Products > Test Equipment
Equipping my first home lab. I kindly ask for your help with suggestions
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TheKid:

--- Quote from: Performa01 on July 04, 2022, 05:40:33 pm ---
--- Quote from: TheKid on July 04, 2022, 03:27:40 pm ---…

Option:1
Siglent SDS2104X Plus
GPP-4323


Update: Thank you all for your suggestions I have decided to go with Option 1. I predict to outgrow these entry-level options quickly in a year or two so probably a good idea to buy equipment that can deliver. The siglent Oscilloscope is nice in terms of delivery though I hear math options are lacking. This is fine. I won't be getting into high-end analog circuits anytime soon.


--- End quote ---

Whether you outgrow the SDS2000X Plus “quickly” or not is one question. The more important one is what you really need if this ever happens. If you get to the true challenges in analog engineering and start designing your own high speed bus, then you’ll of course want at least an upper midrange or even high-end scope that has all the applications like eye diagram and jitter analysis as well as the active probe support that’s required for such developments. Yet such instruments are expensive and not always the best general purpose option, so the SDS2000X Plus might still remain handy as a daily driver.

The math options aren’t lacking at all. The SDS2000 series already has very advanced math with powerful FFT, as well as deep measurements, which you can’t take for granted in competing instruments.

The SDS2000X Plus just happens to have only two math channels, but it has a formula editor. In many applications this makes it more powerful than a scope with four math channels but only math on math.

--- End quote ---

I meant I will outgrow the PSU and load quickly. The Oscilloscope it top notch. The complaints I have is just an echo from other much older posts on this forum. The formula editor sounds very good! Im excited.
TheKid:

--- Quote from: Martin72 on July 04, 2022, 09:27:30 pm ---
--- Quote ---Option:1
Siglent SDS2104X Plus
--- End quote ---

Best scope choice in this price range, no doubts.
Actually we use three of them daily, it´s the "cheapest serious scope"... ;)
PSUs, I would take care of their noise behaviour and if you can´t get "high enough" what budget concerns, better take linear regulation ones for EMI reasons.

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Yup, that is evident. I think it beats the Rigol 5000 series handily given the complaints about the software. I have used one of the lower rigol models it has cartoonish fonts and UI is all over the place To me it is no point having numbers on paper if the thing fails in basic functions. Hopefully, I will like the siglent. Although to me having one dial for all channels is a no go in terms of usage. Unfortunately, siglent appears to have only one. But beggars can't be choosers it's nice to see mid-tier manufacturers bring the price down for individuals.
Ultimately yes I will need a better PSU that is linear but that is a couple of years away. A proper resistive load as well but maybe I can make these myself.
bdunham7:

--- Quote from: TheKid on July 05, 2022, 03:19:39 am --- Although to me having one dial for all channels is a no go in terms of usage.

--- End quote ---

Vertical gain and position are only two of many controls and adjustments on a scope.  I have scopes both ways and it really doesn't make much difference once you get used to it. 


--- Quote ---Ultimately yes I will need a better PSU that is linear but that is a couple of years away.

--- End quote ---

Unless I'm badly misinformed, the GPP-4323 is linear and has one large toroidal transformer. 
Performa01:

--- Quote from: TheKid on July 05, 2022, 03:19:39 am ---…
Hopefully, I will like the siglent. Although to me having one dial for all channels is a no go in terms of usage. Unfortunately, siglent appears to have only one. But beggars can't be choosers it's nice to see mid-tier manufacturers bring the price down for individuals.


--- End quote ---

I keep hearing the complaint about one multiplexed vertical control vs. individual controls for each analog input channel.

The serious question: is it really worth it?

For serious R&D work, most of us set up the DSO for the required measurement and then tweak the circuit / firmware of our project instead of scope settings, until the measurement results are where they should be.
Really not much need for constantly twiddling knobs on the scope.

For service & repair, we might probe a high number of test points in sequence, thus maybe need to adapt the vertical sensitivity continuously, but this is usually done with just one single channel, so a multiplexed control doesn’t make any difference.

And finally the question, why so inconsequent? What makes the analog input channels so special? Why not have individual controls for all the other (zoom, math, reference, digital) channels as well? This could be a total of up to 32 individual control groups and users of a mixing desk in a home studio might get envious 😉

Answer: because some users that make such complaints might tend to use their DSOs like analog CROs and the old boat anchors did not have any additional channels. Few of them had more than two analog channels, but tiny screens in return, so the space requirements for individual vertical controls were not a problem at all.

The arrangement in e.g. an SDS2000X Plus is consistent. We have the shared vertical controls, surrounded by buttons to select all possible sources: Channels 1 to 4, Digital, Math and Ref. Only Zoom is not at an ideal place, but then the switch between main and zoom window will usually be done by a simple screen touch anyway.

Anyway, the individual vertical controls are a dying species, mostly found in old(er) designs these days. The more modern ones of the big boys don’t waste front panel space on individual controls but rather have a large screen instead…

What about Keysight 1000X, Infinium MXR-, UXR-, EXR-Series?
What about LeCroy WaveSurfer, HDO, WaveRunner, WavePro, WaveMaster, LabMaster (practically the complete lineup)?
What about Tektronix 2-, 3-, 4-, 5- and 6-Series MDO/MSO?
Martin72:
To be honest, more knobs to play with would confusing me... ;)
I´ve "learned" on lecroy scopes, so for me it´s no problem even when fast acting.
Press channel button x, adjust, then press button channel y, adjust...a matter of "milliseconds"... ;D
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