What (Starter) Oscilloscope should I get for $300???

[mrpsychotic]

I don't own an Oscilloscope but am looking to get one for my birthday. But, there is a major catch. Money is really tight and I can't afford anything for over $300. Like I said, this is a starter oscilloscope so I want something very easy to use. For this reason, and I may be completely wrong in thinking this, I think it would be best for me to get a digital oscilloscope. The reason I thought that is because I was watching an electronics channel and noticing how nice it is to have the side menu that tells you a lot about your waveform (peak to peak voltage, frequency, the like) when the same guy posted about choosing oscilloscopes:

The one that he was using was less than $300! Than was a surprise to me because it appeared to be very useful. He also recommended trying ebay, but it seems as though ebay is filled with older analog ones or the handheld automotive ones. Either way, none of them appear to be the easy to use scopes I was looking for.

So, the scope that I am looking at is (the one mentioned in the video) the OWON EDU5022 Digital Storage Oscilloscope
Here it is at http://www.tequipment.net/OWONEDU5022.html for $287.

If there are other scopes out there that are better for the same price point please let me know here or if you have any advice/know of any discounts, it would be greatly appreciated.

p.s. I know owon isn't a recognized name in oscilloscopes, but that in and of itself i dont think is a reason to shy away from it unless anyone knows of any specific problems.

[Mechatrommer]

add $100 more, buy the 1Gs/s DSO Rigol, or the Hantek, alot of support by members here, use the Dave ebay link if available. there is member selling analog tektronix here, maybe you can negotiate for $300 mark, a good deal for the brand. you'll missed that nice side menu if you get quite old analog, like my school has. Thinking back the experience, i was so pissed off where the monitor shows nothing except the grid and the phosphor, getting my Rigol DSO is just like upgrading from DOS to Win7. No experience with branded old analog. but from my last search, even the nicely menu'ed old analog cost alot more than new low end digital. and dont forget the famous floppy disk slot, instead of modern usb plug

[cWal]

I will say the same as Mechatrommer.
I bought a Rigol 1052E one month ago and I am perfectly happy with it. Here, $340 with free shipping :
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/rigol-ds1052e-5-6-tft-lcd-50mhz-2-channel-digital-color-storage-oscilloscope-30573

Of course it's a bit more than $300 but Rigol seems a good brand, they build a wide range of electronic devices and many users use them.
I just quickly read the Owon manual and found out these differences :
- Rigol is a 50MHz DSO (and this model can be easily "hacked" into a 1102E 100MHz, as hardwares are basically the same) Owon is only 25.
- If I read well, Owon math functions can do only + and -, Rigol has * and FFT.
- The Rigol can be connected to a PC via USB and remotely controlled using the Ultrascope software (it works for me with W7/64).

Though I don't know the Owon, here are some cons for the Rigol :
- The fan will be a pain for your ears... (there is a tutorial on how to change it on the net but you may lose the warranty).
- DealExtreme is in China, expect 1 month to get it, plus some custom fees if you are unlucky :-(
- Don't expect any support from Rigol, they are famous for this lack. But many users will be able to help you.

Hantek and Instek are others similar companies.

This thread could interest you : https://www.eevblog.com/forum/index.php?topic=1536.0;wap2

[Waifian]

Like the others said. You should wait, save the extra 100 bucks and get the rigol 1052.

[mrpsychotic]

$300 is a pretty hard budget so I dont know aout the Rigol 1052E. Also, from what I hear about deaxextreme, it  seems sort of risky to but something that expensive from them and the rest of the places sell it for $399.

[Time]

instek

[grenert]

If you really can't spring for the Rigol, then consider an older Tektronix 2200 series or 465/475 scope.  Those are really nice quality scopes if you just want to look at a waveform.  Good bandwidth (100-200 MHz), great triggering, clean traces.  They're pretty small, too, as CRT scopes go.  You can easily get one for under $300.  Really, counting graticle lines and doing some basic math is not that hard 

[Bancroftjo]

For a starter scope I would recommend an analog oscilloscope. And in my opinion the best analog oscilloscopes were made by Tektronix. My favorite analog scope is the Tektronix 2215A, which you could get on e-bay for $100-$200. But if you really want a digital scope it seems that you are already on the right path.

[quirmche]

Two questions:
1. Mr.Psychotic, which scope did you finally decide on?

2. Based on the posts here, other than the Rigol fanboys, I really haven't seen any comments relative to the Owon's quality.  Does anyone have any experience with this unit?

P.S. Here is a link for this unit Brand Spanky New from US $252 w/ free shipping!!!  Looks pretty good to me, a non engineer hobbyist!http://www.tmatlantic.com/e-store/index.php?SECTION_ID=208&ELEMENT_ID=1072

[Psi]

i vote for the rigol 1052, it's got good specs, it's popular (so easy to get help using it if needed) and it's made by a good brand and its very close to your budget. But if you just can't afford it then an old analog Tektronix is the way to go.

[Mechatrommer]

Based on the posts here, other than the Rigol fanboys, I really haven't seen any comments relative to the Owon's quality.  Does anyone have any experience with this unit?

i've seen some comments on these owon, atten, hantek, rigol stuffs here, and if you like, agilent... if you use search engine from this blog's home/main page. and there are reasons why admin and other "fanboys" decided to get the rigol. it just depend on your strength to look for it.