Oscilloscope

[lowrider3121]

Hi all looking at picking a small Oscilloscope to help trouble shoot with the boards and I was looking at one of these unit (DSO Nano v2) and I don't know much about scopes. Have one at work used it once on a square wave board. But that's it. Here is the link to the scope.


http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/dso-nano-v2-p-681.html?cPath=174&zenid=8bb62c6d91cad82e37c64d116ccc5b8b

[chesterspot]

I've thought about getting one of those. You can't beat the price. Granted it's no $10k scope but for what we are doing it seems as though it would be perfect.

[Entropy]

It's interesting for the price. However - claims 1 MHz analog BW but only has 1 MSPS sampling rate. General rule of thumb is that for proper scope usage, sampling rate should be well over Nyquist requirements, typically 5-10 times the max analog signal bandwidth.

The Rigol DS1052E is now only $400. It was a steal at $530, now its value is incredible. (I have one, it's great.)

[lowrider3121]

How about this unit it goes on lines of DIY. The bank would cut me off if I told her that I want 500 for my hobby........lol Easy er to get smaller stuff by her

http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/digital-storage-oscilloscope-with-panels-p-514.html?cPath=174&zenid=f8a03b489025e5e1c6d164d9d96ecfca

[dirknerkle]

The max sample rate is 5mhz with a bit of a pixellated display, and with PICs running in the 20mhz range, it probably isn't going to be helpful to diagnose some things. For serial issues, ZC signals and the like, it'd probably work fine. Personally, I've got my eye on either a 100mhz or 200mhz one but yah, I'm having a little trouble justifying it, too... my bank manager might object, saying something like, "You already have two of those things, why do you need another one?"

[budude]

I have the Hantek DSO-5200 USB Oscilloscope - 200MHz or 200MS/s - the 5200A does 250MS/s and doesn't cost much more. I like it for what I use it for - it's easy to use and - at the time - was a lot cheaper than the Rigol - but - if I was buying it today I would recommend going with the Rigol Entropy suggested. I've seen posts somewhere where somebody purchased the cheaper model (lower BW/rates) but found it was the same HW as the higher priced model - they hacked into it and changed the model # and it thought it was the better one and worked fine.

[lowrider3121]

have to ask is a Protek P-2560 triple trace oscilloscope Bandwidth 60 MHz - 99 MHz any good?

[n8huntsman]

I've been thinking about getting a scope too. Not sure I need one this expensive for learning, but if I could get THIS (http://inlandempire.craigslist.org/tls/2171948814.html) for a great deal, 1.) would it do everything we here would need it for, and 2.) What would be an amazing deal? I don't wanna spend that much but I would be interested if I could get it for a price that I knew I could resale it without a loss if it turned out to be too much for me.

[DynamoBen]

What about the propscope? http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/propscope/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/586/Default.aspx

[ags0000]

What about the propscope? http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/propscope/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/586/Default.aspx

I actually thought of that when I first started considering purchasing a 'scope. I thought it could perhaps be a good low-cost (or moderate cost) option for hobbyist use. I was shocked to see that it's $250. For $400, you can get a really nice standalone scope that has been praised in most reviews I've seen - the Rigol DS1052E 50MHz DSO. See it here: http://www.saelig.com/product/PSPC016.htm Turns out the hardware is identical to the 100MHz model, and this can be turned into the 100MHz version with just a change in firmware.

[DynamoBen]

I ended up being given a Tektronix 2236 (http://www.testequipmentdepot.com/usedequipment/tektronix/oscilloscopes/tek2235&2236.htm). A lot of companies throw these away calling them "old" and "outdated."

[ags0000]

Wow, that's quite good fortune for you. Send some of that my way...

For my needs, an old clunker (something useful just 10 years ago) would be just fine. I keep looking at craigslist but others appear to have the same idea - driving prices up. The best way to get one of these older units seems to be by knowing a tech at a company going under or upgrading equipment. Then they become virtually free.