Help me chose my first oscilloscope

[Fungus]

It's almost double the scope - 2x the bandwith (with the hack), 2x ADC, features, etc.

The Siglent hack is a lot more difficult (and warranty-voiding) than just pushing a few buttons.

Right, so you now care how equipment is hacked ? 

I'm just pointing out that not everybody around here has a solder rework station, a JTAG programmer, a Digikey account and enough money to buy another one if it goes wrong.

You talk about the "Siglent Hack" like it's a done deal but that's far from the truth.

Agree. For me it was a simple factor, money. Would have been a couple hundred bucks more for the sds1104 x-e, that is why the Rigol won out. 

The difference between owning a 'scope and not owning one is night/day. The difference between owning a nice 'scope and a slightly nicer 'scope? Not so much.

Me? I say stop and think about what you could do with the extra money first. A decent soldering iron? A good multimeter? Either will improve your life a lot more than a slightly better serial decoder (or whatever) in your 'scope will.

[tggzzz]

The difference between owning a 'scope and not owning one is night/day. The difference between owning a nice 'scope and a slightly nicer 'scope? Not so much.

Me? I say stop and think about what you could do with the extra money first. A decent soldering iron? A good multimeter? Either will improve your life a lot more than a slightly better serial decoder (or whatever) in your 'scope will.

Both those points are sane!

Use a cheap logic analyser or the IDE's debugger or printf statements for serial decode.

[NEoX]

ok.ok. Forget about hacking.. I will say it this way: what is better option, Siglent sds1104x-e (stock) or Rigol DS1054Z (with "free" licence for unlocking all options) ..is still Siglenth worth paying 50€ more? ..looking on long time usage.

-have someone Online shop for EU no taxes with warranty (lowest price/coupons) for Siglent and Rigol?

-i can get here at local store the siglent sds1104x-e (498€) or rigol ds1054z (444€)

and yes, make a vote at the top of the page and I want hear what you think

[SMB784]

I'm just pointing out that not everybody around here has a solder rework station, a JTAG programmer, a Digikey account and enough money to buy another one if it goes wrong.

You talk about the "Siglent Hack" like it's a done deal but that's far from the truth.

I think you havent been reading the most recent posts on upgrading the Siglent bandwidth in the SDS1104X-E threads.

You dont need a solder rework station, nor do you need a JTAG programmer or a digikey account, or even any extra money.

The only thing you need is an ethernet cable and access to the internet.  The upgrade takes 5 minutes if performed correctly, and there are very detailed instructions on how to perform this upgrade correctly.  The upgrade also appears to be fully reversible (to preserve the warranty), and has been tested on quite a few instruments with documented, verified results (see any posts by rf-loop, janekivi, or myself on the siglent .ads firmware thread and the main Siglent 1104X-E thread).  This upgrade turns your 1104X-E into an 1204X-E for free.

This bandwidth upgrade is the real deal, and is easy to do.  It makes the SDS1104X-E better than the Rigol scope in almost every conceivable way (twice the bandwidth, twice the sample rate per channel when all 4 channels are used, more than twice the WFM update rate, more memory per channel, better probes, etc).  I was an owner of the Rigol 1054Z and I loved that scope, I used it for many years before selling it and getting an SDS1104X-E.  The Siglent is the better scope, and with the bandwidth upgrade I wager it is also the better deal.

[NEoX]

You just said all I need.. I think the Siglent is the choice !! The end!

-so guys (mby girls also ) do you have any EU (no taxes) shop to get cheaper Siglent sds1104x-e? (cheaper than 498€)

[SMB784]

You just said all I need.. I think the Siglent is the choice !! The end!

-so guys (mby girls also ) do you have any EU (no taxes) shop to get cheaper Siglent sds1104x-e? (cheaper than 498€)

Check out the siglent equipment discount thread.  Make a post there with your intentions to buy one and they might give you a modest discount.

[2N3055]

You just said all I need.. I think the Siglent is the choice !! The end!

-so guys (mby girls also ) do you have any EU (no taxes) shop to get cheaper Siglent sds1104x-e? (cheaper than 498€)

Sorry to disappoint you, since you are not buying as company, you will have to pay VAT if it's EU.
So it's either a private buy (used)from somebody, or new and pay full price in shop (with VAT).
You could register for a source country to return you their taxes if you pay taxes at home, but if you buy in Germany they have 19% and we have 25%.. So better to just pay there.

[josip]

You just said all I need.. I think the Siglent is the choice !! The end!

-so guys (mby girls also ) do you have any EU (no taxes) shop to get cheaper Siglent sds1104x-e? (cheaper than 498€)

510.5€ including German 19% VAT at www.welectron.com , -5% eevblog discount -> 485€

[Fungus]

I'm just pointing out that not everybody around here has a solder rework station, a JTAG programmer, a Digikey account and enough money to buy another one if it goes wrong.

You talk about the "Siglent Hack" like it's a done deal but that's far from the truth.

I think you havent been reading the most recent posts on upgrading the Siglent bandwidth in the SDS1104X-E threads.

You got me there, but I thought the front end was physically different when the hacking started. Has Siglent changed that so there's only a firmware difference now?

-i can get here at local store the siglent sds1104x-e (498€) or rigol ds1054z (444€)

If that's the only place you're willing to go shopping then get the Siglent. The rest of the world gets Rigols cheaper than that.

(And I still say it's worth a try to show them the Batronix page and see what they say, any decent salesman will make you an offer)

[SMB784]

I think you havent been reading the most recent posts on upgrading the Siglent bandwidth in the SDS1104X-E threads.

You got me there, but I thought the front end was physically different when the hacking started. Has Siglent changed that so there's only a firmware difference now?

I am not 100% sure about the difference in the front end between the SDS1104X-E & the SDS1204X-E, however a simple firmware change on the 1104X-E will give it the same performance (and indeed internal model number) as the 1204X-E

[2N3055]

In Batterfly (Italy) prices with VAT are 402 and 508, in Batronix, 403 and 510 €.
Welectron have pretty much same price.
Free shipping all.
Welectron and Batterfly give discount for EEVBLOG members.
I order from both, no problems.

[NEoX]

In Batterfly (Italy) prices with VAT are 402 and 508, in Batronix, 403 and 510 €.
Welectron have pretty much same price.
Free shipping all.
Welectron and Batterfly give discount for EEVBLOG members.
I order from both, no problems.

How to get discount from them?

[2N3055]

Well, E-mail...   

[NEoX]

so..I think I will take Rigol (cheaper option than Siglent) and for that money Im thinking to buy power supply (not high end but something that I can use for learning and small projects) It will be nice to have 2 channel supply with protections (Im thinking that I will not need more than 30V 5A ) for around 120€ max. Some suggestion for supply?

[Fungus]

so..I think I will take Rigol (cheaper option than Siglent) and for that money Im thinking to buy power supply (not high end but something that I can use for learning and small projects) It will be nice to have 2 channel supply with protections (Im thinking that I will not need more than 30V 5A ) for around 120€ max. Some suggestion for supply?

Good decision (IMHO). A bench power supply will make a much bigger difference to your life than owning a Siglent instead of a Rigol.

The major point of bench power supplies is that you can limit the current easily and avoid setting your projects on fire. Constant display of amps is also very useful. The ability to dial a voltage is almost a secondary function compared to those.

There's plenty to choose from but like the oscilloscopes, the real choice will depend on where you want to buy from.

[BillB]

I think you havent been reading the most recent posts on upgrading the Siglent bandwidth in the SDS1104X-E threads.

You got me there, but I thought the front end was physically different when the hacking started. Has Siglent changed that so there's only a firmware difference now?

I am not 100% sure about the difference in the front end between the SDS1104X-E & the SDS1204X-E, however a simple firmware change on the 1104X-E will give it the same performance (and indeed internal model number) as the 1204X-E

There are three differences: the probes that are supplied, the label glued to the front, and a couple of changes in some XML configuration files. 

[Wolfgang]

120 Bucks for a dual 30V 5A supply means going for a switching type.
I dont like them for lab use because of high broadband ripple and noise.

If you go for a linear one (I would strongly recommend that) then 120$ is simply too little money to provide for adequate cooling and long time stability. Save some money and go for a decent linear one, like the RIGOL DP832 or maybe a Siglent.

Suggestion: Get a dealer with a 30 day return policy and try what you want to buy.