Hi all,
I'd like some advice on test equipment. I have two goals. The first is for my current job: I'm working remotely as a firmware engineer for a startup creating some Zigbee devices. I've spent about a decade working for various big companies with big labs and endless tools, but for the moment I'm on my own. When we build a new board, I am the first to bring it up and diagnose any problems. I work closely with a rotating cast of hardware engineers, who themselves frequently don't have much of a lab. I'd like to buy a few things to help me do a better job for this and any future employers (at least until I get back to a "real job").
My second goal is to get deeper into electronics. I have a computer engineering degree, which for me meant that I took an introductory circuit analysis courses, then more or less jumped into logic gates, computer architecture and progressively higher-level topics. So the analog world is a bit of a mystery to me. To help with that, I bought the Art of Electronics (including the lab course). My plan is to work through all of the analog labs as if I know nothing, and then pick a few selected digital topics that I haven't done in awhile.
The test equipment I currently have:
- an Craftsman 82040 multimeter, given as a gift in 2002 or 2003 or so
- a cheap $10 multimeter, bought recently just for measuring two voltages at once
- Dave's µCurrent Gold, which I have used to help with measuring power usage for our devices. I've had a lot of trouble getting stable < 100 mV readings from my Craftsman meter, though.
- a Salea Logic Pro 16, which I use for decoding digital signals...and as a makeshift oscilliscope. My experience "muddling through" with its analog traces is what has made me want to buy a real scope.
The target price range is under USD $3K or so.
Here's what I've come up with so far:
Oscilliscope: Rigol DS1104Z
AoE recommended the DS1054Z, which also seems popular here.
The most complicated signals I would want to visualize right now are from a 10 MHz SPI bus. The Salea Logic does a fine job of decoding it for me--when the SPI bus is working at all. The scope would help diagnose what's wrong when it's not working. From reading other threads, the DS1104Z should be perfectly capable of that.
Power Supply: GW-Instek GPD-3303D
AoE didn't provide much guidance here. I don't believe I have any need to go over 3A for the low-power microcontroller designs I am likely to be working with. Forum threads seem to approve of three-output PSUs. I believe I can also connect this one to my PC and perform voltage sweeps, which I have wanted to do recently. I looked at Rigol's offerings, but the front panel of this Instek looks more like the PSUs I used to use in college (mid-90s Agilents, probably) so it feels very familiar.
Waveform Generator: GW-Instek AFG-2012
AoE recommended a B&K 4017A that seems more expensive with fewer features. I don't expect to need this for work, but I will need it for the labs.
Multimeter: Keysight U1252B
My immediate need is to log readings a PC, which my old Craftsman cannot do at all. I am aware I'll need to buy the optional cables, etc. I'm not sure which brands have the best, most easy-to-use PC interfaces, though.
This meter is probably overkill for my needs, but I would like a well-built, safe meter that I can hang onto and use for many years, no matter what I might find myself doing. I also considered one of the Flukes in the same price range, like the 287 or 289 but I just can't shake the feeling that I'm paying more for less with Fluke, and Keysight seems like a perfectly trustworthy brand.
I'm also curious where is the best place to actually buy all this equipment for a US customer?
I will be grateful for any advice or suggestions!