Author Topic: First proper scope arrives today :)  (Read 2217 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline makermanTopic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Country: gb
First proper scope arrives today :)
« on: January 17, 2019, 12:37:44 pm »
Started off with a soundcard scope in 2007, then a £25 USB one in 2010, then a £50 USB one last year and today i'm getting a Rigol DSO1054Z 50MHz, can't wait :)
I've watched 'how to not blow up your scope', are there any things i should do first before using it?
I'm in UK, i've read that each probe should be calibrated with each BNC input, is that right, 16 calibrations for a 4-channel?


Thanks, Gary.
 
The following users thanked this post: tooki, jazper

Offline JackJones

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 229
  • Country: fi
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #1 on: January 17, 2019, 12:47:01 pm »
I don't think there is really anything else to do once you get it than compensate the probes. (other than maybe hack it for 100MHz..)

You want to compensate the probe on the channel you use the probe on. I'm not sure how big of an effect it really is if you use the same probe on a different channel, but it is easy to keep track of since the probes are colour coded.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2019, 12:49:03 pm by JackJones »
 
The following users thanked this post: makerman

Offline makermanTopic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Country: gb
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #2 on: January 17, 2019, 01:29:56 pm »
I don't think there is really anything else to do once you get it than compensate the probes. (other than maybe hack it for 100MHz..)

You want to compensate the probe on the channel you use the probe on. I'm not sure how big of an effect it really is if you use the same probe on a different channel, but it is easy to keep track of since the probes are colour coded.

Thanks Jack, will definitely be doing the 100MHz hack, i've read up on it here, including the microsecond problem.
 

Offline Mechatrommer

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 11534
  • Country: my
  • reassessing directives...
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #3 on: January 17, 2019, 02:01:38 pm »
Started off with a soundcard scope in 2007, then a £25 USB one in 2010, then a £50 USB one last year and today i'm getting a Rigol DSO1054Z 50MHz, can't wait :)
i'm predicting few months or just weeks from now, you will get the real real scope, something like 5-6GHz 20GSps scope ;) the "Moving Forward to the Future, Breaking GHz limit" slogan for hobbiests ;D

i've read that each probe should be calibrated with each BNC input, is that right, 16 calibrations for a 4-channel?
yes and no. yes if you keep swapping probes between channels, in this case not 16 actually, it depends on how much you swap them, it can be 100... with 100 times of changing probes. and no, if you stick one probe to one channel, so 4X compensation only once in a lifetime.

i think you are referring to higher end scope, like the GHz scope, because it can recognize different probe's ID. and each probe has memory to store calibration for each channel it connected to. for Rigol probe nada, its just a passive probe.
Nature: Evolution and the Illusion of Randomness (Stephen L. Talbott): Its now indisputable that... organisms “expertise” contextualizes its genome, and its nonsense to say that these powers are under the control of the genome being contextualized - Barbara McClintock
 
The following users thanked this post: makerman

Offline rstofer

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 9886
  • Country: us
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #4 on: January 17, 2019, 04:33:47 pm »
Read the manual, particularly page 15-7 where it talks about the scope self-calibration.  This is done with probes removed.

There is no calibration possible on the probes.  All you can do is compensate them - page 1-8

The other references to 'calibration' in the manual refer to the digital inputs and you don't have them.

It makes sense to run the self-calibration after you do the upgrade.  Whatever you have read, "DSER" is the only valid option string if you want all the features that actually work.

ETA:  This is NOT a menu choice, you just have to go on faith.

After the self-calibration and probe compensation, you are good to go.

Remember, you are working with a 3% kind of machine - page 18-3.
« Last Edit: January 17, 2019, 06:04:50 pm by rstofer »
 
The following users thanked this post: makerman

Offline ArthurDent

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 1193
  • Country: us
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #5 on: January 17, 2019, 07:47:49 pm »
As others have said, you compensate each probe for the input it is going to be matched with. Each probe has a colored split ring that identifies which input and color trace it is used with to make identifying which signal you're looking at easier. The compensation adjustment corrects for individual differences of probes and inputs by adjusting a trimmer in the probe connector while viewing a square wave compensation signal on the screen. If you want to use a probe on a different input then you should change the color rings to match and readjust the compensation. Here is a photo of probes with spare colored rings and a small plastic adjustment tool.
 
The following users thanked this post: makerman

Offline makermanTopic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Country: gb
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #6 on: January 17, 2019, 10:35:54 pm »
Thanks all, DSER upgrade went smoothly except i forgot to update the firmware first, i'm currently running software version 4.04 SP3, board version 0.1.4.

Is it safe for me to upgrade firmware here or am i stuck with current version : https://beyondmeasure.rigoltech.com/acton/form/1579/0025:d-0005/0/-/-/-/-/index.htm

Doing the self-calibration now.


Thanks again for advice.
 

Offline rstofer

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 9886
  • Country: us
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #7 on: January 18, 2019, 01:58:37 am »
You can upgrade the firmware.  People unlocked the scope prior to several incantations of firmware upgrades.
 
The following users thanked this post: makerman

Offline schmitt trigger

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2205
  • Country: mx
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #8 on: January 18, 2019, 02:30:38 am »
Congrats! You are now hooked!

Hopefully this will be the start of a good tinkerer's lab.
 
The following users thanked this post: makerman

Offline makermanTopic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Country: gb
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #9 on: January 21, 2019, 04:52:46 pm »
Congrats! You are now hooked!

Hopefully this will be the start of a good tinkerer's lab.

Totally hooked :) It's amazing seeing what's going on inside inductors etc.
 

Offline makermanTopic starter

  • Regular Contributor
  • *
  • Posts: 59
  • Country: gb
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #10 on: January 21, 2019, 04:55:23 pm »
You can upgrade the firmware.  People unlocked the scope prior to several incantations of firmware upgrades.

The download link is asking for an email and serial number, should i go ahead with that or is there somewhere we can direct download ?
 

Offline Doctorandus_P

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 3321
  • Country: nl
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #11 on: January 23, 2019, 12:47:35 am »
I think that this scope hacking is overrated.
As a beginner you're much better of with a scope you can have repaired under warranty if needed.

Rigol scopes often develop a fault because of low quality encoders on the front panel.
It is quite annoying if you want to increase the timebase, and it get decreased instead, and if this happens within warranty you can have it repaired for free.

As a beginner the difference between a 50MHz scope and a 100MHz scope is probably also only that you will see more noise.
Therefore I advise to wait with the 100MHz hack untill your scope is out of warranty anyway, or you have a project where the increased bandwith is actually usefull.
 

Offline MarkF

  • Super Contributor
  • ***
  • Posts: 2522
  • Country: us
Re: First proper scope arrives today :)
« Reply #12 on: January 23, 2019, 03:32:46 am »
You can upgrade the firmware.  People unlocked the scope prior to several incantations of firmware upgrades.

The download link is asking for an email and serial number, should i go ahead with that or is there somewhere we can direct download ?

Go here instead (Otherwise you will need to wait for Rigol to send you a link) (This is the link they sent me)

   http://beyondmeasure.rigoltech.com/acton/fs/blocks/showLandingPage/a/1579/p/p-0019/t/page/fm/0


Edit-  Version 04.04.SP3 (i.e. 00.04.04.03.05) is the latest version
« Last Edit: January 23, 2019, 03:40:58 am by MarkF »
 


Share me

Digg  Facebook  SlashDot  Delicious  Technorati  Twitter  Google  Yahoo
Smf