Regarding the Siglent SDS1202X-E; will I regret buying a scope with two channels? I see in various videos of pros doing stuff, that they also use (for the most part) two channel scopes, so I guess that would be good enough for a newbie like me, but I have no idea. Main interest is microcontrollers and general electronics.

Hi,
for work with micro-controllers I would strongly suggest 4ch if you can afford it.
Regards,

 

I was thinking the Rigol 1054z. Now comes the question, how much bandwidth should I settle for..?

This will be my first scope, and I've neither used a scope before, so I don't know in which cases I would need more bandwidth.

 

The DSO1054Z has been hacked to 100 Mhz. 100 Mhz is adequate for most low end
embedded work. I am fortunate enough to have scopes to 10 Ghz, 95% of my usage
is with the DS1054Z and an older plugin analog scope.

Regards, Dana.

 

Perfect! That settles that, then.

 

Perfect! That settles that, then.

My work is largely clock rates 50 Mhz and below, decoding busses,
and basic spectral analysis (FFT) . Some math stuff occasionally.
4 channels 10 - 20% of the time used. Screen capture good.

Scopes are in constant evolution, but the Rigol 1054Z/1074Z really caught
on in a big way in the industry.

Would have liked a battery option, but thats easily done with a hack or a
crude inverter (with decent noise filter).

Regards, Dana.

 

More than $500 for the base unit but one of these is on the way to the shop for work floor testing as replacements for old CRT based scopes.
DSOX1204G/D1200BW2A
https://www.keysight.com/en/pdx-296...70-100-200-mhz-4-analog-channels?cc=US&lc=eng

 

Based mainly on Yaakov's reports in his Siglent DSO I have bought a SGS1202X-E DSO. I bought it from the company (Labtronix) I asked about in post #77. It arrived 2 days after I placed the order. So far I am pleased with it. But I will still be keeping my Tektronix 2465B (4 channel 400 Mhz. ) scope.

Les.

 

Based mainly on Yaakov's reports in his Siglent DSO I have bought a SGS1202X-E DSO. I bought it from the company (Labtronix) I asked about in post #77. It arrived 2 days after I placed the order. So far I am pleased with it. But I will still be keeping my Tektronix 2465B (4 channel 400 Mhz. ) scope.

Les.

I think you will be pleased. There are quirks but the value is exceptional. The functionality is impressive with just about all the modern features of a DSO.

Please report back on it.

 

If you are starting out- you can buy a good used top brand analog scope like Tektronix on Ebay, use it for a year and re-sell it for what you paid.

A Tektronix 2236 can be found for $300.00

The old saying; "its not what you know - its who you know" - some years back I was GIVEN a bunch of scopes, they all needed simple repairs, but were basically sound.

There was a glut of surplus to requirement analogue scopes during the rush to upgrade to digital - but that's probably starting to fizzle out by now.

Another old saying is; "its only worth what someone will give you for it" - and that cuts both ways...……...

 

The old saying; "its not what you know - its who you know" - some years back I was GIVEN a bunch of scopes, they all needed simple repairs, but were basically sound.

There was a glut of surplus to requirement analogue scopes during the rush to upgrade to digital - but that's probably starting to fizzle out by now.

Another old saying is; "its only worth what someone will give you for it" - and that cuts both ways...……...

In the US $300 for a Tek 2236 is a lot of money. I have a nice 2225 that I put a new front panel board in and I don't have more than $150 in it. There is a 2236 on the local Craigslist from the original owner that is immaccculate, looks like it has been in a time capsule. He is down to $195. If it gets under $100 I would be tempted because it is so beautiful, but i need it like another boat anchor, I have a nice Tek 475 as well.
I am a beginner in hobby electronics, aside from the old Teks I have an Analog Discovery 2 that seemed a wise choice while learning about current DSOs. I still feel that way, it is a great tool for learning electronics. I will soon buy a Siglent 1104X-E. I think 4 channels will probably be handy one day before too long, and I can afford the extra $150 over the Rigol to get the newer technology. I was almost seduced by the new Rigol 5000, but it is another $500 on top of the 1104 and it has a long way to go development wise. I think Rigol has shot their wad for the time being in the hobby scope market. Just some thoughts from a noob who has been lusting after a DSO for a couple years. Read, evaluate and make up your own mind in the end. My 2 cents.

 

So I took the plunge and bought a Rigol 1054z today. Something about having 4 channels seems really appealing. And one can always buy the license key for 100 MHz, if you can dig your way through "how to hack" articles and videos, and actually find the legit key.

 

So I took the plunge and bought a Rigol 1054z today. Something about having 4 channels seems really appealing. And one can always buy the license key for 100 MHz, if you can dig your way through "how to hack" articles and videos, and actually find the legit key.

This one?:

​

It looks like a beautiful piece of equipment, congrats!

 

Just one detail about Instek's GDS1054B. The reference below contains a procedure and small HTML file to add features and increase bandwidth.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/possible-gw-instek-gds-1000b-hack/msg2293089/#msg2293089

In case of questions, just be sure to read the entire thread.

 

@cmartinez Yep, that's the one. It sure does look beautiful Thank you.

I based my purchase on @Wuerstchenhund recommendations, and Dave at EEvblog.

 

Normally this isn't the kind of class of scopes I use, but even I have a DS1054z (unlocked of course)

I bought it a couple of years ago because everyone was raving about it, and I got curious to see how much scope you can get for (back then) <$450.

And I have to admit, I was *very* impressed, and that has only increased since then. Just the fact that for less than $450 you can get a real 4ch oscillscope which isn't a toy, with a nice color display, oodles of memory and 100Mbps network interface is just mad, and that all this comes in a nice, robust package of very high build quality is even more insane.

However, the real impressive thing is how well the DS1054z performs. A while ago during a project I was working on I tested its trigger performance and was surprised how well this thing performed, triggering reliably even on frequencies beyond its specification, every single time. This is even more surprising considering that the DS1054z has a hardware design flaw in its timing section which Rigol fixed through a software update. Clearly, this fix works very well.

So yes, the DS1054z is a great scope at a ridiculouly low price, and it will certainly get a special place in Test Equipment History.

 

So I took the plunge and bought a Rigol 1054z today. Something about having 4 channels seems really appealing.

Congratulations!

And one can always buy the license key for 100 MHz

No, you can't. The DS1000z isn't officially BW upgradable, and Rigol doesn't offer a 100MHz upgrade you can buy.
It appears the BW upgrade functionality was implemented but then Rigol decided against making it an official option.

 

When buying these sub $500 scopes, do they come with probes (one for each channel)? Back when I was working in the industry, I remember paying big bucks (>$100 ea) for HP or Tektronics scope probes.

 

When buying these sub $500 scopes, do they come with probes (one for each channel)? Back when I was working in the industry, I remember paying big bucks (>$100 ea) for HP or Tektronics scope probes.

Yes, they all come with decent probes, usually one per channel.

Also, these days you don't have to spend a fortune to get some good passive probes, just look for the Hantek P6000 Series (also sold under other Chinese brand names). Even a 500MHz passive x10 probe is maybe $40, and does the job as well as a much more expensive big brand probe. Just make sure the compensation range is sufficient for your scope's input.

And don't forget that probes are consumables. They will break eventually.

 

Congratulations!



No, you can't. The DS1000z isn't officially BW upgradable, and Rigol doesn't offer a 100MHz upgrade you can buy.
It appears the BW upgrade functionality was implemented but then Rigol decided against making it an official option.

Dang...didn't know that. Sure hope the hack is still an option, then. I've tried to search for it, and the newest I found (on another forum) was a guy hacking his new scope in like April 2018.

 

Hacking (which it really isn't, it's just calculating an unlock key) a DS1054z is still an option. Just google "Riglol", one of the first results should have a "gotroot" in the URL