So I have realized that in my recent project that I have undertaken I honestly don't have any way of testing what is actually happening in the circuit.
I have a nice Fluke DVM but other then basic measurements it does not really tell me if my theory on the design is correct.
I was looking at the following oscilloscope that looks like a really nice scope. Slightly outdated but at the same time seems like a good deal considering it is essentially brand new and far under what a equivelaint scope would cost.
I would like to buy somehting that I can 'grow' into as opposed to an entry level scope that I will outgrow as my skills develop. There are a ton of 'used' 'vintage' 'analog' scopes on the market and they certainly appear to be a 'hit or miss' situation and I would prefer not to waste my money on some old analog scope that needs to be coddled along and not having 100% certainty in what is presented.
With all that said I was looking at the following scope I found on ebay, yes its at the high end of a hobbyist needs but at the same time the price is not terrible and it definately covers all the bases that I could ever envsion needing.
Your thoughts and recommendations would be highly appreciated, Thanks!
It says its digital but it might be analog with digital interpolation or could be just talking about the screen, I really don't know... How important is this?
I've been happy using this excellent, 100 MHz analog Tek scope for Arduino and audio projects, for about 20 years. This $20 8 channel logic analyzer, a couple of good DMMs, and a small hand held signal generator round out the setup. Anything else would be icing on the cake, and never necessary.
I use an old two channel Techtronix , worth a hundred or so .
It’s useful , but more often a logic probe ( I’ve an LED on a stick ) does the job.
You need to think what you will use it for , and if you’ve not had one before buy a cheap used one ( loads on eBay for $2-300), that will define whether you need something better , in which case sell on .
I’ve the £20 logic analyser which is nice , but I’ve never used it !
A second DVM and a board with a few leds and switches soldered on is most useful .
I’ve no idea what the Aliexpress type $5 scopes are like , but I wouldn’t have it if starting out .
Thanks everyone for giving me some grounding and insight to what is a more reasonable purchase.
Or SpaceX, Lockheed, Northrup Grumman, etc...I would love to, but I think that opportunity might have passed me up a few decades ago. And yes, total overkill
Uhg, I am SO bummed! I had committed myself to spending $200 on this Rigoli,
I got caught on the phone and missed it by 5 minutes! Sold for $157!
Got it, that would be a great addition, and inexpensive.
But I also work with alot of automotive circuits measuring analog signals so I am not sure if a logic analyzer would be the best tool in that situation?
I am fairly new to electronics and circuit designs, I have worked with automotive electrical for years but never dove into the actual design aspects until recently.
Around a year ago I was in the same position. I spent a fair bit of time going through the various options from the "toy" USB 1 or 2 channel scopes that were only really good enough for audio, through to the more substantial USB scopes like the Picoscope range.
In the end I went for a dedicated scope - a Rigol DS1054Z - 4ch and 50MHz is plenty for me.
Oh, and +1 for the 24MHz logic analyser that you can pick up from ebay or Aliexpress. A great little tool and easy to use with pulseview.
In that case a regular oscilloscope would be better.
A 'scope is actually of limited use with digital signals since digital data (and address lines, etc.) is not repetitive. It can be good for checking if there is any digital signal at all (if it's stuck-low or stuck-high) and you can usually spot a "funny looking" waveform if two data lines are shorted together.
I'm not saying it's useless... I work in electronics (mostly digital) and I use a 'scope every day. But so far, after many years, I haven't needed one at home for my hobby projects. There are times when I've "lusted" for one and at least once I "cheated" and took a hobby project into work to use the 'scope. But besides the expense, I have too much "stuff" already! ;)
I don't buy anything from ebay (or "unknown" 3-rd party amazon suppliers, etc.). And I'm not sure if it's worth buying a used one. If it needs repair or calibration that could be expensive and I especially wouldn't buy an old analog 'scope. There are lots of advantages to digital.
And I wouldn't buy one of those cheap USB gizmos that plug-into your computer for display.
Yep, I missed a DS1052 for $157 last night 2 channel, still had the original box, manuals, probes, everything. Incredible deal to miss by 5 minutes, still upset about that.
I did just now purchase a little $10 24Mhz logic analyzer. I have a little credit card ARM processor card with Linux on it and I can just make that a dedicated logic analyzer with pulse view.
I am a fan of Ebay and have found quite alot of great books, tools, supplies, occasional gizmos, what have you. I do however watch out for the warehouse gypsies and only try to buy from individuals. You can usually tell the difference by reading the descriptions. I do however flat out refuse to use Amazon for anything, I will not support Jeff Bezos with one single cent of my money.
The scope OP linked is a fine scope (assuming that the eBay seller is trustworthy), but it's not how I'd spend $1800 on test gear.
Most recently I was pretty cheap and bought a Sigilent 4-channel scope. If I was less cheap, I would've gotten the model with the logic analyzer module (or a similar Rigol.)
That is a good scope but by the time you add warranty, 3 probes (porbe included), you can get a brand new one in the box. If it is more than you need it will not hurt you, just cost a few bucks. If it is not enough you then get to do the purchase again. I have several Tec scopes with MSO4054 being my primary scope. I also get it calibrated on a regular basis.
gets more use than another one I have that cost way more. It has proved to be entirely adequate.
The inputs are 5 volt logic levels, so you can look at so called TTL serial. Obvsly it's not too hard to come up with that if it isn't right there somewhere.
Pulseview has a variety of decoders so you can see serial data and stuff.
The wokwi.com simulator has a logic analyser so if you were really cheap, you could play with one for zero cost and see what we talking about.
Each one of those blue adapters is a 5v to 3.3 TTL adapter so that is fully covered. I would have more inputs then I could shake a transistor at and all those cables might get cumbersome, but it would be a very real and powerful solution over a $10 china special. Hmmm.
LOL, instantly got hooked playing simon!
Thanks for your input and everyone else's, I appreciate all the comments and suggestions.
