Price comparison between 1054 and 1052 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Aerovisual
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:47:12 am
content: Hi;I'm a visual designer with an interest in analog and digital electronics. I mainly work with Arduino and RaspberryPi but i also like to dabble with old school circuitry.I've made some research on entry level oscilloscopes and it appears that ds1054z is the way to go. Here in my local market it is sold for $550. I also found a slightly used ds1052e for $350 (still got warranty).Now i know ds1054 is the newer and better version of the ds1052 but does it justify the $200 price difference? Mind you that i'm a beginner who wants to learn "what is going on inside the stuff"I am also planning to get a bus pirate and use it as a logic analyzer.I know ds1054 and 1052 talked here extensively but i couldn't find a similar situation like i am in.Thanks in advance.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:53:10 am
content: Assuming the 1054 is new and has warranty, and the 1052 is used, but presumably its out of warranty, I think its more important for you to answer yourself 1st ..... "IF" the 1052 is dead after you used it for just few days since you bought it, without any warranty, and as beginner you have no chance to fix it, is it worth the $200 saving ?

author: Aerovisual
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 09:54:40 am
content: Quote from: BravoV on March 14, 2016, 09:53:10 amThanks for the reply. The used 1052 still has warranty. I've edited my OP.

author: Tim F
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 10:13:21 am
content: Just to clarify, the 1054Z isn't just a 'newer version' of a 1052E, it's a totally new/different beast. If you haven't watched this already, you should:For a complete beginner I think the 1052E will do the job just fine. That said, i'm still on the fence about it's value. Personally I don't think that a used 1052E is still worth 2/3rds of the new 1054Z, even though that seems to be the going price. For how long this lasts for until more people are aware of the 1000Z series and stop paying near-RRP for used 1000E series, your guess is as good as mine.It took me about 2-3 years and doing an EE degree at the same time to actually outgrow my 1052E and replace it with a 1054Z. I needed 4 channels, the extra features were just a bonus.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 11:20:53 am
content: I would definitely go for the DS1054Z.The faster waveform update rate and the intensity-graded display alone would be worth the extra money in my opinion: They make the DS1054Z feel so much more "scope-like", enabling you to capture rare events, distinguish outliers from typical traces in an unstable signal, etc.. The four inputs, nicer display, measurement and decoding capabilities are goodies which come on top of that.

author: uncle_bob
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 04:02:45 pm
content: HiI would shop a bit for the 1054Z. You *should* be able to find it for a bit less.Having twice as many channels on the 1054 comes in quite handy when looking at all sorts of things. SPI ports are one example, there are many others.Bob

author: Aerovisual
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 04:37:47 pm
content: Thanks for the replies. I'll hunt for a cheaper 1054. If i can't find it i'll settle with the 1052.

author: PedroDaGr8
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 05:58:38 pm
content: Quote from: Aerovisual on March 14, 2016, 04:37:47 pmThere are several things that the DS1054Z does well that I think you should NOT settle for. The first is decoding, if you are doing any sort of digital work or mixed digital/analog work, the DS1054Z has WAY more value. The second is the number of channels, you can always use less channels than the max but you can't use more. You would be surprised at the number of times that two is just not enough. Is it usually enough, yeah; but if you need more channels then you can't add them. Three, intensity graded display; do not underestimate the usefulness of this. It makes your life a LOT easier trying differentiate what is noise and what is a repeating signal. Older scopes have a degree of this ability but nowhere near as much as the DS1054Z and other newer scopes have.

author: ebastler
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2016, 07:23:12 pm
content: Quote from: Aerovisual on March 14, 2016, 04:37:47 pmBatronix in Germany ships the DS1054Z to Turkey for 340 Euro + 40 Euro shipping cost; approx. $420 total. I don't know about your local import duties, however, which might bring the price closer to the $550 you stated?