half decent scope upto 20MHz any options? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: cypher007
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 01:12:29 pm
content: doing some 8 and 16 bit computer restoration/repair and want a scope that can reach maybe 20mghz that isnt mental money and i can get in the UK. any suggestions?

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 01:13:55 pm
content: as again, rigol ds1054z, it begins to be an old unit, so you can find some used. and cheap.

author: cypher007
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 01:15:22 pm
content: that was quick. i just lowered my bandwidth requirement as when i looked scopes at 50mghz are £300 on farnell. will check your suggestion.

author: cypher007
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 01:21:19 pm
content: just had a look at it and probably wont need anything that complex. my scope foo is fairly limited and want to use this as a way of checking cpu's and ram etc are talking.was looking at logic probes but the one i saw that beeps isnt available in UK now.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 02:45:32 pm
content: Perhaps a used scope of 1980s/1990s vintage might be more in keeping with the things you are testing...Bought from a reliable source, there's no reason to pay more than £1-2 per MHz.So a 50MHz scope shouldn't cost you more than £100 for example.https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Tektronix-2211-2-channel-50MHz-Analogue-Digital-combination-storage-Oscilloscope/333536149828If you want a more modern LCD based scope, you'll have to pay a bit more. Siglent aren't bad, and if you speak nicely to Tautech, he might know of a deal that saves some money off something like this:https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Siglent-SDS1102CML-DSO-Oscilloscope-100MHz-1GSPS-2CH/262902781806

author: marcus h
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 03:46:47 pm
content: If you need it for retro computer repairs you may have a look at the various retro computer repair channels on Youtube and what scopes they use - and HOW they use it. I found them very instructive as I'm a scope-newbie myself.Here are some examples:Adrian Black from Adrian's Digital Basement for example uses a Rigol 1054Z:Noel from "Noel's Retro Lab" uses a cheap(?) Hantek but uses it very often in his videos.He still has a small channel but he responds quickly so maybe you should ask him what model he uses (or what he would use if he had more funds...).Jan Beta uses an old analog HAMEG scope.In essence you could probably use pretty much anything but as so often: The more you spend the more (comfy) features you get.Personally, I also have a 1054Z which isn't exactly considered expensive but it's probably more than I'll ever need.But I rather overspend and have four channels than a situation where I'm limited by two, for example.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 03:49:50 pm
content: Maybe an older Rigol DS1052E can be found cheaply. I'd recommend against getting an analog scope. Most are so old that they are likely to break and become projects themselves.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 05:07:29 pm
content: Quote from: nctnico on March 06, 2020, 03:49:50 pmThe TEA thread is always looking for newvictimsmembers!I'm not convinced that newer scopes are any better in terms of reliability; worse it often seems, as components are manufactured to tighter costs etc, and that's before you start talking about firmware...If you're buying secondhand stuff, the primary factor is often to buy from a known reliable source in my experience.For example, I'd rather buy a used piece of gear from an EEVBlog forum member with a decent post count, that try to get it cheaper from some random low-feedback-count vendor on fleabay with secondhand clothes and plastic tat from China as their other items.Commercial clearing businesses are often a decent place to look, if their feedback stats are good.When all is said and done though, ebaydoeslook after its buyers quite well, and if you get stiffed on a deal they will for sure refund your cash.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 05:42:04 pm
content: Quote from: ThickPhilM on March 06, 2020, 02:45:32 pmNah got little to add other than the seller Labtronix is just one of the UK authorized dealers:https://www.siglenteu.com/how-to-buy/Just maybe buying direct from them will be cheaper without evilbay sellers fees added into the price.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 06:27:17 pm
content: Unless you're looking at antique gear or toys it's pretty hard to find a scope that does *less* than 20MHz. The bottom end for newish gear is around 50MHz.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 08:37:30 pm
content: Quote from: ThickPhilM on March 06, 2020, 05:07:29 pmBut they are. Simple as that. Lack of mechanical switches and lack of need for manual adjustment to compensate for aging based drift alone make modern DSO a lo more reliable than many old analog scopes.The costs are lower because component integration is a lot higher than 30 years ago. Simple as that.QuoteOnly to an extend as to avoid some scammer selling known faulty kit as working or not buy from someone who did abuse the instrument.But aside from that even the "most reliable source" can't say if something isn't going to fail the next time the device is switched on. And this is independent of if the item is new or old, and one of the reason new items come with warranty (because even new items can fail).Which means the reliability of the seller plays only a small part to how likely an item is about to fail (or not).QuoteNothing against EEV members but I literally bought truckloads of 2nd hand kit from ebay and number of times I had problems can be counted on one hand.QuoteYes, but prices are often pretty high, and it's not rare that there are further fees on top.QuoteAnd you end up with a 30+ year old instrument with only rudimentary capabilities (no single shot recording) and which has long surpassed it's intended service life, and for which when it fails you need another working scope to fix it.QuoteA 30 year old antique with a digital mode which only does 20MSa/s sample rate (so only really good for signals up to 6.3MHz) isn't really a good investment, and assuming it ends at GBP100 it's hardly worth a sum of money which at the end of the day already amounts to about 1/3rd of what a brand new scope with warranty and way better spec would cost. If I remember right these scopes also had some proprietary ICs in them which are unobtainium, so if it breaks it'll probably be a complete loss.Considering that this thing carries the Tektronix logo for which some people will pay ridiculous amounts of money just for a name there's a good chance this thing will end up north of GBP150.And it doesn't even come with any probes, so another investment is needed to make it usable.QuoteThese are very basic scopes which now are some 6 or so years old and based on a 10 year old design, and this guy still wants GBP320 for one which is more than they were going for back then (I bought one for GBP299 back then)They have no warranty and I believe Siglent also no longer supports them. These guys still want GBP290 when bought from their web shop which is still overpriced for what it is.All a bit silly really when a brand new Rigol DS1054z with full warranty can be bought for GBP350 delivered:https://www.batronix.com/shop/oscilloscopes/Rigol-DS1054Z.htmlIf it has to be used then one of the MegaZoom equipped HP/Agilent 54600 Series scopes could be an alternative, but in reality most of them are still priced just too close to a modern entry-level scope like that Rigol so it's questionable if foregoing the warranty and the peace of mind is worth saving a few bucks.In terms of new scopes, the DS1054z and the Siglent SDS1202X-E (which costs around the same) are pretty much the cheapest brand new scopes which aren't toys.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 08:55:03 pm
content: Quote from: ThickPhilM on March 06, 2020, 05:07:29 pmYou should be convinced. Most analog scopes are at least 30 years old by now. A 4 to 5 year old DSO has at least 10 years of trouble free life in it.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 09:28:37 pm
content: Quote from: Wuerstchenhund on March 06, 2020, 08:37:30 pmCorrection if I may, SDS1102CML+ is only some 3-4 years old and as you say based on an older model of which the display resolution was doubled and LAN added. They are still a current series although the 150 and 70 MHz models are apparently not seen by Siglent Hamburg to be worthy of stocking.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 09:39:31 pm
content: If all you want is the absolute minimum, get one of the2000 Series PicoScopes.

author: cypher007
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 11:17:54 pm
content: I like the idea of being able to view the pico output on a laptop screen. hmm.ok bit of a poll:1) pico2) 1054zpro and cons.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 06, 2020, 11:40:29 pm
content: Can't speak for the Pico specifically but I did have a very similar Bitscope DSO that I got about 10 years ago when standalone DSOs were still very expensive.Personally I'm not a fan of USB instruments that plug into a PC and I feel they have not really lived up to their promises of being cheaper and more powerful than standalone tools. I hate having to lug around and juggle multiple devices linked together by cables. I don't like the way that USB instruments tie up my PC which I'm often also using to look at datesheets, schematics, etc. With the Bitscope I had a lot of problems with the USB bus locking up due to electrical glitches, a USB isolator fixed that but is yet another device to link together. I've had USB ports on many PCs get flaky so that if you bump the cable it will disconnect and under Windows at least that usually causes the serial port handler to be left hanging and the only fix is a hard reboot, you can't even shut down cleanly as it will hang forever on the shutdown screen waiting for the serial port to let go. Using a touchpad or mouse on virtual controls is cumbersome, I much prefer real knobs and buttons.There are a few advantages, you get a big screen, it's easy to save waveforms and data off the scope, if you already have a PC on the bench anyway then the USB scope is a lot smaller. Many of the pros and cons boil down to personal preference but me personally, I'd pick the 1054z any day of the week over a USB scope.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 12:43:06 am
content: Quote from: tautech on March 06, 2020, 09:28:37 pmI thought I've seen the +Plus models earlier but I could be wrong.Just had a look at the Siglent EU website and it seems the only CML+ model that's not discontinued is the SDS1102CML+ - and that is listed at EUR279 (GBP240):https://www.siglenteu.com/digital-oscilloscopes/sds1000cml-series-digital-storage-oscilloscopes/But considering it's pretty much a simple scope with a 10 year old design (if I remember correctly this goes back to the old SDS1072CN from 2009) and how much better the available alternatives are this should be a no-brainer.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 12:54:52 am
content: Quote from: cypher007 on March 06, 2020, 11:17:54 pmWe use Picoscopes for some automatic test stations and they perform really good but even the engineer who love them wouldn't suggest that they are a full replacement for a real bench scope.Normally I don't work with scopes below 500Mhz and the DS1054z I bought a couple of years ago I only did so because I was curious how much scope you can get for <$400. What I expected was a toy that shows wiggly lines but will fail at anything serious, but to my surprise the DS1054z (now fully unlocked of course) performs really well for basic tasks, it's absolutely reliable, the hardware quality is good and the firmware is now very mature. What it does it does well and it's as much a serious scope as anything made by the big brands. If I needed a simple scope with very low bandwidth then I would have no qualms to buy some DS1000z Series scopes for that.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 01:50:27 am
content: Quote from: Wuerstchenhund on March 07, 2020, 12:43:06 amWell no but sort of.CN/CNL, CM/CML, apart from the widescreen (L) are essentially the same spec except for memory depth where N models were a measly 40 kpts and M models 2Mpts which apart from the vastly superior feature set of more modern DSO offerings 2 Mpts is enough to be properly useful.Members recognised this years ago and often soldered in the additional memory chips to turn N models into M models.The only exception was the top BW offerings in the C ranges that were even less memory again, only some 24kpts, maybe to put them on a level footing with Teks of the day.

author: egonotto
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 01:53:34 am
content: Hello,cyber wrote:"doing some 8 and 16 bit computer restoration/repair and want a scope that can reach maybe 20mghz"and"ok bit of a poll:1) pico2) 1054zpro and cons."USB scopes are not ideal for repair. Make a thought experiment and imagine how you search for a failure with an USB scope or with a Rigol DS1054Z.Best regardsegonotto

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 06:46:37 am
content: Quote from: cypher007 on March 06, 2020, 11:17:54 pmOther scopes take this to another level offering the physical UI or a PC one and remote control.Not only the main advantage is having a large display but also the PC connectivity allows you to grab screenshots or data direct from the scope.Have a squiz at this:https://youtu.be/Cxh_Liay09E?t=50

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 06:47:19 am
content: Quote from: cypher007 on March 06, 2020, 11:17:54 pmI'm biased. I've had a DS1074Z fully hacked for many years.If you intend to do anything with Arduinos for example (i.e. SPI, I2C, RS232, etc.),you will soon discover that 4 channels and the serial decoders are VERY nice.And as soon as you go to 4 channels, the PicoScopes are NOT that attractive any more.Number of channels and memory depth is sometimes more important the bandwidth.I like standalone equipment. Never was big on USB test equipment.Look at the Siglent scopes too.Don't forget, bothtEquipmentandSaeliggive 6% discounts for EEVblog members.

author: MarkF
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 06:58:48 am
content: Quote from: tautech on March 07, 2020, 06:46:37 amAnd perform comprehensive testing with networked instruments: scope, signal generator and/or power supplies.(i.e. setup a signal to the DUT, monitor and record DUT response with the scope, and repeat).Nice to have if you have a complex test procedure."The Signal Path" did a nice example in one of his videos. Testing different color LEDs with a networked power supply and scope if I'm not mistaken.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 11:23:05 am
content: Quote from: Wuerstchenhund on March 06, 2020, 08:37:30 pmYeah, that was a very brief search I did, was just the first I found.Ultimately it's horses for courses, you pay your money and takes your choice.Given the OP's stated requirement of probing old 8 and 16 bit logic devices for activity (or lack thereof), huge bandwidth isn't necessary, 50MHz and 100MS/s would likely be more than adequate.Number of channels would probably be more pertinent; the more the better in this case.Maybe I'm just biased towards CRT scopes, given that's what I used at work, back in the olden days

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 01:46:10 pm
content: Quote from: tautech on March 07, 2020, 01:50:27 amThey were all based on the same design going back to the CN (which I believe was mostly a copy/clone of the original Rigol DS1000), the later model only introduced a wider screen and as you said more memory.The CN was horribly buggy (LeCroy sold them as WaveAce 100 and had to take a lot of them back because the firmware problems were never fixed) but the CNL/CML was actually pretty OK for what you got back then.And it's not that the CML(+) is a bad scope. It's just that in 2020 at GBP315 (and even at GBP290) it's just horrible overpriced for what you get.QuoteYes, I remember the threads.Years ago when I needed a scope for an experiment in which the scope might well end up destroyed I was able to buy a brand new 2Mpts SDS1072CML for GBP300 from many sources. However, the CNL was some GBP20 or so cheaper and memory didn't matter for the task so it was a no-brainer which one to getI have to say the scope itself was very basic (as expected) but performed fine, and actually survived so it went on to serve someone else (who I believe still has it).

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 02:23:30 pm
content: Quote from: ThickPhilM on March 07, 2020, 11:23:05 amThat's mostly illusion, at least as test equipment is concerned. There certainly are examples where quality standard have decreased but the reliability of modern day scopes is way better than anything made in the old days, while at the same time offering vast advantages over the old analog scopes.This isn't your $30 ink jet printer from CostCo. which is made for low costs and subsidized by ink prices. Even the cheap Rigol and Siglent scopes are made from quality parts.QuoteYes, this happens unfortunately, and for an antique which comes with a glass CRT and a lot of mechanical stuff inside packaging is a lot more crucial than for a modern scope which is pretty robust.QuoteWell, that's what this forum is for, and you're much more likely to get useful advice from someone who isn't keen to get you to buy from himQuoteYes, eBay shops can be great. Probably because they often get stuff from people who don't know much about it and just want to get rid of it.QuoteStill, both are close to 30 years old, and the TDS420 doesn't even have the same rate to cover it's analog BW in realtime (200MHz and 100MSa/s).For a hobby scope that's fine I guess, but for someone looking for a reliable tool such old clunkers aren't a good investment.Quote100MSa/s isn't really enough for 50MHz, but yes the BW requirements are low for the task. But for channels might be useful, and being able to decode serial communications might well come in handy.QuoteI started with analog scopes, too, but when early DSOs came along I switched and never looked backBTW, I appreciate you like this strange front color, but you could at least make sure that your quotes work.

author: OwO
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 04:02:06 pm
content: Oscilloscope might not be the best tool for looking at lots of digital signals; I would personally probably go for a cheapie scope to look at signal integrity and waveforms, maybe something similar to the 5012H but with less buggy firmware, plus a logic analyzer for looking at busses.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 06:06:20 pm
content: Quote from: ThickPhilM on March 07, 2020, 11:23:05 amDon't be so sure about that. I just finished going through a TDS410A which had several leaking capacitors in the power supply. The acquisition board had dozens of SMT electrolytics and there were a few of the sprinkled across the attenuator, CPU and DSP boards which I replaced with solid tantalum. I have a very similar TDS460 in which the dozens of capacitors had already started leaking and did considerable damage. If yours has SMT electrolytics in it they WILL start leaking sooner or later. I like the TDS series, they have the familiar Tek UI, the 400 series are feature packed and work well despite the low sample rate, but I would consider one to be a project and not something I'd get if I just wanted a working scope, unless someone like me had already gone through and did all the work.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 07:11:13 pm
content: Quote from: Wuerstchenhund on March 07, 2020, 01:46:10 pmAFAIK the very early Siglents evolved from ATTEN as the founders of Siglent left ATTEN and set up their own company. Later ATTEN were made by Siglent as pics of their internals were branded as such.QuoteInteresting times they were too, some products operated best flashed with LeCroy FW and some LeCroy products were better flashed with Siglent FW however as you may have observed Siglent are now all ears when it comes to improving their gear.Quote100% agree and with the many 1000's historically sold they should be much lower priced today as there's nothing like the complexity inside compared to cheap DSO's of today.

author: MadTux
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 11:05:09 pm
content: Quote from: OwO on March 07, 2020, 04:02:06 pmExactly what I think.Cheap chinesium DSO for mixed signal microcontroller stuff.Good old HP/Tek logic analyzer for hardcore digital (mixed signal scopes are trash if you e.g. need more than 16 channels)Tek 7000 mainframe for hardcore analog stuff (can't get better analog capabilities for that price elsewhere, sucks for looking at digital stuff, though)Cheap CRT scope for repairs in the workshop/outside (if 7000 mainframe is too awkward to carry around)

author: DrG
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 07, 2020, 11:10:52 pm
content: Quote from: cypher007 on March 06, 2020, 01:12:29 pmWith some trepidation, I am going to toss my US$0.02 in here. Tossing in because around last Xmas – I pulled the trigger on one – my first (actually a second if you count a toy one) *basic* [half decent] scope at 20MHz. Not in the UK though.BLUF:I got this one:https://www.amazon.com/Handheld-Digital-Oscilloscope-Multimeter-Channels/dp/B006LR5ARE?th=1I like it. I learned how to use it and I like it a lot. I wrote up the story step-by-step herehttps://www.electro-tech-online.com/threads/gave-myself-an-xmas-gift-owon-hds1022m-n-scope.158066/ONE BIG CAVEAT – I bought this scope for exactly US$212 with free shipping from Arrow, which was ~ half off. The reason that I had heard about the half off sale is because of a thread on this board (many thanks for that!).I’m not sure I would pay the full price now, but I am, basically, very satisfied.

author: cypher007
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2020, 12:29:27 am
content: I’m wondering if I will be able to make use of something as complex as the 1054z.Maybe a logic probe and basic scope would do?

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2020, 12:36:28 am
content: Quote from: cypher007 on March 08, 2020, 12:29:27 amYep, and many think this way but the truth is if you are really engaged in electronics as a hobby your skills will grow.10 yrs ago I'd never thought I'd own a spectrum analyser and even didn't know what a VNA was, now I have both !Don't ask me about the scopes I've had in that time !Good tools you grow into.

author: AVGresponding
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2020, 12:39:53 am
content: It's also true that you learn your chops on simpler gear and then move on to more advanced stuff.Hi tautech, just logged off TEA discord, time for bed.....

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2020, 02:21:57 am
content: Quote from: cypher007 on March 08, 2020, 12:29:27 amWell for many years I got by with a Tek 465B analog scope, but when I got that there was nothing like the 1054z available. I do still find value in analog scopes but for working on computers they are really not much use unless you want to get into esoteric tricks that are of little value with modern tools. Whether the scope is really useful to you or not depends on how far into electronics you want to go, it's possible that a logic probe or USB logic analyzer will serve you better for what you want to do right now. Either way it doesn't need to be a rushed decision, low cost scopes are likely to only keep getting better. If you just want to cut your teeth, you may be able to get an old scope for very little, you might even score an analog scope for free, sure it may have a few issues but I have received and given away more than one that worked fine. When it's a hobby toy and not a tool you rely on to put food on the table you can get by with something that has a few quirks.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 08, 2020, 04:35:50 am
content: Quote from: cypher007 on March 06, 2020, 11:17:54 pmpico: No memory. Good for looking at simple, repeating waveforms, that's it.1054Z: A great little scope for the money, four channels, solid as a rock.Quote from: cypher007 on March 08, 2020, 12:29:27 amOf course you will.

author: cypher007
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2020, 12:37:25 am
content: What about the hantek?https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00I5EWF1U?psc=1&pf_rd_p=c2d4b157-70ab-4b53-8177-c6368bb09779&pf_rd_r=CB7EG2RGMHSBF85P8DKQ&pd_rd_wg=I8dfn&pd_rd_i=B00I5EWF1U&pd_rd_w=H1P9u&pd_rd_r=16a662e2-fb51-47a8-81ae-302c6bea15a7&ref_=pd_luc_rh_crh_rh_sim_04_01_t_img_lhSeen it as low as £150.

author: Caliaxy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2020, 03:32:34 pm
content: Hantek DSO5102P? Not sure about this particular model, but I have the almost identical looking Hantek MSO5202D (the MSO has an extra connector on the front panel for digital inputs). Nice scope, but obsolete.I got mine really cheap (~$120). It has nice triggering capabilities - pulse length and slope (besides just the basic edge and video). It even has an “Alt” triggering mode, which is a neat feature on older scopes (lost on modern ones) that allows you to see simultaneously stable waveforms with different frequencies on each channel, which otherwise would be impossible to synchronize in continuous acquisition mode.My major complaint (and the main reason I don’t enjoy using it) is slow update rate (waveforms/sec on screen). You can choose between 30 and 60 Hz update rates, but it feels slower than that.Other than that, it looks, feels and works fine. It has an independent hardware counter inside, like all modern oscilloscopes (it doesn’t need a full wavelength on screen to calculate the frequency/period) and it can do (and display) lots of measurements (peak-peak, rms, min, max, mean, etc.).Compared with my old (ancient, according to some…) Tektronix TDS210, the Hantek has wider bandwidth (200 MHz vs. 60 MHz), power spectrum (FFT), more advanced triggering capabilities, color screen with higher resolution (WVGA vs. QVGA) and larger viewing area, USB to save the waveform to (vs. nada). The fonts on screen are nice and large and the numbers easy to read. You can remove the menu (or measurement) bar on the right and get even a larger display area to see more of the waveform (really nice!). Coming from TDS210, the interface is intuitive (and equally slow). But, again, this Hantek is only better than a 24 year old Tektronix (which served me well and was good enough for me for many years).I can’t compare it against any Rigol (I haven’t used any…), but in comparison to my $490 Siglent SDS1104xe (and to my more expensive Keysight), it’s waaay behind (doh). The others seem lightning fast, a pleasure to use.If you find one very cheap and you are not the kind of guy who expects instant gratification (i.e. don’t mind waiting a few tens of ms to get an updated waveform on screen), go for it - you'll love it. If you used a faster one before, you won’t like it, regardless of what you paid for it. Either way, sooner or later you'll want better.

author: Fungus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2020, 07:15:04 pm
content: Quote from: Caliaxy on March 09, 2020, 03:32:34 pmThis. The Hanteks have a very limited feature set. Cheap but not much bang per buck.Bottom line: The Rigol DS1054Z is the entry point for DSOs, it's the minimum DSO worth having. Anything less = regrets later on.

author: cypher007
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 09, 2020, 11:42:38 pm
content: As I won’t use this scope often and even then mostly to test data lines clock etc, I decided to get the hantek. Found it for £189 delivered.Thanks for all your help everyone. Hopefully won’t regret it. Just couldn’t justify £350 on something that will spend months at a time sat there.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2020, 01:10:13 am
content: For just testing data lines and clocks and stuff I usually reach for my logic probe.I've never used a Hantek scope so I can't really speak for the experience there.

author: Ap_EE_1990
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2020, 11:46:24 am
content: Ive got both the Pico 2000 and 4000 automotive series, both excellent scopes, the 2000 series is good for the price (has a built in AWG too) and the software is really good and easy to use. I do also have an old Iwatsu CRT scope that I LOVE, the rigol is a great option too, just nice to have the portability of the Pico (it'll fit in a shirt pocket). And the software is free to use so you can download it on multiple devices/computers.Good luck on your decision,Ash