Odd looking Oscilloscope for cheap on Amazon. Good for beginners? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / beginners

author: solder_boy132
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 04:39:34 am
content: While I was browsing for oscilloscopes, my friend pointed out this thing:https://www.amazon.com/Sinometer-Single-Channel-Oscilloscope-YB4328/dp/B000CCILTS?th=1A 10MHz possibly analog oscilloscope for $150.

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 05:02:27 am
content: Don't buy anything analog. Even cheap stuff likehttps://www.amazon.com/OWON-Oscilloscope-2-Channel-Oscilloscopes-Bandwidth/dp/B07VPNFVMN/ref=sr_1_1will give you so much better value for your money.You will be wasting your money if you buy that $150 thing. Just att another $100 and get something actually useful.And there are some cheaper rebrands of that Owon available from Aliexpress. They look exactly the same and have the same guts. But obviously shipping from China is not ideal.

author: WattsThat
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 05:20:44 am
content: IMO A complete joke when you can find a working 60-100MHz Tektronix 22xx or 24xx series machine in decent condition for that kind of money. A far better value than that Chinese single channel thing which is only good for audio range stuff. But, I’d not seriously suggest older used equipment for a newbie. Not unless you’re good at repair. It’s not a good way to learn electronics if that’s your goal.Older Tek’s are certainly usable but I wouldn’t bother with an analog crt based scope in 2021. The digitals are far more usable and capable. Save some money and buy a decent entry level digital. They start at about $250. Anything less and you’re just buying a toy.

author: solder_boy132
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 05:48:03 am
content: https://www.amazon.com/Hantek-DSO5072P-Digital-Oscilloscope-Bandwidth/dp/B00RJPXB6Y/ref=pd_sbs_6?pd_rd_w=4nmhb&pf_rd_p=c52600a3-624a-4791-b4c4-3b112e19fbbc&pf_rd_r=TV54TS2WB67WG6QF1QCE&pd_rd_r=a247e2cf-ab3c-444e-9fec-e134b1d6d5e9&pd_rd_wg=CrFtS&pd_rd_i=B00RJPXB6Y&psc=1so this is not good?

author: ataradov
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 05:50:41 am
content: It is about as low as you can go. It is much more useful than that analog stuff. The one I pointed out is not much more expensive and has 100 MHz bandwidth. It may not matter to you though. You have not told us what you want to do with it.

author: alsetalokin4017
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 07:35:44 am
content: Well, at least the single-channel Sinometer can do X-Y display. So it would be good for a single special purpose application. If I were setting up a geekseum I might use it for a ScopeClock, that would be a hoot.But no. While pretty much any working scope is better than no scope at all -- the reason this is not a good beginner's scope is not that it is analog, low bandwidth, no-name. The reason it is not good for beginners is that it has only one channel.

author: CaptDon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 02:06:20 pm
content: While everyone is raving about digital scopes there is certainly a place and a need for analog scopes with bandwidths of 60mhz to 100mhz. Digital scopes have a downside called aliasing and until you fully understand what it looks like you will be likely to make erroneous measurements. Digital scopes really suck at displaying analog video signals and A.M. modulated carriers unless the modulation is a steady tone and even then they suck. You slow the horizontal time base to look at the audio envelopes and then the R.F. wave starts to alias and look like a second audio wave messing up the real audio envelopes. I wouldn't pass up a fully functional 100mhz scope for $100.00 to $150.00 as a beginner scope and shortly when you have more money also equip you shop with a $250.00 Digital scope. I have a 15mhz analog (Tek SC502) an 80mhz analog (Tek SC504) a 60mhz digital (Tek TDS2004B) and a 500mhz digital (Tek TDS644B) and I use every one of them!!! Each has something they do better than one of the others!!! It wouldn't hurt to own one nice analog AND one nice digital. Check out the Amateur Radio Hamfests when this whole covid thing lets us come together again!!! Cheers mate!!

author: CaptDon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 02:20:02 pm
content: As the other poster mentioned...NO SINGLE CHANNEL SCOPES!!!! Two channels is the minimum acceptable. That way you can make relational timing measurements or compare a 'good' stereo channel to a 'bad' stereo channel. I started my electronics journey with a borrowed single channel military 3" analog scope that couldn't even do D.C. coupling!!! You couldn't use it to measure D.C. voltage!!! The Navy sold off thousands of these scopes in the early 70's and you can still find them by the dozens!! I wouldn't buy one except for nostalgia, and then I'd probably lay my Post slide rule on top of it for effect....hehehehe, Best wishes!!!

author: schmitt trigger
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 04:24:08 pm
content: CaptDon;I bet it also used vacuum tubes.

author: CaptDon
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 05:46:33 pm
content: The famous OS-8 Navy oscilloscope. I think every ham radio operator who home build equipment owned one of these!!! Incredibly rugged and reliable!!!

author: rsjsouza
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 29, 2021, 07:51:45 pm
content: I think there is a market for this oscilloscope, especially due to its very small size and bandwidth that seems to be alright to look for power supply ripple and fits the packed shelves of very small repair shops. Despite a DSO can be somewhat small, it usually can't fit more equipment on top of it. If its input was fully isolated, it would be a great niche product.For the US market, $150 is a bit expensive due to what is available here in the used market.