Beginner Scope... Loads of info... Huge amounts of Info... Suggestions?

[AdrianC]

Hi,
I've been Googling, looking at YouTube, now browsing through this forum (great forum by the way)...
I'm looking for a base level scope for home use for "hobby" stuff... I have access to a high end one if needed...

It seems as if the options are: Rigol DS1054Z or a Siglent SDS1000X series(?).

There are the "cant miss" differences (such as 4ch vs 2ch, 50Mhz vs 100/200Mhz).. The Rigol seems to have been around for a few years (which may be a good or bad thing)...

I would be interested in peoples thoughts/comments regarding which they would go with and possible cons with them...
I have seen a few posts / videos regarding offset problems, front end amp problems, but these seems to have been fixed (firmware upgrades) or are due to user "error" (and/or learning opportunities).

At present the 4ch option seems to be a winner atm due to the channel numbers...

Thanks heaps

Adrian

[daybyter]

More info...what exactly is your hobby? So what do you want to measure? Microcontroller stuff?

[AdrianC]

Mainly Ardunio or similar.. little bit of analogue stuff.. RC planes/quads/helis...

Thanks
Adrian

[tautech]

SDS1000X models are one of Siglent's best sellers at present especially with the current promotion of 15% off and free Decode. The websites are wrong as the promo has not expired and for our part of the world it runs until the end of March.
IIC, SPI, UART, RS232, CAN and LIN protocols decode fine with just 2 channels and you have an Ext Trig in as well should you need a further input.
The 500 uV/div range is another feature of this series.
All these features are standard at least to the end of the promo.
http://www.siglentamerica.com/pdxx.aspx?id=4688&T=2&tid=1

[bitseeker]

Hi Adrian,

Welcome to the forum. There have been many, many (did I say, many?) discussions about these scopes and you will find proponents for each one. Read any of the many threads that already exist here, including those for the same scenario you described.

For the uses you indicated, either scope will be just fine. Ultimately, you'll have to determine which features you really need. If you have a retailer nearby where you can try them out, that may be helpful as well.

It's no secret that you can get 100 MHz and decoding on the Rigol DS1054Z for "free", so that's another consideration, but not necessarily the only one. As tautech said, Siglent is offering some free upgrades for the SDS1000X, too.

I'll leave it at that because to say more quickly becomes

[tautech]

Further to your PM, as explained Trio is the Aussie distributor but you might like to price it up from Saelig too.
However you might prefer to support your local guys. 
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/equipment-discounts-from-saelig/

[Johncanfield]

Hard to beat an Agilent 54622D, mixed signal, 100 Mhz, it's my favorite scope of four I own. Dave has a video of it or he talks about it, don't remember.

[nctnico]

The GW Instek GDS-1000B series is also nice and mature. 4 channels but no protocol decoding (for that you'd need to get the more expensive GDS2000E series which has some other extra features as well): https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/a-review-of-the-gwinstek-1054b/

Then again I also have fond memories of the Agilent 54622D

[EEVblog]

Hard to beat an Agilent 54622D, mixed signal, 100 Mhz, it's my favorite scope of four I own. Dave has a video of it or he talks about it, don't remember.

[nctnico]

Oh and I forgot about the tablets scopes from MicSig which also look very appealing to me!
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/micsig-tablet-oscilloscope-tbook-mini-to1000/

[Fungus]

Mainly Ardunio or similar.. little bit of analogue stuff.. RC planes/quads/helis...

Arduino? Four channels good. Two channels bad.

At present the 4ch option seems to be a winner atm due to the channel numbers...

Yes.

The rest is really down to budget. If you're spending less than $1000 then the Rigol DS1054Z is the winner because you can unlock a ton of features. And you only spend $400 - win, win!

Above $1000 it gets complicated.

[daybyter]

You can't go much wrong with one of these 10$ salae clones. Even a 60$ hantek 6022be helps with arduino stuff.
If you can spend 400 bucks, a 1054z is no mistake.

[nctnico]

You can't go much wrong with one of these 10$ salae clones. Even a 60$ hantek 6022be helps with arduino stuff.
If you can spend 400 bucks, a 1054z is no mistake.

IMHO the DS1054Z is getting old and dated. If you look at the remarks of owners the user experience leaves several things to be desired and the competition has not been sitting still.

[Fungus]

You can't go much wrong with one of these 10$ salae clones. Even a 60$ hantek 6022be helps with arduino stuff.
If you can spend 400 bucks, a 1054z is no mistake.

IMHO the DS1054Z is getting old and dated. If you look at the remarks of owners the user experience leaves several things to be desired and the competition has not been sitting still.

Still a solid choice if you've only got $400 to spend.

PS: And a big firmware update is promised at the end of the month(ish). Maybe they'll give it a facelift.

[rf-loop]

[rstofer]

You can't go much wrong with one of these 10$ salae clones. Even a 60$ hantek 6022be helps with arduino stuff.
If you can spend 400 bucks, a 1054z is no mistake.

IMHO the DS1054Z is getting old and dated. If you look at the remarks of owners the user experience leaves several things to be desired and the competition has not been sitting still.

The DS1054Z was introduced in September 2014.  That makes it about 28 months old.

For the extra $100, that Siglent SDS1102X has pretty decent performance.  But I wanted 4 channels, no compromises, so it doesn't matter what the SDS1102X can do.  And I didn't want to spend a lot of money on a DSO when I had never even seen one!  You need to remember that what you see on the screen of a DSO is a mathematically induced hallucination.  That image was brought to you by programmers and any correlation with reality is coincidental.

If the OP has any doubts about the 'ancient' two year old DS1054Z, he should really buy something else.  There are dozens of threads discussing the DS1054Z vs <insert model here> and not much has changed in the past week.

[tautech]

For the extra $100, that Siglent SDS1102X has pretty decent performance.

$26 extra actually with the current promotion.

But I wanted 4 channels, no compromises, so it doesn't matter what the SDS1102X can do.

 
History
Decode additional Protocols
500 uV/div range
More Wfm/s
Correct Sinx/x interpolation (1)
Full Trigger suite as standard

You need to remember that what you see on the screen of a DSO is a mathematically induced hallucination.  That image was brought to you by programmers and any correlation with reality is coincidental.

In some cases very true, see 1 above.

Of we could wait a few weeks for new models..................

[rstofer]

For the extra $100, that Siglent SDS1102X has pretty decent performance.

$26 extra actually with the current promotion.

But I wanted 4 channels, no compromises, so it doesn't matter what the SDS1102X can do.

 
History
Decode additional Protocols
500 uV/div range
More Wfm/s
Correct Sinx/x interpolation (1)
Full Trigger suite as standard

You need to remember that what you see on the screen of a DSO is a mathematically induced hallucination.  That image was brought to you by programmers and any correlation with reality is coincidental.

In some cases very true, see 1 above.

Of we could wait a few weeks for new models..................

Nothing against the Siglent, I just really wanted 4 channels.  I already had a perfectly fine Tek 485, still do...

Waiting for new models with a whole new collection of 'oopsies' doesn't seem like a winning strategy.  Better to let the products mature for a year or so (or two in the case of the DS1054Z) so that most of the bugs are resolved on someone else's time.  There's no point in being on the bleeding edge.

I just checked list prices.  The promo pricing makes Siglent even more attractive but...  It still doesn't have 4 channels and that was my #1 criteria.  But that's just me: Cheap, with specific requirements and no experience with DSOs whatsoever!  Other people are far more experienced in this matter.  I had no idea how much I would come to love single shot mode.

It looks to me like Siglent wants to become the preeminent player in the entry level market.  Good for them!  Or, maybe they already are and want to maintain the position.  Still good...

At the moment, the Siglent SDG2042X is at the top of my shopping list.  I am still vacillating about max frequency.  That SDG5162 is a compelling choice (at significantly more money).

[tautech]

At the moment, the Siglent SDG2042X is at the top of my shopping list.  I am still vacillating about max frequency.  That SDG5162 is a compelling choice (at significantly more money).

My 2c:
Look at SDG1000X, why ? Sine and Square waveforms to max frequency of the model. (60 MHz max)
SDG5000, very sound but older model, it's redeeming feature: isolated outputs. (also sold as a LeCroy)
SDG2042X, able to be improved to 120 MHz. 

Now you have a little  scratching to do. 

[rstofer]

At the moment, the Siglent SDG2042X is at the top of my shopping list.  I am still vacillating about max frequency.  That SDG5162 is a compelling choice (at significantly more money).

My 2c:
Look at SDG1000X, why ? Sine and Square waveforms to max frequency of the model. (60 MHz max)
SDG5000, very sound but older model, it's redeeming feature: isolated outputs. (also sold as a LeCroy)
SDG2042X, able to be improved to 120 MHz. 

Now you have a little  scratching to do. 

OK, I'll have to copy this...  I have gotten by for a very long time without a proper signal generator.  Yes, getting the square wave up to the full rated frequency of the instrument is worth a lot.  What good is a 100 MHz sine generator that can only do 20 MHz square (all numbers are fictional)?  I do digital, sine isn't really something I care about.

I would definitely look at the SDG2042X - the price is right on a sweet spot.  I do not look forward to reading the epic thread, 124 pages is a LOT to read.  However, it seems to be one of those generators that won't let waveforms other than sine run to full frequency.  I need to study this subject...

[nctnico]

A function generator is always limited by the bandwidth/slew rate of the output amplifier so you'd have to decide what is a good enough square wave for you. The Siglent SDG1000 series is nice but the biggest problem with it is the limited amplitude of the second channel which seemed to be addressed in the new SDG1000X series. My SDG1010 (a very old unit with the jitter bug) is fanless which makes it nice and quiet but also warm. So far I'm not thinking about buying a different function generator.

[tautech]

At the moment, the Siglent SDG2042X is at the top of my shopping list.  I am still vacillating about max frequency.  That SDG5162 is a compelling choice (at significantly more money).

My 2c:
Look at SDG1000X, why ? Sine and Square waveforms to max frequency of the model. (60 MHz max)
SDG5000, very sound but older model, it's redeeming feature: isolated outputs. (also sold as a LeCroy)
SDG2042X, able to be improved to 120 MHz. 

Now you have a little  scratching to do. 

OK, I'll have to copy this...  I have gotten by for a very long time without a proper signal generator.  Yes, getting the square wave up to the full rated frequency of the instrument is worth a lot.  What good is a 100 MHz sine generator that can only do 20 MHz square (all numbers are fictional)?  I do digital, sine isn't really something I care about.

I would definitely look at the SDG2042X - the price is right on a sweet spot.  I do not look forward to reading the epic thread, 124 pages is a LOT to read.  However, it seems to be one of those generators that won't let waveforms other than sine run to full frequency.  I need to study this subject...

Currently it's only 25 pages.
Quick look at the datasheets:
SDG1062X Max 60 MHz Sine and Square wave. $509
SDG2042X Max 25 MHz Square wave. (improved or not) $499
SDG5162   Max 50 MHz Square wave.

[rstofer]

OK, I'll have to copy this...  I have gotten by for a very long time without a proper signal generator.  Yes, getting the square wave up to the full rated frequency of the instrument is worth a lot.  What good is a 100 MHz sine generator that can only do 20 MHz square (all numbers are fictional)?  I do digital, sine isn't really something I care about.

I would definitely look at the SDG2042X - the price is right on a sweet spot.  I do not look forward to reading the epic thread, 124 pages is a LOT to read.  However, it seems to be one of those generators that won't let waveforms other than sine run to full frequency.  I need to study this subject...

Currently it's only 25 pages.

typo...  25 pages is a breeze!

Quick look at the datasheets:
SDG1062X Max 60 MHz Sine and Square wave. $509
SDG2042X Max 25 MHz Square wave. (improved or not) $499
SDG5162   Max 50 MHz Square wave.

I see an Excel spreadsheet in my future.  There is a tendency on my part to want as much frequency as I can afford.  Since my FPGA projects usually run at 50 MHz and 100 MHz isn't a stretch, I have always thought that I would want to generate square waves in that range.  When I see the price, I will reconsider.  For the one-of-a-kind 100 MHz signal, another FPGA is probably the right answer.

There is also some kind of pull toward higher product numbers: 5162 over 2042 over 1062.  Sure, it's irrational but it's also real (in my head).  Sort of like cubic inches when applied to automobiles.  Anything less than 7 liters (427 cubic inches) is just another car...  I can't even imagine driving a car with a 1.4L engine.  My lawnmower had more cubic inches than that!  Not really...  You might guess, I grew up in the muscle car age.  Punch it and fry 'em!

It's starting to look like that SDG1062X is a nice way to go.  It gets me up to a point where I can breadboard most square wave projects without breaking the bank.

All OT, I know...

[tautech]

Yep, agree.
When you consider the lesser SDG1032X can do 30 MHz Sine and Square for $399 and with most of the functionality of a 2042X it's surprising they've not had greater recognition too.............yet.

[nctnico]

Maybe most people spend the extra $100 on the SDG2042X and hack it to 120MHz.