What is the best mixed signal oscilloscope to buy for 2000 $ ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: ErikTheNorwegian
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 22, 2013, 06:42:10 pm
content: What

author: larry42
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2013, 03:32:38 pm
content: Consider the Hameg HMO series, they were running a promo with free digital 8ch probe.I got my HMO1524 with the serial spi and CAN decode last year.Laurens (trondheim)Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

author: larry42
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2013, 03:34:10 pm
content: Oops didnt see your req. For 16ch. I think that's only avail on the higher end HMO seriesSent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2013, 03:42:11 pm
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on February 22, 2013, 06:42:10 pmNot easy to decide. Consider the MSO2012B...http://www.tek.com/oscilloscope/mso2000-dpo2000.Yes, I know, this Tek series was launched in 2008 and the scope has quite small display...

author: bombledmonk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2013, 07:38:22 pm
content: I don't know what the current state of the MSO industry is, but I think you might be hard pressed to find something reasonably priced and actually useful in one physical unit. When I've looked into this in the past, you can buy a MSO for whatever price, but to actually use the logic analyzer to do useful things you need to pay something on the order of $1k to get the serial decode software unlock code. Otherwise your just looking at bits twiddling on channels that happen to be synced up to your analog signals.Might be better off going separate with something like theSaleae 16 channel analyzer. There's a lot of other more expensive ones out there as well. Just a few from one place:http://www.digikey.com/product-search/en/test-and-measurement/equipment-specialty/2294595?k=logic%20analyzer&ColumnSort=1000011&quantity=0

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2013, 07:42:37 pm
content: "Best" is rather subjective, IMHO. With your budget, you might be able to get an Agilent MSOX2002A, which is only 70 MHz and 2+8 channels but has probably has the best waveform update rate and best overall quality of display available. If the technical performance meets your needs, it's a range against which I've not heard a bad word said. Dave has done a review too.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 27, 2013, 09:29:16 pm
content: Mixed signal might be hard under $2K in a decent brand (i.e. apart from OWON or something).If you don't need the high sample rate or bench space, then an old Agilent is not bad value:http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/HP-Agilent-54622D-100-MHz-Mixed-Signal-Oscilloscope-2-16-Channel-/150717094501?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2317705a65&_uhb=1#ht_814wt_1397The Tek MSO2002B is probably a good buy, but has a small screen.Dave.

author: JoeyP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 27, 2013, 11:38:36 pm
content: The Agilent 54622D is an excellent choice. I used them for years, and they're hard to beat for use up to 100MHz BW. The one down side is that they have CRT's which are bound to eventually wear out.Before considering the Rigol DS1102D for digital work, you should search the web and pay close attention to the many threads relating to its logic analyzer section. From everything I've read, I wouldn't even consider buying a mixed signal Rigol.

author: larry42
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2013, 12:09:06 am
content: I'll third the 54622D recommendation - they are nice scopes, despite the age their UI is more responsive than my Hameg HMO. Be aware that the sample rate is only 200Msps - I've been caught out by aliases before.Apart from that they have an FFT mode built int, plenty of memory (1-2 Mpts) to give a useful zoom. They are still being used at my previous company. The CRTs last for a long time, but can suffer from burn-in.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2013, 02:36:18 pm
content: I would not buy a 200Ms/s scope today... 1Gs/s was even on old Teks TDS220 in about 1997.

author: JoeyP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2013, 07:46:03 pm
content: Quote from: Hydrawerk on February 28, 2013, 02:36:18 pmThe TDS220 does not have any logic channels, so is not relevant to the OP's question regarding mixed signal scopes. It also has only 2.5K samples of storage. Barely qualifies as a storage scope. Ya, higher sample rates are nice, but for a given budget you will sacrifice something else to get them.The 54622D does 400MHz sampling on a single channel, and also has equivalent time sampling which is quite adequate for repetitive signals within its analog bandwidth. In day to day use, I rarely if ever found its sample rate lacking.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 28, 2013, 08:47:48 pm
content: Quote from: JoeyP on February 28, 2013, 07:46:03 pmThe 60MHz 200MS/s 54621D was my main scope at work for many years. The 200Ms/400Ms was adequate at that bandwidth.Dave.

author: larry42
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 28, 2013, 09:50:07 pm
content: I'm with Dave on this one. The 54622D is a good scope. Don't let the CRT fool you into thinking it's too old-fashioned.The thing feels like an analog scope - I can't find the waveform/s rating, but it claims 25 Mvectors/s, it's faster than my Hameg HMO1524.Going just on specs like sample rate, would lead one to considerhttp://www.home.agilent.com/en/pd-580288-pn-DSO3102A/oscilloscope-100-mhzUnfortunately that's the biggest POS I have ever seen. An HP rebadged of early Rigol carp. SLLLLOOOOWWW menus. Terrible TN screen (2degree viewing angle). We had bought two for production (to free up the 4 HP 5462x we had), within 3 years one of the 3102A was sold to an employee with the company's blessing. The other was *literally* thrown out. Thankfully I was in a meeting, saw the guy throw it out and rescued it - useful to have a spare DSO, but still a goshdarn awful scope despite the 100MHz/1Gsps rating.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2013, 03:03:53 pm
content: Quote from: larry42 on February 28, 2013, 09:50:07 pmWell, I measured the waveform update rate of a similar 100Mhz scope Agilent 54624A.It was about 360 000 waveforms per second... Is that possible? Quite large number IMHO. The counter connected to Trig out showed 360 kHz, so it should be true... What do you think?

author: larry42
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2013, 04:22:10 pm
content: Thanks for checking. Sounds possible, newer scopes have up to a million waveforms per second.Of course it's only that high at certain time /div settings.Sent from my HTC One S using Tapatalk 2

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2013, 04:50:14 pm
content: Even the original HP MSO, the 54645D is a perfectly good unit, with a very responsive UI. The main reason I upgraded from it was to get more analogue channels.It suffers from a common PSU fault, but it's just a resistor that goes high, so an easy fix.

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 01, 2013, 10:39:09 pm
content: 54645d or the 622d.i still have two 645d's lingering around in my garage. perfect for the quick measurement. they are small , light and portable. and have relatively deep memory ( megazoom )used for when i don;t want to fire up the 'big iron'.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 01, 2013, 11:12:34 pm
content: There is a 54645d in Oz for $700 with probes. I think that's a good buy for those interested.http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Hewlett-Packard-HP-54645D-100-MHz-Oscilloscope-w-Manuals-Accessories-Working-/290869775076Dave.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2013, 11:54:40 am
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on March 02, 2013, 05:21:05 pmVery nice scope, it's an Iwatsu rebrand (completely made by Iwatsu and just rebadged by LeCroy, unlike the Waverunners which were developed in co-operation between LeCroy and Iwatsu) but that is nothing negative.Can you do a review (I'm working on one for the Waverunner LT)?

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2013, 09:42:21 pm
content: Back to the original question. I just scored a MSO6012A for a client from Agilent's ebay store. It was listed at $2K but they accepted an offer of 1800.No probes but the logic probes can be improvised.Free shipping as well as they ship via their normal channel.Looks like there's another:http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Agilent-MSO6012A-Mixed-Signal-Oscilloscope-8ML-/190806934357?pt=BI_Oscilloscopes&hash=item2c6cfac355

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2013, 12:25:24 am
content: You can use cables from old HP analysers like the 1650/51Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on March 04, 2013, 11:21:12 pmfor less than that you can get two sets, and a free logic analyzer ......http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Agilent-HP-1650A-Logic-Analyzer-/390102858290?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ad3f13a32

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 05, 2013, 01:40:39 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on March 05, 2013, 12:25:24 amOr a step cheaper again for the lucky forum members:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/buysellwanted/fs-hpagilent-logic-pods/

author: cloudscapes
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2013, 08:19:40 pm
content: Sorry for the necro bump. At least it's still warm.Is SPI/I2S/etc decode in an MSO totally unrealistic in the mid-$1k or $2k range? And $2k is a real stretch, for me.

author: larry42
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2013, 05:09:32 pm
content: Quote from: cloudscapes on March 10, 2013, 08:19:40 pmDepends - new or used? What are the other specs that you need?

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 11:03:31 am
content: Quote from: ErikTheNorwegian on March 02, 2013, 05:21:05 pmI bought a Lecroy WaveJet 334 (new "old stock") and had thought of using it with the LogicStudio16 but I find that the pre-A series WaveJet won't allow the use of the USB port even though it seems wired up and I've plugged mine into a pc with the LeCroy USB driver and it reports no errors.This means that the analogue signals can't be displayed on the pc. You can still use the logic studio to trigger the scope but the technical support person at LeCroy said that if I did this I must take account of a 100 nsec trigger delay.Worse still, if I buy the very expensive WJ-LAN interface for the scope (£400!!) Logic Studio won't talk to anything other than USB (though I probably could get around this if I put some effort in).Then, today, I just noticed the Conrad price for the Logic Studio has jumped from £953 to £1356 !!! Your $55 was quite a bargain!!I'm generally very pleased with my WaveJet 334 (it cost me less than £1500 including 4 500MHz probes) but my planned expansion via LogicStudio is looking like it would cost me more than the scope.I'd be very interested in knowing how your set up works - you said your scope was a 324 is that the original series like mine (white) or the A series (black)?

author: jpb
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 02:25:21 pm
content: Hi Erik,Thanks for responding. You seem to have a good selection of scopes - you must have a large work area!Given that you have the A series, operating it with the LogicStudio is not a problem.I wonder why the price of the Logic Studio has shot up by 50%, maybe Telledyne/LeCroy wanted to squeeze more money out of it.I don't think I was unlucky in the scope as I got a good scope at a bargain price, it is just very frustrating that LeCroy don't provide any sort of upgrade path - the USB remote control is the only difference between the WJ300 and the WJ300A. I think that it is just a firmware issue though I can't be sure.It also seems a bit short sighted of LeCroy to have the LogicStudio only talk to the USB port. They could have had it talk to LAN as well very easily and bundled the LAN card with Logic Studio for owners of the 300 (non A) series but I guess they wanted people to upgrade their scopes instead.As things stand if I want to use LeCroy LogicStudio with my LeCroy WaveJet oscilloscope I have tobuy LogicStudio for nearly £1356buy WJ-LAN interface for £375write my own USB driver that intercepts USB calls and passes them onto the LAN instead whilst translating the EOL characters.It somehow doesn't seem worth it at present!

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 09:23:00 pm
content: Quote from: Someone on March 05, 2013, 01:40:39 ami bought some of him. work perfectly !these cables areNOT the cables used in the normal logic analysers. these have pods with amplifiers / terminations in them.

author: JoeyP
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 11:47:52 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on March 27, 2013, 09:23:00 pmWhich ones did you try? There are 3 links quoted.

author: mikeselectricstuff
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2013, 11:51:50 pm
content: Quote from: free_electron on March 27, 2013, 09:23:00 pmWhat do you mean by"normal logic analysers" ?All the ones I've seen (1650, 54645D and MS6000) are passive pods. 1650 pods are definitely useable on the 6000 (possibly not vice versa due to clock pin on 1650)The MSOX2000 as it only has 8 channels - not sure if connector is the same.

author: gregariz
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2013, 12:08:55 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on March 27, 2013, 11:51:50 pmI'm not sure either although we hired a Tektronix TLA logic analyzer a while back and the LVDS probe kit was active, so there are some out there, although I suspect maybe its the higher end gear.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2013, 01:12:05 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on March 27, 2013, 11:51:50 pmI have one of the 2000 series logic probes, it has the same 40pin connector but only one pod at the other end. These have terminators in them to drive the long cable back to the scope/LA and should be fairly universal with any of the MSO instruments with 40pin logic inputs.

author: ben_r_
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2013, 05:02:30 pm
content: Very glad I found this thread!Wanted to ask: anyone have any actual experience working with the Tektronix MSO2014 or any of the MSO's from that series? I just bought a brand new TDS2014C and already have a Saleae Logic16 but I kinda like the idea of having it all in one PC-less unit. However Im concerned that it might be a pain to work with a Logic Analyzer on a 7 inch display. I would probably get the LAN/VGA add-in module as well for a larger display and PC control if I wanted it, but I dont Im not sure if the VGA actually gives you any additional resolution.Just wanted to hear some actual user comments if anyone here has spent some time working with one. Itll suck to lose money selling the TDS2014C, but if I can get a more functional tool Im hoping itll be worth it.

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 19, 2013, 09:54:39 pm
content: Tektronix MSO2014 has too small screen, especially if you want to work with 16 digital channels.It's a scope introduced in year 2008.

author: Electro Fan
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: May 15, 2013, 06:03:17 am
content: Quote from: mikeselectricstuff on March 04, 2013, 09:42:21 pmJust checking to see if you have any feedback on how you are liking your MSO6012A? Any thoughts on using the Logic Analyzer? Thanks