Siglent SDS1104X-E vs Siglent SDS2202X-E  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: //Matt//
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 09, 2019, 09:00:38 pm
content: I'm looking to buy a new scope and came across these two (Siglent SDS1104X-E and Siglent SDS2202X-E). Witch one would you recommend and are 4 channels really needed?P.S. are any of these hackable?

author: rf-loop
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 10, 2019, 09:48:49 am
content: Quote from: //Matt// on April 09, 2019, 09:00:38 pmOnly who know if 4 channels is really needed for you is just you, now one else.If you do not know, then I ask how you know you need oscilloscope.You and only you know what for is oscilloscope for you and due to this yuou need also know what you want do with it. If you just want see some electric phenomena and amazing things on the screen then it perhaps so that what ever oscilloscope is enough.Seriously.Do you Need 2GSa/s.Do you need 200MHz.For 200MHz sinewave like waveforms 1GSa/s is well enough.So, before anuone can answer you need define what you need do or want do with scope. What kind of signals.If this 2GSa/s is not nessesary or 28M max memory (with 2GSa/s it is just as long in time as 14M is with 1GSa/s)SDS1000X-E (4ch) can do 1 and 2 channels with 1GSa/s and 3 - 4 channels all with 500MSa/sSDS2000X-E (2ch) can do 1 channel with 2GSa/s and 2 channels same as SDS1000X-E with 1GSa/sSDS1000X-E (4ch) have 14M for 1 channel or for 2 channel. If 3 or 4 channels in use then 7M for each.SDS2000X-E (2ch) have 28M for 1 channel and for 2 channels 14M.When two channels in use SDS2000X-E and 1104X-E both have 1GSa/s maximum and both channels 14M capture length maximum.Some information here in forum show that SDS1104X-E can modify to 200MHz.SDS1104X-E is good scope and it also have been in m,arekets much longer time than just started 2000X-E. SDS1000X-E series FW is much more mature just now. And least SDS1000X-E is perhaps quite soon coming new FW.Why 4 channel.It depends highly what you do with it.If you want example 3 channel SFRA 2 channel scope can do only one channel SFRA (bode plot)If you need 2 channels + external signal for trigger. 2 channel scope Ext Trigger input is very very limited performance.With 4 channel scoppe you can use 2 channels for signals you want look and then one of rest channel for ExtTrig with full main channel trigger performance with all trigger functions.Also if you use serial decoding...4 channel scope can run two independent UART (2x2 data stream), two independent I2C or one full SPI with all signals. With two channel SPI is very limited and only one I2C simultaneously etc.If you repair analog audio amplifier or just watch or adjust/repair some analog radio and look internal signals mostly 1 or 2 channel is enough. With modern digital things and example SMPS circuits etc, it may be quite useful to have more than 2 channels.My initial recommendations between these two (and because you ask without define needs I assume you do not have any special needs where 2GSa is very important or internal 50ohm or max 2 times memory what is perhaps meaningful with very slow timebases (and using 1 channel vs 4 channel 1000X-E)So, 1104X-E is my initial recommendation from these two.If really need more BW for it, it can, but also then need know possible adverse effect related to situations where aliasing may rise up but well... with normal probe and usual circuits what we are probing... It is more than difficult to get over 500MHz signal in to scope with high levels using cheap probes included with scope... totally other case is aliasing with low sample rates with slow time bases... this have nothing to do with software modification.