TBS1022 thoughts and alternatives - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Big Bear
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 06:35:21 pm
content: Hello all,I am new to this forum but have been following Dave online for some time. Absolutely invaluable content, much appreciated all the hard work.I am going to buy a Prism Sound Dscope within the next year, I have been using it a lot with work (analogue audio design) and it has become an important part of my workshop. However the £6K price tag is something I will be working towards slowly.In the mean time I was looking at buying something that will work for me well without breaking the bank.I tried a PicoScope and another small soundcard based unit, but was really unhappy with the quality of test. So I have been looking at the Tek TSB1022;I will be mainly using it for general audio range testing, SNR, THD, but would ideally require something with harmonic content analysis down to <0.02% which is probably asking a lot I imagine. There is little info on the FFT side of this unit online, so just putting some feelers out there for any tips on picking the right unit.I noticed here that there is little praise for this new unit but for my application it seems OK, still I would love some thoughts from you guys on the subject - as well as any alternatives.Budget wise I don't want to spend more than £400-500, and again will not be using it for very high switching frequencies so mega bandwidth is not important.Any opinions and help would be hugely appreciated.Many thanksBear

author: tinhead
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 06:54:12 pm
content: £400-500?then take this onehttp://www.batronix.com/versand/oszilloskope/Rigol-DS1074Z.htmlinstead of the TBS1022

author: echen1024
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 06:59:45 pm
content: I agree with tinhead. 4 channels, serial decode, 12mpts memory, much. much better value.

author: Big Bear
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 07:12:34 pm
content: Thanks! That looks like a really powerful tool.Just going through the manual and specs, and again I can't seem to find any content on the minimum harmonic signal point, either in dB or %. Is this normal for modern units to not show this?I'm possibly missing the info...Having an on board signal generator is great too, however on this unit it specs THD for sine wave at 1%. I appreciate that the bandwidth is very very high and this might be a factor. But a generator with that much distortion in the audio range would be no good to me.Thanks for your help

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 09:11:59 pm
content: If you are into distortion analysis I'd get an audio distortion analyser / LF spectrum analyser from Ebay. A scope is not going to do much good for this kind of work. An 8 bit digital scope has a maximum dynamic range of 48dB.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 09:20:10 pm
content: Agreed - you can pick up quite a cheap Keithley 2015THD which might be more useful for your specific application:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Keithley-2015THD-6-5-digit-bench-DMM-multimeter-with-harmonic-analysis-/350918529388?pt=UK_BOI_Electrical_Test_Measurement_Equipment_ET&hash=item51b45fd16c

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 09:36:35 pm
content: Quote from: Big Bear on November 21, 2013, 06:35:21 pmGeneral purpose digital scopes make pretty awful FFT analysers, they only have 8 bits resolution. And the Tek TBS series scope is the most awful of bench scopes, so forget it.This is one area where a decent PC based scope comes in handy. 12bits or more and you are in business.

author: Big Bear
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 10:31:19 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on November 21, 2013, 09:36:35 pmI think the attraction of the multi tasking scope was really appealing to me as I needed to upgrade my current scope anyway. And I didn't want to buy a single purpose FFT analyser as it will become obsolete when I get the Dscope.My probelem with the PC based cards I have tried is that they were not accurate over certain levels, but then I guess they were not designed to be. I have however been looking at the Pete Millett card, which I have heard good things abouthttp://www.pmillett.com/ATEST.htmbut it seems he is currently not selling boards.Thanks for all the responses, it's been good feedback for me as I will stay clear of the TBS and hopefully it will be helpful for others...

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 21, 2013, 11:26:57 pm
content: TBS1000 scopes are based on the 1996's technology. They are not a bang per buck. Not good for a (young) hobbyist. They are good for someone who is used to them and does not want any other scope. TBS1000 can be good for everyday school use for new students.(But IMHO it is easy to get used to DSOX2000 or similar scope.)