Author Topic: Cheap differential probe with a AD8421?  (Read 258 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline eTobeyTopic starter

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 1303
  • Country: de
  • Virtual Features for the SDS800XHD -> My website
    • Virtual feature script
Cheap differential probe with a AD8421?
« on: January 04, 2025, 06:47:32 am »
I read here, that a AD8421 can be used to build a differential probe. And with that, i found the following products:
https://de.aliexpress.com/item/1005005747516705.html
https://www.ebay.de/itm/355082474820

Can these products be used as a differential probe? If not, could they be modified in a simple way to accomplish that?

Signals would be up to 42V and i would be satisfied with a risetime of tens of nanoseconds.

"Sometimes, after talking with a person, you want to pet a dog, wave at a monkey, and take off your hat to an elephant."(Maxim Gorki)

SDS800X HD bugs/issues/workarounds (Updated 17. Feb. 2025)
 

Offline Kleinstein

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 15461
  • Country: de
Re: Cheap differential probe with a AD8421?
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2025, 07:21:08 am »
The modules seem to have no extra protection. So they are likely easy to damage. The input is also DC coupled only and the voltages need to be in a rather limited range set by the supply and CM range of the chip.
This makes them useful for special cases with small signals / low voltages (e.g. 1 V), if used with care. It than has low noise (less than most scopes).

The usual differential probes start with a high impedance divider and a differential amplifier to get a much larger voltage range. The shown amplifier is not ideal for the relatively high impedance (e.g. 100 K) of such a divider.
Speed wise the linked amplifiers are more in the 100-300 ns range for the rise time.
 
The following users thanked this post: eTobey


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf