DANIU ADS5012H 100MHz 500 Ms/s portable scope for $80 USD ??

[snoopy]

Does anyone know anything about this ? Can't actually see a working unit. Just something from Solidworks. You know what they say, if it looks to good to be true....

DANIU ADS5012H Digital 2.4-inch IPS Screen Anti-burn Oscilloscope 500MS/s Sampling Rate 100MHz Analog Bandwidth Support Waveform Storage and Built-in Large 5000mah Capacity Lithium Battery

https://www.banggood.com/DANIU-ADS5012H-Digital-2_4-inch-IPS-Screen-Anti-burn-Oscilloscope-500MSs-Sampling-Rate-100MHz-Analog-Bandwidth-Support-Waveform-Storage-and-Built-in-Large-5000mah-Capacity-Lithium-Battery-p-1469066.html

Description:
 
The ADS5012H is a versatile, highly practical, cost-effective handheld oscilloscope for the maintenance industry and the R&D industry with AARONTEK's real-time sampling rate of up to 500MS/s and 100MHz analog bandwidth.With full trigger function (single, normal, automatic), it can be used freely for both periodic analog signals and non-periodic digital signals. The built-in high voltage protection module can withstand up to 400V continuous voltage and 600V peak voltage. There is no need to worry about the oscilloscope burnout caused by the high voltage not being probed to the 10X position.Large time base scan mode that monitors slow level changes. Equipped with high-efficiency one-button AUTO, the measured waveform can be displayed without complicated adjustment. Display high-definition LCD screen with 2.4-inch 320*240 resolution IPS full-vision technology, the visual effect is very good. Extremely convenient and fast waveform storage function, built-in 64M storage space, can store up to 2000 waveform pictures, the storage process is simple and fast, save the current waveform anytime and anywhere, just one touch, no cumbersome tips and choices. Powerful waveform file manager, support for thumbnail browsing, viewing, detail viewing, page turning, deletion and more. Built-in 5000mah high-quality lithium battery, can be used continuously for 12 hours when fully charged.The body is equipped with high-quality silicone protective cover, non-toxic and lead-free environmental protection, anti-skid, anti-shock and shockproof, comprehensive protection of the fuselage, soft texture, feel very comfortable.

Key Features:
 
1:Intelligent anti-burn,1X Can withstand up to 600V withstand voltage
2:Afterglow display technology
3:2.4 inch color display screen with IPS technology
4:100MHz analog bandwidth @ 500MS/s sampling rate(1X = 5MHz,10X = 100MHz)
5:One-button waveform storage
6:Built-in 64M storage space, the maximum storage of 2000 waveform pictures
7:Powerful waveform file manager, support thumbnail browsing, viewing, details view, flip, delete and other functions
8:High measurement voltage range, 1X can measure 0 ~ 80 V, 10X can measure 0 ~ 800V
9:Up to 12 parameters measurement:VPP,VP,Vmax,Vmin,Vavg,Vrms,Frequent,Duty+,Duty-,Time+,Time-,Time
10:At any time, the waveform display (pause function) is frozen
11:Equipped with high efficiency One-button AUTO
12:Complete triggering function (single, normal, automatic)
13:Built in 5000mAh rechargeable lithium battery,Fully charged for 12 hours of continuous use
14:Screen brightness adjustment
15:Memory compression technology, waveform refresh screen does not flicker
16:Anti-slip anti-drop silicone sleeve
17:Ultra small volume, easy to carry
 
Specifications:
 
1:Analog band width: 100MHz
2:Maximum real time sampling rate: 500MS/s
3:Vertical sensitivity: 50 mV/div ~ 100 V/div
4:Horizontal time base range: 50S/div ~ 6nS/div
5:Maximum test voltage: 80 V (1X probe), 800 V (10X probe)
6:Storage depth: 128KB
7:Input resistance: 1M
8:ADC precision: 8bits
9:Coupling mode: AC/DC
10:Trigger mode: Single, Normal, Auto
11:Trigger edge: Ascending/descending edge
12:External trigger voltage 0 – 80 V
13:Display: 2.4 inch - 320*240 - IPS process
14:Power supply: 5000 mAh lithium battery
15:Size: 114mm x 74mm x 33mm
16:Weight: 300g

[Kosmic]

Found some pictures on aliexpress

[snoopy]

Found some pictures on aliexpress

Wow, that's cheaper than I expected.

So this is an ETS scope made with STM32 ADC, analog switches and an CPLD delay line???

That's SMART!

It says real time sampling of 500 ms/s or is it really a subsampling scope ? Even so for the price it's a well specced scope to have in the toolbox when you're out in the field and need a quick measurement

cheers

[snoopy]

I like how it uses the standard BNC input connector for standard probes

Next question is who's got one of these ?

[jjoonathan]

So with 16 levels that looks like a 4 bit flash ADC. They claim 8 bits. Are they doing some folding or something? Or did the spec sheet just "gain something in translation"?

EDIT: There are 8 vertical divisions, a 4-bit converter would yield half-div resolution, but I'm pretty sure I can see wiggles smaller than that in the square waveform. Is it a two-stage conversion with three bits per stage for an idealized 6 bits, using the outputs of the first stage to subrange the second stage?

[tinhead]

So with 16 levels that looks like a 4 bit flash ADC. They claim 8 bits.

AD9288 or something, probably there is second one on the bottom side, it is 2x125MSps ADC, probably overclocked 80MSpS version anyway. Typical 10yrs old DSO design

[snoopy]

Someone done a review of this scope on youtube. Looks ok

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

Looks good. Very good indeed.

[Kosmic]

I ordered one couple of weeks ago. The bandwidth is definitely not 100Mhz. Tested with my signal generator and on my unit, -3db point was around 63Mhz. Higher than that the signal is heavily attenuated and at 95-100 MHz the sin wave was completely distorted.

That been said, the auto mode is working pretty well and user interface is not too bad. I used it today to poke around a PSU and it was working great.

Personally I wanted a floating scope for a while and that was a cheap option. Not too sure if it's really safe though.

[snoopy]

I just ordered one from the bangood link in the youtube video. For the price it's a lot cheaper than looking for a 2nd hand Tektronix THS7XX scope

cheers

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

I got mine, looks good, the screen is bright, the colours are good, battery life is 7 hours, buuut, the specs said 128kB storage depth, but there's no way to zoom or scroll the trace in single shot. The screen is 320*240, so this to me is looking more like 320 samples storage depth than 128 kB, which makes it a useless DSO. The UI is a bit of a mess too. Perhaps I'm doing it wrong?

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

This needs a better firmware. It makes no sense that when you capture a one shot trace can only see the 320 samples that fit on the screen. The specs are wrong too because it clearly says 128kB storage depth. Even the cheapest $20 DSO shells can scroll the 4000 or so samples of a single shot capture. I can't return it because to do so I'd have to send it back to China which would cost me more than the thing itself.

IOW: MY RECOMMENDATION IS DON'T BUY

(In the meantime, I went to batronix and ordered a MicSig because I need a portable scope)

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

One more thing: as the USB socket is recessed quite deep into the case, a normal micro-usb plug won't work: it comes with a special, weird, micro-usb plug with a longer prong:

[amspire]

I have had my 5012H for about a month. It is not a great scope, and I love it. Use it all the time.

It has a long battery life and is a super solid construction. Very bright, clear display. I use it for a quick look at waveforms when playing around with microcontrollers. It is very well insulated, and has a long battery life so it is great for connecting to an ungrounded source.

It would be great if someone wanted to write a new firmware for it, but I can use it as it is. It is fairly solid firmware.

It is not a substitute for a desktop scope unfortunately. Only the auto trigger works well - the manual trigger control is pretty bad.

GeorgeOfTheJungle is right about the special USB connector, but it wouldn't be that hard enlargening the hole so a conventional USB cable could be used.

The is no way to get saved waveforms out of the scope - the USB connector seems to be for power only.

So I wouldn't recommend it to anyone here, and I am extremely happy with my purchase.

Richard

[4thDoctorWhoFan]

Just checked out the Banggood link.
Price has been reduced to $69 US.

A footnote on the site says the display has changed from a IPS to a TFT screen & a smaller capacity 3000mAh battery.

Might be worth it for $69.

[GeorgeOfTheJungle]

@amspire I love it too but with this firmware it's useless as a DSO. What use have 128kB of storage depth if you can't see the stored samples? I want the scope to see the entire transaction between the ESP32 in the picture and the DHT22, but it can't show me but a small part of it. Where are the 128kB?

[adrianjball]

I bought one of these soon after Banggood had them available, and have been arguing with Banggood ever since over how an oscilloscope should work. I found that Auto trigger mode worked reasonably well, but Normal and Single modes don't work at all. A single pulse in Single mode does result in a trigger, but the triggering edge is not visible on the screen at all. And Normal mode just seems to trigger randomly - even a steady square wave just jumps around all over the screen.

I sent videos to Banggood showing the non-working trigger modes , who then (so they say) sent them on to DANIU, and DANIU supposedly responded that the operation is correct. So unless someone is lying I doubt there will be a firmware fix any time soon!

I note that in the video posted by Snoopy he quickly skips through the Single and Normal trigger modes, but as he goes through Normal mode it can be clearly seen that it isn't triggering, so it's not just a fault in the unit I have.

My advice would be: If all you need is to scope a repetitive waveform in Auto trigger mode, this is a nice package at a good price. But if you need the Single trigger mode of a real DSO, or any trace depth, then this is junk - don't buy it. You would be better off with a DS202 or similar, which while they don't have the bandwidth of the ADS5012H they DO actually work in Normal and Single trigger modes.

[amspire]

@amspire I love it too but with this firmware it's useless as a DSO. What use have 128kB of storage depth if you can't see the stored samples? I want the scope to see the entire transaction between the ESP32 in the picture and the DHT22, but it can't show me but a small part of it. Where are the 128kB?

I cannot agree with you more. New firmware could probably transform this into an almost acceptable scope, but there is a good chance that there will never be any new firmware. Without a working USB, there is probably no method for a simple firmware update.

I have only had a quick look inside. At some point, I probably will take it apart, photograph both sides of the board, try and read the ROM, and try and identify the chips. My one has at least one main chip with no identification. If it is the A/D, we may be able to work out what it is.

Richard.

[robca]

I cannot agree with you more. New firmware could probably transform this into an almost acceptable scope, but there is a good chance that there will never be any new firmware. Without a working USB, there is probably no method for a simple firmware update.

I have only had a quick look inside. At some point, I probably will take it apart, photograph both sides of the board, try and read the ROM, and try and identify the chips. My one has at least one main chip with no identification. If it is the A/D, we may be able to work out what it is.

Richard.

Since it uses a clone of the STM32F407, it would be pretty easy to reprogram the main CPU with any SWD interface. F407 also has onboard USB and DFU mode, so might be able to reprogram without opening it. The STM32F407 has more than enough internal flash for a scope firmware of that type (the VET6 model used in this DSO has 512k of flash onboard, and 192k RAM), so unlikely to have a separate ROM for code (and that Winbond chip is a 25064, only 8Mbytes). And I seriously doubt that Daniu did not set the protection fuse to prevent reading the onboard flash

So a clean new firmware would be the only option

Incidentally today is on sale together with a few other oscilloscopes for $65 https://www.banggood.com/marketing-HANTEK-Oscilloscope-Promotion/tid-2163.html

[snoopy]

I bought one of these soon after Banggood had them available, and have been arguing with Banggood ever since over how an oscilloscope should work. I found that Auto trigger mode worked reasonably well, but Normal and Single modes don't work at all. A single pulse in Single mode does result in a trigger, but the triggering edge is not visible on the screen at all. And Normal mode just seems to trigger randomly - even a steady square wave just jumps around all over the screen.

I sent videos to Banggood showing the non-working trigger modes , who then (so they say) sent them on to DANIU, and DANIU supposedly responded that the operation is correct. So unless someone is lying I doubt there will be a firmware fix any time soon!

I note that in the video posted by Snoopy he quickly skips through the Single and Normal trigger modes, but as he goes through Normal mode it can be clearly seen that it isn't triggering, so it's not just a fault in the unit I have.

My advice would be: If all you need is to scope a repetitive waveform in Auto trigger mode, this is a nice package at a good price. But if you need the Single trigger mode of a real DSO, or any trace depth, then this is junk - don't buy it. You would be better off with a DS202 or similar, which while they don't have the bandwidth of the ADS5012H they DO actually work in Normal and Single trigger modes.

I found that there is significant jitter at the higher sweep rates and also at lower vertical sensitivity it seems to use some sort of software multiplier with noticeable stair casing on the waveform.

The way it is, it's a bit of a toy which is a pity because it could be a lot better. Hopefully some firmware upgrades may fix some of the issues.

cheers
david

[cliffyk]

Well, despite the well thought out and documented shortcomings of this "too good to be true" cute little bugger, I bought one on Amazon ($79.98 w/ free 2-day shipping for Prime members). I viewed the higher priced option (vs. Bangood or Ali, etc) as a sound insurance policy.

Have had it for two days, it goes back Monday (9:00 Saturday night right now). While it does indeed have a 100MHZ bandwidth (mine actually had 3 to 6 dB gains at 60 to 80 MHz; v. 10 MHz);the "single" and "normal" trigger modes suck to the point of uselessness. On a triggered sweep scope the "normal" mode is supposed to trigger as configured (I.e. "triggered sweep" as opposed to timebase fired "recurrent" sweep 'scopes we had to use eons ago--this is this unit's "Auto: mode); show one sweep; and then wait for another valid trigger--this thing does not, it just seems to trigger randomly resulting in a useless display.

"Single" mode forces the trigger position to he far left of the display (as does "normal" mode), seemingly off-screen on some signals, "chopping off' the trigger event. Here is a "single mode" capture of  1 kHz, 5 cycle burst:

   

Note that 400 us or so of the first of the 5 cycles has been lost; and as the trigger position is  frozen to the left of the grid (in both "single" and "normal" trigger modes) it cannot be viewed.

It's too bad, as with proper firmware this could be a very nice little device--however as it is its just a giant step backwards to recurrent sweep 'scopes made obsolete by the advent of triggered sweep.

FWiW mine is the newer model with the TFT display and 3000 mAh battery; the display is great (my photo does not do it justice) anf I ran it 8-1/2 hours on the battery while playing with it--unfortunately "plaqying; is the correct word as as it is all it is is a pretty neat toy...

Also FWIW here is a capture of the same 5-cycle burst captured with one of the ADS2050H 5 Mhz/ 20Msps instruments; note that all 5 cycles were captured, though a bit more pre-trigger capture/display would be nice...



Bottomline: "If something sounds too good to be true..."

[ataradov]

I've started an effort of reverse engineering that thing and making an open firmware https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/reverse-engineering-fnirsi-5012h/

[cliffyk]

Cool, with firmware that made this behave as a proper triggered sweep 'scope it would be awesome. How have you bee able to communicate with the CPU? Via USB or something requiring a board level interface?

[ataradov]

There is no hardware trigger, so we'll have to see what can be done there.

There is no way to communicate with the CPU that I can see, it is locked in the most secure way. BOOT0 pin does nothing and SWD interface is not responsive. For now I will just swap the MCUs.

If someone can figure out how to get into this one, it would be great.

I have not spent a lot of time on that though, since I pretty much assume they locked it hard.

[amspire]

Alex, have you worked out what A/D they are using? Mine is unlabelled.

My guess is some kind of 3 channel video A/D and it must have a built in buffer - I don't see how the micro can be reading data at 500M samples/sec. Probably something like a 3x100MHz A/D that they are overclocking.

Lack of a dedicated FPGA to drive the A/D means the triggering will always be bad. There is nothing that can continuously monitor the signal looking for a trigger. The two priority encoders handle the buttons and it does mean you can get a very fast response from the buttons.

There will be a much slower sample rate that the micro can be reading the A/D continuously and perhaps it can be made to trigger reliably at that slower speed.

There is an isolated fet switch across the input capacitor to switch between AC and DC coupling. 4 relays and 3 optocouplers for the range switching. A wideband preamp. An eeprom chip for the waveforms. A lithium battery charger IC near the USB connector.

The USB connector is connected through to the microcontroller so USB programming may be possible. I haven't looked to see which micro pins are connected to the USB. I will try and get photos of both sides of the board posted in the next day.

Richard.