Alternatives to Oscilloscope - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: Oslaw
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 11:31:19 am
content: What are the alternatives to an Oscilloscope when you cannot afford one yet?

author: dzseki
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 11:48:32 am
content: I guess it depends what feature dou you want to use of the oscilloscope?Also older analog oscilloscopes can be obtained for near free these days.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 12:02:48 pm
content: It depends what sort of things you are doing. Also when you say "cannot afford", maybe quantify what youcanafford - there are some very cheap options these days (in increasing price order):If you're only doing simple digital stuff:- Build yourself a logic probe with pulse capture option (<$1)- Buy a low cost 8 bit USB logic analyser clone (Saleae compatible) and use it with Sigrok pulseview s/w (<$10)If you're doing analogue stuff:- Buy a single channel 'pocket' scope such as the DSO150 clone (<$15)- Buy a Hantek 6022BE 2 channel USB scope and use the improved s/w in the forum 6022BE thread (~$50)- Buy an OWON VDS1022(preferably I version) 2 channel USB scope (~$50-70)Note, that the above options give you increased capability with increasing price (obviously). I have stayed well below $100, hopefully there's something there that youcanafford.Other options are a lucky find analogue scope on ebay (risky if not 100% working and you're inexperienced) or ask if some kindly local forum member has something low performance that they will part with for little money. Hamfests are another possible source.There really isn't much of an alternative to a scope if you don't have one, unless you're doing very low frequency or DC stuff where you can get by with a DMM.P.S. Set your country flag so that people know where in the world you are - shipping probably costs more than price for a second-hand scope.

author: tunk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 12:41:08 pm
content: You may also look at the 3-4us$ frequency counter kits.If you can stretch your budget to 100us$, you can look at a Hantek 2C42 or Mustool MDS8207.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 12:45:36 pm
content: Once I reached >$50 I'd certainly be looking for 2 channels, the Mustool fails that test. Screen size/resolution is also an issue with handhelds.

author: tunk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 12:49:25 pm
content: Here's a short intro/review of cheap scopes:https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ixbt.com%2Flive%2Finstruments%2Fvybiraem-byudzhetnyy-karmannyy-oscillograf.html

author: brabus
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 12:52:59 pm
content: In a really extreme situation: an audio card. There is some software out there which can transform an USB audio dongle into a VERY basic oscilloscope.I would rather save money for some time and finally afford a proper scope. Cheapskate alternatives are worth less than the little money they cost.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 02:47:18 pm
content: With skill and imagination, you can do a hell of a lot with a voltmeter, a potentiometer and and some LEDs. If you are programming, add printf() statements to that. I built my first computer (6800, 128bytes) that way, and learned a lot.If you are interested in digital electronics then the prime unique advantage of a scope is that it lets you look at the signal shape and voltage. Such "signal integrity" tests verify that your analogue signals will be correctly interpreted by the digital inputs as digital signals. Ideally look for a 100MHz scope, but a 20MHz scope is better than nothing.Once you have good signal integrity (which can be a problem on solderless breadboards), you can flip to the digital domain and use a logic analyser and printf() statements.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 06:03:59 pm
content: There is no true alternative, when you need an oscilloscope nothing else will do.Fortunately you have lots of options, depending on your location if you ask nicely someone may be willing to give you a usable oscilloscope or sell you one very cheaply. There are lots of old analog scopes collecting dust in closets, I have given away a few of them in the past.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 06:09:50 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on October 01, 2019, 06:03:59 pmTrue, but often a scope is used when other tools could equally well be used.That's the kind of thing beginners benefit from understanding.QuoteProviding it works, that is a aluable and viable alternative.Some people (lazily) think that you need a modern digital scope, and that old analogue scoes are useless. Other people think that beginners can learn from repairing a scopes. Both are wrong in my opinion.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 06:15:46 pm
content: Well when I was a kid someone gave me a partially working 5MHz scope and while it was certainly not ideal, it was much better than nothing. When budget does not allow you to have what you want, sometimes you have to get by with what you can get. Lots of perfectly working analog scopes collecting dust, and others that have minor issues like dirty switches that can easily be fixed or worked around. Just saying it's worth asking around in the absence of better options.

author: tggzzz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 06:22:36 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on October 01, 2019, 06:15:46 pmWe are in violent agreement!Necessity is the mother of invention, and not having the "right" tool makes you think more carefully and develop more carefully.

author: Gyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 01, 2019, 09:48:16 pm
content: It would still be useful if the OP could come back with their definition of "cannot afford" in monetary terms. If it is 'I have no money' then it's down to using whatever they already have or 'beg borrow or steal'.Hopefully that is not the case?@Oslaw: Explaining your situation will focus the advice much better and save peoples' time.EDIT: From looking at your previous posts, I see you are in Nigeria and ebay is slow there. Unfortunately that may be a problem for some of the above options (many of which are ebay or Chinese marketplace sites).

author: uktron
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: October 08, 2019, 03:41:21 pm
content: Why have you not oscilloscope? Is it to expensive for you?

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2019, 04:42:48 pm
content: I believe that Gyro has provided a most comprehensive list of options. Choose one of them.Having said that................That should not preclude you from doing some simple projects and troubleshooting them with a DMM; specially one which has extra features like frequency measurements and the like.Now, a logic probe should be very easy to build, and will provide you visual clues of logic states, pulses or transitions.If you are into audio, you can build a simple signal tracer with a JFET and a LM386. Add a signal diode and you can demodulate some RF signals.There are many sample circuits on the web.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: October 08, 2019, 09:34:18 pm
content: I should have also mentioned that in most cases you do not need an oscilloscope. It has only been in the last couple of decades that scopes were affordable to most hobbyists, prior to that it was a rare luxury that most people simply did not own. You can do a lot of engineering with no scope.