Torn between the Rigol or a good analog scope

[Mechatrommer]

a matter of time, money and information processing.

[Tony R]

I say get both, you can get your Rigol for the 400 bucks and if you look you can probably find an analog scope too.

A digital scope will have more advanced features such as being able to do math adding waveforms and subtracting them, auto set is nice but not always the best thing.

An analog one will give you a better picture at times, faster response.

[alm]

A digital scope will have more advanced features such as being able to do math adding waveforms and subtracting them, auto set is nice but not always the best thing.

Most analog scopes can also add and subtract channels . Not so with more advanced math like multiplication or integration, though.

[PeterG]

it comes down to the rite tool for the job. if you can manage it, get both for sure. I use a 40Mhz Analog and a Rigol Digital scope. I use the Rigol mostly, however the Analog is worth its weight in gold when i need it.

Just my 2 cents

[Joshua]

Hello,

I am in america, and did not have to pay any import taxes etc...

In fact, I got mine from Amazon.com

http://www.amazon.com/Rigol-DS1052E-Oscilloscope-channels-connectivity/dp/B003MYND5A/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1302788754&sr=8-1

Right now, it's $400.00, but if you have a *.edu email address(I'm assuming you do, since you're a university student), then you can sign up for 'Amazon Prime'. In which case, the scope is 'prime eligible' meaning, you get FREE, yes FREE two-day shipping. -I love amazon


http://www.amazon.com/gp/student/signup/info - place to sign up for prime.


NOTE: there is only 8 left in stock on amazon, so...  They might run out in a year, a week, or a day, I have no clue.


Joshua

[James Hinkson]

This is a very late reply.  Users often think a digital scope is noisier than an analog scope.  This isn't actually the case.  I refer the reader to a short Tektronix blurb on the matter.  Take a look at http://www.tek.com/support/faqs/why-does-my-digital-oscilloscope-have-more-noise-then-my-analog-oscilloscope

Jim Hinkson

[mazurov]

for physics-related work (measuring minute phase shifts between signals, for instance)

Define "minute". You shouldn't expect any decent alignment between channels of cheap DSO. Here's the experiment I performed with my newly-acquired Hantek -> https://www.eevblog.com/forum/chat/hantek-tekway-dso-hack-get-200mhz-bw-for-free/msg197085/#msg197085 , it shows 1ns difference between channels where there is none.

The analog rig used for verification can be bought for less money than I spent on this DSO.

[BravoV]

C'mon mazurov, its not even fair to compare one of the fastest analog scope ever made on earth vs this poor low end Chinese DSO. 

[mazurov]

I'm not comparing. I'm showing that at this frequency the phase difference between these two probes is much less than presented by low-end Chinese DSO. The OP mentioned phase measurements and I just wanted to show the limitations of the instrument.

Besides, if "one of the fastest analog scopes ever made on earth" can be had for less money than low-end Chinese DSO it is wise to buy it first while they are still available ( I have 2, both in excellent condition). I'm pretty happy with a Hantek, BTW - two clicks to the left on the timebase it starts measuring well and it makes nice screenshots too :-).

[gotwood]

I chose to buy a used HP54645D on eBay and am glad I did

[Neganur]

I find that I only use the analog scope when I need the bandwidth (or special plugins). The Rigol for example is so much more convenient with the measurements shown on the display, screenshots, delayed timebase etc. Toss it in a bag when you visit a friend to hack up some stuff.

I don't think that the drawbacks mentioned, DSO noise and UI difficulties (the main knobs are the same as on the analog no?), are important enough for a beginner to choose an analog scope over a DSO. A very strong point for used analog scopes seems to be the price and the bandwidth. I also believe that all of us who have both an analog and a DSO and have used scopes for a long time are really biased. You don't need an analog scope as your first scope nowadays, you can do all those beginner mistakes (and more) with a DSO as well. Overall, I think that a DSO will be more useful to a beginner in the long run.

With $400.00 I would probably try to get a Tek 2465B over a new rigol, since it has 4 channels and more bandwidth. Or a Tek 465B if money was tight. If 400 MHz DSO's were a bit cheaper I would never look back. For a beginner, not sure if it matters if it's analog or not, it's an exploration tool at that stage.