Keysight DSOX3000 oscilloscope - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: mcu-long
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 05:32:31 am
content: I'm looking to buy a used Keysight DSOX3000 or DSOX2000 oscilloscope, as a new one is definitely beyond my budget. I'd like to know how to determine the year of manufacture of an oscilloscope.For example, how can I get the date of manufacture from the SN number? Does anyone recommend buying a used Keysight oscilloscope? I'd also like to know if used Keysight oscilloscopes are prone to malfunctions.Thank you, and best wishes.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 06:48:25 am
content: Quote from: mcu-long on August 09, 2025, 05:32:31 amVery few people would suggest it unless you need drop in replacement for automated testing, or the active probe interface of the 3000. Almost all people would be better served with a new device from another manufacturer or if you really have to go keysight then a 1000 series from their used store? (same ADC/ASIC and processing)Quote from: mcu-long on August 09, 2025, 05:32:31 amMany known issues, search this forum to see them.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 08:53:33 am
content: I'd certainly suggest it, the DSO-X3000 (and MSO-X3000) scope is an absolute workhorse that I've made a living using for the last 10+ years.The 2000 series is seriously cut down in terms of performance, though, and there are much better options than the 1000. Don't bother with either of these.There are two significant, well documented problems. One is NAND flash corruption, which seems to have been alleviated by the self-correction capability in the latest firmware, so make sure you upgrade before it's too late.The other is that power supplies fail, but there are off-the-shelf compatible replacements available and swapping them over is a few hours' work. I've done it myself on my MSO-X3054A and it works perfectly - should be good for another 10 years at least. There's a thread here somewhere listing compatible models and the experiences people have had with them.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 09:53:43 am
content: There is a problem when stating reliability of used equipment.When somebody tells you that something they owned for 10 years is very reliable and they recommend it it is very misleading.They cannot say it "is reliable", but it WAS reliable so far.They have proof that if you buy brand new Keysight 3000T (for instance) it is likely to be reliable in first 10 years of your owning it.Also you must understand that 7-8 years old equipment is already riding it's end of life part of lifetime bathtub curve.So if you can get an good used device that is 2-3 years old, it is well tested device that will last you years.If you get 5-6 years old one, you are still good, but it might start making problems few years later.If you get a device that is 10 years old, you might get 10 more out of it. Or not. You are in gambling game here, regardless of how good device WAS 10 years ago.So much about that.I personally own a Keysight MSOX3104T, several Picoscope and Siglent scopes (including higher end ones).I must say that I rarely use MSOX3104T these days, unless I want do double check something. Not that it is still not a good scope, but I have better ones.Take for instance SDS3000xHD. It is 12 bit, bigger screen, good measurements, better math (FFT alone is worth it).. It is a darn good scope that you can get new (with warranty) for the price of old and used scope with, honestly, already half used encoders, and unknown history...It is up to you to decide.

author: mcu-long
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 12:02:42 pm
content: You're absolutely right, and I completely agree. The future performance of used equipment is uncertain; it could be good, or it could have problems. The price of a new DSO3000 oscilloscope in China is beyond my budget. I'd like to see if Siglent oscilloscopes are any good.Thank you.

author: mcu-long
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 12:09:07 pm
content: I want to buy MSO-X3054A oscilloscope. Keysight DSOX3000 or DSOX2000 Oscilloscopes are widely available, so problems can be easily solved.Thank you and best wish for you.

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 05:03:22 pm
content: Quote from: mcu-long on August 09, 2025, 12:02:42 pmSiglent oscilloscopes are very good. They are the reason why my Keysight gets rarely used. They are very reliable, and work really well.If you have chance, try one. You will be pleasantly surprised. Even smallest SDS800xHD has 4 math channels that put Keysight 3000A/T/G to shame.Make note 3000A is really old design. If you can, go for the 3000T, if you really need to go with Keysight. That one is also discontinued product (replaced by 3000G) but just recently, so you can get one that is not that old. Touch screen helps a lot with use.Avoid DSOX2000 because those are very limited scopes and very old design. Any scope, even inexpensive SDS800xHD is completely superior scope to DSOX2000.But seriously, loot at Siglent SDS2000xHD and SDS3000X HD. Also, Siglent SDS2000X Plus is a very good scope that goes to 500MHz and very inexpensive. Take a look at it too..

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 05:39:06 pm
content: Data point: my Siglent SDS3034X-HD is back on the shelf, unused. I went back to my MSO-X3104A and it wasn't for the extra bandwidth.

author: mawyatt
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 05:56:44 pm
content: We came from a Keysight/HP, Tek, R&S TE world before retiring. When we needed a DSO after fixing a couple Tek2465s after retiring, we started looking around and carefully watched the many discussions here and started forming opinions. Eventually we decided to try a Siglent DSO (SDS2000X Plus), best TE decision we've ever made!!As an added bonus you'll discover the exceptional and timely support from some of the folks here (you'll quickly figure out who they are), better than any upper tier OEM Customer Service we've ever experienced.In todays world no upper tier OEMs will even listen to small customers, especially one-man shops or hobbyest, however these folks here listen and help. Some have the "ear" of the OEM Siglent with direct access, and report bugs and such, which often gets corrected with timely firmware updates.Of course folks have their preferred brands and operating modes, and often switching preferred brands involves additional learning and use patterns. This was our case, however we're certainly glad we did try Siglent and never regretted such!!Best

author: 2N3055
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 06:25:20 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on August 09, 2025, 05:39:06 pmTo each it's own...People sometimes make rational and sometimes irrational decisions.Their prerogative.That is why I said that OP should try and decide based on it's own merits.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 08:21:42 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on August 09, 2025, 05:39:06 pmPlease share why.Additional features required ?Something not working properly ?

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 09:50:56 pm
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on August 09, 2025, 05:39:06 pmAren't they both 1GHz scopes?Anyway, I'll take that Siglent scope off your hands.

author: Martin72
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 09:57:12 pm
content: Keysight is dead to me after my last experience with their support.They bluntly told me that their products were not made for private individuals like me and that they therefore did not provide support to people like me.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 10:00:13 pm
content: Quote from: KungFuJosh on August 09, 2025, 09:50:56 pmNope, 350 MHz vs 1 GHz.Yet there is a 1 GHz upgrade path for the SDS3034X HD.

author: KungFuJosh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 09, 2025, 11:50:54 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on August 09, 2025, 10:00:13 pmSorry, 1GHz platforms.

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2025, 01:24:48 am
content: Buying a used Keysight scope in China seems risky due to board swaps and hacked firmware, unless you can work with a reputable seller.The DSO/MSO X-series are quite an old platform at this point. I have 2k and 3k that I got for a great price a few years ago and unlocked. They are good for what I do and I appreciate the snappy UI. Also, if you have a Keysight-software-based bench already, it could be compelling to go that route, and it seems many do since these are somewhat hard to find at a decent price on the used market.Which scope to choose can come down to the tiniest gotcha in your workflow, so the back and forth arguments seem pointless unless you're doing a direct comparison on something specific.

author: AndyC_772
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2025, 07:09:57 am
content: Quote from: tautech on August 09, 2025, 08:21:42 pmWhat made the decision was a specific project where I was using the digital channels to show test points on an MCU, which were programmed to pulse high when the CPU was executing particular pieces of code. The code used a complex chain of linked timers and interrupt routines to generate waveforms, which were probed by the analogue channels, and I wanted to know why glitches sometimes occurred.As I'm sure you know, the digital channels have a display lag. Although they may be captured at the same time as an analogue trigger, it takes a moment before the screen is updated. You can see the effect if you trigger on a fast but not repetitive waveform and hit run/stop - the screen refreshes one last time after you hit the button.What this meant was that the image on screen was, at least sometimes, a combination of an up-to-date analogue waveform together with the digital channels from a previous sweep. The two were not reliably correlated. I could see features in the analogue waveform which should always have been contingent on running a particular piece of code, but the corresponding test point wasn't showing as having gone high 100% of the time.This gave a misleading impression of the cause & effect. It's fortunate that I recognised the problem, or I could have spent hours wondering "how does <thing> happen on the occasions when <code> doesn't run?".At that point I decided the scope wasn't doing the one thing it really needs to do, namely, show me a reliable indication of what the signals at its inputs are doing. I switched back to the Keysight, which confirmed that my code wasn't nearly as broken as I thought it was.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 10, 2025, 07:28:30 am
content: Quote from: AndyC_772 on August 10, 2025, 07:09:57 amVery interesting, thanks.How did you have the Siglent memory management set as this can impact performance due to the deep memory these models have.

author: mcu-long
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 10, 2025, 08:59:27 am
content: I have never used this Siglent oscilloscope before. I don't know how good it is. However, in the country where I live, this Siglent oscilloscope is indeed not expensive. I looked at the models mentioned.Thank you.

author: mcu-long
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 10, 2025, 09:06:25 am
content: Sometimes it is really difficult to choose the right one for you. I agree with you. The DSO-X3000 (and MSO-X3000) scope is indeed a bit old, and the quality of second-hand DSO-X3000 oscilloscopes in China is difficult to guarantee.Thank you and best wishes for you.