I'd like to have a low-end scope or two to keep around the house, occasional use only. I could use it at work, too, for simple analog stuff, timing software execution, stuff like that.
I was think about a Rigol DS1052E, 50 MHz color, 2 traces, about $535. Or something like that. Any suggestions or comments?
For a client we bought an Instek scope, they found a deal for under $500. I think it's 60MHz (because they didn't have the 40MHz in stock. Could be the GDS-1062 which they got instead of a 1042, don't remember but if you want me to I can ask them. This thing has really impressed them, especially the PC connectivity (they are heavily into LabView, MatLab and Excel).
Hint: I bought their flagship at Newark because it was the best price. On the smaller budget models Newark is often not the best deal, they ended up buying at some other place.
I'd rather not have a scope that runs Windows and that needs two boxes, drivers, a USB cable, and a mouse to do anything. A real scope will most likely still be working 20 years from now. I like real scopes with lots of real knobs.
A USB scope would make sense in some data-centric application where the waveform needs to be shipped into Matlab or some such in real time.
On a sunny day (Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:34:01 -0800) it happened John Larkin wrote in :
Why not get a real old analog from ebaaaay? I love my old Trio, it is only 10 MHz, but has lasted 30 years without problems, does not have any noise on low signals, has great sync, external and TV too, 2 ch, Bit heavy to carry around, so I put it on the ground next to the desk, no software problems. Got a nice new probe for it some weeks ago: ftp://panteltje.com/pub/scope_probe_img_1845.jpg
And you can watch video on it too:
formatting link
Perhaps, as CRTs go extinct, the value of analog scopes will increase many fold in the future. So as investment it would not be bad. There are good half analog / digital Teks too, do not remember the number, but 1 G/s and 100 MHz bandwidth was one I worked with.
I've gotten used to small, light, color digital scopes that fit into my backpack. The storage, the cursors, signal averaging, FFTs, all those things blow away analog scopes. The only analog scope we use any more is our 7104, the 1 GHz microchannel thing.
ch,
in the future.
So far the trend has been monotonic in the opposite direction. There are a *lot* of old analog scopes out there.
I ordered the Rigol. I'll report anything interesting.
Yeah, but how long can you hold it out at arm's length?
Now whenever I use an analog scope - which is seldom - I get confused about which trace is which. I don't miss black+white TV sets, or typewriters and carbon paper, or analog VOMs, or slide rules, or 300 baud acoustic modems either.
When you do noise debugging as much as I do you'd be glad analog scopes are still around. Not that it's always fun but someone has got to do the job. One client instantly bought a Tek 2465 after they saw me working on their stuff. They had spent weeks with a Tek DSO and not found the problem, and neither could I until I got a "real" scope out of the trunk.
At least the net-book PC + USB scope would run easily on battery power.
For me, built in battery power would be a critical requirement so that you could use it as easily as a multimeter.
A battery powered unit does not suffer so much from stray capacitances to ground.
Measuring mains current waveforms across some known resistance is easy with a floating test gear, without breaking the circuit to install a current transformer.
** Bought a Rigol DS1052E DSO late last year, when the direct from China price had dropped to that of a mid range hand held Fluke multimeter - I paid A$407 including delivery to my door.
Does everything the maker says - but still has ALL the drawbacks inherent in DSOs too. While it can certainly do things my analogue scope cannot it is all but *useless* for general service work on audio equipment.
The noisy trace, lack of instant real time display plus serious ambiguity displaying signals that have a wide bandwidth means one cannot trust what you see on the screen is REALLY what is coming out of the item under test.
One annoyance is that even in "AUTO" sweep mode, all signals are displayed for 2 seconds after they have disappeared at the input.
On a sunny day (Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:46:33 -0800) it happened John Larkin wrote in :
Wow, and that from somebody who swears by writing and drawing on deads trees :-) And I do not miss the noise of that horrible Tek digital I once had to use for audio.
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