Electronics > Beginners
Learning oscilloscopes on no budget with a 6022BL - did I buy the wrong scope?
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rawrs:
Hi all,

I'm sure this question has been asked before, but my feeble mind can't really find it. I bought a Hantek 6022BL a while ago in an effort to learn how to use oscilloscopes, and maybe even do useful things with it. But either I bought the wrong device, or I'm not seeing, well, any, functionality. Trying all of the other software packages (OpenHantek, Sigrok, etc), yields the same result. I have more or less no trigger options, zooming horizontally and vertically is next to impossible, and general functionality that seems essential for any oscilloscope seems to be absent.

Now, I know this is a *very* basic scope, and I am painfully aware that this thing is all I could afford at $70 (disability due to a back injury really hurts your wallet, too, who would've known), but it seems like it's a bit *too* basic. I can deal with the thing not actually being a mixed scope, and I can deal with the thing not actually storing firmware, and I can even deal with the garbage drivers. That's all fine. But it seems like there is a ton of things that are just... missing. I honestly thought you could do a fair bit in software, so the simplicity of this scope was not seen as a hindrance, as the computer could pick up the hardware slack, but it seems I was wrong.

As for what I want the scope for, honestly, I'm brand new to electronics - I'm green as grass. And I have used a real oscilloscope (couple of Rigols at Hackerspace) for a grand total of about 20 minutes in my entire life, and I felt like I got more done than hours of tinkering with this thing. I'm honestly starting to grow tired of it. I bought this thing as a "my first oscilloscope when I am dead flat broke" and it almost seems like I got stiffed on it. The only thing I have learned how to do, is deal with driver issues, and trigger off the built in 1KHz 2Vpp square wave signal gen used for calibration. I've never been able to get the logic analyzer side of it working, either in the Hantek software, or the Saleae software, so half of this unit's already bare functionality is still a complete mystery to me, I have no idea how any of it works.

I know this seems like a bit of a mindless rant, but that's all I've been able to even figure out how to ask! So, what can I do with this thing, and what can I learn? This question applies to electronics in general. I want to get into the field, but it's like software - it's so damn massive, expansive, and has so much to do, that I don't know where to start, and it seems like each time I ask this question, I get a different answer.

Thanks in advance,
Rory
tggzzz:
I don't know that scope and am not going to comment on its suitability for your purposes.

However, you can do an awful lot of electronics without any scope; a simple multimeter, switch, potentiometer, and LED get you a long way. See my .sig, and mutate the aphorism for electronics.

You could also consider getting a cheap old analogue scope for around £1/MHz. But ensure that it is fully working before purchase, since you don't want to have to repair it.
vinlove:
I have seen on youtube that quite many experienced and high level electronic enthusiasts and semi professional repair technicians do use 20£ Kit DSO powered by 9V battery.

It is simple and limited of course, but if for just measuring voltage over time base, it seems be quite adequate. I have never seen or used the Hantek DSOs, but I am sure they would be far more equipped and complicated than the 20£ Kit DSOs.

I myself have a Rigol DS1052E, and it is a simple DSO at 50 Mhz bandwidth. It is also very old model, but I found it is more thn enough for my needs = learning and measuring voltage over timebase.

I also got a handheld 20£ Kit DSO, and it is also very useful and excellent for my needs. Very useful too, because I can carry it in my pocket.
Gyro:
It really depends whether you are still able to return the scope. If not, then your $70 is spent and you need to proceed from there. If you can still get your money back, then you have the opportunity to buy something better.

Regardless, your best way to getting some Logic analyser functionality may be to add an ebay <$10 8-bit logic analyser clone. That will definitely work with sigrok (or saleae depending on your conscience). I had heard that the LA portion of the 6022BL mirrored this functionality but your experience seems to be bringing this into question - unless it is down to driver issues or whatever. You might want to try briefly trying it with saleae [EDIT: sorry, you already tried that], or identifying it as a saleae logic in Sigrok (not sure how you do that), to rule out a hardware fault. Either way, I don't think you will achieve true mixed signal capability with Sigrok, I think it only supports the scope part.
MosherIV:
Sounds like you have the analogue side working if you can get the cal signal on the oscilloscope software. You can now look at voltage signals.
Try sound out of headphone socket, play some music and see what the waveform looks like.
You may have to adjust the time base to zoom in/out of the waveform cycles.
Adjust the volume and see how the amplitude varies.

This is the core functionality of an oscilloscope, not the logic analyser.
If this works, you have not wasted your money or time  ;)

Make sure you do not let more the 5V on the BNC input to the scope. According to the spec, the max input Voltage is 5V. If the scope probes are x10, that means divide by 10. Sound stupid to divide by 10, but it is to do with creating a balanced, non reflective, flat response input from the scope. You do not want measuring instruments changing the circuit you are trying to measure.

If you want to measure more that 5V, you will have to put voltage divider in between the scope probe and scope input. Let the learning begin  :D
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