Sometimes the multimeter just does not provide enough information, while the bench scope is too cumbersome to move around.
I have these cheap pocket scopes around, and I thinking of getting one. It seems there are several types and versions about. Does anyone have any experience, recommendations or other advice before I buy?
I have seen two versions from seeedstudio.com, the "DSO Nano" and the "DSO Quad". I have also seen some on dealextreme.com, which are slightly cheaper, but, judging by the customer comments, can run the same firmware.
Sometimes the multimeter just does not provide enough information, while the bench scope is too cumbersome to move around.
I have these cheap pocket scopes around, and I thinking of getting one. It seems there are several types and versions about. Does anyone have any experience, recommendations or other advice before I buy?
I have seen two versions from seeedstudio.com, the "DSO Nano" and the "DSO Quad". I have also seen some on dealextreme.com, which are slightly cheaper, but, judging by the customer comments, can run the same firmware.
The "DSO Nano" is much too slow and the "DSO Quad" is too delicate, (Max 80 Vpp at the probes) has only two analog channels and is nearly impossible to purchase.
Have a look at that factory refurb. TDS2012B at $1369. Yum!
Along the top of the screen click on the sixth tab from the left: Purchase > Used Test Equipment. Scroll down to the lower left corner and select your country. Then in the dialog box titled "Category", select 'Oscilloscopes, basic'.
There you will see a list of available scopes.
If they work as well as did the old TDS520, they are a joy to use and very competent test gear.
You'll get more bang for your money if you use a scope that connects to a PC. There are several USB-based scopes, both n kit form and built. Here's an example from Instructables:
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The kit and the assembled & tested scopes are available here:
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I have no connectionto the seller except as a collector of test equipment ;-)
Hobbyist use. I have a bench scope (with LA) for use in the "lab", so the pocket scope will not be the primary scope.
The idea is that is will fill the gap between the bench scope and the multimeter. Here's an example:
A friend could not get his motorcycle started, and asked me for help. I found there was no spark on #1 or #4 cylinders, so I wanted to check if the signal to the coils were OK. I had not brought the scope, and the multimeter did not give me enough information.
With a 10x probe, that should be workable, and two channels is certainly much better than one. Although there have been occasions where I have wanted more than two channels on my bench scope, it does not happen often.
What do you mean? Is it not simply a matter of clicking "Add to cart", and go ahead? They say they have 173 units in stock:
Hobbyist use. I have a bench scope (with LA) for use in the "lab", so the pocket scope will not be the primary scope.
The idea is that is will fill the gap between the bench scope and the multimeter. Here's an example:
A friend could not get his motorcycle started, and asked me for help. I found there was no spark on #1 or #4 cylinders, so I wanted to check if the signal to the coils were OK. I had not brought the scope, and the multimeter did not give me enough information.
I don't like them, way too slow unless they have improved a lot. Anyway maybe you will like this one or something else they sell:
A laptop is admittedly a lot larger than a "pocket" scope, but it has a nice big display, can store lots of data, and do other tricks like spectral analysis.
If you don't need high speed or DC response, you can use the built-in sound card. You'll need to rig up your own interface circuit if you want to view more than a few volts. See "Input Range and Limiter Circuits" at for a simple approach.
You mentioned checking a motorcycle ignition circuit. I've used the above approach with a simple "inductive" pickup consisting of an alligator clip-lead wrapped around a plug wire to measure RPM on a car engine using Daqarta. The observed pulse is pretty narrow, so this is not really much of a "display" application, but Daqarta can trigger on it to feed the built-in frequency counter. . It measures "instantaneous" RPM by inverting the pulse-to-pulse period, so you don't have to wait for a high-resolution result like you would from a conventional counter.
Best regards,
Bob Masta DAQARTA v6.01 Data AcQuisition And Real-Time Analysis
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