UNI-T UPO1202 and UPO1204 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 03, 2025, 08:52:55 pm
content: Has anyone bought the relatively new UPO1202 oscilloscope from UNI-T? Is the thing any good?Personally I like these no-nonsense scopes without touchscreen or usb powered, gimmicks etc.The SDS1202X-E from Siglent has been around for a few years, is well known, and is very similar so it makes sense to compare it to this.Looking at the main specs they are quite similar, but in the details UNI-T seems to beat the siglent every time:UPO1202SDS1202X-ESpecified bandwidth200MHz200MHzMeasured rise time1.2ns1.5nsSample Rate1GSa/s1GSa/sMemory Depth56Mpts14MptsTime base accuracy±5ppm±25ppmDC offset accuracy±(2%+0.1 div+2 mV)±(1%* Offset+1.5%*8*div+2 mV)DC gain accuracy±3.0%±3.0%CounterHardware 7-digitHardware 6-digitI've heard hearsay that the FFT on the UNI-T is much better than the siglent, is that true, can anyone confirm?Combined with the fact that the UNI-T is a few bucks cheaper, at least where I live, it seems to make sense to opt for that one.But is there a catch?A commenter on this review pointed out that the bandwidth looks non-linear, but the irregularities can only be seen while the frequency is actively being adjusted so it's hard to say if there is really some kind of problem.What would be really interesting to know too is whether those bugs, for example the FFT End frequency resetting randomly have been fixed since this video came out.https://instruments.uni-trend.com/products/digital-oscilloscopes/UPO1000They also sell software to upgrade the 100MHz version of this scope to the 200MHz version, which tells me it's likely possible to hack the 100MHz version to 200 without modifying any of the hardware.

author: RAPo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2025, 05:02:01 pm
content: I have the UPO1204, it is a good scope but not exciting.The FFT-settings are cumbersome.I really like the X-Y window with automatic phase measurement.What is your intended use?

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 04, 2025, 06:27:27 pm
content: Quote from: RAPo on February 04, 2025, 05:02:01 pmCalibrating crystal oscillators, so good FFT for near field frequency measurement would be convenient.Checking small buck converters to make sure they produce minimal noise.Checking noisiness of a board in general to make sure nothing odd is happening, so again FFT would be useful for near field measurement but also good bandwidth to see voltage drops caused by fast rise time signals.Checking if differential signals are clean and have a good margin.Maybe some simple protocol decoding, UART, I2C and such but it's not important.

author: RAPo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2025, 01:33:40 pm
content: I find the FFt on my Siglent/Rigol much more user-friendly.If you want extensive LA/Decoding, don't buy the DSO; instead, buy an MSO.

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 11, 2025, 12:39:19 pm
content: Does anyone have a firmware file for this scope? If you download the firmware from the official website the zip files are just emptyAlso does anyone know if this scope runs linux or windows or something else?

author: RAPo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2025, 04:05:17 pm
content: Hm, I've download on 19-jan-2025 from the official site. No problem then,Indeed now the zips are empty.Which type do you have?It runs on linux.Quote from: Ulrich on February 11, 2025, 12:39:19 pm

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 11, 2025, 05:12:12 pm
content: Quote from: RAPo on February 11, 2025, 04:05:17 pmPlanning to buy the 1202, I just wanted to have a look at the firmware and see if there's any hacking potential, so I don't need it to be the exact one for that model. Do you still have a firmware? Hopefully they come back on the official site, but knowing UNI-T they might never return.

author: Tjuurko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 03:06:15 am
content: The zips are empty. Problem in:https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=862871I managed to download file SysUpdate1202_V1.00.0019.zip (67MB)

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 09:36:49 am
content: Is there any particular reason why you chose to purchase this scope except low price?It is not that inexpensive, a bit more than 300€ + VAT for an unknown scope from a hit and miss manufacturer, that is not known for making good scopes.For 350€ (+VAT) you can get Siglent SDS802X HD that is very good 12 bit scope.Just asking..

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 10:37:54 am
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 09:36:49 amHere in the UK I can get UPO1202 for £313.57 (inc VAT). So if I got the SDS802X-HD I would be paying 50 pounds more to get 130MHz lower bandwidth and worse timebase accuracy. It would have the 12 bit of course but I'm not sure why I would ever need that.And the reviews from Kerry Wong seem to show that UPO1202 is pretty good:

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 11:42:34 am
content: Quote from: Ulrich on February 12, 2025, 10:37:54 amJust asking.In practice, actually, 12 bit is more important thanclaimedtimebase accuracy.. As for BW, what you say is not completely true, if you read a bit around.UNI-T is not really famous for it's scopes, and even less for it's long term support...I am not saying it is not good or that you would be making a bad choice per se.It is more that it is unclear how good it is and how it will be in long term.I took a quick look at the review of the 4 CH version you linked.It is a basic scope that is actually older generation 8bit scope, and is nothing special. It is actually comparable to older Siglent SDS1202X-E.There are several bugs noted. Hope those are fixed.SDS800xHD is one generation never and several classes above.But as long as you have clear goals for your purpose, and do proper research, chances are you will make a good choice.If you go with UNI-T, you can take excellent topic made by Performa01 where he tests SDS800xHD in detail, and you can use it as a scenario how test UNI-T step by step and see how it fares.And if you do, please share with us the results. It might help others in your situation to make a choice.Best,

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 12:55:09 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 11:42:34 amWhy not? The UPO has 200MHz, generously overspecced and the SDS802X has just 70MHz, so these are not really comparable scopes. Not sure what you mean.I agree they have bad support, I tried sending them an email to ask if the firmware bugs got fixed but never even got a response. But it looks like it should be possible to reverse engineer the firmware and modify it myself to my liking if I ever really want to.Quote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 11:42:34 amAgree, that's why I made this thread, maybe somebody here bought one and discovered they break after 2 months. But so far I heard only good things about the build quality and such.Quote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 11:42:34 amDo you have a link to that? I can't find it.Quote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 11:42:34 amYes it's nothing special but I don't need it to be special, I just need accurate and reliable. Why would I need 12bit resolution? For what?Quote from: Tjuurko on February 12, 2025, 03:06:15 amI managed to download the firmware from the official site, all you have to do is go down into the folders until you get to the SysUpdate1000X.zip file and download that from there.

author: Grandchuck
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 01:12:21 pm
content: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/sds800x-hd-review-demonstration-thread/msg5293741/#msg5293741

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 01:32:12 pm
content: Quote from: Ulrich on February 12, 2025, 12:55:09 pmThe SDS802X has max. 2GSa/s sample rate, the UPO1202 max. 1GSa/s.More is better!

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 01:42:43 pm
content: Quote from: Ulrich on February 12, 2025, 12:55:09 pmBy your answers I will go out on a limb and say you don't have advanced knowledge on topic of scopes. That is why I try to help you to make a right choice.Just to make sure, you won't be able to reverse engineer or fix any bugs in scope without significant multi year effort.We hear this statement every now and then, then some people even try, and so far nobody ever made anything useful.Give your money for the device that works for you, not the vice versa. You can safely presume that if something does not work out of the box that is will stay that way.All of this was discussed many times before. I cannot really rehash all that for you. I am merely trying to point you to the fact that there is lot of information out there you are not taking into consideration. And maybe you should. Like fact that SDS800xHD is actually a 200MHz design and every scope is capable of that BW. Also 12 bit has advantages, but sometimes 8bit scopes are still good enough, depending what you use them for.Or not. It is up to you.My personal opinion is that this scope is very weird device. It is only 2 ch, very mediocre in specifications and capabilities yet has very weird price that is very close to some much better devices.If this scope would have 0 bugs, and would cost say 200€ range (plus minus some) I would think it as good deal.With this pricing and questionable bugs and fixes not really.I would personally go for something else, even if it meant I need to save up 50 more pounds for it.But as I say it is up to you.Nice chatting to you.

author: RAPo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 02:01:46 pm
content: Some good points there 2N3055. But I think to much emphasis in this thread about Uni-T. This company wants to grow into the midrange scope market. They cannot go there in one second.I've come from an uni-t upo2104E (4ch/1Gs) costing around $1000) to an UPO1204(4ch, 2Gs) for less than Eu400 (personal deal).You can see clearly that UNI-T is growing.But as said before, it is a no-frill scope, love my DHO942s much better.

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 02:05:04 pm
content: Quote from: Aldo22 on February 12, 2025, 01:32:12 pmVery true, very true, and quite tempting, I'd love to have 2GSa/s. But it's not much use to me at 70MHz bandwidthQuote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 01:42:43 pmI'm aware of that, but how does that help me? Are you suggesting I buy the SDS802X-HD and hack it to 200MHz? In that case yea it's much better, but a bit of an unfair way to compare.Quote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 01:42:43 pmThe SDS802X-HD you suggested is also 2 ch...And as I pointed out in the OP, almost all specs are better than the comparable siglent scope (SDS1202X-E) and still it's slightly cheaper. In fact themeasuredrise time of the UPO is better than even that of the SDS822X HD 200MHz version which costs almost double, according to the measurements made by Kerry Wong and Performa01.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 03:44:04 pm
content: Quote from: Ulrich on February 12, 2025, 02:05:04 pmTo be honest, it seems to me that you already made up your mind, based on what you think is important.I personally think you are not making best decision, but that is me. You do you.We said our part, and warned you about what to pay attention to.That is enough for me.Enjoy your new scope. I hope it serves you well.

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 12, 2025, 04:20:56 pm
content: Quote from: 2N3055 on February 12, 2025, 03:44:04 pmNot fully, don't take me the wrong way, I am grateful for your input and am enjoying the discussion, this scope is not talked about much.But I just don't understand your suggestion, is 70MHz vs 200MHz not a big deal? I would like to see relatively high frequency signal content on my scope, with 70MHz will everything shorter than 5ns not be invisible to me?

author: Ulrich
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: February 23, 2025, 08:39:19 pm
content: Ended up buying itI can't do a proper review because I don't have the necessary test equipment, for that check the Kerry Wong video. But here are my impressions: Good build quality. Firmware issues seem to be fixed. The wheels/rotary encoders have a tactile feel, which I personally prefer to the smooth ones on the SDS1202X-E, the UI is more intuitive as well for me. The FFT does seem a little trickier to use than on the siglent.Overall would highly recommend if you don't need 12 bit resolution.

author: IDDLab
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 16, 2025, 11:43:07 am
content: Hello,I’m planning to buy an oscilloscope, which I most likely don’t actually need. I say that because electronics is just a hobby for me, and I probably don’t really need any of the following three oscilloscopes:UNI-T UPO 1104SIGLENT SDS804X HDRIGOL DHO804Yes, I should also mention here that I’m planning to hack whichever oscilloscope I buy from the list. In practice, that would probably look something like this:UNI-T UPO 1204SIGLENT SDS824X HDRIGOL DHO824I assume those are the “hacked” versions of the models listed above?Now, I’ll most likely be using the oscilloscope only for very simple measurements, such as checking power supply noise levels, signals from various sensors, etc. Most of the time, I work with microcontrollers and sensors combined with a small number of additional components. Specifically, since PCB manufacturing has become very accessible, I’ve been using more components instead of ready-made modules and making my own PCBs.So, realistically, I probably don’t really need any of the oscilloscopes mentioned. But just like when buying a smartphone—where we want more and more megapixels, ROM, RAM, HDD…—it’s the same with oscilloscopes: we want as many features as possible, even if we’ll never use them. Still, the truth is that what’s written “on paper” doesn’t mean much anymore, since companies often exaggerate or misrepresent the accuracy and capabilities of their devices. Because of rapid technological development and market competition, companies release unfinished and insufficiently tested products, and then we have to rely on other people’s experiences. However, that also comes with the problem of subjectivity, especially if we’re influenced by advertising and mass culture.Anyway, I had to write all this out because it’s exactly what caused my dilemma…So, in the end, it basically came down to two models:SIGLENT SDS824X HDRIGOL DHO824From the “fancy” point of view, I was initially leaning toward the Rigol, but after watching a lot of videos on YouTube, I came to the conclusion that the Siglent seems stronger and better. However, after watching one more video, I also added the UNI-T to my list.That’s why I’m asking: what do you think is the best choice among these three?

author: SiliconWizard
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2025, 03:31:14 pm
content: Note that they are going to release the UPO2000HD series with 12-bit ADCs and 2.5 GSa/s.So if you're interested in getting a UNI-T scope but are looking for a 12-bit... this could be it. I would suggest waiting until they release it (which should be anytime now, the manuals are already available).

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 14, 2025, 03:40:46 pm
content: Quote from: SiliconWizard on September 14, 2025, 03:31:14 pmThe UPO1000 series mentioned above is more in line with the prices of what they're looking at.One thing that annoys me about UNI-T is that they only list the sequence mode rate until you dive into the datasheet. the UPO2000HD claims 1,000,000 wfms/s, which is sequence mode. They claim 250,000 wfms/s otherwise, which is still a good number (if it's true). That's some annoying marketing.