Rigol DHO924S vs Rigol MSO5074 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: hussamaldean
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: December 21, 2024, 08:57:27 am
content: Hi all,I am planning to update my current oscilloscope from Rigol DS1054Z (fully hacked) to either DHO924S or MSO5074.My usage as following:High speed RGB565 and RGB888 signal for TFT on STM32H7/U5 and embedded Linux.CAN-Bus (Including Classic CAN and CAN-FD).RS485 and ethernet.Standard Serial interfaces lile I2C, SPI and UART/RS323, I2S and I3C.Sometimes, I need to design motor drivers for DC motors (H-bridge) and inverters for wireless power transfer. (Later will buy current and differential probe.)Sometimes, I need to check the filters of the inverters and motor drivers. Hence, bode plot is a must.Note: Planning to unlocked MSO5074.Any suggestions for which one to buy?Regards.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2024, 09:33:47 am
content: MSO5074

author: NE666
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2024, 10:28:30 am
content: Based on personal experience as the owner of an MSO5k, and on what I've read and learned of the DHO900 on this forum, I'd not exchange the former for the latter. Not for predominantly 'high speed' digital work.I also think the general consensus on the forum is that the 900 series represents a poor investment, period. YMMV.

author: CosteC
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: December 21, 2024, 07:09:56 pm
content: Your applications looks more like high speed digital mostly. This is strong argument towards MSO5000. Maybe also argument to buy logic probe.DHO924 would be my choice if I could benefit from 12 bit, so more sophisticated analog stuff.Note:MSO5000 - I never managed to make eye diagram work. Jitter measurement - I think I managed to work it once, otherwise not really. It is also quite noisy. DS1054Z is less noisy. (and 8x slower sampling)I like to work with it a lot, it is just nice to use. Much less compromises in interface.

author: TELCO
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2024, 06:36:20 pm
content: I own both models of oscilloscopes. In your case and if your budget allows it now buy the MSO5074 because of the higher features it offers and being able to upgrade up to full 350MHz bandwidth, 8GSa/s sample rate and 200Mpts memory depth that the DHO924S will not do ever. Buy the MSO5k first and afterwards you can think about buying the DHO924s to play with the 12-Bit resolution. Best of luck in your quest Sir.

author: TimFox
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2024, 06:56:10 pm
content: Does the Bode plot function work on the MSO5074?As I posted in a long thread I started, I am very disappointed in the Bode plot functionality of my DHO924S.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 29, 2024, 09:07:11 pm
content: Quote from: TELCO on December 29, 2024, 06:36:20 pmIf you own an MSO5000 then you don't need a DHO900, you can get the cheaper DHO800.

author: CosteC
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 07:31:21 pm
content: Quote from: Fungus on December 29, 2024, 09:07:11 pmEven Bode plot bugs seems to be similar...

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 01, 2025, 08:23:58 pm
content: I also assume that the old Bode plot from the MSO5000 was simply copied for the new models.With the MSO5000, it took over a year before the Bode plot was even implemented, so it was more something that was “developed” after the fact and not planned.The quality reflects this.

author: rpro
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 02, 2025, 02:48:43 am
content: Quote from: TimFox on December 29, 2024, 06:56:10 pmYes, it does. E.,g.,

author: HCB
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 05, 2025, 04:24:17 am
content: Quote from: NE666 on December 21, 2024, 10:28:30 amI am considering the same two units as the OP. To not hijack this thread, and to keep it (hopefully) close to on-point: if the 900 series is poorly regarded, is there another make/model which would have comparable specs which is considered a better option?Thank you.--HC

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 08, 2025, 05:03:07 am
content: Quote from: HCB on July 05, 2025, 04:24:17 amShort answer is probably "Siglent"...Longer answer is that I'd say it's probably more that the DHO900 is just a bit expensive for what you get, compared to taking a DHO804 and doing some light hacking and buying a dedicated LA. So not exactly that it's "poorly regarded" as a blanket statement. There are happy DHO800 and DHO900 owners, but it depends on what you're looking for. I think for regular bench use it's a bit on the "toy" side of things. Noisy fan, small touch screen that can be a little difficult to hit on target, and small physical controls. Do some searching and you'll find plenty of discussion on this, including some major limitations, such as when multiple channels are in use.The MSO5000 series is about 7 years old at this point, and also has some specific negatives (noise, trace freezes when making changes). But if you can get the MSO5072 (or similar) for a good price, you can also do some light hacking to turn it into an "MSO5504" which from a value perspective can be quite attractive (500MHz, plus all options). You can find third party logic probes on eBay for about $100.I think one of the big issues with discussing Rigol is that someone might say "sure, it has that feature", but then someone else points out "yes, but it has this limitation/issue".

author: HCB
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2025, 10:20:16 pm
content: Thank you for the reply and info. There is a ton of information about "hacking" the Rigol products so I'm "familiar" with that from reading. Some of the Siglent options have appeared appealing and I've looked at the SDS 804X HD which can, itself, reportedly, be hacked to a higher level of capability.I'll spend some time looking into the pieces you mentioned like the screen, fan, controls and such.I understand about the shortcomings. Every product will have one or more and some may mostly exist in the mind of the person sharing them.Thank you again.--HC

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: July 09, 2025, 10:39:46 pm
content: “Objectively,” at least in this case, a siglent SDS800X HD is clearly superior to a rigol DHO800/900 in almost every respect.So the best option would be to buy an SDS804, “upgrade” it to an SDS824, and use the money you save to buy an SDG1000X/plus.Then you would be well equipped for pretty much any task.However, if the choice is between the DHO900 and the MSO5000, I would tend to go for the MSO5000.Apart from the native 8-bit and the somewhat antiquated OS, it still has its place, in my humble opinion.It was the first “Swiss Army pocket knife” of its time, with 2-channel AWG, MSO, and a generous sample rate.

author: HCB
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: July 15, 2025, 03:05:15 am
content: Thanks, Martin. To be completely honest, I'm out of my league here. If it weren't for autocorrect, I couldn't spell oscilloscope.I started looking because I have a project where I need to analyze a PWM signal driving a tiny motor. That's still only "need" I have. I borrowed an oscilloscope to get started and now I'm going to buy one. I'd like to buy something which can do more than I "need" because I'm expanding my capabilities. I've been obsessing over specs I don't understand for over a month. Maybe 2 months. I seem to recall I had a wife...I don't know how it snuck up on me but it seems that there is no: Santa Claus, SDS1074X HD, or SDS2104X HD. That really sucks because I was getting pretty keen on the SDS1074X HD (and having Santa bring it to me).I bounced from one make/model to another several times before I started to settle in on the SDS HDs. I've been getting the vibe of "no" re the Rigol units. Your post only underscores that.I think I can do my piddly PWM project w the SDS804X HD (w mods because...science). I was just dreaming of greater capabilities and a larger screen without having to buy the up-tier models w bandwidth I don't need. I'm disinclined to buy a SDS1104X HD for $700 more than the SDS1074X HD when I don't need the 70Mhz as it is. Similarly for the SDS2104/2204X HD. It seems Siglent has done a shift and removed the lower-BW units.I don't (yet) know what the function generator is used for. Very much out of my league.Thank you for your time and input.--HC