Rather cheap (~£200) oscilloscope suggestions

[Will]

Hi,

I'm looking into getting my first oscilloscope. Looking around, USB might be a better choice for me becuase of my budget (£200)?

I've had a look at the Picoscope, Hantek, e-Design DSO (the mini ones with 2/4 channels), Owon, and the very limited selection of pre-owned oscilliscopes in that price range that are avaliable on eBay. The Analog Discovery 2 did look good - but is unfortunately out of my price range. I've just bought a cheap logic analyser, so I really only need the scope. I could possibly get an analog scope, but as I'm primarily working with digital electronics and related items, I didn't think that one would be a good fit for me, and even they are going for over £200 on eBay. I'm a computer science student doing this as a hobby, so I really don't need anything excellent, just something basic will do.

Does anyone have any suggestions for an oscilloscope in this price range, and/or do they think any of the brands I mentioned are bad/good?

Thank you!

[DDunfield]

You'll get as many answers as there are low-end scopes available.

I think most people in these forums will advise you to increase your budget if at all possible as it's hard to get anything (new) decent in that range, and for not a whole lot more you can get really good "bang for the buck". The DS1054Z remains very popular at the low end, giving you 4-channels, deep memory, decoding, and 50Mhz (stock) or 100Mhz (easy hack) and is a real bench scope with knobs (much nicer on the bench than mousing around a PC). I have one and I'm reasonably happy with it.

If you can't expand the budget, then the lowest cost new option I have experience with is the Owon VDS1022I, there's a detailed thread on it here:

   https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/owon-vds1022i-quick-teardown-(versus-the-hantek-6022be)/

It's a USB scope. I have one for my portable kit, due to it's small size and low cost (should be less than £100 I would think).
It's the ONLY "low cost" USB scope I've tried (and I've tried a few) that actually works.  2-channels, 25Mhz bandwidth, 100M sample rate, 5K record length.
If you can live within that capability and don't mind a mouse on your bench, it might be one to consider.

Dave

PS: The 'I' is important - non-'I' is a few bucks less, but the isolation is worth it.

[tautech]

The only one in the Siglent lineup at this price point if you want/need a real physical DSO is the SDS1052DL+:
https://www.siglenteu.com/digital-oscilloscopes/sds1000dl-series-digital-storage-oscilloscopes/

[Will]

Thank you both for your replies -

I think most people in these forums will advise you to increase your budget if at all possible as it's hard to get anything (new) decent in that range, and for not a whole lot more you can get really good "bang for the buck". The DS1054Z remains very popular at the low end, giving you 4-channels, deep memory, decoding, and 50Mhz (stock) or 100Mhz (easy hack) and is a real bench scope with knobs (much nicer on the bench than mousing around a PC). I have one and I'm reasonably happy with it.

Yeah I'm sorry I really don't think I can justify spending more for something I probably won't heavily use (yet... anyway). I'd be happy to go used, but eBay isn't showing a whole lot in that price range either! Unfortunately the DS1054Z is £370, so a no go there

Thanks for the note about the Owon VDS1022I, I'll have to take a proper look at that and it's software. Hopefully not Windows only - or hopefully it's supported in Sigrok!

The only one in the Siglent lineup at this price point if you want/need a real physical DSO is the SDS1052DL+:
https://www.siglenteu.com/digital-oscilloscopes/sds1000dl-series-digital-storage-oscilloscopes/

Ooh that's interesting, thanks! £250 too, so not too bad for price for a physical scope...

[DDunfield]

Thanks for the note about the Owon VDS1022I, I'll have to take a proper look at that and it's software. Hopefully not Windows only - or hopefully it's supported in Sigrok!

I believe that officially it's only windows ... but there is an unofficial hack with drivers to run in on the Mac, and possibly Linux.

https://github.com/tinwhisker/Owon-VDS1022

Dave

[james_s]

For that budget I'd be looking at used scopes. Lots of older units out there, what are your needs?

[Fungus]

Ooh that's interesting, thanks! £250 too, so not too bad for price for a physical scope...

If we're allowed to go up a bit then there's also the Rigol DS1052E, which has double the sample rate and can be unlocked to 100MHz:

https://www.rigol-uk.co.uk/Rigol-DS1052E-Digital-Oscilloscope-p/ds1052e.htm

(plus you get a free Brymen pocket multimeter if you buy it there  )

[anewmanx]

What maximum frequency will you be working with?

What functionality do you need?

In my case I wasn't going to be working with anything over 2mhz and I rarely needed any kind of digital functionality. I settled on a used Tektronix 5111A that ended up just needing the buttons cleaned, and then I picked up this cheap digital o-scope off ebay on a lark to see how well it worked.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-Welded-DSO138-2-4-TFT-Digital-Oscilloscope-Probe-Acrylic-Case-kit-1Msps/392188817302?ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT&_trksid=p2057872.m2749.l2649

It's a little clumsy to use, but when I want to test something quickly and not risk my analog scope, it provides a quick and easy tool. Roughly $125 USD invested and I have all I really need right now.

[Fungus]

Yep, there's those DSO138 things on eBay: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=DSO138

They're a bit rubbish but they're dirt cheap and better than nothing at all.


There's also the DSO Quads: https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=DSO+quad

They work quite well up to 10MHz or so. Their big advantage is they're very portable. The downside is the user interface is very fiddly, a lot of functions are crammed into half a dozen buttons.

[DDunfield]

I'd be reluctant to recommend a DSO138, not just because they are "bit rubbish" (They are - I bought an eBay clone just to see what a $15 scope was about - it's a cute conversation toy but I never use it), but also because they are only 1 channel and have very limited store/review capability. In your budget you can do a LOT better.

Not knowing exactly what you intend to do, but based on "computer science student" and "digital electronics". Here's a couple of pointers that might be worth considering for a "first scope":

The more you can see at once the better. 4 channels is 10x better than 2, but 2 channels is 100x (perhaps 1000x) better than one. With a single channel you can only see one thing (obviously), but with two, you can see two signals in relation to each other - and with external trigger, you can get the relationship of three signals. Being able to walk a bus with one probe while triggering on select with the other is a HUGE advantage you just can't do with a single channel scope. In contrast, most of the things you can do with a 4 channel scope you can accomplish with a 2 channel scope if you have patience.

Being able to store and easily review a long sequence is very helpful when debugging any sort of serial bus/protocol. Your "cheap logic analyzer" will fill in a lot here, so this may not be as important, but it's still a high consideration.

These two features are the primary reason I got a DS1054Z and I think the main reason for it's popularity - 4CH and 24M samples is a LOT for the price.


Also, the physical form factor will affect you more than you think. Nothing beats having a dedicated display and dedicated knobs... you want to concentrate on your debugging, not on fiddling with your test equipment.

Next to that i would pick USB, provided that 1) I have a USB scope that actually works (most cheap ones don't), 2) I have a suitable PC already on the bench, 3) I have room on the screen and don't have to cover up other tools I need to see when using the scope and 4) I have a mouse or trackball that's not going to get in the way roaming over my work area.

My least recommendation would be for fiddly little "gadget" type tools which seem really cool, but will just annoy you when you are trying to get real work done.


If you want to go really low cost, I would second the recommendation to consider used.  For some reason people tend to punt it, but I still have, use and like my TDS210 .. It's a lot more responsive than the Rigol and I'm sure you could find one under your budget. Older (bigger) very capable scopes can go for even less (assuming you have room on your bench). But like anything used, there is a certain risk aspect, and you'll be giving up a lot of the convenience of modern scopes (deeper memory, advanced functions, USB, LAN ports etc.)

[NivagSwerdna]

I own a Rigol 1052E.... I would like to own a  DS1054Z.

IMHO Do some work for Deliveroo and save up for a DS1054Z.

[Will]

Hi again,

Thank you all for your very insightful posts!

With regards to my needs - I'm primarily going to be working with Arduino/atmega type stuff, cheap electronics and reverse engineering them, that kind of thing. I do have an amateur radio licence, but I'm not planning on using the scope with that - so a low(ish) frequency one should be fine for me - what would that be, up to 50MHz, 10/25?. I'd like the display to show me the voltage and frequency of a trace etc. - not just the trace itself, but otherwise not a lot else really.

I'm very happy to buy used scopes, but I haven't seen much on eBay UK that isn't very ancient in my price range recently - unless anyone has seen anything worth getting? I'll probably have to wait and keep a look out for a TDS210 I think, but I'm not in any rush to get one anyway.

Thanks, I definitely won't be going for a single channel one. I'd definitely go 4 channel if I found one for a reasonable price, but it seems 2 is about what I can afford.

I don't have an issue with displays/using a computer as I'll be doing this stuff on my computer desk anyway.

[Fungus]

With regards to my needs - I'm primarily going to be working with Arduino/atmega type stuff, cheap electronics and reverse engineering them, that kind of thing.

I'd insist on 4 channels for that.

what would that be, up to 50MHz, 10/25?. I'd like the display to show me the voltage and frequency of a trace etc. - not just the trace itself, but otherwise not a lot else really.

You need 50MHz to show a decent square wave at Arduino frequencies.

Bottom line: The Rigol DS1054Z is where the action starts (few new 'scopes).

I'm very happy to buy used scopes, but I haven't seen much on eBay UK that isn't very ancient in my price range recently

You won't get anything modern/cheap on eBay and older 'scopes with more than 2 channels are rare.

[james_s]

All of my scopes are ancient, they're physically larger than modern instruments but they work fine. Test gear is not like a smartphone that you might replace every year or two. Four channels can be nice, but in practice I very rarely use more than two. When you're on a tight budget you get by with what you can afford. If you want to decode things like SPI you want a logic analyzer anyway, the cheap USB ones work fine.

[soren]

There are no new £200 scopes worth buying, so don't.

Until you are ready for a DS1054Z or similar, instead buy a £50 analog scope and a £10 Chinese USB logic analyzer.

[Old Printer]

You being in the UK things are a bit different than here in the US, but... The original Analog Discovery and the AD2 are very similar, the primary difference is that the variable power supply has been upped to a full 5 volts through the addition of a jack for an external  voltage source. The scope specs as well as the logic analyzer and most of the other tools remain unchanged. I have both. I bought the AD2 new for $270 and then watched ebay for a deal on an AD1. It took a while but I found one for $50 shipped. Many of them go for $125-200. It all depends on who else is shopping when a cheap one comes up. Digilent sold a boat load of the AD1's to EE students for $99 and I am sure there are a bunch sitting in drawers waiting to be resold. It is a great little learning tool.

[extide]

Another option is to check ebay and the like for an older used analog scope. You can get a Tek 2445B in that price range, and if you are lucky you can possibly spot a 2465 or 2465B.

[Alex Eisenhut]

Or your local classifieds

https://www.kijiji.ca/v-general-electronics/ville-de-montreal/hitachi-scope-20mhz-low-mileage/1322847114

[DaJMasta]

+1 to the new scopes in that range probably aren't worth it.  Something like a DS1052E is really quite old by today's standards, and while it does function, it's not going to be nearly as enjoyable to use as the current generation entry level scopes.

Looking for local deals is a good idea, looking around ebay or the like can be good, but I don't know if current lower end scopes come up much - it seems like the market is much bigger with older models or higher end models.



All that said, a DS1054Z from Rigol is 50% more than your budget, so I wouldn't be too surprised to catch it a bit lower on sale or with a discount code, so I think you're closer than you realize to the "current"generation (the DS1054Z isn't exactly a spring chicken and is maybe due for a refresh, but is still great value for money, I'm seeing a Siglent 1202X-E for 340 euro, so it's a similar striking distance for a newer scope with some nice features but only 2 channels).


USB scopes can do a good job, but you're going to get more performance out of a physical scope, and personally, I prefer them because it's not taking up space on your computer or requiring external devices, so for a first scope I'd go with a physical one - you're not going to know what you're missing if you start on a USB.

[Fungus]

USB scopes can do a good job, but you're going to get more performance out of a physical scope, and personally, I prefer them because it's not taking up space on your computer or requiring external devices, so for a first scope I'd go with a physical one - you're not going to know what you're missing if you start on a USB.

A decent USB 'scope (eg. Picoscope) is actually more expensive than the Rigol. With USB it's all down to the software, and a lot of the software out there sucks.

[0culus]

My recommendation is to save and get the scope you would rather have rather than settling for the bottom end. While having a bottom end scope *is* better than no scope at all, you'll save money in the long run by buying the best tools you can afford, determined of course by what you want to do with them.

[nctnico]

But meanwhile getting one of the very cheap $50 scopes may be an option. No money wasted.

[HalFET]

For simple analog work, grab a $40 analog cheapie. If it's for something more complex I recommend saving up further or going second-hand. The sub 800 EUR/USD/GBP entry level scopes are kind of crap to be honest about it.

And the picoscopes are great, they seem to do a lot of the processing in the device itself instead of shoving it through the USB cable like the cheaper ones try to do, or at least I suspect they do given their smooth update rate.

[radhaz]

I know the forum frowns on Owon scopes, but this is a fairly decent budget scope.
https://owontechnology.eu/owon-sds1102.html

[Will]

Hi everyone!

Thank you for all your suggestions. Based on your feedback I think this is probably something I'm going to save some more money for and once I have a decent amount probably go for the Rigol 4 channel one.