What do you think of this low-cost oscilloscope?

Atlplasma · « **on:** 3 Jun 2014, 02:31 pm »

What do you techie types think of these budget oscilloscopes? Jameco has them for between $75 and $140 (approximately). The Minilab portable looks kind of interesting.

http://www.jameco.com/Jameco/workshop/ProductNews/smallest-oscilloscope.html?sp_rid=MzA5NTIzNzI4OTUS1&sp_mid=9055926&spMailingID=9055926&spUserID=MzA5NTIzNzI4OTUS1&spJobID=283189434&spReportId=MjgzMTg5NDM0S0

randytsuch · « **Reply #1 on:** 3 Jun 2014, 02:46 pm »

They only have a frequency bandwidth of 200 khz, so it can only take 200,000 samples per second.

With that bandwidth, I would only use it for signals up to 20 khz or so. So, IMHO, it would work for analog signals but not really for digital.

Oh, and although it says the voltage range is-14 to 20v, you can use a x10 probe making the voltage range -140 to 200v, which is fine for normal stuff, but not really enough for tubes.

Randy

Speedskater · « **Reply #2 on:** 3 Jun 2014, 03:03 pm »

That's a cute very tiny special purpose device. But it's not something that you want on your test bench.

Atlplasma · « **Reply #3 on:** 3 Jun 2014, 03:17 pm »

Thanks for the input Randy and Speedskater. Is there a budget oscilloscope that would be worthwhile?

Alberto DeRoma · « **Reply #4 on:** 3 Jun 2014, 03:45 pm »

They are no Tektronics, and it's $400, but I've found Rigols to be pretty darn good for what they are:

http://www.amazon.com/Rigol-DS1102E-Oscilloscope-Channels-Sampling/dp/B001VKCJ0M/ref=sr_1_1?s=industrial&ie=UTF8&qid=1401810005&sr=1-1&keywords=rigol

It all depends of what you want to do with it. I use the Rigol to show/teach audio electronic theory in action--nothing like "seeing" what sounds look like.

Alberto

Speedskater · « **Reply #5 on:** 4 Jun 2014, 02:50 pm »

Really you need two O-scopes!

If you are doing any experimenting, like op-amp rolling or anything with SMPS's or Class "D" amps you need an old fashioned scope. A high speed one, maybe 100MHz but higher speed is better.

It would also be real nice to have a new battery powered digital scope. It won't find radio frequency oscillations but it does all sorts of nice low frequency things. Like it can capture images, it can more safely check the power line and it can find strangeness that stops when you hook-up AC line powered test equipment.

randytsuch · « **Reply #6 on:** 4 Jun 2014, 03:49 pm »

A bunch of companies make fairly low cost USB dongles to make turn a PC into a low cost scope.

Based on where you started, I think this is more in line with what you would want, unless you could find an old, working surplus tek scope.

I don't have any specific recommendations, we don't use usb scopes at work.

Randy

Folsom · « **Reply #7 on:** 4 Jun 2014, 05:10 pm »

A spectrum analyzer is what you really want in audio (can do O-scope stuff, good ones hook up to computer). O-scopes aren't terribly useful by comparrison. It's all manually calculating everything, AFTER you find it. Looking for stray frequencies etc, very time consuming since you have to adjust for ranges where you can even see them. The SA just gives you everything, and you can set it on a comparing measure of strength.

But $$$$$$$$ for an SA.

O-scopes are a fun nerd tool, but unless you spend a lot of time setting clocks and trimmers for specific frequencies... That are typically way out of the range of a lot of cheap O-scopes...