Choosing first oscilloscope? Rigol noise? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Alex1
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 06:09:02 am
content: Hi, I am looking to buy my first oscilloscope and have come across 2 different ones. Owon sds7102 and Rigol 1052e.I was going to get the Rigol but I have read that it picks up lots of noise which shows up on the waveform display.Do they still have this issue or have they fixed it? If they haven't can anyone recommend any other decent beginner scopes?Thanks.

author: IanB
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 06:22:06 am
content: There does tend to be a bit of noise on the traces (maybe 1-2 pixels in magnitude), but nothing that really impedes its use in my opinion. What appears as "fuzziness" on analog scopes tends to appear as "jitter" on digital scopes. I suspect the results are similar for other scopes in the same price bracket.

author: Alex1
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 04:27:16 pm
content: So is it a good first/beginner scope?

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 04:39:20 pm
content: Quote from: Alex1 on April 27, 2012, 04:27:16 pmIt has received the Dave stamp of approval. If you're strictly a hobbyist, it's likely more scope than you'll ever need.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 04:47:00 pm
content: If you buy the Rigol from someone local to you and is authorized, you could make it a condition to ask the dealer to specifically test for it before you get it, and that you'd return it if noise >5mVpp, or whatever the maximum is. You could also do the same any other issues with your Rigol or Owon, clearly get from the dealer a right of return.Which to get? Owon has better features, but the recent thread suggest increasing variation in its QC seems worse than Rigols.

author: pullin-gs
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 05:15:52 pm
content: Why go new for first scope?I went with a nice used BK analog 100mhz quad-trace scope.This forced me to do everything manually and fully understand everything.This also gave me time to play around with a scope and figure out what I truly wanted.It set me back $75. I could probably sell it for at least $100.****I started looking for a new scope about 3 months ago. I studied my options given my budget and came down to four models (all 100MHZ).*) Rigol 100-mhz DS1102E*) Atten (the 7" version) ADS1102CAL*) OWON (New-version SDS7102)*) Hantek DSO5102B (7-inch WVGA screen)My first choice was ATTEN....did some more research...it was cheapest.Changed mind and decided Rigol was lower-risk and better choice..I sat on my choice for another month while I studied more options.After seeing the larger screen on the Hantek and linux OS, I thought that was the way to go.Then, I discovered OWON.1) Screen is big 8 inches..2) Pixel resolution is TWICE that of Rigol! Twice!!3) Input design is much more streamlined w/less components.4) No overclocking 40MHZ chips (Rigol)5) FASTER risetimes: The newest generation 100MHZ scope is good for 200 right out of the box!6) LAN interface7) VGA out to monitor.Battery option...great for my field work.9) No negative press yet, so seems like a good risk.Disadvantages of OWON compaired to other cheap scopes include:New model with limited reviewsFeature set is evolving still on new model....some "common-sense" features missing.More expensive....street price is about $425. I paid $500 shipped w/battery and bag.Not hackable like the Hantek.Not many resources on web for help/research.I wanted the better features and bought it. Make sure you get the newest version though.

author: Mark
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 05:52:38 pm
content: Quote from: pullin-gs on April 27, 2012, 05:15:52 pm+1 on that!I went for the OWON SDS 8102 because I wanted the faster sampling rate, the scope came with LAN and VGA, I just received it last week.I am absolutely blown away, the screen is brilliant, the speed of use and responsiveness of the controls is excellent. The 10M memory is very useful, it captures so much. All in all, it's a fantastic scope for the money, I'm really pleased with it. You're going to love it.

author: slateraptor
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 05:58:00 pm
content: Quote from: Mark on April 27, 2012, 05:52:38 pmHow the viewing angle? I'd imagine something comparable to Tek's TDS2000 series.

author: Mark
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 27, 2012, 06:06:49 pm
content: Quote from: slateraptor on April 27, 2012, 05:58:00 pmReadable from every angle left, right and from above. Kinda fades a bit if viewed from 45 degrees from below.No complaints about the screen whatsoever!