DreamSourceLab DSTouch / DS4T1012 / DS4T252

[ptluis]

 

One correction the noise floor on 1mV/div is around hundreds uV (micro volts) not mV.

When exactly 1mV/div may be useful in real life? I mean, when we deal with digital electronics, even +/- 0.2 Volts in the signal doesn't make difference in most cases, and many chips don't care of 0.8 V difference, so I'm not sure if this 1mV/div sensitivity with 50Mhz is better than 10mV/div with 150MHz, although I don't need it either Just want to find out what model is the most useful for its price. 200MS/s is rumored to be not enough for 2 channels. I've got Zoyi ZT-703s and it has (kind of) 280MS/s, and it also seems to be not enough for its (kind of) 50Mhz bandwidth.

For me 1mV is useful because I have the need to test sensors that operate up to 50mV or lower, sometimes on the 0-8mV range.
If I need better analysis or above 50MHz, 1GS/s I use a bench scope. If the upper model drop is price to half, I'll get one.

This pocket size although very capable in many tasks won't totally replace a good bench scope.

I bought it for its good battery life, size, touch screen, and being a little device that I can trust what I see.
For decoding it can do the job but it's better a 4CH one

I see this little device as a kind of Swiss knife.

[tol]

I see this little device as a kind of Swiss knife.

So you think 200MS/s in enough for this 50Mhz device?

[ptluis]

I see this little device as a kind of Swiss knife.

So you think 200MS/s in enough for this 50Mhz device?

If you want to capture 50MHz sine waves YES
if you want perfect square waves NO.

200MS/s display a 50MHz square wave as sine wave.

For a good representation of a square wave you need one with much higher bandwidth and sample rate something like 350MHz bandwidth 500MS/s it will be able to capture up to the 7th harmonic, but they will be expensive ones.

5MHz square waves are displayed fine.
10MHz it's acceptable to understand it's a square wave

So you first need to know what type of signals you're looking at, their frequency, then search for an adequate oscilloscope.

[0xdeadbeef]

To open the device search on YouTube for Kerry Wong video on the DS4T1012 he show and explain how to do it.

For the record: it's a destructive disassembly: since the whole thing is held together by the rubber housing which is glued to the other parts, he broke the rubber part during disassembly and then the rest fell apart.
Also the battery is glued  in. I.e. changing the battery is not really intended. So, after a few years, you are supposed to throw it away.

[ptluis]

To open the device search on YouTube for Kerry Wong video on the DS4T1012 he show and explain how to do it.

For the record: it's a destructive disassembly: since the whole thing is held together by the rubber housing which is glued to the other parts, he broke the rubber part during disassembly and then the rest fell apart.
Also the battery is glued  in. I.e. changing the battery is not really intended. So, after a few years, you are supposed to throw it away.

I don't think it's destructive to the point of throwing to the trash. The glue is not strong and easily get loose. With a little care it's possible to remove the rubber housing without destroy it. If you slow charge it, it will last many years. I own several battery powered devices for more than 10 years and the batteries still hold 90-95% of the capacity. It's all about slow charging to 98% and never let them overheat during the process. The battery of one of my test ebikes with 47000Km still maintain a capacity of 98% after 8 years of use.

[tol]

Does anyone know the screen resolution of this device? It's only mentioned that it has an ips 4.3 inch, but there is no info about resolution.

I'm trying to chose between DSO3D12 and DS4T252, the price is basically the same, but they seem to be rather different in specs. Maybe somebody has both devices and can make a comparison in terms of measurement precision, stability and reliability, how both devices work in the same test tasks? Why I'm asking is because I have Zoyi703 and it is also kind of good in specs but it's trigger doesn't work properly in real life (can miss signals and events), so I cannot rely on it.

[danno_cj]

Resolution from screenshots is 480x272. Trigger holdoff adjustable up to 1 second it is a feature that is not found on similar price range scopes. I don't have zeeweii scope but if  I compare both the only situation when zeeweii  win is when you don't have any multimeter. Even if you are in this situation take note about this: the dmm integrated in zeeweii is very basic and there are a lot of cheap dmm that perform at least as this zeeweii 3 in 1 scope.

[tol]

Does it have a bart simpson effect? If it does, at what frequency it starts to be noticeable?

[ptluis]

Does it have a bart simpson effect? If it does, at what frequency it starts to be noticeable?

I don't know what bart simpson effect is

[tol]

Bart Simpson effect - when starting from some frequency the flat parts of the real signal start to resemble the hair of Bart Simpson.

[Aldo22]

Bart Simpson effect - when starting from some frequency the flat parts of the real signal start to resemble the hair of Bart Simpson.

Is this also known as the "gibbs phenomenon"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbs_phenomenon

[tol]

Is this also known as the "gibbs phenomenon"?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibbs_phenomenon

Looks like it is, but the wiki page about it is for geeks only All I know is that it is typical for cheap oscilloscopes and more expensive ones can somehow filter it out. So the question is at what freq it starts to become visible and annoying in this oscilloscope.

[ptluis]

Bart Simpson effect - when starting from some frequency the flat parts of the real signal start to resemble the hair of Bart Simpson.
(Attachment Link)

Now I know what you mean. The answer is NO "Bart Simpson" effect! I tested up to 10MHz square wave, direct cable connection between AWG and the scope. Since my AWG only generate acceptable square waves up to 10MHz, I can't test above that.

[Twiggy]

Hello, is there any protective accessories to buy for this device? I consider it for automotive use and would like to avoid the mishap of this poor fellow

https://old.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/1oyq905/replacing_broken_lcd_on_oscilloscope/

[tol]

They fcked away their website a few days ago: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/dreamsourcelabs-still-in-business/
I confirm that it showed a strange blog for a few days but it looks like they got their website back now...

[flywheelz]

Am I overlooking it or does this oscilloscope not support saving/loading waveforms so you can do measurements at a later time?

[danno_cj]

You can't save waveforms to do measurements later. Screenshot can be saved with measurements already done at that moment. You can't import that picture to do other measurements or delete those that are already imposed on picture.

[flywheelz]

You can't save waveforms to do measurements later. Screenshot can be saved with measurements already done at that moment. You can't import that picture to do other measurements or delete those that are already imposed on picture.

That is a terrible oversight to not include such features. Sometimes it's important to load a reference waveform. A deal breaker for me.

[Kangaroo]

Hello,

I’m looking for a handled oscilloscope 2 channels with a bandwidth around 50MHz/100MHz + signal generator + multimeter (if any, not my priority).
After watching some reviews/manuals, I’m hesitating between these four models :

- Zeeweii DSO2512G, the cheaper but with the larger oscilloscope bandwidth (120MHz, or rather 80 MHz according to some reviews). The  signal generator is so-so (the signal amplitude can’t be adjusted) but it includes a video output which can be useful.

-Zeeweii DSO3D12, equivalent to the DSO2512G  (without the video output) but for only a few $ more, it includes a multimeter (however the 10 A input is unfused ! Maybe it’ possible to add one because the DSO3D12 seems easy to dismantle ?).

 - DreamSourceLab DS4T252, the oscilloscope seems the most sophisticated but with the smallest bandwidth (50 MHz). Difficult to be dismounted, it seems almost impossible to replace the battery. The signal generator is better (possibility to adjust the amplitude and the offset) but with only basic waveforms.

- Owon HDS272S, oscilloscope bandwidth 70MHz with a multimeter too (which seems safer than the DSO3D12 one). This is the most expensive model but it can communicate with a PC (software included), data can be saved in CSV files and the  signal generator seems the best one : amplitude and offset adjustment, a lot of waveforms, positive and negative signal (I’m not sure).

Any suggestions/recommendations ?

I have also another question, especially for Dcm and Trifusion :  how did you get the free shipping for the DS4T252 ? For me, the minimum shipping cost is 10 $ on the DreamSourceLab website (DS4T252 price is 99 $ and free shipping for order over 100$).

[Kangaroo]

Hello,

I finally bought the DS4T252 model (99$ + 10$ for delivery) and I received it very quickly (only 8 days to France).

Good news, I questioned DreamSourceLab about the Mini HDMI and I got this answer : Regarding Mini HDMI, we are planning to offer a wireless connection module to enable connection and control between the DSTouch device and the host computer software. This plan is currently in progress and has not yet been launched

I also send other questions (see below) but since I didn’t get any answers, maybe some DS4T252 owners have these answers :

Regarding the interpolation, I don’t see the difference between the linear and the sine method : if I capture a sinusoïdal signal of 100KHz at 5ms/div with a storage depth of 10K/20K (sampling rate = 400KSa/s, so 4 points for one signal period), when I zoom on the signal (at 2us/div for example) I saw effectively the 4 points connected with straight lines with the linear interpolation but also with the sinx/x interpolation, instead of the complete signal (according to the Nyquist criteria, 4 points/period are enough to reconstruct the complete signal with the sinx/x interpolation).

Regarding the waveform refresh rate, I understood it is 60 wfms/s with a storage depth of 10M/20M : if I reduce the storage depth to 10K/20K, does the waveform refresh rate increase ?

Finally, by clicking on the DreamSourceLab logo it is indicated Real-time sample rate : 200MSa/s (max) and Equivalent sample rate : 1GSa/s (max), but how can equivalent sample rate be selected ?

[0xdeadbeef]

I don't know. It seems they haven't released any hardware or software for two years or so. I would be kinda surprised if there would be any more major updates.

[washley]

I don't know. It seems they haven't released any hardware or software for two years or so. I would be kinda surprised if there would be any more major updates.

And their last github commit was May 10 2024 (over 2 years ago).

[maxmatteo]

ok i just bought the DS4T252, there is nothing comparable at this size.

hope there will be a future firmware release. but it seems the company is quite silent.

at least i just got my shipping notice

[ledtester]

I've noticed that their 150 MHz model, the DS4T1012, has been "out of stock" for some time.

I wonder if DreamSource has effectively discontinued it.

[maxmatteo]

just got a reply regarding updates & can decoding. seems they are alive

The firmware for the DS4T252 will be kept updated based on market feedback. Since the current functionality is relatively complete, the update frequency will not be too high.

Regarding the CAN protocol implementation you mentioned, we are currently developing an expansion module for DSTouch. This project aims to enable connectivity between DSTouch series devices and host computer software, allowing portable device data to be uploaded to the host computer and sharing features such as the host computer's decoder. The project is still in the development stage, and no release date has been confirmed yet.

If you are interested, you can follow our official website or send me an email later to stay updated on the project release progress.