A good digital oscilloscope?
in [Design]
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From: Nico Coesel on 6 Dec 2009 18:55 krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: >On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:45:24 +0000, >info_at_cabling-design_dot_com(a)foo.com (DA) wrote: > >>Hi all, >> >>I think I'm going to try and treat myself to an oscilloscope this >>Christmas. I've managed to go without one for the last 15 years or so and, >>frankly, did not have a burning need or even much space for it. I do some >>digital design (PIC based mostly) - LED, motor controls and such and >>every once in a while I wish I has something to look at the signal with. >> >>So, I've looked around and saw this name come up often: Rigol DS1102E >>100MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope. There is also a 50MHz version which >>is what I think I need. There has not been any need for me to look at >>100MHz signals in a long time. I am not at all proficient with >>oscilloscopes and have never used a digital one. Last one I used had a >>round green screen :) which hints at how long ago that was... So flat(er) >>learning curve would be important for me. > >If you need to look at digital signals above 10-20MHz, you really >should buy a scope with more than a 100MHz bandwidth. I didn't think >I would waste my time with a (new) scope with less than a 300MHz >bandwidth. We have two Tek's at work and I try like hell to not use >the 100MHz model. There is not much use looking at any signal over 100MHz with a normal probe even if it is specified for 200MHz or more. The input capacitance of the probe (even in 1:10 mode) is loading signals over 100MHz way too much. -- Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply indicates you are not using the right tools... "If it doesn't fit, use a bigger hammer!" --------------------------------------------------------------
From: Nico Coesel on 6 Dec 2009 19:01 Tim Wescott <tim(a)seemywebsite.com> wrote: >On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:45:24 +0000, DA wrote: > >> Hi all, >> >> I think I'm going to try and treat myself to an oscilloscope this >> Christmas. I've managed to go without one for the last 15 years or so >> and, frankly, did not have a burning need or even much space for it. I >> do some digital design (PIC based mostly) - LED, motor controls and >> such and every once in a while I wish I has something to look at the >> signal with. >> >> So, I've looked around and saw this name come up often: Rigol DS1102E >> 100MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope. There is also a 50MHz version which >> is what I think I need. There has not been any need for me to look at >> 100MHz signals in a long time. I am not at all proficient with >> oscilloscopes and have never used a digital one. Last one I used had a >> round green screen :) which hints at how long ago that was... So >> flat(er) learning curve would be important for me. >> >> Are there people here using this brand? Are they any good for use in >> digital designs and, most importantly for me at this point, easy to >> learn? >> >> I guess, Rigol may not be the only ones making digital oscilloscopes >> these days. What other brands/models should I also look at? >> >> Thanks for your suggestions! >> >For embedded software work, channel count is more important than speed. >Unless you're debugging boards with really fast processors a 100MHz scope >is enough. > >Because I could justify it by the job it was bought for, I have an >Agilent mixed-signal scope, the one with a couple of scope channels and >16 logic analyzer channels. It is _way cool_ for mixed signals into a >processor, but someone who needed a good logic analyzer would sneer at >it, as would someone who needed a really good, really fast analog scope. I agree. I have a seperate logic analyzer, digital storage scope and a high frequency analog scope. All have their proper uses. I have been using older Agilent mixed signal oscilloscopes (5xxxx series) but I wasn't impressed by the trigger possibilities. -- Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply indicates you are not using the right tools... "If it doesn't fit, use a bigger hammer!" --------------------------------------------------------------
From: krw on 6 Dec 2009 19:54 On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 16:05:18 -0600, Jim Yanik <jyanik(a)abuse.gov> wrote: >krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote in >news:fl4oh5dfpeil5o5hb2qq14s6m7t1d3r57u(a)4ax.com: > >> On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:45:24 +0000, >> info_at_cabling-design_dot_com(a)foo.com (DA) wrote: >> >>>Hi all, >>> >>>I think I'm going to try and treat myself to an oscilloscope this >>>Christmas. I've managed to go without one for the last 15 years or so >>>and, frankly, did not have a burning need or even much space for it. I >>>do some digital design (PIC based mostly) - LED, motor controls and >>>such and every once in a while I wish I has something to look at the >>>signal with. >>> >>>So, I've looked around and saw this name come up often: Rigol DS1102E >>>100MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope. There is also a 50MHz version >>>which is what I think I need. There has not been any need for me to >>>look at 100MHz signals in a long time. I am not at all proficient with >>>oscilloscopes and have never used a digital one. Last one I used had a >>>round green screen :) which hints at how long ago that was... So >>>flat(er) learning curve would be important for me. >> >> If you need to look at digital signals above 10-20MHz, you really >> should buy a scope with more than a 100MHz bandwidth. I didn't think >> I would waste my time with a (new) scope with less than a 300MHz >> bandwidth. We have two Tek's at work and I try like hell to not use >> the 100MHz model. >> >> Half of the scope is the probe. Make sure you don't chince here. >> >> As far as operation, a scope is a scope unless it's Windoze based. >> Features may be easier on one than another but the essential controls >> are all pretty much the same. >> >>>Are there people here using this brand? Are they any good for use in >>>digital designs and, most importantly for me at this point, easy to >>>learn? >> >> Nope, I do Tek's. Right about now, Ebay is your friend. >> >>>I guess, Rigol may not be the only ones making digital oscilloscopes >>>these days. What other brands/models should I also look at? >>> >>>Thanks for your suggestions! > >Just an FYI on Tektronix; >they are planning to move production from Beaverton,Oregon to China. > >More US jobs lost. They haven't moved eBay to China yet.
From: David L. Jones on 6 Dec 2009 20:23 On Dec 7, 6:45 am, info_at_cabling-design_dot_...(a)foo.com (DA) wrote: > Hi all, > > I think I'm going to try and treat myself to an oscilloscope this > Christmas. I've managed to go without one for the last 15 years or so and, > frankly, did not have a burning need or even much space for it. I do some > digital design (PIC based mostly) - LED, motor controls and such and > every once in a while I wish I has something to look at the signal with. > > So, I've looked around and saw this name come up often: Rigol DS1102E > 100MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope. There is also a 50MHz version which > is what I think I need. There has not been any need for me to look at > 100MHz signals in a long time. I am not at all proficient with > oscilloscopes and have never used a digital one. Last one I used had a > round green screen :) which hints at how long ago that was... So flat(er) > learning curve would be important for me. > > Are there people here using this brand? Are they any good for use in > digital designs and, most importantly for me at this point, easy to learn? > > I guess, Rigol may not be the only ones making digital oscilloscopes these > days. What other brands/models should I also look at? > > Thanks for your suggestions! As someone else mentioned, see my blog for a review and a tear down of the Rigol DS1052E. As far as bang-per-buck goes, the Rigol DS1052E cannot be beat, it is now under US$400. There is much talk about it on the EEVblog forum also. Dave. www.eevblog.com
From: Jamie on 6 Dec 2009 21:02
Nico Coesel wrote: > krw <krw(a)att.bizzzzzzzzzzz> wrote: > > >>On Sun, 06 Dec 2009 19:45:24 +0000, >>info_at_cabling-design_dot_com(a)foo.com (DA) wrote: >> >> >>>Hi all, >>> >>>I think I'm going to try and treat myself to an oscilloscope this >>>Christmas. I've managed to go without one for the last 15 years or so and, >>>frankly, did not have a burning need or even much space for it. I do some >>>digital design (PIC based mostly) - LED, motor controls and such and >>>every once in a while I wish I has something to look at the signal with. >>> >>>So, I've looked around and saw this name come up often: Rigol DS1102E >>>100MHz Digital Storage Oscilloscope. There is also a 50MHz version which >>>is what I think I need. There has not been any need for me to look at >>>100MHz signals in a long time. I am not at all proficient with >>>oscilloscopes and have never used a digital one. Last one I used had a >>>round green screen :) which hints at how long ago that was... So flat(er) >>>learning curve would be important for me. >> >>If you need to look at digital signals above 10-20MHz, you really >>should buy a scope with more than a 100MHz bandwidth. I didn't think >>I would waste my time with a (new) scope with less than a 300MHz >>bandwidth. We have two Tek's at work and I try like hell to not use >>the 100MHz model. > > > There is not much use looking at any signal over 100MHz with a normal > probe even if it is specified for 200MHz or more. The input > capacitance of the probe (even in 1:10 mode) is loading signals over > 100MHz way too much. > Active Fet probes? I got a nice set for the 350mhz tek scope.. |