New Digital Oscopes are continuously coming out on the market. It's hard to keep up with all the new models.

I say "Professional Quality" one that you would see in a legit electronics business, not some half baked model.

I picked $100 to $500 to stay frugal and affordable. Maybe you have to pay more for Pro. Quality, I don't know.

Also, you buy one today, maybe in 6 months a better one comes out. It would be good to get one (Pro level)
that would have the specs and features relevant for some time down the road, so you don't have to upgrade.

Has anyone here who is serious about electronics, know how to judge which scopes will continue to be relevant
in years to come? That would include those for digital and analog uses? The new ones seem to have a lot of
bells and whistles and features that you won't get on an old used Analog CRT type, but many still say "get an old CRT type"

 

Go to amazon and search for oscilloscope. Set the price for 150 to 500.
Rigol DS1054Z Digital Oscilloscope 50 MHz DSO 4 Channels $350.

RIGOL Digital Oscilloscope DHO804 70MHz Frequency Band + 12-bit Vertical Resolution + Maximum 1.25 GSa/s Sample Rate + 1000,000 wfms/s Waveform Capture Rate + 4 Analog $440. Has very powerful software, worth the extra $90.

Also look at Rigol or Hanmatek for $150

I have not used these. Some scopes include a signal generator inside. Some have volt meters. I really like the 12 bit scopes compared to 8 bit.

 

Go to amazon and search for oscilloscope. Set the price for 150 to 500.
Rigol DS1054Z Digital Oscilloscope 50 MHz DSO 4 Channels $350.

RIGOL Digital Oscilloscope DHO804 70MHz Frequency Band + 12-bit Vertical Resolution + Maximum 1.25 GSa/s Sample Rate + 1000,000 wfms/s Waveform Capture Rate + 4 Analog $440. Has very powerful software, worth the extra $90.

Also look at Rigol or Hanmatek for $150

I have not used these. Some scopes include a signal generator inside. Some have volt meters. I really like the 12 bit scopes compared to 8 bit.

Thanks. I lowered the range to $100.

 

You can even get a Tek in that price range:
https://www.rapidonline.com/tektron...ducation-oscilloscope-2-channel-50mhz-85-2267
(According to xe.com thats US$472, but wait, it's from China, and you're going to have to pay a lot of import duty)

 

Watch out for value added software. Many companies now have a bottom end scope, for $50 more they will make the 70mhz a 100mhz. Then for $100 more the scope will jump to 150mhz. No hardware changes. Often the spectrum analyzer option is another $1000. I don't want to name names because I am too close to this.

On another thought.
I have many of these. It has 16 digital inputs and 2 or 4 analog inputs. There is a large family of this type. Used they go for 500 to 700. The new scopes have many more functions, and 10 to 100x the memory, for the same price. I have some of the first digital scopes and they have problems and poor user interface. I question getting a used digital scope verses a new off brand.

 

Go to amazon and search for oscilloscope. Set the price for 150 to 500.
Rigol DS1054Z Digital Oscilloscope 50 MHz DSO 4 Channels $350.

RIGOL Digital Oscilloscope DHO804 70MHz Frequency Band + 12-bit Vertical Resolution + Maximum 1.25 GSa/s Sample Rate + 1000,000 wfms/s Waveform Capture Rate + 4 Analog $440. Has very powerful software, worth the extra $90.

Also look at Rigol or Hanmatek for $150

I have not used these. Some scopes include a signal generator inside. Some have volt meters. I really like the 12 bit scopes compared to 8 bit.

You Said:
"Go to amazon and search for oscilloscope. Set the price for 150 to 500"

I know that, but what I was getting at was which ones (in the same price range as the other) are actually a better scope,
in specs and features.
You could have 2 different manufacturers scopes @ $300, (for exa.) but which one is more Pro Quality and relevant for the future?
That's what I was trying to ask.

 

in 6 months a better one comes out.

This is the industry. And at a lower price.

There is (Keysight/Agilent/HP), LeCroy the old standards. They make a statement. At work I have a $50k scope. I don't think you can afford that.
I would not get a USB scope. One that uses a PC for the display. I have an early one that only works under DOS. Will not work with windows. Have not used for years. It only takes a small change in the PC market to make it worthless. We did get several Cleaver Scopes. There are some nice things, but I am scared if getting burned again.

I don't know what you are doing with it so that makes this hard.
In post #5, that scope has 16 digital inputs. If you only care if the signal is a 1 or 0 that works well. Not used by most people.

Here is a $350 scope that does math functions. For example, you can connect one probe to voltage and another to current and display (Chanel1 X chanel2) for power. On the display, bottom trace is the harmonics of chanel4. (digieky.com) For a low end scope this has the math of a high end product. Probably you will never use much of it.

I have looked inside many scopes. The $100 scopes are plastic case and will not survive a drop. The Keysight will take a drop.

Here is a battery powered scope. I like it that I can climb into a hell hole and make measurements. I don't like the small display, limited memory, nothing fancy. It will survive a fall.

I can't say there is any clear winner. New companies will appear next week and some will go away.

 

This one is mine:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZML6RD?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1



Took me a while to save up for it, but I've never regretted it.

 

This one is mine:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XZML6RD?ref_=ppx_hzsearch_conn_dt_b_fed_asin_title_1

View attachment 348771

Took me a while to save up for it, but I've never regretted it.

How do you use that scope? What is the electronic bench context you are working in? (hobby, repair shop,(for $$$) , engineering other etc. ?
I like the idea of 200 MHz, (because you are geared up beyond 100 MHz). However I also like the idea of the scope in post #7 with high end math function and 4 channels instead of 2. "More features for the money" is how I see it, and I usually use that buying philosophy for other non-electronic
items I purchase.

I read that 4 channel is better than 2 channel but 200 MHz is better than 100 Mhz (or 50 MHz) so it can get confusing.

Obviously I would want to get the most bang for my buck. This would only be in my home lab, not to take anywhere, and again, for "General Useage"
as wide a coverage of different types of gear, from power supplies, audio, maybe some RF in Ham Radio and any Digital gear, all in all as is reasonably and realistically possible. Maybe the price range I chose is too low and maybe it is OK, I don't know.

So which one is better for general use, your 2 channel 200MHz or that Rigol DS1054, 4 Channel with math functions (he says are usually only in high pice scopes), in the post above you, or the other two 50MHz and 70MHz Rigols above that one in post #2, or the 2 channel 50 Hz Tektronix in post #4?

Thanks

 

200MHz is only better than 50MHz if you need to measure signals between 50MHz and 200MHz!
I have an ISOtech at work, which functionally is identical to the Tek. However, the Tek is just so much better thought out and easier to use.
I've never had a four channel scope, so I can't speak in their favour. All I can say, Is that I have enough trouble getting two probes to stay in place.

One think I never thought would be true, is that if you send a pdf of a waveform to a customer, having "Tek" in the corner actually means that they take it more seriously!

 

200MHz is only better than 50MHz if you need to measure signals between 50MHz and 200MHz!
I have an ISOtech at work, which functionally is identical to the Tek. However, the Tek is just so much better thought out and easier to use.
I've never had a four channel scope, so I can't speak in their favour. All I can say, Is that I have enough trouble getting two probes to stay in place.

One think I never thought would be true, is that if you send a pdf of a waveform to a customer, having "Tek" in the corner actually means that they take it more seriously!

Tek has status and a Rep I get it. I used the old Tek analog scopes back in th day mainly in college.
As far as 50 or 200 MHz, its hard to say how I would be using it at this point in time. I just want to be prepared for anything as much as is realistically possible, which may be too much to ask, but I'm asking anyway.

 

I would suggest that you spend only what what is necessary to get a scope that will fulfill your of immediate and foreseeable needs. If you eventually need something better, you can trade up, knowing that you didn't waste a lot of money on features that you may never use.
I am still using my HP182A scope with 100 MHz dual vertical amplifier and delayed sweep timebase plug-ins. I bought it second hand in 1998 and it still fulfills my needs.

 

The other nice thing about this scope is it does fast Fourier analysis, think of it as a spectrum analyzer. I'm a tired and retired tech who had a stroke in 2016. So now I'm a disabled senior citizen (hemipaligic, left side paralyzed) who is still passionate about electronics. I do a lot of library work here on AAC by making various indexes making things easy to look up, you'll see them scattered around the site.

A confession and an Outing
Wendy's Index

Bertus seems to be the master in looking up resources on the WWW. My current passion is 3D printing which dovetails with electronics nicely.

 

Thanks to all for the recommendations so far.

The other nice thing about this scope is it does fast Fourier analysis, think of it as a spectrum analyzer. I'm a tired and retired tech who had a stroke in 2016. So now I'm a disabled senior citizen (hemipaligic, left side paralyzed) who is still passionate about electronics. I do a lot of library work here on AAC by making various indexes making things easy to look up, you'll see them scattered around the site.

A confession and an Outing
Wendy's Index

Bertus seems to be the master in looking up resources on the WWW. My current passion is 3D printing which dovetails with electronics nicely.

Funny I've been researching various scopes on youtube and just as your post #13 came up, I was watching the review of your scope, just by coincidence
and itis rated as the best lower cost scope with some Pro features. Does that scope have "Firmware upgradeability?"


Sorry to hear about your stroke. I am taking blood thinner to prevent one due to AFIB.
Hoping there is some therapy that can gradually remedy your condition.

 

I read that 4 channel is better than 2 channel but 200 MHz is better than 100 Mhz (or 50 MHz) so it can get confusing.

Your needs should dictate what you buy.

I did electronics as a hobby for about 30 years before I bought an oscilloscope. My first was an eBay purchase of a 7704A (analog 200MHz 4 channels). Since then, I've bought a dozen Tek scopes, a 2 channel 2GS/s HP (with a 32 channel logic analyzer plug-in card), and a couple <$50 DSO "toys". I was given a 20MHz 2 channel Hantek USB scope. I tend to use the USB scope the most to avoid wear and tear on the CRT scopes. It took me years of unstable triggering before I learned that the Hantek driver was crap and downloaded something that worked from GitHub.

You're never going see the clean of a trace of an analog scope on a digital scope.

 

Your needs should dictate what you buy.

I did electronics as a hobby for about 30 years before I bought an oscilloscope. My first was an eBay purchase of a 7704A (analog 200MHz 4 channels). Since then, I've bought a dozen Tek scopes, a 2 channel 2GS/s HP (with a 32 channel logic analyzer plug-in card), and a couple <$50 DSO "toys". I was given a 20MHz 2 channel Hantek USB scope. I tend to use the USB scope the most to avoid wear and tear on the CRT scopes. It took me years of unstable triggering before I learned that the Hantek driver was crap and downloaded something that worked from GitHub.

You're never going see the clean of a trace of an analog scope on a digital scope.

Regarding the 32 channel logic analyzer plug in card: Could you elaborate on that add-on device and how it becomes part of the total scope operation and extention of the scopes versatility?
As I educate myself on all the new digital scopes coming out, I am seeing the offerings of upgrades in firmware. (voluntary upgrades when desired). I did'nt know there were cards you could buy to add on other types of test gear. That would be great
and a way to cut down the cost of lots of extra test equip. to buy.

As far as old analog scopes, "clean trace" I might get one later as an addition, just to have one available for what it has to offer.
I was introduced to scopes in college with a Tektronix analog, 2 channel.

 

Regarding the 32 channel logic analyzer plug in card: Could you elaborate on that add-on device and how it becomes part of the total scope operation and extention of the scopes versatility?

A logic analyzer is for analyzing digital signals. There are "pods" that have 8-16 inputs. On the HP, I think it uses 4 pods for the 32 inputs.

The HP 16500A is a mainframe with slots for different tools. One is the DSO and the other I have is for the logic analyzer.
Here's a 16500C on eBay:

It's quite large. I bought mine on eBay for $40 with the DSO and logic analyzer plug-ins. No one was really interested in it because shipping was so much, but it was a local pick-up for me.

I also have logic analyzers for my Tektronix 7xxx mainframes. They were quite inexpensive on eBay for a while and were often sold without the pods. I paid almost $200 for my first pods. I had bought the plug-in earlier for less than $50, but it was useless without the pods.

This 7D01 has a formatter plug-in (on the left). Without the formatter, you get waveforms.

I bought a 7704A because there was one in the electronics lab at the community college I went to. There were a lot of other Tek scopes, but this was the most advanced of the lot.

I did'nt know there were cards you could buy to add on other types of test gear. That would be great
and a way to cut down the cost of lots of extra test equip. to buy.

You need to buy a mainframe type of scope. They accept plug-ins for different functionality.

On the Tek 7704A, it's a 4 plug-in mainframe. It has 2 slots for vertical amplifiers and 2 for horizontal (timebase) plug-ins. That mainframe also has plug-ins for a DVM, frequency counter, curve tracer, logic analyzer, etc.

There are also mainframes like TM500 that are for plug-ins for DVMs, function generators, frequency counters, power supplies, scopes, etc. There are also third-party vendors who made compatible plug-ins (like Pulse Instruments power supplies).

 

You need to buy a mainframe type of scope. They accept plug-ins for different functionality.

So you are talking about a special type of old analog scope. I thought you were talking about a newer
type of digital scope with available cards or software plug-ins. I assume these mainframe analog types are on Ebay.
How much are they? How much are the individual hardware plug ins?

Also, perhaps you had the knowledge and proximity to check out that scope locally. I am leary of buying old
electro-mechanical gear on Ebay at a distance, because I don't havethe necessary experience or knowledge
to know if the device is defective in some way. That leaves me with the option of only buying new gear.

 

So you are talking about a special type of old analog scope. I thought you were talking about a newer
type of digital scope with available cards or software plug-ins. I assume these mainframe analog types are on Ebay.
How much are they? How much are the individual hardware plug ins?

Yes. I learned in the 1970's and have an affinity for 40-50 year old test gear.

Test equipment prices wax and wane on eBay. They're selling for a premium now. For example, they're asking $200-400 for curve tracers from B&K, Heathkit, Jud Williams, etc. (even not working). I bought my BK501A as non-working for around $50. It had a bad OR gate (TTL) and I had a replacement on hand. I troubleshot it without a scope. Used a DVM and a logic probe.

perhaps you had the knowledge and proximity to check out that scope locally.

My first purchase was from about 2000 miles away. The seller said it worked and I bought it. It worked.

Tektronix equipment from back then had excellent manuals that included schematics and theory of operation info. Also, you need a scope to fix/calibrate a scope.

 

https://forum.allaboutcircuits.com/...al-sampling-oscilloscope-fft-function.196280/

Eventually I'll get a spectrum analyzer w/ a tracking oscillator, perfect for tuning LC filters old tech style (radios,etc).