What do I need as my 1st oscilloscope if my current hobbies include... - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: brunobronosky
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 08:04:48 pm
content: I've seen LOTS of oscilloscope questions on here asI did search before asking. But, I haven't found anything to fit my situation.1. I don't even know how to use a scope, so I don't know what I need.2. I'm trying to keep it <$100, but am willing to go higher.3. I'm interested in microcontrollers and want a scope to get a better idea of "what's going on".I started with Arduinos. Then I realized that they are huge and overkill for most of my projects. Now I use an Arduino as and ISP to program ATtiny45s or ATtiny84s for most of my projects. I rarely even need an ATmega328. My current list of things I'd like to scope include:1. various ATtiny MCUs2. NeoPixels3. RaspberryPi GPIO4. ESP82665. various ARM based MCUs6. ESCs for brushless motorsI watched the Digilent OpenScope Review but hearing everyone complain about 2MHz makes me wonder what I really need speed wise.So, what kind of features am I looking for in a scope based on what I do today? What do you think I may need and don't realize it, or you expect I will grow into in the near future?

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 08:19:45 pm
content: Sound like you need a logic analyser more than a scope. Look for the cheap Chinese clones of the Saleae ones.

author: brunobronosky
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 08:26:39 pm
content: I don't know the difference. I don't know what speed and features I am looking for.Update:I'm watchingand learning about logic analyzers.I still don't know if I need a sampling rate as fast as the clock on my fastest MCU. Would love some coaching on this.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 08:30:21 pm
content: Quote from: brunobronosky on March 29, 2018, 08:04:48 pmFor the same money you can get much better Owon VDS1022.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 08:42:47 pm
content: Or, if possible, the VDS1022Iversion which has an isolated USB interface for better ground loop protection of your PC.https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/owon-vds1022i-quick-teardown-(versus-the-hantek-6022be)/

author: brunobronosky
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 08:45:44 pm
content: Thanks you! I appreciate all the feedback so far. Unfortunately, I really think everyone is missing the point so far. I don't know anything about this stuff. I don't know how to learn what I need. I don't want to buy more than I'm going to need in the near future. So, if you are recommending hardware, I need to know why.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 09:03:44 pm
content: You learn about oscilloscopes by watching tutorial videos here and elsewhere on Youtube. You can start as low as $22 for a slow, simple scope kit, or spend as much as you like. If you get something very low cost, it might end up being good enough for your needs. But if it isn't, you will at least get an idea of what you really need, and what you don't.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 09:08:38 pm
content: Quote from: brunobronosky on March 29, 2018, 08:45:44 pmWe may be missing the point... the alternative is that you may not be giving enough to go on. You mentioned a bunch of CPUs / platforms but you don't say anything about the "projects" that you have undertaken with them - you normally connect the GPIOs to the outside world, but what? Normally it's something analogue of digital - sensors, relays, displays whatever.If you hadn't mentioned ESCs then I would be going for a cheap USB logic analyser as bd139 suggests - a logic analyser just assumes that a signal is logic high or low and captures the states / transitions. LAs have more channels (8 for the cheapest ones).Oscilloscopes measure analogue signals - any signal is analogue, even GPIOs when you are trying to understand why a logic level is marginal or glitching. ESCs definitely go into the analogue domain.It sounds as if you really need to provide more detail of what you are doing with these platforms and also read up on the basics. I suggest this sticky at the top of the Beginners section as a starting point...https://www.eevblog.com/forum/beginners/oscilloscope-training-class-(long)/

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 09:36:43 pm
content: Quote from: brunobronosky on March 29, 2018, 08:45:44 pmIt's good question actually. If you think that you will get everything: scope advise and usage know how on the golden plate, then perhaps you are missing the pointQuoteYou got first feedback like scope I mentioned. First thing you do - find some youtube review of it or even better: comparison to other scope. In case you don't know how to use scope - again invest your time into research. Youtube is good resource for that as well.QuoteI was recommending particular scope because for < 100$ price range there's not that much good choices of brand new scopes. Unless you come with some next question which is more than vague "I need to know why", this is it. You have to show that you are working on the subject as well.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 09:47:25 pm
content: Quote from: brunobronosky on March 29, 2018, 08:26:39 pmYou need at least 3x..4x sampling rate compared to fastest peripheral clock of your MCU, usually it is the same as MCU clock, but not always. Sometimes you can slow down your MCU (clock) and/or peripherals for debug purposes - to see signals on slow logic analyzer/scope, but not always. Those lo-cost 24MSPS logic analyzers and clones are good for 8MHZ clocks and I/O's, thou I am not big fan of them. I always tend to suggest proper standalone >= 50MHz, 1GSPS scope but it is outside your budget limits.

author: brunobronosky
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 10:39:26 pm
content: Quote from: ogden on March 29, 2018, 09:47:25 pmAlright! Now we are getting into it. So, the components I mentioned before have clock frequencies of:16MHz - ATtiny22MHz - RPi(optimistic)80MHZ - ESP8266400Hz, 800Hz, or 2kHz - NeoPixels (aka: WS2812b or WS2813)Also, I forgot:6MHz - SPI400kHz - I2C115.2kHz - UARTI know that most of that is "obvious" info to most of you, but I note it for other beginners and to give people an idea of my projects that I am working on.Now that I look at that list and consider "3x to 4x", I realize that I am probably never going to need something as fast as (4*CLK=320MHz) the ESP8266, because the protocols I'm likely to use are nowhere near that. But 64MHz (4x Arduino CLK) is probably a good target,right?So now I have to ask another question. I began by listing these components and had a few oscilloscopes suggested.What kinds of thingsmight I do with one of these MCUs that would require an oscilloscope instead of a logic analyzer?I can't think of any.Thanks again! I'm slowly (swiftly actually) going from "don't even know what I should ask" to asking questions that will lead me to a product I will be glad to own.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 11:05:18 pm
content: Quote from: brunobronosky on March 29, 2018, 10:39:26 pmAll of those:6MHz - SPI400kHz - I2C115.2kHz - UARTYou shall note that logic analyzer does not show signalwaveform. It even can have different '0' and '1' tresholds compared to your IC's or MCU. It could be so that analyzer does not show any problem, but you still can't read i2c EEPROM or ADC or whatever using your MCU. Then what? - Scope would help.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 11:31:14 pm
content: Quote from: brunobronosky on March 29, 2018, 10:39:26 pmActually, no...A square wave is nothing but a bunch of sine waves added together. Actually, only the odd harmonics of the fundamental are included. To get a waveform that even resembles a square wave requires at least the 5th harmonic and the 9th is better. So, a 10 MHz square wave will require at least a 50 MHz scope and better would be a 100 MHz scope. As the signal speed picks up, the required bandwidth gets insane!So, we settle for less than perfect displays because bandwidth costs money - lots and lots of money.You can see an animation of the Fourier Series where the program displays the fundamental and gradually adds harmonics here:In the background (almost invisible) is the square wave the series is trying to approximate.I bought a used Tektronix 485 350 MHz analog scope many years ago and that is my answer to bandwidth. But an analog scope won't do anything other than display a trace (generally) and the modern DSO will do magic - including decoding those serial streams you mentioned. To that end, I bought the Rigol DS1054Z and unlocked the 100 MHz feature (see elsewhere). The bandwidth isn't much but 4 channels is pretty cool particularly when watching SPI (CS', CLK, MISO, MOSI). None of these solutions are workable for $100.

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 11:35:34 pm
content: QuoteWhy didn't you say so in the first place and save everyone some reading and typing ?

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 11:40:47 pm
content: Quote from: rstofer on March 29, 2018, 11:31:14 pmActually yes.QuoteI am afraid that you just confused sampling rate of logic analyzer with scope bandwidth,

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 12:30:28 am
content: Quote from: ogden on March 29, 2018, 11:40:47 pmI don't recall mentioning a logic analyzer. The LA cares little about waveform integrity so sampling rate can be a good deal lower. What is really necessary, and often lacking, on a LA is an external sample clock. If there is any interest in decoding state machines, the state clock is the only one that matters.If you want to measure the time between closely spaced edges (say a FF setup time), a LA isn't the way to go.

author: SparkyFX
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 12:47:05 am
content: Well, for serial data you want as much sample memory as you can get. This is hard to come by with a cheap digital storage oscilloscope, hence the hint to a logic analyzer is probably better and cheaper to start with as they will usually compress data down a lot.A scope comes handy should you suspect problems with signal quality (ringing, glitches, crosstalk, common mode...), but getting this into the same view as a longer log of transmitted data itself needs sample memory, lots of it.On a 100$ budget definitely choose a logic analyzer with a sufficient sample rate, because after a logically correct build (e.g. on a breadboard, tool of choice for checking there is a simple logic probe) the first thing to debug supposedly is your own software output, next comes signal quality of the hardware.

author: Adrian_Arg.
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 01:11:55 am
content: I make small electronics and arduino priyetos, just over a month ago I bought a rigol ds1054z in tequipament with the free licenses, and unlock the 100mhz, despite some limitations like the FFT, I'm really 100% satisfied with the equipment is my first oscilloscope, and it is the 330 dollars best spent in this hobby that I have, I prefer to spend only once and not fill up with equipment that I later discard due to failures. USB equipment requires a PC and I do not feel like depending on that.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 01:15:49 am
content: Quote from: rstofer on March 30, 2018, 12:30:28 amBeauty of forum is that you don't have to memorize. You canreadwhich message I answered to.QuoteLA is more or less "sniffer of logic data".Measurementof time between edges is job for scope.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 01:51:39 am
content: Quote from: SparkyFX on March 30, 2018, 12:47:05 amIt's wrong way.When you encounter problems such as "nothing works" - first you ensure that everything about signals and their quality is ok, then you look into data transmitted which you better do in the software debugger anyway. You cannot use logic analyzer where you need scope, but you can use DSO scope as basic logic analyzer, some scopes even have logic analyzer functions such as serial interface decoders.

author: rhb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 02:49:18 am
content: You might want to research the Hantek 6022BL. I have no idea if it's any good. I'd like to know. But it purports to provide the functions you need within your stated budget.I don't have one of the Saleae clones either. But for the price it might be a good place to start. If you are young, you should consider the value of the education you get from your hobby. You do not have to have a piece of paper from a school. If you can show you know your stuff, no one will care. The only thing not having a sheet of paper might do is make it a little harder to get a chance to show what you can do. But there are a lot of ways to do an end run around the HR department. Hanging out in the bar where people you want to work with go after work on Friday evening is a great way to do that.Having said all that, the DS1054Z is a good piece of kit. It will hold value even if you outgrow it. I bought a DS1102E several years before the Z series came out. It's been very solid. There are some issues. Such as the FFT is useless, but overall I've been quite pleased with it.

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 03:39:53 am
content: Quote from: DimitriP on March 29, 2018, 11:35:34 pmThis was mentioned as a preference in item #2 of the original post.

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 07:51:20 am
content: Normally you have a problem. You need tools to solve that problem. The tool must be suited for the job.So if I read it well, you want a tool that you do not know how to use and not know what it can do, for a problem you don't know if you have itFirst look some video' s about what a scope does and how to operate it. There are 100's of videos showing that. The same about Logic analysersThen decide on the specs, then think of the budget and then buy what you need.It does make no sense to buy a scope if you do not know what you want to see. For instance measuring a digital signal is not easy if you do not know how to set the trigger and you need a scope that can do that.My scope does all the things you need for digital stuff and more. 350MHz and it has also a build in LA. To bad the probe alone is 3x your budget and than you need to buy some protocol decodersBut I think a LA is more usable for you. I bought a Zero+ logic analyser for that, that came with 120 protocols and is 100 MHz. It was 100 euro.

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 08:50:56 am
content: Quote from: Adrian_Arg. on March 30, 2018, 01:11:55 am100 MHz not mHzI wish I did that back then (10 years or so ago). My first DSO was the first 100 MHz Rigol made. It was almost 1000 euro' s and I gave that piece of junk away to a student after 1,5 years of hobby use. My next scope was close to 5000 euro and I still use it on a daily base (first hobby but the last 5 years also professional)330 euro might be a lot for hobby (But there are many hobbies where 330 dollar is nothing, like motorsports, etc) but do not forget you are talking about on of the cheapest scopes available (below this you are talking toy like junk) Your budget is only suited for an expensive no good toy scope. But enough for a decent LA.Ideally you need both. My hobby involved RF so I needed high bandwidth scopes. I had an LA for my scope but seldom used that. Nowadays I use a Tek 1241 LA and a zero+ (only because it comes with all the protocols for free) I use the Tek if I need a lot of channels and for testing sequences like control lines of older testgear from the 90's. For things like uart intercepting the zeroplus.LA' s most times capture a hump of data and you examine that after the capture. So memory is importantand you want a lot of triggering and filtering options. They do not see distortions and are easy to set up the wrong way. The most are not real time, a scope is but real time data is only useful if you are looking for glitches or runts. A 10 MHz sinewave or squarwave is repetitive so the shape you see on the screen during one second is in real 10 millions times that same shape.10 MHz of data is 10 million bits in 1 second. If the scope is ultra ultra fast, so fast it can not only capture, but also show every single bit real time on the screen, your eyes could not capture that.So that is why you need fancy triggering and filters of the LA (or a scope with the right functionality)You tell it that you want to start capture some data after some conditions appear, if for instance the clock pulse is going up, and control line A and B are high, and the first byte is 01100110, then wait 50 clock cycles and then start capturing. (and then you has asynchronus or asynchronus etc) Then it stops and you study the data, decode the protocol or measure timing etc.The scope shows you if there are signals, if they are distorted, the right amplitude and aberrations. The LA shows you what the data is.See it like this: You use a scope to see the page of a book, if the lines are parallel, the font type etc, you use a LA to read that book.LA: logic analyser, a stand alone instrument with its own screen, or connected to a computer, or as a scope function (often as option)Protocol decoding: translate de bits to something we humans can read and understand

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 07:46:24 pm
content: My recommendation is to watch Craigslist in your area for a deal on a used analog or digital storage oscilloscope. The specifications are less important than the operating condition. If you have a friend who can help evaluate it, then enlist their aid.After some experience with an oscilloscope, you will have a much better idea if what you need.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 08:22:49 pm
content: Quote from: rstofer on March 30, 2018, 12:30:28 amAll sane, but I would add a caveat: some LAs allow can "synthesise" an external clock. When they do that the sampling rate is halved because they are actually sampling as before and looking for transistions.That "synthesis" can be done in two ways, depending on the LA's capabilities. Firstly by post-processing a captured trace, which is simple, cheap, requires more memory, and prevents complex real-time triggers. Secondly within the LA's hardware, which requires more capable dedicated hardware, and enables complex real-time triggers.QuoteThat's analogue "signal integrity", and yes you do need a scope for that.To the OP: consider that one way or another you will pay for your experience. A good strategy is to buy something cheap, find out all it can do, and when you find something it can't do you will then be in a better position to specify what you do need.If you need to decode protocols (i.e. interpret sequences of bit/bytes as characters or instructions), then you may find a "bus pirate" is appropriate.

author: Astrodev
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 08:52:32 pm
content: Can I throw in a really cheap option, try to either find someone near to you who is already experienced in electronics and has similar areas of interest, or see if there is a local hacker / builder group near you, schools and colleges are good starting places for this.This way you can get familiar with a variety of equipment and learn how to use them before actually spending any money on something that may not do what you need, or is frustrating because you can't get the results you need due to problems in the setup of the test system and not knowing why it is not doing what you expect.

author: Peabody
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 09:43:52 pm
content: OP, it looks like you're in Atlanta. I suggest you go to Meetup.com, and look for groups in the area related to electronics, robotics, makerspaces, etc., and attend a meeting or two. There should be a number of people who could give you some advice, or even let you come over and use their scope. Or, maybe you could find someone at Georgia Tech.I'm a hobbyist too, and recently faced the same decision. I ended up getting the DSO150 Shell scope kit from Banggood for $22. Of course it's limited in what it can do, but so far it's been good enough for what I need. I can't look at a processor's 16 MHz clock signal with it, or anything related to RF. But for servos, steppers, PWM, and even transmission protocols if they aren't too fast, it works fine. It's only one channel, which so far has been enough, but probably won't be forever.Today I'm working on building an I/R remote controller for my Sharp TV to do some things automatically with volume, power off, etc. I looked at Dave's video on detecting what the existing remote is sending, and getting an Arduino to do the same. It's number 506. The fastest thing I would need to deal with in that process is the 38 KHz carrier, and my scope does ok with that. But the digital transmission that modulates the carrier takes place much more slowly, and any scope can handle that. So basically, I was able to get to the same place with my dinky little kit as Dave did with his 40 GHz scope, except that I can't zoom. Ok, exaggerating about the 40 GHz.So as others have said, it's all about what you need the scope for, and what you'll be doing with it. I went for years without having one, and went for the lowest cost option just to see if it would be at all useful. It absolutely has been. I'd guess I'll be buying a "real" scope in the future, but I don't think this one will ever stop being useful. I even modded it to be battery powered.There's also the Hantek 6022 mentioned elsewhere. It's a USB scope that requires a computer as a display. It would be substantially more capable than mine, and I think they go for about $55 now. Two channels even.

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 07:30:36 am
content: I bought an OWON VDS1022I. Working in digital circuits or audio circuits I have rarely found it's bandwidth an issue. Except maybe trying to detect the clock on an ATMega328, but there are caveats about that anyway, since the scope will usually interfere with the clock pulse anyway.I think the software lets it down more than the hardware, the scope display is a bit weedy on "sample" mode with no anti-aliasing or smoothing, so the trace line is very thin and there is little to no way to filter out the noise, so it's also aliased and 'wiggly'. Doesn't look as solid as something like a Rigol, but this is more cosmetics than anything.I successfully used it to debug an issue with WS2812B Pixel LEDs to find a slow fall time on the data square wave was causing the LEDs to fail.For broken I2C connections I used a cheap logic analyser clone with the genuine software, yes I feel slightly guilty doing so, but I use the analyser about once every couple of months, it isn't worth the full premium price tag of the genuine article to me. To avoid the guilt you can use Sigrok instead. Again it's probably fine for I2C and maybe SPI connections. You can also check the timing of GPIO pins in circuits.As the OWON requires a laptop or PC connection and quite often I just want to quickly check something without the faff of getting the scope set up I bought one of these:https://www.banggood.com/MINI-DSO112A-Upgrade-Version-2MHz-Touch-Screen-TFT-Digital-Mini-Handheld-Oscilloscope-With-Battery-p-977991.htmlWhich works suprisingly well, though the user interface can be frustrating sometimes. It's only 2Mhz and to be honest thats a bit of a stretch. For example it has the bandwidth to show you the data trace to NeoPixels, but not enough resolution to detect if the problem is in the signal or the scope. Mostly the later. That's at around 800Khz square wave.

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 08:14:12 am
content: Quote from: paulca on April 01, 2018, 07:30:36 amI would rather suggest 30$ "all in one" USB 8-channel logic analyzer + 3MHz scope:https://www.banggood.com/LHT00SU1-Virtual-Oscilloscope-Logic-Analyzer-I2C-SPI-CAN-Uart-p-988565.html?rmmds=search&cur_warehouse=CNit is supported bySigrokas well.

author: paulca
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 11:22:12 am
content: Quote from: ogden on April 01, 2018, 08:14:12 amBut it requires a PC, has no display and only 3Mhz bandwidth.The point of the DS0112A is that it's tiny, battery powered, with 2.5" touch screen. It is only for those things I would sacrifice the bandwidth for quick indicative readings.If I am going to hook up the PC for a scope I would want much more than 3Mhz, more like 20-100Mhz and at least 2 channels.The logic analyser clones I believe are 20Mhz and cost less than lunch!

author: ogden
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 02:28:52 pm
content: Quote from: paulca on April 01, 2018, 11:22:12 amScope for hikers?Ok, ok. Maybe some find value in such a toy. Not me. I would rather add 10$ and get Owon VDS1022 for 80$ or slightly more expensive VDS1022I (/w isolated USB) you have.QuoteYes. If you suggest that beginner shall get such clone logic analyzer disregarding his scope choice, then I completely agree. BTW please do not compare sampling rate of logic analyzer to bandwidth of the scope. It is like comparing sweetness of the apple to acidity of tomato.Depending on money available I would suggest:< 50$30$ LHT00SU1 which is 24MSPS logic analyzer with bonus 3MHz BW "scope"~100$OWON VDS1022 or VDS1022I+ clone 24MSPS logic analyzer (20$ or so)>= 300$proper standalone DSO with 50MHz BW and up+ clone 24MSPS logic analyzer (20$ or so)or MSO like Rigol DS1054Z

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 02:51:20 pm
content: Quote from: tggzzz on March 30, 2018, 08:22:49 pmThis will work as long as the protocol is working correctly but, of course, it only says the protocol works on the Bus Pirate, not your actual project.SPI, for example, will often have a spec relating the falling edge of CS' to the first edge of SCK. For many uCs, CS' is controlled by code so the timing spec for the leading edge is easy to meet. What matters is that CS' doesn't go high until the last bit has been transmitted. The code, in this case, has to be certain that the transmitter is empty before raising CS'.The Bus Pirate may not show the 'framing' of the packet. It may not be obvious from what Bus Pirate does show that, in fact, there is a framing error. That's the reason I bought a 4 channel scope. I want to see all 4 signals. Decoding is a nice feature but framing is more important.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 04:15:35 pm
content: Quote from: rstofer on April 01, 2018, 02:51:20 pmI think we are talking at cross purposes.You describe what can be termed the PHY layer, i.e. the voltages necessary to get bits/bytes received correctly. I was thinking more in terms of what information is contained in the bits/bytes and sequences thereof.Both have to be correct. The former requires a scope or LA, the latter is easier with sprintf() statements or a bit of hardware that achieves the same effect, e.g. possibly a bus pirate.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 05:45:29 pm
content: The $100 budget is going to make a scope difficult. You should be able to find an analog scope within that range, but for working with microcontrollers that is less than ideal. You might find an older DSO like a Tek TDS340 or one of the HP units, they can be good instruments if you don't mind the bulk. For what you're doing I would agree that a logic analyzer is probably going to be of more use, however you really need to take the time to learn what these instruments do and how they can help you. Even a high end scope or LA is of no use if you don't understand how to interpret what it's showing you.

author: Astrodev
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 01, 2018, 10:05:25 pm
content: I agree that knowing how to use the instrument and being able to interpret what you are seeing is key to success, which is why I still say connect up with a local group where you can learn from others, as looking at info on the web is great these days but without the basic fundamentals it can very quickly lead you up the garden path.Although it is not really ideal for the type of projects you want to do an analog scope is the best place to start, as a lot can be learned about how to set a scope up and methods for taking measurements.Once you move onto software based instruments such as digital scopes or logic analysers (PC based or standalone) it can be very difficult to figure out what is wrong when things are not working as expected, this is where the groundwork in understanding the basics becomes important.

author: cowasaki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 02, 2018, 07:13:35 pm
content: Dave has done a few videos on youtube which might help so my suggestion would be to go and have a look.If you had a bit more money then something like the scope I have would be ideal UNI-T 4202 which is a dual channel scope with a built in logic analyser but unfortunately your budget allows for a quite modest version of one or the other so something like that is not really an option. Based on what you are interested in I would agree with the logic analyser suggestion and go and buy one of the clones off ebay. You could buy one of the cheap scope kits off ebay too within your budget and for an arduino that is likely to be enough. Mess with both and you will see what you need when it comes to upgrading.