Sorry.... Best Budget DSO

[ed_reardon]

Hi All,

 Sorry for this old chestnut again, but I know things move on quickly, I'll try and provide as much information as possible.

I do have the most budget DSO available,  (ha!) a 1988 Tek 2211 which is a fantastic 'scope, and it proudly wears the name 'Digital Storage Oscilloscope' on it,  however it's erm...... Not up to standard in storage terms in 2016,  the storage creates hilariously vague screen traces,  which of course can not be 'stored' beyond leaving them infinitely on the screen.  She's also a power-hungry big old lump of worktop space too!  The ever-so-slightly creepy warning about radiation emblazoned on the stickers on the side of the unit also can scare a few 

Budget £300 ($380USD/$480AUD).

• Speed, not a major issue,  I rarely measure anything above 5MHz,  never above 20Mhz,  the Tek is good for 50MHz which I can always lift down off the shelf if I require anything 'faster'.
• Minimum of two inputs with variable timebases per channel
• Must be able to output captured waveforms as a file for inclusion in technical documents
• Must be able to be calibrated by a recognised calibration lab due to workplace technical standards
• Not majorly important, but some level of logic analysis is useful, but probably not viable at this pricepoint

I've looked a the Rigol,  Keysight and Hantek offerings of various flavours, is there much between them (all similar prices) or are things all pretty similar at this pricepoint?

Is there a pressing reason say to buy the Rigol over a Hantek?

Sorry if this is an 'oft repeated question!

Cheers,
Ed.

 

[metrologist]

There are few scopes in your price range, so the decision should not be too difficult.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/digital-oscilloscope-comparison-chart/

I have opted for a DS1054Z and it gnocked my socks off.

[Syntax_Error]

I'll start off by saying don't feel bad for asking a common question. Seriously, it's the beginner forum on a discussion board. What else are we going to do here?

I'd say you have a decent start on defining your requirements, so why not start with a parametric filtered search on a site like http://www.tequipment.net/oscilloscopes/

You will hear a lot of the same responses in a sort of echo chamber-like fashion, and my voice would be part of it, as I own a DS1054Z. All I can say is, to cut out the emotion (or at least keep it to a minimum) define your hard requirements, then prioritize remaining soft requirements and do a parametric search/comparison to narrow the playing field to just a few scopes. Then either make your choice on your own or ask the specific question here in this thread. Good luck and happy hunting.

[rstofer]

Traceable calibration might just be a deal-breaker.  I bought the DS1054Z for applications similar to yours but I don't expect an 8 bit ADC to be traceable to much of anything.  OTOH, there is a "Performance Verification Guide" available so maybe it will work out.

I bought the 50 MHz DS1054Z intending to upgrade it to 100 MHz and you probably won't want to do this unless you actually purchase the upgrades.  If this is the case, you might want to look at the 100 MHz version of something similar.  Remember, you need at least 5 times the bandwidth of the fastest square wave you plan to look at.  Seven times is better.

http://beyondmeasure.rigoltech.com/acton/attachment/1579/f-0564/1/-/-/-/-/DS1000Z%20MSO1000Z%20Performance%20Verification%20Guide.pdf

Four channels with serial decoding is a very handy feature.

[metrologist]

Thanks for the cal guide!