1. Home
  2. Electronics Design
  3. Oscilloscope dealers in the US

Oscilloscope dealers in the US

So, finally it's time to look for a new DSO. Except Newark, TestEquipmentDepot and Tequipment I haven't found a lot of major dealers for new scopes and other test equipment. To my surprise I could not find regular digital scopes at Digikey, Mouser or ham shops like AES. Are there other major ones? Where do you typically buy?

I don't need it often so I wanted to stay under $2k. Must be 1Gs/sec single-shot or more, 200MHz BW, plus a USB connection of some kind, and not too heavy. So far I found:

Agilent DSO3202, pretty nice features but only 4k memory. Tektronix TDS2022, only a paltry 2.5K memory. Instek GDS-2202, 25K memory, under $1500.

My favorite from a feature point of view is the Hameg HM2008. A stunning megabytes deep buffer, analog portion with 14kV tube, meaning you get a real analog scope along with it. But OTOH due to the high Euro it's around $2500. That would be a bit much but ok. However, its size and weight really wouldn't work, it's basically a full size big scope.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg
Loading thread data ...

formatting link

Reply to
Charles

Tek has some comparisons of the TDS2000 series to the DSO3000 series at:

formatting link

Obviously favors Tek, but they do some live demos with the DSO3000's that are pretty damning. For example, you often don't get the 4k points.

The 2.5k memory is probably the weakest link of the TDS2000 series. Also beware of older Tek scopes (that you might buy used) with larger buffers. Some of them are very slow to refresh if you select the deeper memories (becasue they capture full buffers before displaying).

Looks nice. Make sure the MB deep buffer works in all modes/speeds you care about. The optional 4-channel logic analyzer looks neat, too. The Agilent 54645D and friends have several logic channels plus two scope channels, but the specs on the scope are crappy (200Msps, if I remember).

The TDS2000 series is downright tiny. I've sure moved it a lot more than my old analog scope!

--
Ben Jackson AD7GD

http://www.ben.com/
Reply to
Ben Jackson

This is a bit above your price range...

formatting link

but the fully isolated inputs and trigger are fabulous for stuff like power supplies, motion control, all that off-ground stuff. You just clip the probe grounds *anywhere*

John

Reply to
John Larkin

You can pick up a TDS2012 with the pinkie finger of your left hand. I just verified that. Try that with a 7000-series box!

John

Reply to
John Larkin

Thanks, entered it into the Wiki file here. However, they don't carry some brands at all (such as Rigol) and they don't have the higher end Instek gear.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Thanks. Will try that later on another PC since this one doesn't take wmv video. Anyhow, looks like the Instek GDS-2202/2204 boast a bit more than either of these.

Yep, I remember that. But the topper are those newfangled Windows-based scopes. You can refill your coffee mug and then it may be done. Maybe.

That would be so nice to have one that can be carried around. It's actually the main reason I am looking for a new one.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

The prices look quite reasonable for scopes with that capability. But I usually don't need it, even with switchers. I do with RF stuff but there the cable capacitance to the surroundings could already cause a kablouie so I use little #43 ferrites to isolate.

What strikes me all the time: Why on earth can't they use some standard batteries such as AA rechargeables? Especially on scopes that are most likely being used in remote places. What do you do when battery and spare have croaked and you are on the outskirts of Tambouktou, and there is no electricity up on the tower?

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Still got a 7704 cranking here. Works like new, glows in the dark :-)

Does that TDS2012 work ok for you guys? Doesn't spew 80kHz from the backlight inverter around like the TDS220?

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

One of my favorite (for convenience, I mean) 'laptops' was an HP 300. It was a Windows 3.1/DOS system with a tiny, 1" hard drive and a built in mouse that 'popped out' and worked on a table top. Gray scale LCD display. The thing weighed almost nothing. But.. it didn't use any fancy, specialized, expensive to buy battery systems. It used AA batteries, either alkaline or NiCad, which you can get most places in the world. Simple.

Still have one and use it, sometimes.

Jon

Reply to
Jonathan Kirwan

I love mine; it's my "personal" scope (along with a 20 GHz 11801!) and it does 98% of what I need done. I haven't noticed any excess noise, although I can get some pretty good LCD kickout stuff if I hold a probe about 1" from the screen. It looks like fairly slow LCD scan stuff, about 450 Hz. There's some 40 KHz backlight sinewave leakage, mostly out the sides and back, but I've never seen it get into a measurement.

It doesn't have much memory, pretty much just what you see on the screen. Analog scopes didn't have much memory, either.

It uses a persistance algorithm that I independently invented: a trace sets pixels on, and an independent background process turns random pixels off at an adjustable rate.

John

Reply to
John Larkin

Maybe they backed off with the inverter frequency. The TDS220 was really bad with 80kHz, to the point where I quit using it for any analog stuff.

Actually I found it adequate even though I did ultrasound echo measurements with it where you have a wee echo in the tens of nsec that occurs tens of usec after the pulse, somewhere.

The downside with the early non-B versions seems to be a lack of connectivity where you can't get the pics off the scope other than doing a crude snapshot with a digital camera. Some larger models have disk drives, but not all.

This can be very powerful especially if the decay speed in the background process is adjustable. On the DPO scopes it isn't so hot IMHO, used one at a client last week, didn't like it. I urged them to buy a 2465 off EBay and I really hope they do that.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Sometimes I ask myself, why were the engineers that designed computer stuff of yesteryear so much smarter? Why did they reach retirement age? Couldn't they have hung on a bit longer?

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

formatting link
is a website listing a lot of new & used test equipment dealers, and manual sources.

--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I\'ve got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida
Reply to
Michael A. Terrell

formatting link

Reply to
GregS

Do you have a link to a page about it? All I'm finding is

formatting link
which is anything *but* portable. :-)

Reply to
Joel Kolstad

Thanks. But I was more looking for new ones. The B-series Tek and foreign brands such as Instek aren't showing up at used equipment dealers yet. When it comes to electronics parts we have a lot more sources than I found back in Europe. With equipment it seems the other way around. Over there I was bombarded with specials and sales all the time. Not here.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Thanks. But quite expensive. They have the Instek GDS-2204 (actually one of the products I am looking at) on their home pages under "featured products". But I can get it for over $300 less at Newark. Not such a hot deal IMHO.

--
Regards, Joerg

http://www.analogconsultants.com
Reply to
Joerg

Okay, I just tried it on one of my 7704s--no problem!(*) Now pardon me while I ice my pinky...

(*) (Note to self: next time disconnect 'scope from cart)

Cheers, James Arthur

Reply to
James Arthur

is

formatting link
which is anything *but* portable. :-)

He's talking about an OmniBook 300, a '386 IIRC. I absolutely love my OB425, which I unfortunately toasted & am hoping to resurrect today.

It has MS-DOS and Win3.1 in ROM, making the system software bullet- proof. The monochrome LCD display is the clearest, sharpest display I've ever seen, brilliantly readable in full sunlight. Power management is wonderful--it suspends instantly, and then revives instantly, bringing me back to where I left off. Last, with a flash drive replacing the old mechanical HD I get 13hrs run-time on a charge. Marvellous.

Meanwhile, my OB600c fitted with flash drives is my all-time fave. It adds a faster CPU, a color display, and LiIon batteries. It never crashes. I leave it in suspend mode for weeks at a time, punch the button and it's ON in 300mS, ready to use. I use it just like a book-- I pick it up, refer to it, use it, then close it & put it down. Handy for typing, calculating, spreadsheets, etc. I keep my inventory and writings on it.

Cheers, James Arthur

Reply to
James Arthur

ElectronDepot website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.