What's a good 4ch replacement for an old Rigol 1052E scope? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 04:09:47 am
content: I'm in the market to replace my old Rigol 1052E and not sure what the best option is.The Siglent SDS1104X-E looks like a contender, what else would anyone recommend?My main reequipments are- 4 channel (main reason for upgrade)- 70+Mhz, ideally 100 but 70+ is probably ok if price is fair, (I've never hit the limit on my hacked rigol)- A Fast UI, and this is key, I have tried some newer Rigols at work and hate their laggy controls. They drive me up the wall.- Budget ideally < USD$700, absolute max USD$1000 if it has some super awesome feature.- Standard decoding I2C, SPI, UART would be nice but I have a saleae LA, so don't really need it.- Large screen would be nice

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 06:24:15 am
content: You'll find that almost any of the current model budget scopes will blow your 1052E out of the water in terms of responsiveness, features, and display quality. You'll probably get a number of replies, but it's also been talked to death here, so there should be plenty of suggestions in past threads too.The 1104X-E (or 1204X-E), the 1054Z Plus (or S Plus) models (still substantially faster response than your 1052e, but the Rigol 2000 series is also in budget as is, just barely, the newer 5000 series), the DSOX1204 may be barely in range, and then a handful of other instruments from other vendors that I have personally found to be somewhat lower polish in terms of UI and usability but which many members seem to like. Then there's the option of looking for something higher end but used (though this may not be super easy to find unless you look to the same vintage of your current unit), and PC based scopes like those from picoscope if you're curious about those options. I suppose within $1000 there's also the Siglent 2000X series to choose from if you want something a step above entry level, but to get your base requirements, $500 or so US is really enough.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 07:45:47 am
content: Quote from: Psi on December 12, 2020, 04:09:47 amDrop us a line in a couple of weeks when new stock arrives and pop out the 20mins drive outta town for a look and test drive.We'll have the new budget priced SDS1104X-U by then as well as more SDS1104X-E and SDS2104X Plus if your budget can stretch that far.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 08:09:33 am
content: Quote from: Psi on December 12, 2020, 04:09:47 amMicSig TO1000 / STO1000 series wins when it comes to screen size in your budget. And if you don't mind using a keygen to enable decoding and bandwidth then the GW Instek GDS-1054B is an option as well (more memory with 4 channels enabled, individual channel controls and likely cheaper compared to the Siglent you are looking at).

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 11:25:51 am
content: Quote from: Psi on December 12, 2020, 04:09:47 amI just went from a Rigol DS1054Z to a Micsig and it's awesome. It easily ticks all your boxes.Big screen, capable, fast, responsive, very accessible user interface, built-in WiFi, built-in battery. It's the future. I wouldn't ever go back to navigating menus with a twisty knob after owning one (although you can still do it if you want to... or even use a mouse!)Quote from: Psi on December 12, 2020, 04:09:47 amSerial decoding looks like this:

author: switchabl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 03:30:51 pm
content: If a very fast, lag-free UI is a main priority for you, Keysight is still hard to beat in that respect. The DSOX1204 may or may not be within your budget. You do get more bandwith/features and a lot more memory elsewhere for the same price of course.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 05:03:29 pm
content: Quote from: switchabl on December 12, 2020, 03:30:51 pmBut the problem with Keysight is that setting up the decoding requires going through a lot of menus using the twisty knob/push button. Been there, done that and hated it. A fast UI does not have to be a productive UI.

author: switchabl
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 09:03:08 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on December 12, 2020, 05:03:29 pmYes, and if you are using decoding a lot, chances are that's also where the lack of deep memory will bite you the most.Still, if you are really looking for that lag-free "analog scope feel"...

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 12, 2020, 11:49:21 pm
content: Thanks for all your replies.I have some choices to make

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:13:52 am
content: Let us know what you decide(and if you have any questions.... ask 'em!)

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:17:59 am
content: Quote from: tautech on December 12, 2020, 07:45:47 amWill do, the SDS2104X does look very nice.But I suspect the local distributor price wont be as low as amazon+youpost

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:22:25 am
content: Quote from: Fungus on December 13, 2020, 07:13:52 amThe Micsig does look cool, but it's giving me 'toy scope' vibes. I think it's mainly the music in their video.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:34:28 am
content: Quote from: Psi on December 13, 2020, 07:17:59 amOh the fun of dealing with NZ to USD exchange rates in the last little while. If rates firm where they are then our pricing will come down. Let's have a chat if/when you visit.Then we'll have 4 classes of of 4ch DSO's for you to examine.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 07:39:24 am
content: Quote from: Psi on December 13, 2020, 07:22:25 amI know what you mean but I'm very glad I got mine. It's soooo much nicer/faster to use than a twisty-knob 'scope and a lot of thought has gone into the UI. It's a quality product and I'd hate to go back.eg. Have a look at how on-screen measurements are enabled on Siglents. It's awful, hours and hours of knob-twisting await.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 08:08:52 am
content: Quote from: Psi on December 13, 2020, 07:22:25 amThat is Chinese marketing. The MicSig scopes are solid though. Unlike other Chinese test equipment manufacturers they only release firmware after they have tested it thouroughly themselves. I did a thourough test on the TO1104 I have and I have not been able to find a single bug. That has not happened in any other oscilloscope I have reviewed.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 13, 2020, 08:39:57 am
content: There's also a ton of UI things that don't instantly leap out at you, eg. separate controls for each channel. Want to change channel 3 range? Just press the "Change channel 3 range" button on screen (either "more" or "less").No checking for subtle clues on the screen to see if you have the right channel selected before you twist the multi-knob (and make sure not to press the "channel 3" button if itisselected because that turns channel 3 off...)Other stuff also takes a while to notice, eg. horizontal timebase. If you want an exact value (eg. "1 ms") then you can do it with two presses on a Micsig. If you're using a twisty knob then it's a whole process of looking at what the current value is and figuring out how to get where you need to go from where you are now.Quote from: nctnico on December 13, 2020, 08:08:52 amYep. I've had mine a month now and I haven't seen a single glitch or bug.