EEVblog #824 - GW Instek GDS-1000B Oscilloscope Teardown

[EEVblog]

Inside the new GW Instek GDS-1000B series entry level low cost oscilloscope. Both the GDS-1054B and the GDS-1104B
What is the main mystery processor?
It is lower cost than the Rigol DS1054Z, how does it compare?
And a look at a SinX/X display processing anomaly that was discovered.

[Hydrawerk]

Thank you for the review.
According to the user manual, the Search, Set/Clear and arrows buttons have no function. 
I like the high quality capacitors. This scope is basic and cheaply made, but it might work for 10+ years.

[BloodyCactus]

very interesting. i poked around its datasheets and manuals, nowhere did I see any form of decoding mentioned 4 channels and no basic i2c/spi/can decoding...

interesting tho it has pal/secam/hdtv video triggering built in... odd.

theres an option in menu to display QR codes that will take you to I guess different instek websites.. bizarre.

unless decoding is an app.. there are apps for DVM, data log, digital filter, go no-go...

hmmm.. doh...

[thomastheo]

It's insane how integrated these reasonably well-specced scopes are getting. It's only the user interface and the analog front end that's limiting the size of these now. It basically comes down to competent software implementation, and it wouldn't surprise me if that's where a major part of the cost is going in the production and development of these models. In this case I suppose that's where they skimped the most...

[EEVblog]

According to the user manual, the Search, Set/Clear and arrows buttons have no function. 

 

[EEVblog]

very interesting. i poked around its datasheets and manuals, nowhere did I see any form of decoding mentioned 4 channels and no basic i2c/spi/can decoding...

That's bad 
I have not looked at the manual and specs or used really used it.

[mcs_5]

The Jamicon caps on the mainboard are from Taiwan. I don't think they are necessarily bad - I have used many Jamicons through the years, with no reliability problems.

[c4757p]

Yeah, Jamicon aren't rubbish, and those don't look to be in a high-current path either. I've no problem with the caps.

[Hydrawerk]

GDS-1000B is just a competitor for Tektronix  TBS1000B. A very basic scope.

[Muttley Snickers]

A probe storage bag would have been a handy addition and they certainly had the room for one, it would have been a nice place to hide important stuff like chocolate bars and other valuables.

[AF6LJ]

Not half bad for a cheap scope, I wouldn't take it into the field, looks a little too fragile. Good enough for a hobbyist.

[tautech]

A probe storage bag would have been a handy addition and they certainly had the room for one, it would have been a nice place to hide important stuff like chocolate bars and other valuables.

Wouldn't work for chocs Muttley.....not enough sheilding to stop them melting. 

[Muttley Snickers]

Peanuts !

[tautech]

Peanuts !

Just not chocolate covered ones. 

[rdl]

Looks pretty okay for the price. I didn't like the pale yellow background color on the front panels, but it's much better looking overall than the DS1054z, a lot less of the unnecessary "noise and confusion" that Rigol seems to like.

[kwass]

According to the user manual, the Search, Set/Clear and arrows buttons have no function. 

 

My guess is that these are there for future apps to use, the 3 current apps don't use them.  I'll bet that they have a decoding app in the works that might make use of these.

[TheSteve]

Looks pretty okay for the price. I didn't like the pale yellow background color on the front panels, but it's much better looking overall than the DS1054z, a lot less of the unnecessary "noise and confusion" that Rigol seems to like.

The DS1054Z does look much "busier" but the GW looks like they intended to use a big LCD but decided against it and used a big bezel instead - gives it a very cheap look.
Overall I see nothing that would indicate it should be chosen over the Rigol - the 1054Z still seems like much better value.

[jwm_]

Hrm. The iec power connector is positioned so you can't set it flat on its back, that is too bad. Maybe room for a battery pack in there and it looks like it might be a nice portable scope.

Now what would be neat is putting a vesa mount on the back so you can connect it to a swinging monitor arm to position above your workspace and push aside when not using it. Heck a dual monitor kne with the scope on one arm and my actual computer monitor on the other seems like it would be great on my workbench.

[coppice]

Looks pretty okay for the price. I didn't like the pale yellow background color on the front panels, but it's much better looking overall than the DS1054z, a lot less of the unnecessary "noise and confusion" that Rigol seems to like.

The DS1054Z does look much "busier" but the GW looks like they intended to use a big LCD but decided against it and used a big bezel instead - gives it a very cheap look.
Overall I see nothing that would indicate it should be chosen over the Rigol - the 1054Z still seems like much better value.

The way the buttons are set back from the edge of the screen makes it look ready to drop in a 9 or 10" display as a deluxe option.

[SteveLy]

Does it have intensity graded mode like the DS1054Z?

[SeanB]

Fan probably could be moved back further in the case, or replaced with a thinner ( though more expensive) one and this would improve airflow. Shielding cover, even a flexible copper foil card covered one, on the power supply would be a nice thing, would probably get half of the noise in the open input channels down. Wonder how much the noise would drop if you simply used 4 terminators on the inputs and looked again. Would have been even nicer if they had conformed to the IEC spec on the earth wire connector, blue is not the right colour for a PE conductor, it should be a green/yellow striped one. But then, a good looking PSU, good components and a fairly good layout, though they could have put in the fuse as well, not just leave it down to a necked trace to be the fuse.

As to making it VESA mountable, just buy a VESA mount kit ( the cheap one for TV sets with thin steel arms) and modify the spider bracket to fit the scope back and attach permanently, though you will need to drill the 4 holes to fit it. Otherwise just a flat old TV stand and cut it down to sit the scope on it.

[Tothwolf]

The power supply has a fuse...the square reddish/brown colored component soldered to the pc board next to the blue wire from the IEC320 C14 inlet and the green colored inrush current limiter. It would have been nice to see a larger field replaceable 1/4x1-1/4" or a 5x20mm cartridge fuse instead but that would have added a small amount to the cost of the power supply. [Tip for GW Instek: IEC320 C14 inlets with a built-in 5x20mm cartridge fuseholder don't cost much more than a plain C14 inlet...]

Nippon KMG series capacitors are a general purpose series, so they aren't low ESR or long life, but I would expect them to last at least 10 years or so and likely far outlast the typical 1-2 year service life Shenzhen market specials a lot of PSU assemblers seem to use. That said, a second glance shows they are using KY series capacitors for the secondary filters, which are low ESR and long life rated parts, so even though I'm not a huge fan of Nippon, I'd say this power supply isn't badly designed at all.

[Tothwolf]

Would have been even nicer if they had conformed to the IEC spec on the earth wire connector, blue is not the right colour for a PE conductor, it should be a green/yellow striped one.

The blue wire is line/mains and not an earth wire.

[tautech]

Would have been even nicer if they had conformed to the IEC spec on the earth wire connector, blue is not the right colour for a PE conductor, it should be a green/yellow striped one.

The blue wire is line/mains and not an earth wire.

Neutral here in NZ.

[EEVblog]

A probe storage bag would have been a handy addition and they certainly had the room for one, it would have been a nice place to hide important stuff like chocolate bars and other valuables.

Yep, good idea.