Products > Test Equipment
REVIEW - Rigol DS2072 - First Impressions of the DS2000 series from Rigol
marmad:
Here are my first impressions and review of the Rigol DS2072 (plus added Sample Rate, Segment Number, Fastest Update Rates, 56MPt Acquistion Time Table, FFT Ranges, and High Res Bandwidths)
Firmware bugs / instructions for locating firmware version number / FW download links / instructions for upgrading/downgrading in a following post below
DS2000 hacks and keygens
Sorry about the image quality, but I still don't have an HD camera. Hopefully, now that I've finally gotten a DSO I want to keep, perhaps it can be next on my list of purchases ;)
Edit: A couple of things I forgot to mention in the review:
First - to address two things which Dave mentioned as annoyances in his 'Playing Around' video:
1) The buttons which are angled at the top - This didn't bother me at all; I've only hit Run/Stop accidentally one time so I guess I rest my hand in a slightly different way then Dave.
2) The dim LED light on the Channel/Decode select buttons - Dave is correct about this; the LEDs are rather dim but somehow my eyes became accustomed to spotting the difference between them on or off - and then I never thought about it again.
Secondly - to mention one more very clever detail that Rigol added that I (in my limited experience with DSOs) haven't seen before - the 'Clear' button (right alongside 'Auto, 'Run/Stop' and 'Single'. Given the amount of info you can jam on the screen in terms of Math, Reference waves, recalled traces, tables, graphs and decode information, it's great to have a big accessible button devoted to nothing but wiping the screen.
Edit2: I just wanted to mention that some of the features I thought were great might be SOP on higher-end DSOs - but since I'm late getting into DSOs (just been using analog scopes all my life) my review is from the perspective of someone new to the game - and only familiar with the lower cost models.
Also, I don't have the required equipment (or some of the specialized knowledge) to run serious bandwidth tests or to check channel separation, timebase accuracy, etc. I will leave those things to others. From my experience with Rigol so far, although they might not be the most open and responsive company to their customers, they appear to deliver what they advertise - so unless/until I hear otherwise, I will give them the benefit of the doubt and believe that the product is operating within it's published specs. As far as I can tell (noise level, etc) everything appears very good.
Edit3: Rigol DS2000 series - sample rate for each selectable sample length:
Edit4: Rigol DS2000 series - maximum number of segments which can be recorded with each sample length:
Edit5: Rigol DS2000 series - acquisition time when using full 56MPt sample length:
Edit6: Rigol DS2000 series - comparing sample rates and waveform update rates of 56M vs AUTO/14MB at lower time base settings:
Edit7: Rigol DS2000 series - waveform update rates of the DS2000 @ 14kPts/AUTO (single / dual channel - vectors / dots) - measured using a 1MHz sine wave input to channel 1.
(Chart has been removed until new one can be developed for latest FW. Rigol has substantially improved many rates at lower time base settings.)
Edit8: Rigol DS2000 series - FFT range at each time base setting (thanks to Teneyes):
Edit9: Rigol DS2000 series - Bandwidths of DSO when in High Res mode:
Edit10: To take advantage of the power of the scope, I started writing software for it (and created a new thread for downloads). Attached is an example (sweep.gif) of something easy to create with the new UltraVision DSOs from Rigol: an animation. It can change the way we communicate captured oscilloscope data to each other.
Yaksaredabomb:
Thanks for the review! It was great to see it in action and a few of the features like the graphing and more complex waveform test that really stand out. The testing of its waveform capture rate was also really interesting, to find its "sweet spot" and see how it scaled so linearly with memory depth. Overall a very useful review.
Jacob
marmad:
Method to Check FW Ver# or Upgrade/Downgrade FW plus FW Links (bottom of post)
Known Firmware Bugs/Issues (of the last two firmware releases / red indicates latest FW version available)
2) The way the scope handles intensity grading at time bases <= 50ns/div when two channels are enabled with Normal Sweep is not the same as all other modes - it feels incongruous and incorrect.
[FW v.01.01.00.02 / FW v.02.01.00.03 / FW v.03.00.01.03]
14) When the RS-232 baud rate is set to AUTO 57600, it is incorrect. When set to USER 57600, it operates correctly.
[FW v.01.01.00.02]
15) Bus decoding does not decode the full ASCII set. Missing characters:[ . , : ; - _ ! $ % & / ( ) = ? ] - everything between square brackets (except spaces).
[FW v.01.01.00.02]
16) ANTI-ALIASING does not prevent waveform aliasing to any degree, although it can remove some image aliasing (e.g. moire patterns) under certain conditions.
[FW v.01.01.00.02 / FW v.02.01.00.03 / FW v.03.00.01.03]
17) There is a visible offset from center position when using AC-coupled Triggers (including filtered LF and HF) at lower time bases (<= 2us/div), as well as serious jitter with certain settings.
[FW v.01.01.00.02 / FW v.02.01.00.03 / FW v.03.00.01.03]
18) There is a bug when using DOTS mode with AUTO/14M/56M memory depths @ >= 5us/div. It affects the waveform update rate (much reduced) - and can also affect the visible display of the waveform.
[FW v.01.01.00.02 / FW v.02.01.00.03 / FW v.03.00.01.03]
19) When in HighRes mode and reading display memory from the DSO with SCPI, if the time base is <= 20us, the DSO returns 1398 bytes instead of 1400.
[FW v.01.01.00.02 / FW v.02.01.00.03 / FW v.03.00.01.03]
20) When reading display memory with SCPI while the DSO is STOPped and zooming out, the DSO returns (correctly) a decreasing number of display memory bytes until < 6, and then it incorrectly starts sending 1400 bytes every time (a nonsense waveform) instead of 2 (a single line).
[FW v.02.01.00.03 / FW v.03.00.01.03]
21) Log() function in MATH -> Advanced -> Expression doesn't work.
[FW v.02.01.00.03]
22) All SCPI commands related to CAN triggering appear to be missing in the latest FW.
[FW v.02.01.00.03 / FW v.03.00.01.03]
=====================================
To get the full firmware version info from the DSO, follow these instructions:
Go to the Trigger menu and set Edge trigger.
While keeping the Trigger menu open, you are going to use the 6th and 7th right-side menu buttons as follows:
Press the [Menu7][Menu6][Menu7][Utility] buttons one after another quickly.
Then check additional info under System -> System Info.
You should see something like:
Software version: 00.01.01.00.02
Hardware version: 1.0.1.0
FPGA version:
SPU 03.01.02
WPU 00.06.00
CCU 12.29.00
MCU 00.05
If you DON'T see this detailed info = start again, and press those 4 buttons faster.
To escape from this mode, press again [Menu7][Menu6][Menu7][Utility] while inside Trigger menu
- or reboot the scope.
=====================================
Firmware links:
FW#00.00.01.00.05
FW#00.01.00.00.03
FW#00.01.01.00.02
FW#00.02.01.00.03
FW#00.03.00.01.03
FW#00.03.01.00.04
=====================================
For those planning to upgrade/downgrade firmware:
Do the upgrade ONLY during bootup - not from the GUI/Menus/OS asking for file/etc. or you might lock up the scope - losing any trial options you have remaining - and requiring you to do the upgrade again anyway using the method listed below:
You do this by using two hands when booting up - one thumb on the 'Power On' switch - one thumb on the 'Help' button. When you press 'Power On', all of the scope LEDs will light for ONE SECOND - during that brief period, you must PRESS AND LET GO of the 'Help' button. It can be a little tricky, but if it works, bootup will stop before the Rigol logo with the 'SINGLE' button lit (if it doesn't, turn off power and try again until you get it). Then insert the USB stick with the file on it. The CH1 LED will flash as the DSO loads the file.
Once updating is finished, several of the LEDs will light up - and all flashing, etc. will stop. That means it's finished, so you can remove the USB stick and reboot - but please take notice of the following:
Note: Rigol has changed the the structure of unit settings stored in FRAM, so if you have upgraded/downgraded between the major versions of v.01 & v.02 (i.e. v.01.XX.XX.XX to v.02.XX.XX.XX - or vice-versa), it's a good idea to hold in the left-menu F6 button (sixth gray button down on left side of LCD) during the first reboot after loading (to clear FRAM) - otherwise the DSO can hang when switching between various menu items.
Finally, check your firmware version using the method listed above.
digsys:
I am still thinking of a Rigol 2000 or higher as a second scope (have the OWON SDS7102), mainly for the wfs/s
The 2 features I'd miss (unless I hack it) are battery backup and VGA op, which I depend on.
marmad:
--- Quote from: jneumann on October 30, 2012, 02:04:34 pm ---Thanks for the review! It was great to see it in action and a few of the features like the graphing and more complex waveform test that really stand out. The testing of its waveform capture rate was also really interesting, to find its "sweet spot" and see how it scaled so linearly with memory depth. Overall a very useful review.
Jacob
--- End quote ---
Thanks Jacob.
IMO, there is nothing about this DSO that says 'Made in China' - except the silk-screened legend on the back ;D From the layout of the screen and front panel - to the UI design and feature selection - to the faint rumble of the cooling fan- it looks and feels 100% like a quality-made Western product. Given this - and it's massive feature list - I don't see anything else currently on the market that gives you anywhere close to the bang-per-buck.
I don't think anyone who has used the Rigol 1000 series or the Owon SDS series or the Hantek DSO5000 series - and then tried this scope - could possibly argue against the vast difference in using this scope.
--- Quote from: digsys on October 30, 2012, 03:01:03 pm ---The 2 features I'd miss (unless I hack it) are battery backup and VGA op, which I depend on.
--- End quote ---
Yes, I can understand the need for occasional portability. I have a battery-powered Tektronix 212 analog scope for portable work - and although it's BW is small, it's double-insulated and can do floating measurements up to 600V above ground.
As far as the VGA option goes - I have to say it was one of those features (with the Owon) that was better in theory than in actual practice. Seeing a blown-up 800x600 image on a modern high-res LCD display looked vaguely video-arcadish - although for teaching purposes (i.e. projection) it seems necessary.
For me, better than VGA-out would be good software which extracts the waveform data and displays it in a window on a high-res screen. I haven't tried this yet, but the DS2000 seems much faster at transferring data off-scope, so I'm hoping to write efficient software which will do just this.
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