New toy(?) scope Fnirsi DPOX180H, claimed 180MHz/500MSps (May 2023)

[ptluis]

If you're calling me a sucker....

No, I'm not, because that would make me a sucker too. 

I actually bought a second 1013D to be able to compare the behavior between the original firmware and the one I was writing. Also bought a 1014D just to see if it was any better.

The first 1013D I bought out of need for a small scope device to use while developing embedded stuff on my computer bench. It arrived with a defective touch panel, which started my adventure in reverse engineering. At the time it was just released so not a lot known about it.

The suckers in the world are the ones that buy it now, with so many youtube reviews showing what crap devices they are.

Guys, you are not alone, I am another sucker, I also bought it without reviews because I urgently needed a device to quickly see the presence of signals, it has served me for 90% of situations, so I'm feeling a little less sucker 
but in general it has several bugs that make it useless for other situations, mainly measurements whose values ​​are incorrect, at least in my device, for ex RMS value are way off by a lot. the only positive thing is that it is battery operated so floating when i need to check AC power lines.

I bought mine for 70€ but will never pay today's prices of 130€, not worth it. The just released dpos350p for 230-250€ certainly I won't buy it, for around 100€ maybe if the FRA work ok, otherwise no.

[Bugi75]

If you're calling me a sucker....

No, I'm not, because that would make me a sucker too. 

I actually bought a second 1013D to be able to compare the behavior between the original firmware and the one I was writing. Also bought a 1014D just to see if it was any better.

Hi Firend,

I'm sorry to hear about the negative experience you had. It's not just this brand; nowadays, across all sectors and brands worldwide, products are being manufactured with much lower quality. First, they reduce the quality to avoid significant price increases, and then over time, they raise the prices anyway. As purchasing power decreases, companies emerge producing alternative products, and unfortunately, this is the result.

While technology has advanced, and everything should be better, the opposite has happened. A "use and throw away" philosophy has developed because everyone is chasing higher profits. The consumer has become prey, with their money being the target. This same situation exists in every sector, from food to clothing, household goods to health products.

Regards

[pcprogrammer]

If you're calling me a sucker....

No, I'm not, because that would make me a sucker too. 

I actually bought a second 1013D to be able to compare the behavior between the original firmware and the one I was writing. Also bought a 1014D just to see if it was any better.

Hi Firend,

I'm sorry to hear about the negative experience you had. It's not just this brand; nowadays, across all sectors and brands worldwide, products are being manufactured with much lower quality. First, they reduce the quality to avoid significant price increases, and then over time, they raise the prices anyway. As purchasing power decreases, companies emerge producing alternative products, and unfortunately, this is the result.

While technology has advanced, and everything should be better, the opposite has happened. A "use and throw away" philosophy has developed because everyone is chasing higher profits. The consumer has become prey, with their money being the target. This same situation exists in every sector, from food to clothing, household goods to health products.

Regards

That is called capitalism fed by greed. 

It indeed seems to now be a buy it cheap and throw it away as soon as used culture.

With concerns about climate change and diminishing resources, people and politics try to reverse this trend and climb the fence for the "right to repair", etc, but I fear it is to late. 

[Bugi75]

If you're calling me a sucker....

No, I'm not, because that would make me a sucker too. 

Guys, you are not alone, I am another sucker, I also bought it without reviews because I urgently needed a device to quickly see the presence of signals, it has served me for 90% of situations, so I'm feeling a little less sucker 
but in general it has several bugs that make it useless for other situations, mainly measurements whose values ​​are incorrect, at least in my device, for ex RMS value are way off by a lot. the only positive thing is that it is battery operated so floating when i need to check AC power lines.

Hi friend,

As you said, at least I'm glad it worked for you. Unfortunately, professional devices are needed to get perfectly accurate measurements, and they are expensive.

Mid-range devices generally give close results to each other. However, while there isn't complete precision, their prices are more acceptable.

The important thing here is that the device doesn't have hardware and software problems. When we've already settled for average results, we also end up paying for faulty devices. It's also uncertain how many months or years they will work.

My mid-range devices that I bought 15-20 years ago still work and take better measurements than today's devices in the same segment. As I said in my previous message, everything is going towards lower quality.


Regards

[Bugi75]

If you're calling me a sucker....

No,

Hi Firend,

I'm sorry to hear about the negative experience you had.....

Regards

That is called capitalism fed by greed. 

It indeed seems to now be a buy it cheap and throw it away as soon as used culture.

With concerns about climate change and diminishing resources, people and politics try to reverse this trend and climb the fence for the "right to repair", etc, but I fear it is to late. 

I completely agree. :'(

[ptluis]

If you're calling me a sucker....

No, I'm not, because that would make me a sucker too. 

Guys, you are not alone, I am another sucker, I also bought it without reviews because I urgently needed a device to quickly see the presence of signals, it has served me for 90% of situations, so I'm feeling a little less sucker 
but in general it has several bugs that make it useless for other situations, mainly measurements whose values ​​are incorrect, at least in my device, for ex RMS value are way off by a lot. the only positive thing is that it is battery operated so floating when i need to check AC power lines.

Hi friend,

As you said, at least I'm glad it worked for you. Unfortunately, professional devices are needed to get perfectly accurate measurements, and they are expensive.

Mid-range devices generally give close results to each other. However, while there isn't complete precision, their prices are more acceptable.

The important thing here is that the device doesn't have hardware and software problems. When we've already settled for average results, we also end up paying for faulty devices. It's also uncertain how many months or years they will work.

My mid-range devices that I bought 15-20 years ago still work and take better measurements than today's devices in the same segment. As I said in my previous message, everything is going towards lower quality.


Regards

These devices are ok for fast probing for the presence of signals but for accurate measurements I'll use professional stuff, anyway i still think that without proper quality check and serious improvements, specially measurements accuracy, these kind of devices should stay at the 100€ max limit price. on the 200€ range you'll have better options.

[aleksandrs]

Ok i confirm this, the same effect

Hello!
My oscilloscope is still on its way and I ordered the corresponding 100nf capacitors for it
Considering the effect found when installing such capacitors, does this mean that the 100nf capacitance is not suitable and another one should be selected?

Can someone answer this question?

[ptluis]

Ok i confirm this, the same effect

Hello!
My oscilloscope is still on its way and I ordered the corresponding 100nf capacitors for it
Considering the effect found when installing such capacitors, does this mean that the 100nf capacitance is not suitable and another one should be selected?

Can someone answer this question?

Well my friend I can't answer your question because I never did the capacitor mod. I use the scope in original hardware state.

[csuhi17]

Hello!
My oscilloscope is still on its way and I ordered the corresponding 100nf capacitors for it
Considering the effect found when installing such capacitors, does this mean that the 100nf capacitance is not suitable and another one should be selected?

Can someone answer this question?
[/quote]

Did you think about this effect?

Hello everyone. I bought myself such an oscilloscope. I immediately decided to replace these ill-fated capacitors. And here's what I found out. After replacing the capacitor in channel 2, I decided to compare them with each other. I connected a probe with a 1:10 divider, at a constant voltage and set it to 50 mV/division. And applied 5 volts from the power supply to the input of each channel. It turned out that in the channel in which I replaced the capacitor, after disconnecting from the power source, a self-oscillating process occurs. In the first one, in which the capacitors are original, it does not. Most likely, these capacitors perform some kind of filtering function, but are not separating. Although, maybe I'm wrong.

Video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/qMXeUA08IGU

The commenter in this video tested a 5V signal with a 50mV DC setting, and the error was very visible.

The capacitor we replaced is theoretically in the AC circuit, it should not interfere with the DC thing.

I had various problems with this device even before the modification, there are functions that do not work properly.

If I remember correctly, this effect is only significant below 60Hz.

I can't test it anymore because I loaned it to someone else for a longer period of time.

And ptluis, who wrote in the previous comment that he did not modify it, would experience the same effect.

If I understood what I read back quickly,

I also have one from the first series, and I replaced the capacitors with the recommended ones.
I also have the error.
I give the channel a low-frequency square wave signal, and it ripples at the top and bottom.
It is not noticeable above 60 Hz.
Something similar was mentioned in previous posts.
If you search for "capacitor" within the post, you'll find it easier.

And also that the two replaced capacitors are in the AC coupling circuit, so they should not distort the signal.

I can also produce this error by measuring a lithium battery.

But testing this in 50mV/Div with a 5Vpp signal...

Ok i confirm this, the same effect

[ptluis]

Hello!
My oscilloscope is still on its way and I ordered the corresponding 100nf capacitors for it
Considering the effect found when installing such capacitors, does this mean that the 100nf capacitance is not suitable and another one should be selected?

Can someone answer this question?

Did you think about this effect?

Hello everyone. I bought myself such an oscilloscope. I immediately decided to replace these ill-fated capacitors. And here's what I found out. After replacing the capacitor in channel 2, I decided to compare them with each other. I connected a probe with a 1:10 divider, at a constant voltage and set it to 50 mV/division. And applied 5 volts from the power supply to the input of each channel. It turned out that in the channel in which I replaced the capacitor, after disconnecting from the power source, a self-oscillating process occurs. In the first one, in which the capacitors are original, it does not. Most likely, these capacitors perform some kind of filtering function, but are not separating. Although, maybe I'm wrong.

Video:

https://youtube.com/shorts/qMXeUA08IGU

The commenter in this video tested a 5V signal with a 50mV DC setting, and the error was very visible.

The capacitor we replaced is theoretically in the AC circuit, it should not interfere with the DC thing.

I had various problems with this device even before the modification, there are functions that do not work properly.

If I remember correctly, this effect is only significant below 60Hz.

I can't test it anymore because I loaned it to someone else for a longer period of time.

And ptluis, who wrote in the previous comment that he did not modify it, would experience the same effect.

If I understood what I read back quickly,

I also have one from the first series, and I replaced the capacitors with the recommended ones.
I also have the error.
I give the channel a low-frequency square wave signal, and it ripples at the top and bottom.
It is not noticeable above 60 Hz.
Something similar was mentioned in previous posts.
If you search for "capacitor" within the post, you'll find it easier.

And also that the two replaced capacitors are in the AC coupling circuit, so they should not distort the signal.

I can also produce this error by measuring a lithium battery.

But testing this in 50mV/Div with a 5Vpp signal...

Ok i confirm this, the same effect

[/quote]

The exact same effect! My unit was one of the first batches to be released.

I recently bought two spot welders from fnirsi, the first one is from the very first batches and it has as glitch with brightness if set to a value of 4 ( if i recall correctly) , the second one operates 100%, The first batches normally presents defects. I experienced the same with almost all devices I bought from fnirsi.

Other brands are not different, my first Siglent SDS1202X-E also had problems and it was necessary to solder a capacitor, The second Siglent same model, manufactured in 2024 its fine.

 We just have to live with that unfortunately.

[aleksandrs]

Hello everyone!
A couple of months ago, I ordered DPOX180H on Aliexpress. But it looks like it got lost along the way and they will refund my money.
While I was waiting for this oscilloscope, I read a lot about this oscilloscope on this forum, and I realized that Fnirsi as a company and this oscilloscope in particular are not the best choice.

Please tell me which oscilloscope is best to buy for this money ($120) instead of DPOX180H?
For me, it is important:
- That the oscilloscope can operate from its battery or from a power bank.
- That it has a real operating frequency of 50 MHz
- That it is possible to upload not only screenshots, but also a file of the recorded wave.

I am going to use it for minor repairs of a car, laptops and other electronics (not professionally for myself)

[ptluis]

Hello everyone!
A couple of months ago, I ordered DPOX180H on Aliexpress. But it looks like it got lost along the way and they will refund my money.
While I was waiting for this oscilloscope, I read a lot about this oscilloscope on this forum, and I realized that Fnirsi as a company and this oscilloscope in particular are not the best choice.

Please tell me which oscilloscope is best to buy for this money ($120) instead of DPOX180H?
For me, it is important:
- That the oscilloscope can operate from its battery or from a power bank.
- That it has a real operating frequency of 50 MHz
- That it is possible to upload not only screenshots, but also a file of the recorded wave.

I am going to use it for minor repairs of a car, laptops and other electronics (not professionally for myself)

Well the dpox180h has nice graphics, colors, but it's a complete garbage concerning measurements, as an example real 229.8V RMS are displayed in the scope as 195V RMS, all other measurement are way out, so it's useless.
On the other side, you'll have the Zeeweei DSO2512g, cheaper but better concerning measurements, no so fancy with colors but it has persistence mode of 1 sec and infinity (the dpox180h does not).

I use the dpos180h for quick test, like for example the output wave of an 220V inverter (be careful when using this scope for high voltage, if you don't have experience search tutorials on google for eg.)
For more accurate readings the dpos2512g is better, the same eg I gave above display 230V RMS

On the Zeeweei you are able to manually calibrate the scope. If we have the manual calibration on fnirsi it will be ok, but this way ... no way.

On the Zeeweei if you bought one with pcb rev. 9.xx you can use a custom firmware with some nice features including a web browser app that expand it's capabilities. Search this forum for the dpos2512g

[aleksandrs]

Thank you very much for the detailed answer! Zeeweei looks good, and most importantly it is cheaper! I looked at this manufacturer and they have another model combined with a multimeter DSO3D12, which is not much more expensive. Do you think its oscilloscope is not worse in accuracy than the DSO2512g?

[kmoonwalker]

Thank you very much for the detailed answer! Zeeweei looks good, and most importantly it is cheaper! I looked at this manufacturer and they have another model combined with a multimeter DSO3D12, which is not much more expensive. Do you think its oscilloscope is not worse in accuracy than the DSO2512g?

if you can I would advise to test anything from this price range you are willing to get

for example if you put approx 1 Mhz sine to some fnirsi models the wave on screen is ...jumping...

Personally I went for HDS2202s as had a chance to try it against cheaper frnisi and yep it was more expensive but compared side by side with friends "toy" it was like totally different league.

it has some other compromises but it suited my needs to check things with battery powered scope.

[Aldo22]

Thank you very much for the detailed answer! Zeeweei looks good, and most importantly it is cheaper! I looked at this manufacturer and they have another model combined with a multimeter DSO3D12, which is not much more expensive. Do you think its oscilloscope is not worse in accuracy than the DSO2512g?

DSO3D12 cannot export screenshots.

[Bugi75]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday, due to low lighting and being distracted, I accidentally connected the probes in reverse and shorted the signal generator output of the DPOX180H to ground. When I realized it, about 30 seconds had passed — though I'm not completely sure.

When I checked, I didn’t notice any issues. Everything seems to be working normally. However, I’m not sure if a problem might emerge later. Even though it’s not a very reliable device, it does work in certain situations.

The signal generator is not a separate unit; it's generated by the same chip that controls the oscilloscope. A malfunction there could affect the entire device.

There is a 51-ohm resistor right before the signal generator output connector. There is also a 1-ohm resistor before the GND connector. The point connected to the 51-ohm resistor is marked with a yellow circle in the photo.

A DAC is built using resistors connected to pin 8 of the EF2L45LG144B chip, and its output is fed into an op-amp. This section is shown in the red area of the photo. The output of the op-amp is the same point marked with the yellow circle, which connects to the 51-ohm resistor.

There is also an NPN + PNP transistor pair connected to another pin of the chip, which is also tied to this same point. This part is marked with a blue circle.

Given this information, what could be the effects of such a short circuit? Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?

[csuhi17]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday, due to low lighting and being distracted, I accidentally connected the probes in reverse and shorted the signal generator output of the DPOX180H to ground. When I realized it, about 30 seconds had passed — though I'm not completely sure.

When I checked, I didn’t notice any issues. Everything seems to be working normally. However, I’m not sure if a problem might emerge later. Even though it’s not a very reliable device, it does work in certain situations.

The signal generator is not a separate unit; it's generated by the same chip that controls the oscilloscope. A malfunction there could affect the entire device.

There is a 51-ohm resistor right before the signal generator output connector. There is also a 1-ohm resistor before the GND connector. The point connected to the 51-ohm resistor is marked with a yellow circle in the photo.

A DAC is built using resistors connected to pin 8 of the EF2L45LG144B chip, and its output is fed into an op-amp. This section is shown in the red area of the photo. The output of the op-amp is the same point marked with the yellow circle, which connects to the 51-ohm resistor.

There is also an NPN + PNP transistor pair connected to another pin of the chip, which is also tied to this same point. This part is marked with a blue circle.

Given this information, what could be the effects of such a short circuit? Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?

i ask the AI for you.
here is the answer:

"No, you cannot damage a typical signal generator by shorting its output. Most signal generators are designed to be able to handle short circuits without damage. They are built to continue functioning even when the output is shorted, as this is a common scenario during testing and debugging. "

[pcprogrammer]

There is a 51-ohm resistor right before the signal generator output connector. There is also a 1-ohm resistor before the GND connector. The point connected to the 51-ohm resistor is marked with a yellow circle in the photo.

A DAC is built using resistors connected to pin 8 of the EF2L45LG144B chip, and its output is fed into an op-amp. This section is shown in the red area of the photo. The output of the op-amp is the same point marked with the yellow circle, which connects to the 51-ohm resistor.

There is also an NPN + PNP transistor pair connected to another pin of the chip, which is also tied to this same point. This part is marked with a blue circle.

Given this information, what could be the effects of such a short circuit? Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?

Based on this you can calculate the max short circuit current. It depends on the FPGA IO bank voltage, but probably set to 3.3V to get some decent range from the generator, and the amplification and supply voltage(s) of the opamp. Probably in the same range to give a 3.3V output signal. So 3.3V / 51 Ohm is about 65mA. Depends on the opamp used, but even in steady state it most likely won't kill it. The 1 Ohm resistor to ground reduces the current a bit more.

To say more about the transistor pair the markings are needed to determine the connections. It could be something like for an external trigger input, but with the two capacitors near the FPGA pin it probably is something else.

The same DAC setup is used in the 1014D scope of FNIRSI, but that one does not have the transistor pair. It is cheap, but it depends on the quality of the resistors and the FPGA outputs how linear and accurate it is.

[Bugi75]

Hello everyone,

Yesterday, due to low lighting and being distracted, I accidentally connected the probes in reverse and shorted the signal generator output of the DPOX180H to ground. When I realized it, about 30 seconds had passed — though I'm not completely sure.

i ask the AI for you.
here is the answer:

"No, you cannot damage a typical signal generator by shorting its output. Most signal generators are designed to be able to handle short circuits without damage. They are built to continue functioning even when the output is shorted, as this is a common scenario during testing and debugging. "

Thanks, my friend.
Yes, this is how it should be with good devices. But as you know, this is the DPOX180H—we never know what might happen, so I opened it up to check. At the very least, I’m hoping nothing will happen to the chip.

[Bugi75]

There is a 51-ohm resistor right before the signal generator output connector. There is also a 1-ohm resistor before the GND connector. The point connected to the 51-ohm resistor is marked with a yellow circle in the photo.

A DAC is built using resistors connected to pin 8 of the EF2L45LG144B chip, and its output is fed into an op-amp. This section is shown in the red area of the photo. The output of the op-amp is the same point marked with the yellow circle, which connects to the 51-ohm resistor.

There is also an NPN + PNP transistor pair connected to another pin of the chip, which is also tied to this same point. This part is marked with a blue circle.

Given this information, what could be the effects of such a short circuit? Does anyone have any thoughts or experience with this?

Based on this you can calculate the max short circuit current. It depends on the FPGA IO bank voltage, but probably set to 3.3V to get some decent range from the generator, and the amplification and supply voltage(s) of the opamp. Probably in the same range to give a 3.3V output signal. So 3.3V / 51 Ohm is about 65mA. Depends on the opamp used, but even in steady state it most likely won't kill it. The 1 Ohm resistor to ground reduces the current a bit more.

To say more about the transistor pair the markings are needed to determine the connections. It could be something like for an external trigger input, but with the two capacitors near the FPGA pin it probably is something else.

The same DAC setup is used in the 1014D scope of FNIRSI, but that one does not have the transistor pair. It is cheap, but it depends on the quality of the resistors and the FPGA outputs how linear and accurate it is.

Thank you for your response.

The op-amp at the DAC output delivers a maximum of 150mA. As for the other section—the one in the blue block—here’s the situation: the PNP transistor closer to the chip can handle up to 1.5A, and the following NPN transistor has a maximum of 50mA.

The pin from this section that’s connected to the chip has 2.9V on its VCC_AUX output.

At first, I thought these components might withstand short-circuit current and provide the required current, which would result in the chip drawing excessive current and getting damaged.

But then I saw that there’s no sink current flowing into the chip from the blue block. It’s also not possible to draw excessive source current from there either, because of the transistors. In the other block, there are also extra resistors and the op-amp. Current can’t be drawn from the DAC either. So in summary, the chip is not in danger. If something goes wrong, it would happen with the components in front of it. And they can be replaced. But for now, there doesn’t seem to be any issue.

In such cases, the real danger is when semiconductors fail in a shorted state. Then, they can damage the ICs they’re connected to. Hopefully, I haven’t missed anything.

[aleksandrs]

Hello everyone!
Has anyone encountered such a strange interference from the built-in generator?
https://youtube.com/shorts/oICNsRBnTvY?si=DDFJz_0w5c_Uztjh
It appears after about 30 minutes of generator operation. Only on the second channel in dual-channel mode. Or on any of the channels in single-channel mode. If you turn off the generator and watch the external signal, the interference disappears.

[jebem]

I read thru all these posts only to learn about the unresolved issues of this oscilloscope.

More than two years of customers reports on bugs and design issues to have just three firmware updates, where the last one dates from Sept-2023, and basically almost all the serious issues were never fixed. This is now Aug-2025.

Advertising a product based on their 180MHz bandwidth and high sensitivity of 5mV at such a low price is a clever honey pot.

I have the Fnirsi LCR-P1 multitester.
It is buggy when testing NPN transistors.
This issue has been reported to them since long time ago and they released two firmware updates after that.
Unfortunately the issue was never fixed and, like this oscilloscope, they stop maintaining it (no more updates), despite keep selling the product.

As it is, I am not buying Fnirsi  products anymore, no matter how sweet is the honey pot.

[tunk]

A post from another thread from a person who says he developed it:
"DPOX180H does have some problems. Why haven't I updated it? Because the sales
are too terrible. The dealers sell it at a very high price. A handheld oscilloscope can't
survive at this price. So I have given up on DPOX180H and haven't produced it for
nearly a year."
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hello-everyone-i-am-going-to-make-a-very-low-priced-1ghz-oscilloscope/msg5889030/#msg5889030

[aleksandrs]

I recently finally got around to disassembling my oscilloscope and noticed something curious: the circuits (I understand these are ADCs) where FNIRSI usually laser-erases the markings, but mine weren't. Perhaps this will be helpful to someone—here's a photo.

[Bugi75]

I recently finally got around to disassembling my oscilloscope and noticed something curious: the circuits (I understand these are ADCs) where FNIRSI usually laser-erases the markings, but mine weren't. Perhaps this will be helpful to someone—here's a photo.

🙏🙏🙏