Siglent Oscilloscope Probe's fat grabbers - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: laus
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 05:44:23 am
content: Spend a day tracing down issues with the new oscilloscope. How are people living with the standard SDS1000X-E series probes? The grabber is so fat it's hard to get them on pins and components without short circuiting with the neighbors.

author: laus
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 05:59:16 am
content: I had more luck being able to place the probe by piggybacking off these crappy cheap grabbers.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 07:45:03 am
content: With scope probe grabbers no matter who makes them you'll always at sometime need them to be finer. Period.At some point you have to address this and you can do it in a few ways.Get some reasonably decent grabbers and add a short lead. Tek ones are good but be careful to respect their max voltage.If you can't justify ~$5ea for Tek grabbers you can make up a bunch if cheaper ones and maybe incorporate them into a header like this:From the 2014 post when I first posted these:This one is from cheap grabbers off eBay, good quality wire and the header from a 10 mm thick mains switchboard off-cut. Each cable is finished in a loop and glued into a hole and recessed for safety. The hole is large enough to accommodate a scope hook probe or the reference (GND) lead clip.If I built another, I would use better grabbers and white nylon/plastic for the header to better display the grabber colors that were put on with a Sharpie.

author: Performa01
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 08:32:15 am
content: The Siglent PP510 and PP215 probe grabbers are certainly no bigger than other standard probes out there, so the thread title is misleading.The actual problem isn't new either and consequently there have been accessories for ages:https://www.reichelt.at/Tastkoepfe-und-BNC-Adapter/MINIGRABBER/3/index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=7230&ARTICLE=32436&START=0&OFFSET=30&SID=92WDBpNqwQATYAABTlHz8bd3a54c1f7effe01d04eaa6bdf6ce425&LANGUAGE=ENhttps://www.reichelt.at/Tastkoepfe-und-BNC-Adapter/BNC-SS-7186/3/index.html?ACTION=3&GROUPID=7230&ARTICLE=159230&START=0&OFFSET=30&SID=92WDBpNqwQATYAABTlHz8bd3a54c1f7effe01d04eaa6bdf6ce425&LANGUAGE=ENNeedless to say that all this cannot be recommended for high frequencies and pulse response will be quite bad.

author: tautech
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 09:05:05 am
content: Quote from: laus on April 08, 2018, 05:44:23 amDepending on which model you have 1104X-E = PP510, 1202/1204X-E = PP215, another option is to modify the hook with a Dremel. While PP510 isn't a perfect match for the 200MHz models it's quite cheap at only $10/probe.The PP215 not so much at $27.The grabber section does come apart from the probe tip end where there's a plastic keeper that holds the spring and the hook into the grabber body. There's a recessed catch on the side of the grabber that holds it all together.Careful disassembly and modification of the hook is indeed possible to get into tight spaces BUT the risk of shorts to adjacent connections still remains and that's why better and finer grabbers are still the best solution for challenging connections.

author: laus
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 05:21:46 pm
content: Quote from: Performa01 on April 08, 2018, 08:32:15 amSorry, first oscilloscope and it's been a while since I had access to one. So I don't have any reference to other brands.Those grabbers look like ones I already have, purchased at a 10th of the price though. Mine don't have any kind of strain relief, so wire breaks off at the solder point. Maybe I just have to try a better wire. Are they any better?

author: Rolo
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 06:04:50 pm
content: Quote from: laus on April 08, 2018, 05:21:46 pmThese cheap (Chinese) grabbers are a pain in the a.. wires break off, have a very thin (copper ?) core. Alse the hooks slip off your point of measument. Recently I bought an original Saleae logic 8 and the grabbers that come with this unit are how it should be. A pleasure to work with. All is build to its price I guess.

author: PA4TIM
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 07:04:06 pm
content: You can get probe-adapters that fit on the tip of the probe. Solder two wires to it. I use male and female Lemo connector pins to connect all sort of things. Every time I need some "difficult" connection I make something custom for it. Very handy.What I do is location with not enough room for probes is soldering a wire to the test point.In this video you see part of them. I use them for scope and DMMhttps://youtu.be/MtMTyAKju9s

author: Performa01
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 08, 2018, 07:44:10 pm
content: Quote from: laus on April 08, 2018, 05:21:46 pmThe items I have linked are from reputable brands, TESTEC and electro-PJP. I own several of their products and haven't noticed any quality issues.But my links are to a German warehouse, so you would have to look for these or similar items from a reseller in your country anyway.