Recommended USB oscilloscopes?

When I looked around a couple months ago I found that the really good ones cost more than a real DSO. So I bought a GW-Instek DSO via Newark, for less. Has full USB connectivity but can be used standalone (where you can still store tons of pics onto a USB stick). Plus there are times when a laptop just spews to much EMI around for a nice analog measurement.

Thanks for the input.

Michael

And also stay away from standalone DSOs that use a Windows type OS. I had the "pleasure" to use one at a client and it drove me nuts. Those can be sloooow. I might carry my Instek down there next time. That's why I didn't buy my dream scope, the Hameg 2008, because nothing much besides it would fit into a pilot's case and you don't want to check in a scope.

DO your self a favor, Buy a real one and use the USB connector to monitor and log data to a PC>

You can get good USB PC scopes how ever, the price you'll pay won't be worth the inconvenience of having a digital stand alone that you won't need the PC for.

Rigol or Instek? I just bought Instek's top of the line, a GDS-2204. Very nice. The screen resolution ain't that great either but its TFT is so bright you can read it clear across the lab. The only bone I still have to pick with them is that they took the delayed trigger out despite advertising that it has it. The weirdest thing: The cheaper 2-ch model has it! And via some hyperterminal poking I found the firmware fragments of it still floating around in there. So I wonder whether it's just throttled down for whatever reason.

That's one thing I really like about the Rigol I bought, it's only about 6" deep and weighs just a few pounds. Not sure how the airlines would feel about me bringing it on board though. I've wondered what would happen if I took my PIC stuff (breadboard, a few ICs, LEDs and discrete parts, programmer, LCD display, etc) along some time. I wonder if they'd mind me tinkering around with it during flight. ;-)

I bought a chinese knock off that looks a lot like a Tek, It's only 25 Mhz but that is sufficient for portable toss around stuff. It has a 320 x256 color screen and a DMM in it, all isolated inputs with high quality scope probes, metal carry case etc. $499. the interface for the PC has both USB or Serial and the software works excellent for the price of it.

Delay really doesn't work, I tried. All you can do is use the memory as delay. Ok, 25K is already ten times more than the paltry 2.5K on the TDS2xxx series but still, when sampling at full blast of 1GS/sec that ends at 25usec, not enough for many pulse-echo measurements. Using two channels you only net 12.5usec and for three or all four channels it's half that again.

Mine's got several USB ports and RS232 which is nice when connecting to legacy lab PCs. Really practical is the USB up front, avoids having to climb onto the lab desk to plug in a memory stick.

I guess some day we'll see the first ones with a WLAN antenna. That would be cool.

Or when the pilot comes on and says "We've got a wee problem up here. Does any of the passengers happen to have a soldering iron?"

Hmm, no it's not a Rogol or Instek, and are you sure you didn't miss something? On mine, if memory serves, You use lets say channel B as the trigger source. You move the cursor to the place you want. and on A channel you can then expand it. That is one example. there are others .

Hmm, after looking at it there, I guess it's a 20mhz, and for some reason this one only has a USB, the one have has both. Oh well. Maybe it's been down graded it a bit.

One for the Griff

DNA

So funny... my kids were staring at me as if I'd just gone insane, I was laughing so hard.

So, after the techs install Knoppix and the plane's nose pitches downwards, they discover that the engine control code is written in .NET. "Say, how quickly can you re-write the code in g++?" the PFY asks, as yells and screams from the passenger compartment filter through the cabin door. The pilot interjects, "Uh, guys, you have two minutes before we slam into the ground."

So what is this PFY? Is it anything like a PHB?

Thanks for the laughs

Michael

:) Reminds me of the time I packed a carryon full of electronic parts and wires on a flight from BC to Arkansas. (Pre 9/11) I saw the X-ray and got nervous. Yup...I had to open my case after the xray.. :P Luckily I didn't have bottles of liquid or bricks of putty. That would have make inspectors really suspicious.

I think you'd freak out everybody on a plane if you took out a design kit. :) The worst thing you could probably do is test out a PIC based count down timer with a really big LED display... and it beeps too.. :P

D from BC

All DSO's are not created equal, what are the specs you need? i.e. sample rate, bandwidth, sample memory, resolution, mixed signal capability etc What is good for one person can be useless for someone else.

This is one of the better ones in terms of performance and specs:

Dave.

specs:

Good idea... specs. Actually, I was asking because I was thinking of getting a scope for my dad for his birthday. He doesn't have one yet. He typically fixes up miscellaneous electronics for fun: TVs, radios, VCRs, amplifiers, stuff like that.

I'd imagine he'd need something that would let him see the output from an amplifier, to look for noise... ?

Thanks,

Michael

specs:

In that case, forget a PC based USB scope, totally ill-suited to the task. What he needs is a traditional analog oscilloscope, dual channel 20MHz is the usual entry point. Depends entirely on your budget though. $100 will get you a new tiny

About triple the $$$ will get you a bigger and more versatile new

If you want higher bandwidth than that then a 2nd hand unit (eBay or a surplus dealer) is much better value for money. You can get a top brand 100MHz unit for the price of a new 20MHz cheapie. But 2nd hand for a present is a bit iffy I suppose...

I'm surprised he doesn't have one already.

Dave.

I had to hand carry a few dozen very expensive and fragile oscillator modules from Sydney to Singapore last year. The Sydney people didn't give a toss, but the Singaporean authorities really wanted to know what these little metal cans were, and they wanted me to crack the cases open to show them what was inside. I said I could open one if they wanted to pay $1000 for it. Helps to have the documentation for them, but still took a lot of talking to various people with progressively bigger and bigger guns to let me carry them on the plane. Fun stuff.

Dave.

"Joerg" a écrit dans le message de news: fWfFi.26259$ snipped-for-privacy@newssvr13.news.prodigy.net...

... as long as there is a switch to turn it off, in particular for RF measurements ;+)

Friendly, Robert

Yes, certainly. That's what I love on my latest laptop. It has a metal enclosure and a large and brightly lit WLAN switch. Not some sub-menu but a real switch.