope if you really need low noise (it would still have much lower noise than even the modified scope). Or return the Agilent and choose a different one. Hameg was touting their low noise in one of Dave's videos.Also, I can't believe the guy did so much work and never just took a measurement with a shorting cap on the BNC input!

author: M. András
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2011, 04:26:13 pm
content: Quote from: grenert on November 23, 2011, 04:09:28 pmand he has no proof for the high noise cos he never took a screenshot before, and now he damn sure lost the warranty even if he puts back every original part of the unit so an expensive failure can occur any time

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2011, 09:07:21 pm
content: Quote from: ToBeFrank on November 23, 2011, 03:23:11 pmYes i did , he forwared it to the rep and that was their solution

author: grenert
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 23, 2011, 10:31:18 pm
content: Quote from: M. András on November 23, 2011, 04:26:13 pmOh, my, his credibility is sinking fast now!http://forums.tm.agilent.com/community/download/file.php?id=9969&sid=01365a2ce3074b6b4b2b768baef9845e&mode=view

author: mike_kawasaki
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 09:42:11 am
content: Quote from: hacklordsniper on November 23, 2011, 09:07:21 pmThis is Mike (from the above email). I am STILL willing to help this customer.As Dave said in a previous post, Agilent stands behind their products!I sent to our Croatian representative because they must handle the exchange and local logistics. It is also critical that they have engagement with the customer and take ownership for local support.To HACKLORDSNIPER: Please continue to work with us. We have asked for the serial number more than 3 times and you have not responded with this information. The serial number is crucial to do any repairs or exchanges; and must be verified. Your cooperation to supply information is crucial to solving this issue.Once we verify the oscilloscope is authentic (with the serial number) we are willing to do a FULL EXCHANGE!Agilent is not perfect, but I take great pride in our long history of making great products and supporting our customers. My first HP job was a Product Support Engineer for the Agilent Scopes and Logic Analyzers (in Colorado Springs). We will always stand behind our high quality products.Sincerely,Mike KawasakiAgilent Technologies

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 09:53:59 am
content: Can someone make a Recap?Is it a known issue for several Agilent models? Just a single user issue? A failed mod?I got lost in the posts.And Agilent forum says "You are not authorised to download this attachment".Alexander.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 10:03:11 am
content: Quote from: firewalker link=topic=5542.msg74145#msg74145And Agilent forum says "You are not authorised to download this attachment".[/quote

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 10:07:38 am
content: Quote from: mike_kawasaki on November 24, 2011, 09:42:11 amThat's awesome Mike, thanks for participating here and showing that Agilent are willing to replace it. Not many manufacturers will do that.Dave.

author: firewalker
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 10:46:46 am
content: Ok, clearing cookies did the trick.Alexander.

author: aparlett
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 11:13:50 am
content: Quote from: mike_kawasaki on November 24, 2011, 09:42:11 amMike Kawasaki thank you for showing that you are a company that cares.I will be putting in my order as soon as I get the money. I already have a multimeter form you guys and its is amazing.That's whats more important to me more than anything else, if a company listens and wants to help.

author: mike_kawasaki
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 01:47:59 pm
content: QuoteGuys, thanks for the kind words! I'm proud of Agilent and appreciate your business.I know many of you, but not all, are from Australia -- so during my next Australia vacation will have to host an EEVBlog Forum beer-bust! (no vacation planned at this time, but my family keeps asking to return soon). I am partial to drinking VB, as it is very difficult to find in other parts of the world, so will buy a keg!Mike

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 24, 2011, 03:52:08 pm
content: Hello Mike, i just sent you the data (serial and pictures of serial stickers)

author: mike_kawasaki
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2011, 01:55:23 am
content: Quote from: hacklordsniper on November 24, 2011, 03:52:08 pmHacklordsniper, thanks! I see it and am forwarding to the division. I also got email that our Croatian Distributor talked to you live.Please accept a few days delay -- the Americans are eating Thanksgiving Turkey, watching American Football and preparing to shop on Black Friday.Mike

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2011, 03:51:46 am
content: No problem Mike im happy that this thing is moving and you will find out history of my scope.As for the forum viewers i can say working with Agilent directly is great and helpful and things are moving. Its my mistake for judging them on basis of rotten rep!

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 25, 2011, 04:23:29 am
content: Quote from: mike_kawasaki on November 25, 2011, 01:55:23 am*cough* Some of us are eating turkey sandwiches, watching EEVblog videos and preparing to troubleshoot the final stage of a big academic project. *cough*

author: hacklordsniper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2011, 01:19:20 pm
content: Weird it seems other people have same problem with their scope as mehttps://forums.tm.agilent.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=27952&p=77905#p77905Luckily the author does not have the problem all the time and his scope boots after reset, while mine just needs 20-50 resets

author: Bored@Work
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2011, 04:51:57 pm
content: Keep us posted what happens with your oscilloscope. You know, after Goodwill Instek and their distributor let us so terrible down with an oscilloscope repair I am preparing a business case why buying Instek gear is not an option. Any example of positive behavior of other companies helps the case.

author: ivan747
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 29, 2011, 08:45:48 pm
content: Quote from: mike_kawasaki on November 25, 2011, 01:55:23 amI heard that one before on the Amp Hour, do you listen to it?It is good to see Agilent responding to problems like this. Not many companies get involved in forums.

author: kaz911
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 30, 2011, 02:11:30 pm
content: Quote from: ivan747 on November 29, 2011, 08:45:48 pmI would love if Agilent and GW Instek and the other would kick their distributors in the UAE. I would have put down about $5000 for an Agilent scope if the distributor here did not overcharge with 25% and does not participate in Agilent world wide promotions like "trade-in" etc.the distributors here are just "lousy" and "greedy" and I live in a country with ZERO tax (personal or corporate) and only 4.7% import duty.So most times it is cheaper for me to buy in the US and have shipped here. Sometimes I can EVEN fly over to NY and pick it up - and it is STILL cheaper - like with an Agilent Scope.sorry for the rant. But I do hope someone in Agilent reads it.

author: mike_kawasaki
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 16, 2011, 09:44:36 pm
content: Quote from: kaz911 on November 30, 2011, 02:11:30 pm

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2012, 09:29:24 am
content: Hi There!I just bought a 2000 series MSO from Agilent, and what i am concerned about is its audible noise (not signal noise). I can hear the sound of a switching power supply (propably the PSU of the display?), which is approx. just as loud as the fan. Is that normal? I dont really like this feature of this scope.

author: benemorius
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2012, 06:24:13 pm
content: Quote from: Baliszoft on February 09, 2012, 09:29:24 amYou should bring this concern to the Agilent forums and then link it back here. Google takes me there often and I've noticed that the Agilent staff is very responsive.

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 09, 2012, 06:47:23 pm
content: Thanks. Will try!

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2012, 02:40:47 pm
content: They suggested me to send it back, i hope that the dealer (rs) will also be helpful with this (did not get an answer from them yet). Anyway here's how it sounds:

author: benemorius
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2012, 07:44:27 pm
content: Quote from: Baliszoft on February 10, 2012, 02:40:47 pmWow. That is bad isn't it? That honestly sounds like a live arc from the high voltage side of the backlight inverter.

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2012, 09:17:28 pm
content: Quote from: benemorius on February 11, 2012, 07:44:27 pmDoes not sound good at all. The scope is working OK apart from that, but i'll send it back on monday - i will not wait for their answer.

author: AgilentScopes
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 15, 2012, 11:51:48 pm
content: Quote from: Baliszoft on February 09, 2012, 09:29:24 amwww.youtube.com/watch?v=uj1QnijwxtY#t=00m50sEets weesper quiet!This is not normal -- it's the first occurrence I've seen. My X-Series scopes are the quietest things on my bench (I won't reveal who the noisy culprits are). A warranty replacement is in order, and RS is a reputable supplier.

author: AgilentScopes
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 12:07:53 am
content: Dang, the YouTube embedding doesn't seem to support time tags.0:50

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 11:51:07 am
content: Quote from: AgilentScopes on February 15, 2012, 11:51:48 pmAre you sure? I didn't even get an answer from them to my issue, yet.

author: AgilentScopes
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 04:06:01 pm
content: I'll contact them.

author: ejeffrey
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 05:03:41 pm
content: AgilentScopes: While I have your attention and we are talking about RS electroncs, I just received an email from RS electronics in response to a request for a quote on a DSOX2000 with an educational discount for our university. They said they couldn't offer the educational discount on that product because it was already 'competitively priced'. They provided us with a quote not including the discount and not including the educational special for the function generator. It is no sweat for us, we will order from bfi optilas, but perhaps they need to be reminded of what offers agilent is making.

author: AgilentScopes
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 05:58:45 pm
content: Hi Baliszoft,Please check your email for a PM. I have a colleague in Europe who is standing by to help.Phil[After this is resolved, if you happen to know how to find a village named Salzfalu, near Budapest, I'd be grateful. I'm trying to track down some ancestors.]

author: AgilentScopes
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 06:03:37 pm
content: Quote from: ejeffrey on February 16, 2012, 05:03:41 pmThanks for the heads-up, ejeffrey.I'm more of a product guy than a "channels" guy, so I don't know what is required under contract. I do know that "competitively priced" is completely subjective, and is entirely decided by the customer (I have trouble explaining this to my kids when they want to sell an old toy or piece of electronics on eBay at list price).I'll pass on your note.

author: DaveW
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 07:38:57 pm
content: Quote from: ejeffrey on February 16, 2012, 05:03:41 pmMight be worth trying Aspen Electronics as well, they gave me the best price when I was looking for one after I asked them to beat the other prices,http://www.agilent.aspen-electronics.com/oscilloscopes/infiniivision-2000x-series

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 16, 2012, 07:46:08 pm
content: Quote from: AgilentScopes on February 16, 2012, 05:58:45 pmThank You!

author: Baliszoft
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 24, 2012, 10:38:16 am
content: Update: RS has replaced the noisy scope - took more than two weeks, but finally the new scope is quiet. A similar noise is still present, but it cannot be heard at all, only if i put my ear on the lcd. The noisy scope was at least 20 times louder. Thanks for all the Agilent people who helped and thanks for RS too (though i am not quite impressed with their speed).

author: euzer
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2014, 02:46:09 pm
content: http://cp.literature.agilent.com/litweb/pdf/DSOX3014A-03.pdfSituation:With the oscilloscope power turned on and while under normal operation, the unit emits a hissing noise.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2014, 11:07:59 pm
content: Those images showing the noise make me feel a lot better about the noise on my ancient 300 MHz Tektronix 2440 and my other old DSOs and fast analog storage oscilloscopes.