I could use an oscilloscope. But my needs are very basic. And being retired w limited income I wish to keep the price down. Certainly under $200, pref under $100. Would love to hear some suggestions, and which 'scopes people are really happy with, and which ones to avoid.
So first, I'm not sure how much bandwidth or samples-per-second I need. Uses will include checking power supplies for ripple and noise, checking audio signals for noise and interference, and likewise checking serial data connections for signal degradation and rounded corners. I don't do any RF stuff and the fastest signal I'm likely to look at would be WS2811 data at 800KHz. So 5-10MHz, 5-10Ms/s?
Next, I want something semi-portable. Doesn't need to fit in my pocket or be battery powered, but not a big heavy beast either. Conversely though, I would like a decent sized screen for my tired old eyes. I would consider a USB based scope if it would work with, say, an old 7" android tablet.
Finally, something with decent smart triggering, decoding of common data signals (including WS2811), and ability to export/save to the computer for further analysis.
So tell me, which one(s) should I be looking at?
Also look for matching probes for your scope.
I don't trust USB 'scopes for anything "serious", but I've never used one. And I doubt they work on Android. (I don't have an oscilloscope at home but I use them at work.)
You'll probably have to increase your budget a little... Maybe something like this for $250 USD?
I would suggest nothing less then 100 MHz. Picoscope 2000 series. is one of many available. You may also find something on eBay in your price range, availability there varies a lot.
Check second hand. Many people upgrades to a higher model and sells the other one still in perfectly good conditions.
I would prefer a used one capable than a new one with too low specs.
Thanks for suggestions so far!
Paul_KD7HB - Most (but not all) 'scopes include the probes. I've learned to check for that since it would be an extra expense if not included. Pro'ly not the best probes mind you, but should at least be matched.
DVDdoug - All the USB ones I've looked at so far (quite a few) do not appear to support Android, or iOS, but perhaps someone knows otherwise? Your suggested Owon 'scope seems overkill for me. But I won't rule it out yet.
Gilshultz - Picoscope looks pretty cool for the price, but does not support (?) a tablet. Need something semi-portable and pulling out my heavy old 17" laptop puts a damper on that.
Gilshultz and gromit1 - Would not mind a used one if the price is right but have been perusing eBay and used ones don't seem to be much of a bargain there, not much less than new. Other auction & resale sites have few if any 'scopes.
I too am looking for ''baby's first oscilloscope''. there's a single channel PCB w/ display student scope that's under $30 on amzon thats been sitting in my cart. it comes as a kit too, but not ready to commit lol. has anyone used something like this?
its probably garbage but at that price point is accessible and might be useful? i think you just have to buy something, then learn it, then you'll know what you what in the next one..
Had one of those. It was horrible. Not even enough bandwidth for plain audio. Triggering was useless. CPU failed after a month. Not even worth the $5 they cost on the Chinese websites.
The picoscope has an USB connector. I can connect USB to my iPad, never tried the scope. I do need an adapter to do that. I am not sure about a tablet. I have a Tektronix TDS series, it travels nicely. It also has an Ethernet connection which is great for sharing.
hah thanks for the heads up, ill save my money for other cheap chinese stuff. good luck finding a scope.
You say you have basic needs, but also have a rather specialized set of requirements, and of course want something really cheap! I am quite sure there is nothing that would fit.
Since I use some high-end scopes at work, I also looked for a cheap scope to use at home. After buying a couple of cheap but rather poor scopes, I realized there is little option but to fork out for a decent quality scope. Personally I would rather go for a new scope from a reputable supplier, than risk getting an expensive paper weight.
There are really 3 options:
- regular scope like Rigol DS1102. A decent "value brand" scope.
- Picoscope with laptop. A decent quality but not cheaper than DS1102, it seems you pay extra for portability
- Sub $200 "pocket" scopes. These are basically toys and not really worth considering.
The only cheap gadget that has actually impressed me are the $15 Saleae logic analyzer clones, they are great for logic work, but no help with analog obviously.
I have a Hantek DSO5102p 2 channel / 100 MHz / 1 GSPS scope that can be found for about $270 USD that I'm pretty happy with.
I recently bought a "ZEEWI-154Pro" 1 channel / 18 MHz (advertised, but doesn't do well there) / 40 MHz for $39 USD. For a toy scope it works well enough that I do use it, but it certainly has it's limitations and the UI takes some getting use to.
I doubt that you will find a USB scope that will work with IOS or Android. The USB part is the data acquisition part, but the interpretation runs on the PC. If you check the software some are only Windows based. Higher end ones support Linux and Mac also.
I haven't used this, so can't comment on it's utility, but there do exist Android phone based oscilloscopes. This one uses a RaspberryPi Pico as the acquisition device, so would be a low sampling rate device, but it's something:
I think that should it be possible to find something good for a reasonable price, waiting for the opportunity or saving a bit longer. Maybe not for 25€/$, but also not too expensive. It's worth the effort I think.
Actually in my opinion in this times these devices are very affordable and available compared to what was in the past. A capable oscilloscope for the equivalent price of around 300€ would have been a dream. Just to have an oscilloscope at home would have been a dream for a hobbyist.
The same for all the rest. You can have very powerful chips or modules for a few cents, even from reputable sellers. And components with specs and performance that are close to witchery.
Sorry for the divagations 
I would suggest Fnirsi 1013d. It looks very handy and it is for about 100EUR.
Once again, thanks to everyone for your input.
Hey, I love a good tool especially a technical one. And if I will use it often or hard I will gladly pay to get the best. But I don't need a big Ford F350 4WD pickup to haul a few bags of potting soil every now and then.
I don't do analog stuff except for some occasional audio. I don't do any RF or radio work. I don't much data work except for WS281x pixels at 800KHz and DMX at 250K baud. Most of my projects are of the on-off variety: the controller either turns on a relay or mosfet to feed something power, or it doesn't.
I've looked at the Rigols, the Hanteks, and the Siglents and they're very nice and very affordable for their feature set. If I was doing more complex projects I would have long since bought one of those. I have several nice multimeters.
Instead I'm looking at Fnirsi 1013D and 1014D and Hanamatek DS1103 which claim to have similar specs and features [Yeah, I'm sure they actually don't] and they still seem way more than I need. I certainly like the small desktop form factor with a 7" screen, fits my definition of "semi-portable". Also noticed the Hantek DSO2D210 which is (barely) under $200 when ordered direct from China.
Anyone have experience with any of these?
I sold a good scope on Facebook Market place for $50 a few years ago. There used to be some listed on Craigs List. You can post a wanted listing on either or both.
FNiRSi produces a DSO and Is supposed to be 100MHz bandwidth and at around £140 it is ample for most testing.
I have a different version , but you can see this one on ebay [FNIRSI 1014D
I have one which I use most of the time, leaving the bench scope turned off. Who wants to waste power unless you really need precision
Anyone using the FNiRSi products, I have questions:
- how sophisticated is the triggering? I see there's no separate input, so I presume one must trigger on the signal in channel 1 or 2, but can one have a delayed trigger? Trigger on A+B? How adjustable is the trigger level? +/-, presumably?
- does the software allow any analytics, like frequency measurement, pulse width measurement, amplitude callouts, RMS calculations, etc.?
- I don't see a bit count for the one I'm looking at - is the signal input an 8 bit conversion? 10 bit?
- Signal coupling - AC/DC/GND?
- Did your scope come with any probes, and if not, what are you using?
Thanks, everyone.