Rigol DS1102E vs GW Instek GDS1072A-U, wich one is better? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Marte78
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 14, 2012, 05:23:32 pm
content: Hello,I would like to pose a question to the forum friends, I want to buy a digital oscilloscope and am deciding between two models:the first is the Rigol DS1102E which has a range of 100MHz, 2 channels among other features, but I've seen some videos on youtube, in which owners of this and other models of the same series as the DS1052 have problems with the firmware, here below is the link to the videos that I commented:The second prospect is the Instek GDS-1072A-U, which has a frequency of 70MHz and a lifetime warranty.If anyone has used any of these models or both, I would appreciate to give me their opinions on which I should buy?thanks

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: December 14, 2012, 05:29:57 pm
content: Careful with GW Instek's lifetime warranty:Warranty limitations:a. LCD – One year after the date of shipmentb. Battery – Three months after the date of shipmentc. Other accessories (power cord, probe, fuse, etc) – No warrantyd. Appearance of the product (handle, stand, etc), mechanical wear (knob, button, BNC terminal, etc) – No warrantyTo be honest, those are the most common failure points...And it must be registered within 3 months to claim the warranty.http://www.gwinstek.com/en/FAQ_Warranty.html

author: Marte78
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: December 14, 2012, 05:41:55 pm
content: tom66 thanks for the clarification.appreciate more answers to this question to the community EEVBLOG

author: ACvolts
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2013, 12:45:29 am
content: Hey there,Now these are both decent scopes. But the first question iswhat is your use for them for? Or what type of duty are yougoing to use a scope for?Next to do on the list is look at the specs..GDS-1072a-u:http://www.tequipment.net/ProductImages/Instek/GDS_1072A_U/media/GDS_1072A_U_doc_1.pdfRigol DS1102e:http://www.tequipment.net/ProductImages/Rigol/DS1102E/media/DS1102E_doc_2.pdfAnd now, did you check out the Triggers, Math functions and overallunit data? It seems clear the GDS-1072a-u is a electrician in mind kind of scope.But still would suffice for general purpose use too! Though you would mind thefeatures listed in the data sheet.If you don't know go with this instinct, are you going to use it for motors, wiringhigher voltages and things that a electrician would use more? I would go withthe Instek, it is a more industrial type of scope.The Rigol seems to be a all around general purpose, bang for your buck scopewhich even for me is a hard decision, but the 2mega points and FFT functionsmake the Instek desirable. Even if you cant get rid of the menu on the Instek,it is a decent scope.I hope Instek will atleast upgrade that later but I amthinking it's a hardware process that will have to wait for another version inthe GDS-????a-u lineup.You can see some recent unforeign/foreign youtube vids here on the Instek:I know sometimes things can get scary with the jitter problems butit depends on what usage your going to put into and get out of theInstek/Rigol scopes!So consider that and Aliasing which I sawone from Tektronics which explains how Digital scopes can lose itdisplaying waveforms..Aliasing:THat said, how did I do? Did you make a decision yet? heheACvolts

author: tom66
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 06, 2013, 01:24:45 am
content: We use those GW Instek scopes as a secondary scope in the microcontroller lab at uni (normally use Agilent in downstairs lab.)Don't like them one big: interface is clunky, the ranges below 10mV are just scaled (so very noisy), poor offset error (change the scale and the ground level visibly moves), there's a few annoying bugs, FFT is slow... I could go on.

author: maxpayne
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 10:07:05 am
content: I have narrowed down to two oscilloscope -Instek GDS-1102A-U and Rigol DS1102E,which one will be better for doing SMPS related works ? pls suggest your opinion.based on your opinion I will buy one of them ..

author: s_lannan
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 11, 2013, 11:42:11 am
content: isn't this a buy/sell/wanted forum?

author: ACvolts
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2013, 10:48:45 pm
content: Quote from: Marte78 on December 14, 2012, 05:23:32 pmWell I own a Instek GDS-1072A-U and it is very good in a general use, geared toward anelectrician. The Rigol 1102 is @ 100MHz and the 1072a-u is @ 70MHz. The Rigol has a bitmore abilities than the Instek and is just a bit more. I don't have any firmware issues withthe Instek. Please note that the Instek will allow you a wide probe range x1-x2000 and thesame for Volts/Amps probes. (Again geared toward an electrician) It does what the Rigoldoes but for 100 bucks more than 376.00 you can get the 100MHz version of the Instek.Since I bought mine from Tequipment.com I would see if you could get a lower price thanthey have now. You can also get 15% off at TestEquipmentDepot.com with the Insteks.It is my personal opinion that in getting an Instek, I would cover my ass in some situationswhen the Instek capabilities would come in handy. So I got me one. But my advice if youdon't need electricians capabilities, go for the Rigol 2000 series because for 400.00 moreyou will not be dissapointed in any way later on. I am also gearing my equipment to getthe Rigol 2000 series units plus their Arb. Func. Generator 4000 series is my next purchases.They just outclass most all the units out there for the price. But I am not saying Instekisn't a good buy. You just have to guage what you need. Download the spec sheets andthe user manuals in .pdf and you will figure out what is best for you. Andwhateverelse, I can update this by doing a comprehensive review of the Instek GDS-1072a-u at alater date. But I am not sure yet if I will do a tear down inside the unit. I really want to geta function generator to show the different waveforms that the Instek can do in my review.If you want to see what Instek 2000 series has now, Dave Jones did a comprehensive reviewin his video collections. The 2000 Insteks have way more capabilities but again it is gearedfor Electricians in my personal opinion. And Dave Jones looks at the Insteks with a ElectronicEngineer viewpoint, which you can tell in his demeanor. He did a good job but even Davestated that he would have to read the User Guide and investigate the unit before makingany final determinations.Thanks for your review Dave!Good hunting!ACvolts

author: Hydrawerk
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 11, 2013, 10:58:59 pm
content: GDS-1072a-u has a better front panel, but doesn't have some advanced features like delayed sweep (zoom).

author: golub
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 08, 2013, 05:15:47 pm
content: Hey this thread is getting old so i will steal it to get a cure (if possible) to my pain:If anyone can help please do so.After all this months, what did you decide? Did you buy anything?Cheers,Golub

author: AG6QR
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 08, 2013, 09:55:36 pm
content: golub, you really should start a new thread instead of stealing an old one, since your subject is pretty different from the original one.Having said that, your symptoms look very much like mine. Mine started out intermittent, but eventually became fairly consistent, when my scope was about six months old. I called Rigol, and they told me to send it back for warranty service. They replaced the main board, and it worked for a while, but intermittent failures started again within a few months. I sent it back again, and they replaced the power supply. That was over a year ago, and it has been working 100% reliably since that time.

author: golub
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 09, 2013, 12:17:03 pm
content: QuoteI humbly apologizeQuoteOh what a bummer ... I bought it from abroad and this complicates things very ... very much.Thanks for the reply, i was really hoping it was some sort of firmware issue ..