Difference between cheap and expensive oscilloscopes + some recommendations - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: czbaterka
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2024, 01:55:47 pm
content: Oscilloscopes from good brands are extremely expensive and there isn't much information on the internet about the difference between a $2000+ Keysight 100MHz oscilloscope vs a cheap $200 Owon 100MHz oscilloscope from Banggood. Can someone explain to me what is so special about the expensive ones and if it is important for my purpose?I decided to buy my first oscilloscope because I bought an apartment and I intend to do my own smart home installation. I plan to develop my own LED dimmers, relay controllers and CAN based (wired) communication bus.And that's why I'm looking for an oscilloscope that won't put a hole in my pocket and at the same time will be usable for slightly advanced electrical engineering work.Does anyone have experience with cheap oscilloscopes from brankd like Owon, Finsiri, Hantek and the like? They are all around $200 for 2 channels of 100Mhz 1Gs/s. Some also contain AWG (although only at around 3V output which seems unusable to me without some kind of amplification?).I also looked at handheld oscilloscopes from Owon, but in the end I decided that the standard formfactor would be better.Is it even important to address this? Aren't they all the same in this price range? Will they be enough for my purpose and at the same time learning with oscilloscopes (even though I know basic work with oscilloscopes)?

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2024, 02:26:50 pm
content: Fnirsi no bueno. Hantek no bueno. Quite literally if you look at overviews, they have glitches.Owon is okey. I have handheld 200 mhz owon, it's okey.Siglent & Rigol for around $400 U.S. dollars and you golden.Also, keep in mind, you don't have to buy top of the line model, for example you don't have to buy top of the line SDS1204X-E, you could buy cheaper SDS1104X-E and unlock it so it becomes 1204. With some models you could do that, so you have to do your dilegence with research.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2024, 02:31:33 pm
content: One concern is the currency exchange rate and another is any import tax. How much does a particular model cost in manhours of wages where you live...The topic of "which scope" comes up here and in the Test Equipment forum just about once per week. These threads should be easy to find with the Search feature.The entry level scopes that tend to be mentioned over and over are the offerings from Siglent and Rigol. Several years agos I bought a Rigol DS1054Z (4 channel, unlocked to 100 MHz) and it is a terrific scope. It can't compete in terms of bandwidth with my Tek 485 at 350 MHz but in terms of features, the Rigol wins hands down.I would seriously look at the entry level offerings of Rigol and Siglent in terms of features and local cost. Today I would probably buy one of the Siglents that weren't available when I bought my Rigol.

author: PGPG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2024, 04:28:12 pm
content: I can't tell detail type but to watch digital communication my brother bought for about $10 USB driven 8 lines logic state analyser and it meets all his expectations. He use it mainly to watch RS485 bus.If you expect you will have to analyse what is going on on your CAN bus such tool can sometimes be better than oscilloscope.For 20+ years I was using HAMEG HM1507 analog/digital scope. For 99% of time I used it in digital mode even it had only 2k samples memory. Nowadays even the cheapest oscilloscope will have bigger sample buffer so I think each oscilloscope you can buy is enough good for you.

author: tooki
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 09, 2024, 04:46:42 pm
content: The problem with many of the very cheapest scopes (stuff cheaper than Rigol/Siglent/Owon) is not that they lack features or whatever, but that absolute basic functionality doesn’t work properly. Look at the reviews; I don’t know why you think there’s no info on scopes, there are tons of reviews, especially in the form of videos.

author: Solder_Junkie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 10:48:01 am
content: Quote from: czbaterka on November 09, 2024, 01:55:47 pmA hobby user will generally not buy a $2000 Keysight, mainly because of occasional use and the high cost compared to a similar Siglent or Rigol. Commercial/industrial users will buy Keysight, R&S or Tektronics for the support and maybe for political reasons too.Like many on here I have a Rigol DS1054Z that has been hacked to open it up. Today there are slightly better oscilloscopes from both Rigol and Siglent, but for what I use mine for the 1054Z is more than good enough.Whether to opt for 4 channels over 2 depends on what you might want to use it for, personally I find 4 channels very useful for measuring timing/control circuits in my home made amateur radio transmitters.SJ

author: u666sa
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 11:15:01 am
content: Quote from: Solder_Junkie on November 10, 2024, 10:48:01 amNo and no debate either. Bench scope only 4 channels. It's one of those "for a few dollars more" situations. Chances are you won't use all of the channels at the same time, but chances are you might need to use once all of the 4 channels, and that is worth it. Plus there is resale value aspect.

author: Solder_Junkie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 11:43:53 am
content: Quote from: u666sa on November 10, 2024, 11:15:01 amI do not agree that you should only buy a 4 channel oscilloscope. It entirely depends on what use it is intended for. Typically you can have double the bandwidth with a 2 channel 'scope for the same price as a 4 channel one. Don't forget that not all hobby users have a large budget to spend on test equipment.Currently from Telonic in the UK, a 4 channel DS1054Z, 50 MHz bandwidth scope, costs the same as a DS1202Z-E 2CH, 200MHz bandwidth scope.SJ

author: Old Printer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 02:48:54 pm
content: Quote from: Solder_Junkie on November 10, 2024, 11:43:53 amIt is common knowledge here that the 1040Z can easily be opened to over 200MHz at no cost, the same is true for an equal Siglent. There is no reason to give up 2 extra channels in exchange for 150MHz that is already built into the scope.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 03:11:30 pm
content: Quote from: Old Printer on November 10, 2024, 02:48:54 pmI think you got the older 8-bit entry level scopes scopes mixed up with the newer 12-bit models. The DS1054Z only has 1 GSa/s total (250 MSa/s in 4-cjhannel mode) and can only be opened up to 100 MHz nominal bandwidth. The newer scopes offer twice the sampling rate and maximum bandwidth, but are more expensive of course.Nevertheless my personal preference would always be a 4-channel scope too.

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 10, 2024, 03:48:23 pm
content: Quote from: u666sa on November 09, 2024, 02:26:50 pmAnyone who mentions Fnirsi 1014D and Hantek DSO2000 in the same sentence has no idea what he's talking about.OWON HDS2202S costs at least $100 more than the DSO2000 and has 8kpts memory vs. 8Mpts on the Hantek.The vertical scale starts at 10mV/div vs. 2mV/div on the Hantek.You can hate Hantek, but don't talk nonsense.

author: Old Printer
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 01:26:52 am
content: Quote from: ebastler on November 10, 2024, 03:11:30 pmThis Hackaday article says the 1054Z they tested went to 250MHz. I am pretty sure I read about similar unlocked results on this forum, but it will take some looking. Ill check back here if I can find it, but you may be right. As you said, even at 100MHz I would take the 4 channels.https://hackaday.com/2016/10/05/choosing-a-scope-examining-bandwidth/

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 04:26:33 am
content: Analog: Tektronix 2465/7/BDigital: Yokogawa DL/DLMj

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 06:15:11 am
content: Quote from: Old Printer on November 11, 2024, 01:26:52 amI am not sure I trust the Hackaday measurements. They claim that their DS1054Z was not even "hacked" to the nominal 100 MHz bandwidth, but still in its original 50 MHz state. Bloody unlikely that the scope has a 250 MHz bandwidth in that setting...It's probably a combination of artefacts: Ringing of the incoming signal (they did not use 50 Ohm input termination) and maybe interpolation artefacts. (The scope only acquired 5 samples/div in that measurement, and wasn't there something fishy about its sin(x)/x interpolation, at least when it was new to the market?)Nevertheless, since the OP was asking about a price range from Fnirsi to Keysight, I hope that the budget is not strictly limited to the bottom end of that range. If affordable I would recommend a 12-bit, 4-channel scope from either Siglent (SDS800X HD series) or Rigol (DHO800 series -- not the compromised DHO900!). Either of these can be opened up to 200 MHz nominal bandwidth via a software "hack". The Siglent provides a higher sampling rate and can hence actually support 200 MHz bandwidth in four-channel mode.

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 10:49:15 am
content: Quote from: czbaterka on November 09, 2024, 01:55:47 pmNo, they are not.Afaik, there are actually only two reasonably well-documented (by the community) benchtop scopes in the lowest price range:The Fnirsi 1014D and the Hantek DSO2000.There are of course others scopes from Owon (and clones) and from Uni-T etc., but for reasons unknown to me they are hardly a topic in the forums. I think that's a disadvantage in itself.Of course, it could theoretically be that they just work so well that there's nothing to say about them, but that seems rather unlikely to me.Kerry Wong (a Youtube tester who imo knows what he's doing) says:Hantek DSO2000: “I think you can't find many alternatives at this price point with a performance and capability you find in this DSO2000.”Fnirsi 1014D: “I can not recommend this scope at all”, “Personally, I would not touch this scope with a 10 foot pole.”After all, it's not just about what a device can do, but above all what you want to use it for.Sometimes even a “toyscope” is enough.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 11:05:16 am
content: Quote from: jonpaul on November 11, 2024, 04:26:33 amI believe the OP is talking about digital scopes here. For your advice to be useful, you would need to be more specific:Which used Yokogawa models would you suggest to get a good price/performance deal compared to e.g. a Siglent SDS800X HD? I see Yokogawa DL1540C scopes offered around 500€ for example. 200 MSa/s, basic measurements, 1000-point FFT, no decoders. 6.4" VGA screen, bulky unit, no USB or Ethernet (but a floppy driven and RS-232 instead).Unless there are much better deals to be had, I would say sorry -- these may have been great when you were active in the field, but can't compete with new products from today's B brands.

author: PGPG
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 02:38:20 pm
content: Quote from: ebastler on November 11, 2024, 06:15:11 amIf budget on scope is limited than the main decision left is to prefer 4 channels or the bandwidth.Have in mind that:If you have 2 channels and need more than in most cases you have a way around - you can use one channel as reference that always triggers oscilloscope in the same way why you can use second probe to see different circuit points always related to signal from first probe. If oscilloscope allows to memory and display such waveform you even not need to remember how signal you just not see was looking like.If you have smaller bandwidth than you need you don't have a way around.Using oscilloscopes more than 40 years (first 10 years it was made by me 1x5MHz analog scope) I remember only one situation when I needed more than 2 channels. But it of course depends on user needs. I think seeing more channels is typically need in digital signals where logic state analyser can be used instead of oscilloscope.If anyone is curious where such a small bandwidth of my scope comes from:In 1982 I had only 200V transistors. That determined the maximum voltage I could drive the deflector plates. That determined their sensitivity needed. That limited the tube anode voltage to 1200V (much smaller than tube I had was originally designed for). That determined the time electrons fly between plates. That determined bandwidth.

author: czbaterka
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 04:22:03 pm
content: Thanks everyone for recommendations.I reconsidered it and I will go for 4 channel scope as I also found out that its good choice if I would ever need to measure differencial signals.I allowed myself more budget and now I am considering Rigol DHO804 as it can be hacked and seems to be able to do like 200Mhz. Does anyone know if it still have some big bugs? Main reason I want it is that Rigol seems as a good brand and it has USB-C power and thus is floating scope (if I understand it correctly).

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 04:28:07 pm
content: You are correct about the USB power, and the scope will indeed be floating if you don't connect the additional Ground cable Rigol is providing. But it is very unadvisable to operate it floating! There is a safety risk if you connect one of the ground clips to a high voltage, since all BNC jacks and all ground clips will then be at that dangerous potential.The Siglent SDS804X HD is arguably the more serious scope for approximately same money. Higher sampling rate, faster acquisition (waveform rate), more powerful FFT. The Rigol may be a bit easier to learn, since its large setup dialogs (overlaying much of the screen) typically have all relevant settings in one place. The Siglent relies on side menus -- also touch-operated, but they sometimes need sub-menus or vertical scrolling to fit all necessary settings, so you don't see everything at once.Edit: Rigol has a mixed track record regarding bug fixes. DHO800 users have been waiting for a firmware update for a long time now to fix the (manageable number of) remaining bugs. Rigol published an update a month or two ago but had to pull it back quickly, since it could brick the scope under specific circumstances. It's been quiet again for a while, but they will release something eventually...

author: czbaterka
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 09:18:17 pm
content: And are there any other options how to probe without ground reference without floating scope? I understand why it is dangerous to use floating scope, but other option is just buying differential probe which costs same money as the scope itself.The SDS804X seems to have standard PC plug. Is it also hackable?

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 11, 2024, 09:42:01 pm
content: Quote from: czbaterka on November 11, 2024, 09:18:17 pmIf you don't need all four channels, you can always use two probes for differential measurements and let the scope calculate the difference. (They all have math functions these days, and you can disable the two "raw" traces in the display.)Yes, the SDS804X HD has the regular IEC connector and a built-in power supply. (Which I personally prefer, less clutter.) It can also be "upgraded" to 200 MHz bandwidth by entering a software key, and there's a Python code generator floating around on the forum which can generate these keys. With the Siglent's 2 GSa/s total sampling rate you still get 500 MSa/s in 4-channel mode, i.e. you can actually use the 200 MHz bandwidth without aliasing. (The Rigol is cutting some corners there with its 1.25 GSa/s total.)

author: J-R
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 01:24:35 am
content: Just be aware that the Rigol DHO800 series is a bit small and the fan is a bit noisy. But otherwise you'll get quite a bit for the money once liberated.

author: jonpaul
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 04:38:25 am
content: Consider a used vontage analog scope forst???I suggest ham fleas, local street sales, forums, for old analog scopes 2 chIn CZ you may find Hameg, Philips or French Metrix. Best is Tektronix !I have found Hameg 203, 204, in Paris for EU 5, 25, 40.Just 2 ch 20 MHz but fine for 95% of work...Jon

author: czbaterka
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 11:13:51 am
content: I do not really want analog scope because of its size and lack of math and auto measurementsI do not really have time for analog tbhReason I like DHO804 is the size actually as I have limited space on desk and I was first considering Owon's portable 3v1 scopes. But I relized its a terrible value for features I get compared to the standalone units.I want the 4 channels because If I will ever need to do the differenrial measurements with 2 probes, I want at least 2 channels, but when I am thinking about it, is it even possible when the ground is shared across all 4 channels to do teo floating measurements at a same time?

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 11:16:54 am
content: Quote from: jonpaul on November 12, 2024, 04:38:25 amIs that your way of saying "Yes, I was wrong when suggesting vintage Yokogawa digital scopes in my earlier post -- buying them today does not make sense"?

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 11:21:02 am
content: Quote from: czbaterka on November 12, 2024, 11:13:51 amYes, that will work nicely -- as long as you don't need to measure a small differential voltage which sits on top of a very large common-mode DC offset.You will need to select a V/div setting which accommodates the DC offset, and hence the offset will consume part of your ADC resolution. (Good thing you will have 12 bits to start with!) And for very high DC offset voltages you will also be limited by the safe operating range of your scope and probes.

author: rstofer
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 12, 2024, 02:29:11 pm
content: Quote from: czbaterka on November 11, 2024, 04:22:03 pmThere is a general requirement that all exposed non-current carrying metallic surfaces be grounded. I would expect the BNC connectors to be grounded.Section 4.3.2 of the User Guide mentions having the scope properly grounded. I would bet the power cord includes a grounding conductor.https://www.batronix.com/files/Rigol/Oszilloskope/DHO800/Manual/DHO800_UserGuide_EN.pdf

author: awakephd
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 01:48:32 am
content: Quote from: ebastler on November 11, 2024, 04:28:07 pmI spent a good bit of time debating between the Rigol DHO804 and the Siglent SDS804. Part of my thought process is that I am (was) new to DSOs, and I perceived the Rigol to be potentially easier to learn. Eventually, though, the superior specifications of the Siglent won me over, and I received my SDS804 early this summer. I have to say, I have not regretted my choice, not even for a moment. It may well be that the Rigol menus are easier for the newbie, but my experience has been that the learning curve has been what a DSO can do; learning the UI of the scope has been a negligible part of the process. Or to say it another way, when I have had trouble figuring things out on the scope, it is rarely due to the UI; it is almost always due to not yet fully understanding what I have been doing.

author: Circlotron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 05:05:41 am
content: Quote from: tooki on November 09, 2024, 04:46:42 pmExample - My Rigol DS2072, which was not cheap by my standards, you press one of the menu buttons next to the screen e.g. to change trigger source, rotate the multi purpose knob to choose which option, then push the knob in so it clicks and quite often it jumps to the wrong option on the drop down menu.

author: radiolistener
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 07:23:56 am
content: Quote from: czbaterka on November 09, 2024, 01:55:47 pmThese oscilloscopes are just piece of crap from my point of view and don't worth to deal with. But they have very aggressive marketing, so you can find many marketing guys who will tell you stories that these are the best oscilloscopes for their price and provide everything that is needed.I would sort them as follows:<--better worse-->Owon, Hantek, FnirsiSo, think for yourself. If you enjoy polished marketing stories and are buying an oscilloscope just to tinker with for a week before leaving it on a shelf, then perhaps it makes sense to go for them instead of spending more on something truly worthwhile.

author: Doctorandus_P
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 01:50:18 pm
content: Rigol and Siglent make very decent scopes. My first digital scope was a Rigol DS1052 and it's encoders started to fail after just a handful hours of use. The low resolution screen, and on screen measurement that uses screen pixels instead of ADC data made most measurements "barely useful". About a year ago I upgraded to a Siglent DSD1104X-E, and apart from the very noisy fan it's a wonderful scope.Fnirsi is good to touch with a 10 foot baseball bat, hit it multiple times and hit it real hard.From what I've heard from Hantek / Owon. They "mostly" work, are usable, but don't have much functions, and / or have user interface issues.Considering you can get a 2 channel Rigol or Siglent for around EUR 350. For me it's simply not worth bothering spending hours to sort through all the limitations of the cheaper brands. Spending two days to sort out the details for EUR 100 difference is no fun for me. And at the risk you forget something. Also, once you are using your scope for a longer time you will likely appreciate the extra functions, even if you use them only occasionally. Siglent also has one of the best FFT functions for a scope. FFT in my old Rigol was a sour joke.When I first read the title, I interpreted "cheap scope" as Siglent / Rigol / Micsig, and "expensive" as Tektronix / R&S / Keysight / Magnova. And I am curious how much better these "top" brands are for 4x the price of a Rigol / Siglent. I did not even consider the very low end brands.If you buy a decent scope, you are likely to use it for 10 to 20 years. That makes the cost per year almost negligible. It only sucks if you have to cough up that money upfront.If you're really on a tight budget at the moment, then I would still recommend to think about a handheld. You can get a usable 2 channel handheld for EUR150, and this gives you some headroom and time to save money for a "real" scope. And if you've bought a bigger scope later, the handheld is still useful for isolated measurements, or measurements in awkward positions. The handhelds usually also do not have a fan. My own Siglent is a great scope, but I don't want to turn it on because it makes such a lot of noise. I am going to do something about that. Probably put an oversized fan in it some day.

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: November 14, 2024, 04:05:26 pm
content: Quote from: Doctorandus_P on November 14, 2024, 01:50:18 pmIt's all about the price.If you want and can afford a $500.- scope, then forget Hantek DSO2000.But the Fnirsi 1014D should not be mentioned in the same sentence as Owon and Hantek.The already poor specifications of the Fnirsi 1014D (50 mV/div, 10 ns/div, 240kbit) are surpassed by the sampling rate lie.Apparently it can't even handle 100MHz on one channel.I simply won't allow the DSO2000 to be lumped together with this 1014D ;-)Of course they thought twice about every yuan at Hantek and it only makes sense if you buy it for under $170. I paid $130 for mine.I wouldn't want it for everyday work, but for an Arduino hobbyist, for example, it's very good.Of course, it doesn't come close to Siglent or Rigol. It's all about the price.You don't buy it with the next 20 years in mind, but because you can't quite decide to buy a benchtop DSO at all.Just like you buy a NanoVNA or a TinySA to see what it's all about and because they're cheap. You don't buy them with a clear set of requirements in mind, but maybe you'll know what you really want afterwards.Quote from: Doctorandus_P on November 14, 2024, 01:50:18 pmThe DSO2000 has no fan either and it starts up in 12 seconds.It doesn't lie about the specifications like the Fnirsi.As a 100MHz scope, it can also measure 200MHz on 2 channels.So the 1GS/s is not a lie.You can measure sub-mV ripple with it (in the picture on 12VDC). A Fnirsi can't do that.It also has an external trigger input, which you wouldn't expect for this price.The built-in AWG (even on the cheapest model) has some nice features and a pretty good rise time.You can also use it to generate single, short, crisp, manually triggered pulses. Not even every dedicated AWG can do that.FFT is also somewhat useful.Protocol decoding is also possible (within limits).That's quite a lot for $130 crap, isn't it?

author: awakephd
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2024, 05:02:15 pm
content: A couple of other observations from my recent newbie experience:1) Fan noise - I can't speak to the noise of the Rigol DHO804, but reports here and elsewhere suggest it is noisier than the Siglent SDS804X. FWIW, the fan on the latter does not bother me - yes, it makes some noise, but no, it is not obnoxious or distracting, at least to me. I don't really notice it unless a thread like this calls it to my attention. Of course, at 64, my hearing, while decent for my age, is nevertheless not what it used to be, and YMMV ...2) Bode plot - I just skimmed back through some of the questions I asked 6 months ago, and saw that one of them had to to with Bode plot capability. As I understand it, the Rigol DHO804 does not come with this capability, though it may (?) be possible to add it with some hacks (?). By contrast, even the base level Siglent SDS804 has the ability to do Bode plots, either with a plug-in signal generator or with an external Siglent signal generator controlled via LAN. Six months ago, I didn't know what a Bode plot was, and was not sure I would ever need to know. Now, I am looking back and cringing at some of what I assumed - and also appreciating the patience that responders showed in response in that thread! Yes, it turns out I do, really really like being able to do a Bode plot. Yes, it is true that to do one with the Siglent SDS804, one has to add an external signal generator. However, it turns outnotto be the case that one has to spend a lot of money to do so. There is a thread in the Test Equipment section on using non-Siglent AWGs with Siglent scopes to generate Bode plots, which I have benefitted from, to the point that I have been getting absolutely beautiful Bode plots using my SDS804, an $80 import AWG (could also do it with some cheaper options), and a $2 ESP-01 module. And when I say "beautiful," that is not just my newbie evaluation; I showed them to an EE professor (who teaches a circuits course that I have been sitting in on), and he said, "that's better than what the Keysights produce" - referring to the multi-thousand-dollar Keysight scopes in the lab. (And I agree with his assessment, now having used them.) To be fair, I don't know that I reallyneedthe Bode plot capability for any of the home/hobby projects I have been doing ... but I knew getting a DSO would open up new possibilities for me, and this is one that I think may prove significant down the road. Again, of course, YMMV.

author: czbaterka
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2024, 05:25:36 pm
content: From your responses it seems that the SDS804X is the best choice even though its more money that I originally wanted to spent. However it seems as a solid scope so I will go for it.It can be upgraded/hacked up to 200MHz and 100M memory right?

author: awakephd
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: November 16, 2024, 06:25:42 pm
content: Quote from: czbaterka on November 16, 2024, 05:25:36 pmYes, and it is quite easy. Here are the threads I followed to upgrade mine:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-sds804x-hd-same-upgrade-scripts/andhttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/unified-keygen-script-for-siglent/msg5554039/#msg5554039To upgrade, download the python script from the second of the threads linked above. Access the oscilloscope using its web interface (which means connecting via ethernet cable or wifi - but wifi requires an adapter*). Click on the SCPI commands tab. Follow the directions in the script for the SCPI commands to send to get the scope id, serial number, and model number. Edit those into the script. Run the script. It will generate various license keys. Enter these into the scope using the web interface as described in the threads above.Be sure to read the threads all the way through - there have been updates to the Siglent firmware, which eliminate the need for some of the license keys (e.g., the AWG and logic analyzer functionality is now included by default with the latest firmware).When I upgraded mine, I felt a bit apprehensive / unsure, even after reading through the process ... but as it turned out, it was very straightforward once I actually sat down to do it.*wifi - one thing the Siglent doesnotdo better than the Rigol is wifi. Neither the SDS804 nor the DHO804 have wifi built in, but with the latter, you can plug a simple usb-wifi adapter into the usb port. With the Siglent, you have to use a mini-router that can connect via the ethernet port, with power supplied either from an external power supply or from one of the scope's USB ports. (Well, you could use a full-size router, but I wanted something small and portable!) Here is a link to some adapters that work:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/sds800x-hd-review-demonstration-thread/msg5655477/?topicseen#msg5655477. (Scroll down to reply # 419 and read down from there.) I am using a Vonets VAP11N-300 on my scope ($25 on Amazon; cheaper on AliExpress); it took a bit of fiddling to figure out how to set it up correctly (see here:https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/siglent-sds800x-hd-12-bit-dsos-coming/msg5528599/?topicseen#msg5528599), but once I got it set up, it has worked flawlessly.

author: osmax_br
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2025, 10:29:42 am
content: Quote from: Aldo22 on November 14, 2024, 04:05:26 pm"Did you try protocol decoding on it , what are the limits exactly?I saw This vid on yt which said in the video that protocol decoding is useless on this machinehttps://youtu.be/vDKT9eAQVlI?si=HtzDt5Vo5sgMuRRFI've searched the forums here about dso2000 decoding capabilities, but didn't find useful info , it seems most people don't use the decoding function on itIt seems also that they bumped up the price quite a bit , last summer it was 160$ , now it is 185$ for the base model without extra probeSo plus a probe it is now around 200$ for c10Did you get it on 11\11 , Christmas, black friday ? or it was just once in a time discount

author: Aldo22
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2025, 11:59:02 am
content: @osmax_brYes, it's about memory depth, max. frequencies/baud rates etc. I can't say exactly, as I rarely use this feature.The Hantek can be used to briefly check whether “meaningful” data is being transmitted or whether it can be decoded at all.For a more in-depth analysis, it is better to use something likethis:The USB stick works for me. It may depend on the stick or the partitioning.And yes, the prices seem to have gone up.I paid $130 including delivery in December 23. The scope is OK for that.I probably wouldn't buy it at the current prices. I'd rather spend a bit more on a Siglent.

author: Langdon
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 25, 2025, 02:33:08 pm
content: Quote from: J-R on November 12, 2024, 01:24:35 amYou can always just replace the fan.I like Arctic fans, if they are available in the right size.These super cheap Chinese fans came with this stepper motor drivers I got, they are both really quiet, and reasonably powerful.Try buying random fans, you might be lucky!