HP Agilent 54200A Digitizing Oscilloscope any good ? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: nrgeek
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 04, 2012, 08:49:33 pm
content: Hey I was just givin a HP Agilent 54200A Digitizing Oscilloscope, guy emailed me from ad I had on craigslist and wanted to know if I wanted this .. FREE rflol .. sure ..Now the question is it worth keeping.. it powers up, no screen burn, have nice sharp image on the screen.. haven't tested , other than turn it on .. I just got home with it.All I know is that it is a 50mhz .. well what do yall think ?

author: Unknown
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 04, 2012, 09:28:22 pm
content: I'm sure it's usable as a scope. 50 MHz, 200 MS/s and about 1 kpoints of memory. This was when DSOs were fairly new. Aliasing may be an issue (that's when DSOs gained the reputation of always needing an analog scope for sanity checking) and controls may be more computer than scope like. Unless you're short on space, I don't see any reason to throw it out, but if you also have a modern DSO, it may not offer much extra. It's hard to beat the price/performance ratio in this case, though.

author: nrgeek
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2012, 03:01:20 am
content: well I have a analog Tek 465m 100mhz and a Kenwood CS-5405 100MHz already but dont have a new scope just old stuff .. prob wouldn't hurt to keep it as a backup , or one of the others as back up.. and I sure wouldnt throw it out lol ..ebay is where it will go if I dont keep

author: rf-loop
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 05, 2012, 10:41:42 am
content: Quote from: alm on February 04, 2012, 09:28:22 pmIn its own time it was very good. If I remember right it have even alias warning system.54200A/D have max 200MSa/s. Brick wall style BW is 50MHz.Trigger is far over quality what I have seen in any cheap modern chinese scopes. Trigger jitter and ADC quality is good. HP have made for lab. It was not any kind of hobbyist entry level scope. It was real professionals lab tool.Specially 54201D models are still more high priced than many more new (but old) scopes.(of course if they are in proofed good working condition)Of course it is 300MHz only in repetitive mode. In practice it have brick wall BW and it is extremely flat whole 300MHz and what is good it also have real 50ohm imbedance inputs selectable. (it is big difference if use normal input with outside terminator)It is 50MHz realtime scope with maximum 200MSa/s for both channels. (note also channel max voltage and it need take seriously!) 54200A/D do not have repetitive mode.Its front end is extremely good designed. Up to 50MHz it is just flat if it is well adjusted. (totally different if compare to cheap chinese or other cheap scopes)It have only 1k memory.ADC is very good and whole scope is made like rolls royce. In these "golden years" HP make very good and also reliability they really have made good.Big disadvantage is UI. (many times these scopes have been used in labs with computer so no need this finger acrobacy.)It is nearly so that people need go to HP 54200 high.school before it can really use. In difficult UI there is more things and they are strage named and arranged. It is pain to use with these arrow buttons together with other keys.But, after you know and have enough experience it is still usable.It is not entry-level scope if think UI. First need go to HP school.This is A model. D model is more difficult with programmable logick word trigger system but it have many features and these models are still in good value.And alias, users for these scopes have been high educated professionals. They know what is alias and they also use time for design how to measure something. Not only so that try first and then think what is wrong, if think anything.fan is mostly really terrible. If fan is new or old it is like J-16 takeoff.