Hi All...
I would like to get a decent O Scope for general project use. I expect the affordable option would be one that plugs into a PC for the display and data processing, like the way the Salee Logic 16 works.
Any suggestions?
Thanks...
What is your budget?
I've got a DPScope USB scope.
http://www.pdamusician.com/dpscope/index.html
Doesn't seem to quite have the bandwidth for 8 MHz signals, I'm looking at one of these free standing scopes
Rigol DS1102E. 2 channel, 200 MHz
or there's another with somewhat better looking specs and a wider screen that's also in the same $400 range
Hantek DSO5202B maybe?
http://blog.circuitspecialists.com/product-review-hantek-dso5102b-100mhz-digital-storage-oscilloscope
http://www.savevid.com/video/eevblog-487-tekway-dst1102b-oscilloscope-review.html
Get past initial whining:
Bob, that's nice looking hardware, but I don't want to spend ~$400 right now. Although I do admit, I spent more than I wanted on the Logic 16 and it worked out great. I had something like this in mind:
Thats pretty inexpensive at about $50, and I can go higher if I need to. I'm just not sure exactly what I need. I'll probably be mostly playing with it, although it would be handy to look at I2C busses and so on to see if the signals are clean.
If you're running 400 KHz I2C, that units 1M (1000 KHz) samples/sec will not tell you much about the signals - you'd want something that can do 4M (4000 KHs), otherwise you barely see more than a high & low each clock signal.
CrossRoads:
If you're running 400 KHz I2C, that units 1M (1000 KHz) samples/sec will not tell you much about the signals - you'd want something that can do 4M (4000 KHs), otherwise you barely see more than a high & low each clock signal.
Okay thanks for pointing that out. No point in getting something that's useless...
Wow, those scopes are really, really cool. I guess scopes have improved a bit since the junker Tektronics I got at a ham radio flea market a few decades ago...
They seem to have improved by leaps & bounds in just the last few years even. Just amazing what is available for under $1K. I like the idea of the USB scopes and just using the laptop screen, as usually my laptop is right there anyway for making code changes, same with the Saleae logic analyzer. With the the DPScope I get these little triangle spikes that can't be triggered on when trying to look at SPI related signals. Can tell something is happening, but that's about it. Need to get something better to look at high speed signals & pulses. I don't need all the fancy math crap, no use for that, but it's hard to figure out what's better with so many options out there.
Oscope below 200MHz is wasting the money, imho..
Oscope below 200MHz is wasting the money, imho..
You cannot give blanket opinions without considering the application.
For example I use an Analog Discovery from Digilent (Oscilloscope-Logic Analyzer-Waveform Generator). For my Arduino Robot projects it is more than adequate. Remember this is the ARDUINO forum. On a professional electronics blog your comment would make more sense.
Another option would be a used analog scope. You should easily be able to find one under $100, and if you're patient under $50. See http://www.eevblog.com/2013/07/25/eevblog-498-how-to-get-a-50-oscilloscope-on-ebay/ for some tips.
Analog scope good for continuous signals - a lot of times storage capability comes in really handy tho. I am definitely going digital with storage capability. I've got an old analog scope that I'll drag out in a pinch, but I really want a small digital unit with much better bandwidth than my current USB DPScope.
I really want a small digital unit with much better bandwidth than my current USB DPScope.
Data storage is another major consideration. The ability to store a megasamples/event is very useful but expensive.
I thought memory was cheap these days. Does anybody know why USB scopes with good mem storage are expensive?
Might be a matter of creating the control. Bigger memory means more address lines - I am pretty sure these are parallel address/data bus systems for speed, so every doubling of memory size is another control line, either an address bit or chip select for another memory chip (or 2 chips since we're been discussing dual channel scopes). Same with the ADC chips - 1GHz and 2 GHz sample rates gotta be more expensive, and with parallel data busses.
Could be wrong, have to open a box & see the part numbers in use to confirm this speculating ...
the DS2xx (and it seems DS4xx) line of Rigol scope are hacked, pick up a 70mhz version and unlock it to 200mhz and add the 56m bandwith upgrade as well 
These are really really awesome scopes for the money.
If the OP doesn't want to spend $400 on a DS1052, he won't want to spend $800 on a DS2072...
Better to get a good used analog 50MHz or 100MHz 'scope than a crap USB 1MSPS 'scope. In general.
That said, I finally upgraded from my 20MHz dual trace expanded sweep analog 'scope to a 50MHz Rigol that will shortly get upgraded to 100MHz, at which point someone gave me a nonworking Tektronix 100MHz dual trace analog 'scope. I'm sure I'll find a use for it.
I think I'm getting a Rigol DS2202, dual channel, 200 MHz, widescreen, I like some of the features.
Was considering an old (1995) TEX 4-channel 200 MHz for comparable $, $1600 range, or a 500 MHz 4 channel Agilent for $2700 - but I figure if I need that many channels I'm gonna be looking at a bunch of digital stuff and will use Salea logic analyzer instead.
If you're looking at the Rigol DS2000 series, the DS2072 can be upgraded to 200 MHz bandwidth using just a software key. A web search for "rigol ds2000 hack" will bring up quite a bit of relevant information, and there's a long thread on eevblog.com on the subject.
Well, I did it, ordered a 4-channel 200 MHz digital scope.
Might be overkill for Arduino work, but I certainly won't be under equipped.
http://www.tequipment.net/InstekGDS-2204A.html
Includes 4 probes. I like the ability to add modules later for functionality if, for example, my Saleae 8-channel logic analyzer proves ineffective with its 24 MHz sampling.
Looks nice. I just received my Rigol DS2072, and converted it to a fully-optioned DS2202. Seems very nice, but it's my first scope, so what do I know? The I2C and SPI trigger/decode seem like they could be very useful for Arduino work. We're probably both rather far afield of what OP is looking for, though.