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Recommended USB oscilloscopes?

J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yes I've done the google thing, but I was wondering what USB scopes
you use / recommend / absolutely hate.

When I looked around a couple months ago I found that the really good
ones cost more than a real DSO. So I bought a GW-Instek DSO via Newark,
for less. Has full USB connectivity but can be used standalone (where
you can still store tons of pics onto a USB stick). Plus there are times
when a laptop just spews to much EMI around for a nice analog measurement.
 
When I looked around a couple months ago I found that the really good
ones cost more than a real DSO. So I bought a GW-Instek DSO via Newark,
for less. Has full USB connectivity but can be used standalone (where
you can still store tons of pics onto a USB stick). Plus there are times
when a laptop just spews to much EMI around for a nice analog measurement.



Thanks for the input.

Michael
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jamie said:
DO your self a favor, Buy a real one and use the USB connector
to monitor and log data to a PC>

You can get good USB PC scopes how ever, the price you'll pay
won't be worth the inconvenience of having a digital stand alone
that you won't need the PC for.

And also stay away from standalone DSOs that use a Windows type OS. I
had the "pleasure" to use one at a client and it drove me nuts. Those
can be sloooow. I might carry my Instek down there next time. That's why
I didn't buy my dream scope, the Hameg 2008, because nothing much
besides it would fit into a pilot's case and you don't want to check in
a scope.
 
J

Jamie

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yes I've done the google thing, but I was wondering what USB scopes
you use / recommend / absolutely hate.

Thanks

Michael
DO your self a favor, Buy a real one and use the USB connector
to monitor and log data to a PC>

You can get good USB PC scopes how ever, the price you'll pay
won't be worth the inconvenience of having a digital stand alone
that you won't need the PC for.
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jamie said:
I bought a chinese knock off that looks a lot like a Tek, It's only 25
Mhz but that is sufficient for portable toss around stuff. It has a 320
x256 color screen and a DMM in it, all isolated inputs with high quality
scope probes, metal carry case etc. $499. the interface for the PC has
both USB or Serial and the software works excellent for the price of it.

Rigol or Instek? I just bought Instek's top of the line, a GDS-2204.
Very nice. The screen resolution ain't that great either but its TFT is
so bright you can read it clear across the lab. The only bone I still
have to pick with them is that they took the delayed trigger out despite
advertising that it has it. The weirdest thing: The cheaper 2-ch model
has it! And via some hyperterminal poking I found the firmware fragments
of it still floating around in there. So I wonder whether it's just
throttled down for whatever reason.
 
A

Anthony Fremont

Jan 1, 1970
0
Joerg said:
And also stay away from standalone DSOs that use a Windows type OS. I
had the "pleasure" to use one at a client and it drove me nuts. Those
can be sloooow. I might carry my Instek down there next time. That's
why I didn't buy my dream scope, the Hameg 2008, because nothing much
besides it would fit into a pilot's case and you don't want to check
in a scope.

That's one thing I really like about the Rigol I bought, it's only about 6"
deep and weighs just a few pounds. Not sure how the airlines would feel
about me bringing it on board though. I've wondered what would happen if I
took my PIC stuff (breadboard, a few ICs, LEDs and discrete parts,
programmer, LCD display, etc) along some time. I wonder if they'd mind me
tinkering around with it during flight. ;-)
 
J

Jamie

Jan 1, 1970
0
Joerg said:
And also stay away from standalone DSOs that use a Windows type OS. I
had the "pleasure" to use one at a client and it drove me nuts. Those
can be sloooow. I might carry my Instek down there next time. That's why
I didn't buy my dream scope, the Hameg 2008, because nothing much
besides it would fit into a pilot's case and you don't want to check in
a scope.
I bought a chinese knock off that looks a lot like a Tek, It's only 25
Mhz but that is sufficient for portable toss around stuff. It has a 320
x256 color screen and a DMM in it, all isolated inputs with high quality
scope probes, metal carry case etc. $499. the interface for the PC has
both USB or Serial and the software works excellent for the price of it.
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Jamie said:
Hmm, no it's not a Rogol or Instek, and are you sure you didn't miss
something?
On mine, if memory serves, You use lets say channel B as the trigger
source. You move the cursor to the place you want. and on A channel you
can then expand it. That is one example. there are others .
http://www.saelig.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PSSA001&Category_Code=

Delay really doesn't work, I tried. All you can do is use the memory as
delay. Ok, 25K is already ten times more than the paltry 2.5K on the
TDS2xxx series but still, when sampling at full blast of 1GS/sec that
ends at 25usec, not enough for many pulse-echo measurements. Using two
channels you only net 12.5usec and for three or all four channels it's
half that again.
Hmm, after looking at it there, I guess it's a 20mhz, and for some
reason this one only has a USB, the one have has both. Oh well.
Maybe it's been down graded it a bit.

Mine's got several USB ports and RS232 which is nice when connecting to
legacy lab PCs. Really practical is the USB up front, avoids having to
climb onto the lab desk to plug in a memory stick.

I guess some day we'll see the first ones with a WLAN antenna. That
would be cool.
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Anthony said:
Joerg wrote:




That's one thing I really like about the Rigol I bought, it's only about 6"
deep and weighs just a few pounds. Not sure how the airlines would feel
about me bringing it on board though. I've wondered what would happen if I
took my PIC stuff (breadboard, a few ICs, LEDs and discrete parts,
programmer, LCD display, etc) along some time. I wonder if they'd mind me
tinkering around with it during flight. ;-)

Or when the pilot comes on and says "We've got a wee problem up here.
Does any of the passengers happen to have a soldering iron?"
 
J

Jamie

Jan 1, 1970
0
Joerg said:
Rigol or Instek? I just bought Instek's top of the line, a GDS-2204.
Very nice. The screen resolution ain't that great either but its TFT is
so bright you can read it clear across the lab. The only bone I still
have to pick with them is that they took the delayed trigger out despite
advertising that it has it. The weirdest thing: The cheaper 2-ch model
has it! And via some hyperterminal poking I found the firmware fragments
of it still floating around in there. So I wonder whether it's just
throttled down for whatever reason.
Hmm, no it's not a Rogol or Instek, and are you sure you didn't miss
something?
On mine, if memory serves, You use lets say channel B as the trigger
source. You move the cursor to the place you want. and on A channel you
can then expand it. That is one example. there are others .
http://www.saelig.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PSSA001&Category_Code=

Hmm, after looking at it there, I guess it's a 20mhz, and for some
reason this one only has a USB, the one have has both. Oh well.
Maybe it's been down graded it a bit.
 


So funny... my kids were staring at me as if I'd just gone insane, I
was laughing so hard.

So, after the techs install Knoppix and the plane's nose pitches
downwards, they discover that the engine control code is written
in .NET. "Say, how quickly can you re-write the code in g++?" the PFY
asks, as yells and screams from the passenger compartment filter
through the cabin door. The pilot interjects, "Uh, guys, you have two
minutes before we slam into the ground."

So what is this PFY? Is it anything like a PHB?

Thanks for the laughs

Michael
 
D

D from BC

Jan 1, 1970
0
That's one thing I really like about the Rigol I bought, it's only about 6"
deep and weighs just a few pounds. Not sure how the airlines would feel
about me bringing it on board though. I've wondered what would happen if I
took my PIC stuff (breadboard, a few ICs, LEDs and discrete parts,
programmer, LCD display, etc) along some time. I wonder if they'd mind me
tinkering around with it during flight. ;-)

:) Reminds me of the time I packed a carryon full of electronic parts
and wires on a flight from BC to Arkansas. (Pre 9/11)
I saw the X-ray and got nervous.
Yup...I had to open my case after the xray.. :p
Luckily I didn't have bottles of liquid or bricks of putty. That would
have make inspectors really suspicious.

I think you'd freak out everybody on a plane if you took out a design
kit. :)
The worst thing you could probably do is test out a PIC based count
down timer with a really big LED display... and it beeps too.. :p

D from BC
 
D

David L. Jones

Jan 1, 1970
0
Yes I've done the google thing, but I was wondering what USB scopes
you use / recommend / absolutely hate.

All DSO's are not created equal, what are the specs you need? i.e.
sample rate, bandwidth, sample memory, resolution, mixed signal
capability etc
What is good for one person can be useless for someone else.

This is one of the better ones in terms of performance and specs:
http://www.cleverscope.com/

Dave.
 
All DSO's are not created equal, what are the specs you need? i.e.
sample rate, bandwidth, sample memory, resolution, mixed signal
capability etc
What is good for one person can be useless for someone else.

This is one of the better ones in terms of performance and specs:http://www.cleverscope.com/

Dave.


Good idea... specs. Actually, I was asking because I was thinking of
getting a scope for my dad for his birthday. He doesn't have one
yet. He typically fixes up miscellaneous electronics for fun: TVs,
radios, VCRs, amplifiers, stuff like that.

I'd imagine he'd need something that would let him see the output from
an amplifier, to look for noise... ?

Thanks,

Michael
 
D

David L. Jones

Jan 1, 1970
0
Good idea... specs. Actually, I was asking because I was thinking of
getting a scope for my dad for his birthday. He doesn't have one
yet. He typically fixes up miscellaneous electronics for fun: TVs,
radios, VCRs, amplifiers, stuff like that.

I'd imagine he'd need something that would let him see the output from
an amplifier, to look for noise... ?

Thanks,

Michael

In that case, forget a PC based USB scope, totally ill-suited to the
task.
What he needs is a traditional analog oscilloscope, dual channel 20MHz
is the usual entry point.
Depends entirely on your budget though. $100 will get you a new tiny
10MHz single channel job:
http://www.dse.com.au/cgi-bin/dse.storefront/46e63c74003a98862741c0a87f9c070f/Product/View/Q1803

About triple the $$$ will get you a bigger and more versatile new
20MHz dual channel job.

If you want higher bandwidth than that then a 2nd hand unit (eBay or a
surplus dealer) is much better value for money. You can get a top
brand 100MHz unit for the price of a new 20MHz cheapie. But 2nd hand
for a present is a bit iffy I suppose...

I'm surprised he doesn't have one already.

Dave.
 
D

David L. Jones

Jan 1, 1970
0
:) Reminds me of the time I packed a carryon full of electronic parts
and wires on a flight from BC to Arkansas. (Pre 9/11)
I saw the X-ray and got nervous.
Yup...I had to open my case after the xray.. :p
Luckily I didn't have bottles of liquid or bricks of putty. That would
have make inspectors really suspicious.

I had to hand carry a few dozen very expensive and fragile oscillator
modules from Sydney to Singapore last year. The Sydney people didn't
give a toss, but the Singaporean authorities really wanted to know
what these little metal cans were, and they wanted me to crack the
cases open to show them what
was inside. I said I could open one if they wanted to pay $1000 for
it. Helps to have the documentation for them, but still took a lot of
talking to various people with progressively bigger and bigger guns to
let me carry them on the plane. Fun stuff.

Dave.
 
R

Robert Lacoste

Jan 1, 1970
0
Joerg said:
I guess some day we'll see the first ones with a WLAN antenna. That would
be cool.

.... as long as there is a switch to turn it off, in particular for RF
measurements ;+)

Friendly,
Robert
 
J

Joerg

Jan 1, 1970
0
Robert said:
... as long as there is a switch to turn it off, in particular for RF
measurements ;+)

Yes, certainly. That's what I love on my latest laptop. It has a metal
enclosure and a large and brightly lit WLAN switch. Not some sub-menu
but a real switch.
 
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