Rigol DHO Series Counterweight Box for Articulating Mount - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: scopeman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 02:44:46 am
content: Hello Rigol and other T&M Fans,I recently bought this VESA mount for my Rigol 924S:https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0CMQ5C9NQ?However the minimum weight for proper tension setting even at it's lowest setting was probably 2kg.A solution would be to add a counterweight to the arm in addition to the weight of the scope. So I embarked on yet another project a neat enclosed counterweight with a handle. In my instructions I assume that the counterweight box is mounted with the handle being at the bottom of the oscilloscope but if desired the box can be mounted so that the handle is at the top, bottom, left or right. The main reason I designed the box with the handle is to reduce the stress on the oscilloscope mounting.The ZIP file contains the box base and lid and files for four 13mm X 4mm hole spacers and thumbscrew caps for the M4 X 0.7 X 45mm cap screws that are used to mount the scope to the VESA mounting plate. These 45mm thumbscrews pass though the mounting plate and the box and finally through the spacers to mount the scope to the assembly.There are a total of eight M4 X 0.7 heat install brass inserts used in the project. Four are used to mount the top lid to the base and are inserted into the four corners of the inside of the base part. Four M4 X 12mmpan head philips screws mount the lid to the box. The remaining four brass inserts are installed from the bottom side of the counterweight base.Final Assembly: (Refer to the manual that came with the mount as needed)Important: Complete the installation of the counterweight and the VESA plate onto the rear of the scope first, then install the complete assembly onto the articulating mount. Place the scope face down on a folded clean bath towel while you are working on it to prevent any damage)After installation of all of the brass inserts fill the bottom of the base with a heavy metal. You can use lead shot, BB's, lead fishing weights, depleted uraniumanything that will yield 1.5kg or so, mine ended up being a total weight of 1.6kg. If it ends up more that is not a problem as the mount can counterbalance up to 10kg but you won't need anywhere near that!You could even cast a pre-made lead or zinc block if you want to.I used three 1/4"thick (6.35mm) Steel Plate pieces approximately 2 5/16" wide X 4 3/4 Long (59mm X 120mm). The box height is designed for a stackup of three pieces of the 1/4" plate. A really thin piece of double sided foam tape can be used to hold it in place. If you have a friend that is a welder/fabricator you could have them tack weld and custom fit a weight that fits perfectly in the box that won't slide around. Thanks to my welder friend Curt mine was easy!Install the box cover with four M4 X 12mm Philips Pan Head SS machine screws. The cover should fit flush with no gaps.Note in the next step the VESA mounting plate has a threaded hole at the top of the plate where a black thumbscrew is used to lock the plate vertically into place on the arm for the mount (See step 4 on page 10 of the manual). The plate must be mounted so that this locking hole is located at the top side of the counterweight box (the handle on the box directly below the locking thumbscew).Install the box onto the VESA plate with four M4 X 0.7 X 25mm cap screws using the holes for 75mm mounting on the square. The screws pass through the VESA mouting plate, though the box and then are threaded lastly into the box brass inserts. Tighten these screws until snug. If desired you can use ThreeBond or cement on the screw threads to further secure the box to the plate but I would reserve that until after you know that the weight you used will be sufficient.Insert the four 45mm thumbscrews you prepared with the knurled caps through the remaining four holes in the VESA mount that are on the 100mm square. Place one of the 13mm spacers onto each screw.Install the VESA mount plate/counterweight assembly onto the oscilloscope using the thumbscrews tighten them snug but do not overtighten.Install the articulating mount onto your workbench using either the C Clamp mointing or the Grommet Mounting as shown on page 2 of the manual. The mount comes with both the C Clamp and the Grommet mount.Use the set screws in the lower and upper arm sections to ensure that the upper and lower can't be separated but will still rotate.Finally mount the whole oscilloscope assembly sliding the plate onto the mount arm as outlined in the directions that came with the mount (again Page 10 Step 4). Using the provided black thumbscrew lock the VESA plate into place so that the oscilloscope assembly does not slide vertically off of the mount.Adjustment:Note: To avoid stressing the back panel of the oscilloscope move the scope using the bottom handle on the 3D printed counterweight.To adjust the arm tension use the supplied allen hex wrench and first make the adjustment by turning the adjustment fully clockwise. Test the arm by moving the scope and if the scope does not stay where you want it (drifts down) then add more tension by turning the adjustment counter-clockwise until the operation is stable, i.e. the scope stays where you want it is in balance and does not move.If the scope drifts up at the minimum tension (maximum clockwise setting) then you need to add weight to the counterweight. Again always move the scope with the handle on the counterweight box.That's it. The beauty of this is you only have to loosen the four 45mm thumbscrews to remove the scope from the mount. Just make sure you move the mount to its upmost position so that the arm does not move when you remove the weight of the scope off of the mount as the tension spring was adjusted for the full weight of the mount counterweight and the scope.I hope that you find this post useful.For my next post a carrying/protection case solution for the Rigol DHO8XX/9XX scopes and accesssoriesSamW3OHM

author: norbert.kiszka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 02:52:06 am
content: Is this a Delta PSU? Or Lite-On?

author: scopeman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 03:50:56 am
content: The PSU that came with my scope (Purchased last December) is a Delta. Why would that matter for the mount?SamW3OHM

author: norbert.kiszka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 03:57:21 am
content: Quote from: scopeman on October 02, 2025, 03:50:56 amNot for the mount. For something more important: safety. I think nobody wants to die by electrocution or to have anything damaged by a light voltage spike.Delta brand is safe and reliable (at least from my experience). Previously added PSUs not so much. I had LiteOn which didn't survived Riso test. I posted this on this forum - maybe that's why they changed PSU second time.

author: scopeman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: October 02, 2025, 04:10:06 am
content: Okay. Thanks for the heads up. I believe I read this somewhere in one of the lengthy posts on the forum. Since mine was shipped late in the year I guess that is why it has a Delta.I think the LiteOn ones were noisier IIRC.SamW3OHM