Your Oscilloscope of choice? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Simon Spiers
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2018, 06:08:50 pm
content: I have used a few manufactures of Oscilloscopes over the years but I think, like me everyone has a favourite.As a hauder of test gear among other stuff, I own 2 Tek 2440's, a Tec 24445a and an HP 54645a.I think as I have always used HP scopes at work and know how to drive them with my eyes closed, I always reach for this scope when I don't want to be challenged by the gear i'm using!I know a lot of the guys from the States seem to prefer Tek gear, and I must admit the 2445a analog scope is really nice to use for audio gear, but if I had to keep only one, it would be the HP.So please let us know what Make and model is your "go to scope" and why that is?Oh and before you ask why I have more than one, the others were arepair challenges.

author: dxl
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2018, 06:50:07 pm
content: Haha, this will be a religious discussionPersonally i'm using 3 scopes:Analog Fluke PM3094 200MHz for doing repairs on analog circuitsTektronix TDS754D for doing Repairs on digital circuitsLecroy WavePro 7300A for engineering work on digital stuff (because of it's protocol decoding capabilities)And on very rare occasions i'm using a Tektronix 11801A for High speed stuff in the GHz range or TDR measurement.So you see that i have no favorite scope - it depends on what i'm doing. If i had to choose and only keep one it would propably be the TDS754D. Simple to use, high waveform update rate, and no annoying self calibration like the Lecroy has.

author: SWR
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 27, 2018, 08:54:09 pm
content: I've got a Rigol and a GW Instek and prefer the latter.At work we have Keysight and they're ok, but too little bang for bucks for my personal hobby use.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 03:56:58 am
content: I've always been a Tek guy, especially love their older stuff. Part of that may be that Tek is/was based in my home town.

author: texaspyro
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 04:52:20 am
content: I have around 50 scopes here... the two that I almost always go to first are a Tek THS730 (200 MHz, book sized, isolated channels, runs on battery) or a Tek TDS3054 (500 MHz, 5 Gs/sec, all options, also can run on battery).I tend to prefer Tek scopes... I have not always been satisfied with HP triggering.I do usually prefer HP logic analyzers over Tek ones.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 05:51:04 am
content: Analog scope aside, if I just want to look at a signal with the least fuss, give me the Keysight X-series, it "just works".

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 07:20:40 am
content: Probably the best scope with no bells and whistles is the Agilent MSOX3034T. It is not fast enough that you need active probes, which also means that it is not crazy expensive. The 4 analog + 16 digital gives you versatility. And sometimes you get it half the price with "refurbished" label on the box, with all the options.

author: nctnico
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 07:38:48 am
content: At the moment my GW Instek GDS2204E for general purpose work and an Agilent 54845A for high frequency / sub-ns time intervals.

author: srce
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 08:45:45 am
content: MSOX2024A at the moment.MSOS204A soon though

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 08:53:56 am
content: The one I can afford.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 08:55:26 am
content: SDS2304X or SDS1104X-E.SDS5104X.......soon.

author: sibeen
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 09:56:38 am
content: Just the threeTek THS 720P. Handheld and isolated goodness, with harmonic capability, great for running around on a site for general fault finding.Yokogawa DL708. Scopecorder. Low speed 8 channel fully isolated inputs. Great for commissioning work on three phase systems and then getting down to the nitty gritty after the 720P has sniffed out some problems.Keysight DSOX3024T. A fairly recent acquisition. Used on my bench for nutting out issues. I try not to take it to site as after 20 odd years of using exclusively fully isolated CROs I really have to remember to be careful with this beast.

author: stenbror
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 11:22:33 am
content: Well, i have six.......My favourite is my newest Rigol DS2072A that come with all options included...... 300Mhz not so much, but is included now. :-)I also like my Siglent SDS2104X with all options and Siglent SDS1204X-EI have a few Hantek that is not so good and a Rigol DS1054Z that is maxed up.

author: woody
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 12:04:08 pm
content: 1 GW Instek GDS2204E2 CleverScope CS328A3 Tek 468

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 12:07:37 pm
content: Tek 465.Has a warmth about it, all controls are physical and positive, no hidden state that disappears when you turn it off, excellent display, excellent service manual, I can calibrate it myself, excellent performance, quiet, easy to maintain, generally very reliable.Also cheap because you can usually buy them dead for not much and they're trivial to fix.Have had about 30 different scopes, digital, analogue, computer-based and this one sticks as the best.

author: VEGETA
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 12:53:02 pm
content: For me it is this one:https://www.banggood.com/Orignal-JYE-Tech-DS0150-15001K-DSO-SHELL-DIY-Digital-Oscilloscope-Kit-With-Housing-p-1093865.htmlIt is just 21$ and works nice. I am in Jordan so shipped scopes will be double the price. I wanted an analog one but could not find one here and couldn't find one who could give away a scope for me, so I settled with that kit which is kinda enough for now. I think it is worth getting for anyone.

author: joseph nicholas
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 04:43:35 pm
content: The DSO 138 as it works and is the only one I have.I tried to fix an old Tek 453, I think it was, but it was such a high hours unit that it became an autopsy to see if I could even get it apart without destroying everything. The boards came out OK, but the frame itself was put together with an impact driver so forget about getting to interior parts. The bottom board appeared to be a one piece unit with the rotary switches soldered to it. No easy access there, probability no access at all.I still have the boards and the crt, the power supply etc. The knobs on the front which are held on with tiny allan screws had also been installed with such force, I presume by the factory, that it broke all the allan keys it tried. It looked like a thanksgiving turkey carcass when thrown into the trash.

author: TK
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 05:52:03 pm
content: I own and use Keysight MSOX3024X, EDUX1002G that think it is a DSOX1102G, Micsig tablet TO1104 and Agilent 54622D. All of them just works, so I use the closest one on my bench or the micsig if I am working outside the lab or away from the bench.

author: Dubbie
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 07:08:16 pm
content: MSOX3024TVery nice to use. Funnily enough, the lack of mem has never bothered me in practical use.The main thing I would like to improve on it is the screen size and resolution. I look enviously at the R&S and the Tek 5 screens.

author: imk
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 08:40:31 pm
content: Tektronix 2236 Opt 14.Old but gold :-)

author: 240_JOLTS
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 09:31:45 pm
content: vellaman HPS-140i used for fault finding and repair on the bench.very small and compact and has a very sensitive 0.1mv range which came in handy for sorting out offset errors on a multi meter caused by dirt and grease on on the PCB traces after a repair.

author: phaeton
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 09:34:58 pm
content: I'm fairly new to scope ownership, so I can't claim any preferences yet. Last summer a friend gave me a. It has its limitations and to be honest I'm a little bit afraid of it, but nonetheless it's the first thing I've ever dialed up a waveform on.A couple of weekends ago I went to a Ham Radio swapfest and picked up a dual-trace mid-late 70sfor $20. Someday when I know more I might pick up a "real" scope, but for now I think these are adequate for my skill level and interests.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 10:05:28 pm
content: Those old vacuum tube scopes have one big advantage, the input stage is nearly indestructible. If you start playing with Tesla coils and other HV stuff you can reasonably safely poke around, while doing so with an expensive DSO would be very risky.

author: TheSteve
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 10:46:59 pm
content: My scope of choice is a Keysight MSOX3024T with a little tweak performed to it -https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/keysight-3000t-scope-1-ghz-hardware-upgrade-mod/

author: rx8pilot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 28, 2018, 10:49:35 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on March 28, 2018, 10:05:28 pmI am currently looking for a modest cost scope (DSO) to do high risk power supply measurements - saving my fancy scope from damage. A good scope is the best one you can afford to damage.

author: neo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 02:02:56 am
content: Quote from: dxl on March 27, 2018, 06:50:07 pmThat's funny, for me getting my first REAL scope was practically a religious experience.My first scope was a Hitachi useful mainly for screwing around, never could get the damn thing to trigger correctly without a fight. Even made me wonder the worth of a scope if it was that hard to use, or maybe i was just a bumbling idiot...Finally a Tek mainframe came on ebay i could afford, that very night i had a dream where my spirit animal told me to. I bid and won and the thing worked right off the bat, it was like the scales fell from my eyes and i could finally see how oscilloscope were meant to be! Even with one incorrect timebase plug-in the thing just worked and continues to just work. I've since replaced some knobs and added a 7B80 to complete the set, i'm still finding new and impressive uses for this oscilloscope.Buy Tektronix, it's a revelation!Wait can i trademark that?

author: JonM
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 03:28:04 am
content: During University days (undergrad and graduate school) I used an uncountable number of Tektronix scopes, and a few HPs (usually rack mounted and dedicated to specific functions). I used to heat my office with a Tektronix 555, the one with the separate power supply on the bottom shelf of the scope cart. However, serious work was done with a Tektronix 7704 and appropriate plug-ins. I think that we had 1 Ghz (analog, of course) plug-ins in 1980.In industry I had a Tek 465 (or 455) and an early LeCroy digital scope. After years of non-scope industrial work, I am happy with my home lab Keysight DSOX3024T. I also have a Saleae LogicPro8 for protocol analysis.

author: geekGee
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: March 29, 2018, 05:58:22 am
content: 1) Siglent SDS1202X+2) Rigol DS2202A

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 30, 2018, 04:26:58 pm
content: Of the oscilloscopes that I have, my favorite is a Tektronix 2232. It has a nicer display quality than the older 465, includes a readout, and has digital storage with a high resolution display and peak detection when required.The various cheap Chinese DSOs that I have evaluated lack features which would make them an upgrade from a 2232. My paper napkin DSO design is more like a super 2232 than a modern DSO.