New Rigol DS1054Z oscilloscope

[rolycat]

This new 50MHz version of the 4-channel DS1000Z series scopes is being discussed in several threads, particularly this one. However, the price/performance is so outstanding that it surely deserves its own.

A 4 channel, 12 Mpts memory, 30 000 waveforms/second, intensity graded scope of this quality for around 399 USD/299 EUR/235 GBP (plus tax) is nothing short of astounding, even before the hacking possibilities are considered.

Dave has announced that he is getting one, so hopefully we can look forward to a review in the not too distant future, and - unless he finds any unexpected gotchas - a new default recommendation for entry level scopes.

Due to the ever-growing length of this thread, I have added an FAQ section about the scope:
(Additions/corrections welcome - send me a PM)

The oscilloscope does not have a real time clock, and therefore cannot add the current time and date to saved screenshots and other data.

The scope (and some other Rigol models) originally had some issues relating to excessive jitter which were corrected by a firmware update in December 2014.  A more recent firmware version (v00.04.04.01.01 as of September 2016) was available here, but has been removed by Rigol pending investigation into possible regressions. As of late November 2016 the most recent version available from Rigol is v00.04.03.02.03, dated October 2015 and available here. This also fixes a number of other issues, many of which are discussed elsewhere in this thread.

A number of trial options are initially enabled which will expire after 35 hours runtime (not 35 hours since first use). A 'hack' is available to enable 100MHz bandwidth and all of the trial features which after expiring are normally only available at additional cost. Users considering this should be aware that it is not approved by Rigol and may void the warranty. A website featuring the code generator to enable the features can be found at http://gotroot.ca/rigol/riglol/. Do not use the DSFR code suggested on the website. Codes for 500uV vertical resolution are intended for oscilloscopes such as the DS2000A series which have the necessary hardware for this feature. The code DSER enables all features except 500uV, which is not supported on the DS1000Z series and will cause erroneous results at this setting.
The changes can be removed using the SCPI command :SYSTem:OPTion:UNINSTall
Full instructions for both installing and removing the changes via SCPI are provided by alsetalokin4017 here.
Chumanista has produced a quick video guide to upgrading and hacking the scope, available here.

The US vendor TEquipment offers a discount on this oscilloscope and other products to EEVBlog members. This is available if you mention the offer when ordering. You can also use a discount code, but TEquipment have requested that it not be reproduced on the forum. There is a forum topic where the code can be requested from other members here.

Some of the RP2200 probes supplied with the scope have been found to have intermittent contacts when switched to the 1X setting. A fix for this issue is described here.

Dave has a number of blogs featuring this scope and its siblings:

A first look: EEVBlog 522
Teardown: EEVBlog 674
Reverse engineering: EEVBlog 675
Jitter problems: EEVBlog 683
Jitter fix:  EEVBlog 699
Summary review:  EEVBlog 703
Features review:  EEVBlog 704
Probe performance:  EEVBlog 707
(There is apparently also a performance testing review which has not yet been released.)

[saturation]

What a price point, the 1054Z pretty much makes the 1052e obsolete, its a better entry level scope for only $70 more [ based on Rigol's list price] as you get 2 more channels and a faster update rate, at the least.  In the US, Tequipment is giving free shipping so there is other no hidden cost, beyond possibly sales tax.

See the other thread for datasheets and users manual.

We'll really need a learned users review to see if the build quality is truly equal to the others in the line and reveal any bugs in the firmware.

[Fungus]

I got mine yesterday. So far it's a big thumbs up.

I haven't used/seen the others in the range but why would this one be built differently or have fifferent firmware?

I can easily spend more than the cost of the 'scope in unlockable options. Would they put cheap knobs on it just to spite the people who only want 50MHz bandwidth? That makes no sense.

[Creep]

Ordered mine just now from drieg. Hoping to get my hands on it next week.  .
Can't wait to toy around with the thing.

[Fungus]

How durable are the knobs on these things? Seems like some of them take quite a pounding (eg. the menu button). Do they last...?

[DanielS]

How durable are the knobs on these things? Seems like some of them take quite a pounding (eg. the menu button). Do they last...?

The DS1054Z is exactly the same as the other 1000Z(-S) DSO/MSOs and so far, it is pretty much all praise-praise-praise for its older and bigger brothers so I would expect the DS1054Z to be no different.

[rolycat]

How durable are the knobs on these things? Seems like some of them take quite a pounding (eg. the menu button). Do they last...?

They come with a three year warranty, so presumably Rigol are confident that they will last the distance.

[frenky]

Mine is already full option DS1104Z. 

This thing is really light years ahead of the usb crap that I was using before...

P.S.
This thing runs on linux right? How come It doesent need "soft" shut down?
I feel really bad by pressing the button which just cuts power to the scope...

[Lightages]

So you are saying that you have 100MHz bandwidth and can verify it? Sorry for the doubt but I haven't read everything on this scope but I believed the extra features could be added but not bandwidth. I hope I am wrong.

[marmad]

So you are saying that you have 100MHz bandwidth and can verify it? Sorry for the doubt but I haven't read everything on this scope but I believed the extra features could be added but not bandwidth. I hope I am wrong.

But would would be different about this particular UltraVision scope? Rigol doesn't sell bandwidth upgrades for ANY of their DSOs - the fact that you could enable higher BW via keys was only because Rigol put the code in their UltraVision FW with the intention of offering upgrades - but they've never implemented it.

[c4757p]

This thing runs on linux right? How come It doesent need "soft" shut down?
I feel really bad by pressing the button which just cuts power to the scope...

No idea what it runs on, but either way, it's just a matter of filesystem access. Make sure everything happens when you ask it to instead of being queued for background writes later, don't be writing things when it's not obvious, and write things in a way that they're recoverable if the power is cut midway through. Don't run services which need to save state at shutdown.

[edavid]

But would would be different about this particular UltraVision scope? Rigol doesn't sell bandwidth upgrades for ANY of their DSOs - the fact that you could enable higher BW via keys was only because Rigol put the code in their UltraVision FW with the intention of offering upgrades - but they've never implemented it.

Do we know if the DS1000Z line uses the LMH6518 PGA, like the DS2000 line?  If so, what would be different is that it doesn't seem like they could reduce the bandwidth from 70MHz to 50MHz using LMH6518 settings, so there would have to be some other LPF or software limit added.

[Fungus]

So you are saying that you have 100MHz bandwidth and can verify it? Sorry for the doubt but I haven't read everything on this scope but I believed the extra features could be added but not bandwidth. I hope I am wrong.

a) Somebody posted some waveforms in the "DS1074Z" thread, they seemed to show an improvement.

b) People have been tweaking the DS1074Z to DS1104Z for ages. Why would this be different?

[edavid]

a) Somebody posted some waveforms in the "DS1074Z" thread, they seemed to show an improvement.

He seems to have deleted that post.

[sweesiong78]

Ordered my on Tequipment a week ago and it just shipped, a steal for only $356! (edu pricing + eeveblog discount)

[Mandelbrot]

Ordered my on Tequipment a week ago and it just shipped, a steal for only $356! (edu pricing + eeveblog discount)

How did you do this? I was told that the edu pricing and the EEVblog discount were mutually exclusive.

[sweesiong78]

Ordered my on Tequipment a week ago and it just shipped, a steal for only $356! (edu pricing + eeveblog discount)

How did you do this? I was told that the edu pricing and the EEVblog discount were mutually exclusive.

uh, it was?? I have an edu email, and I applied the eevblog discount and the website accepted it??

[Fungus]

a) Somebody posted some waveforms in the "DS1074Z" thread, they seemed to show an improvement.

He seems to have deleted that post.

I think the measurable difference will be tiny in practice.

Plus ... even with the DS1104Z you can only get the 100MHz on a single channel. If you use more than one channel you'll get pretty much the same bandwidths as the DS1054Z (they both have the same sample rate, etc).

I'd still have bought mine even if you told me the keygen did nothing. 300 Euros is a whole new level of "bargain" for a 'scope like this.

[Lightages]

So it is still not clear whether the bandwidth is upgradeable. I will might buy one if it ever gets confirmed.

[alank2]

I think the measureable difference will be tiny in practice.

I agree, it is somewhat of a moot point because the sample rate is not there if using more than one channel anyway.

1ch = 1GSa = 10 samples per second @ 100 MHz
2ch = 500MSa = 10 samples per second @ 50 MHz
4ch = 250MSa = 10 samples per second @ 25 MHz

I hope the bandwidth does improve, or was never different to begin with.

Did anyone ever prove if the 1074 and 1104 are different or exactly the same in signal response?

[Lightages]

The bandwidth is always there. Sample rate relates to the accuracy of the shape of the waveform captured. Almost every scope doesn't  keep their maximum sample rate with more than one channel, so every scope's bandwidth is a moot point?

But yes, at even 50MHz, this is a good buy.

[Fungus]

So it is still not clear whether the bandwidth is upgradeable. I will might buy one if it ever gets confirmed.

You'll overlook a decent 4-channel DSO for $400 just because you can't hack the bandwith to get a tiny, hard to measure improvement? 

 

[alank2]

so every scope's bandwidth is a moot point?

Of course not, but this particular scope's sample rate with 2 or more channels limits the speed of a signal you can get 10 or more samples with to 50MHz(2ch) or 25MHz(4ch).  So while a bandwidth upgrade is nice if it works, it is of limited use.  I truly wonder if the model difference does affect the bandwidth or if they are all the same....

[Fungus]

Almost every scope doesn't  keep their maximum sample rate with more than one channel, so every scope's bandwidth is a moot point?

Not totally moot, but when two 'scopes have the exact same same front end, probes and sample rate I don't think one is worth twice as much as the other just because it goes a teeny bit higher in single channel mode.

If you're truly interested in 100MHz signals you should probably be looking at a DS2000 anyway.

[rolycat]

Authoritative figures will doubtless soon arrive from someone with proper equipment, but I have just tested my upgraded DS1054Z against a couple of other scopes using an old pulse generator.

Using a vaguely sinusoidal 52MHz signal, measured amplitudes were as follows:

Scope	P-P	Bandwidth
Rigol DS1054Z	2.40 V	100 MHz
Tektronix 465B	2.4 V	100 MHz
Hantek DSO5062B	2.46 V	~200 MHz

Level instability was around +/- 0.04V.

The DS1054Z thinks it is a DS1104Z, and the DSO5062B has been software-upgraded to a ballpark 200MHz.
The pulse generator is an ancient and very obscure Pulsetek 233, connected via an RG-58 BNC cable with an inline 50 ohm terminator at the scope end.

This does suggest that either applying the option codes has indeed increased the bandwidth or that it has always been around 100MHz and model numbers are notional.

Having said all that, the triggering, decoding, recording and memory depth options are far more useful to me.