A good digital oscilloscope?
in [Design]
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From: DA on 6 Dec 2009 14:45 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! ------------------------------------- /_/ ((@v@)) ():::() VV-VV ##-----------------------------------------------## Delivered via http://www.electrondepot.com/ Electronics Enthusiasts' Community of the Net Web and RSS access to your favorite newsgroup - sci.electronics.design - 359995 messages and counting! ##-----------------------------------------------##
From: Nico Coesel on 6 Dec 2009 15:26 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. > >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? Also look at Owon (low end Tektronix) -- 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 15:29 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!
From: Tim Wescott on 6 Dec 2009 15:51 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. -- www.wescottdesign.com
From: Reinhard Zwirner on 6 Dec 2009 15:57
DA schrieb: > [...] > I guess, Rigol may not be the only ones making digital oscilloscopes these > days. What other brands/models should I also look at? Dave Jones' EEVblog #37 <http://www.eevblog.com/tag/oscilloscope/> HTH Reinhard |