Anyone considering buying a Rigol, Siglent, Hameg (R&S) or other economy oscilloscope should really REALLY look at GwInstek's offerings first as it seems that GwInstek has a good grip on their software and offers good value for money! I'm surprised Rigol and Siglent have so much traction on this forum; GW Instek is almost like a hidden gem.Thanks for the detailed review. I had GW Instek scope in the past and used their another equipment at my previous job. Now I own 3 Rigol devices and certainly I don't quiet get all that worshiping on them. They certainly have some issues including the build/design quality. Those GW Instek devices certainly felt better. Nice to read that someone finally made a good review on a modern device from them.
Decoding
-snip
There is one catch though: SPI decoding must have a chip select signal!
Another question : looking at the Dave's video of GDS2000A @50:00 we can see that there is no screen intensity gradient applied for AM waveforms on the screen, is also the case for your instrument (so 2000E family )?What I've seen on the GDS2000A video does not go along with what Dave commented. IMO probably he just set the the persistence from min to max very quickly, so it was hard to see that actually it is there. And most of the time it just was set to max.
What I've seen on the GDS2000A video does not go along with what Dave commented. IMO probably just set the the persistence from min to max very quickly, so it was hard to see that actually it is there. And most of the time it just was set to max.
In that moment (48:22) he just set the persistence from max to min in about 1.5 seconds an said there is none.
I'm not familiar with GW settings for persistence and intensity gradient but if you go to 50:00 the AM modulated signal appers to be like a "solid block" without any gradient, dunno if due to erroneous settings.Because persistance was set to 100%, at least at that 48:22 moment he was adjusting it from 100% down to the bottom. If you set it to 100% on rigol, it will be the same. Probably on Instek default setting is 100% (I don't have one to verify). On Rigol DS2000A which I have, the default intensity setting is 50%.
According to the manual SPI decoding won't work on 2 channel versions. There is intensity grading but it starts from 50% intensity and then goes up. This means it doesn't simulate an analog scope but has the practical purpose of showing a signal very clear when there is a signal. IMHO this is a good thing; I don't want a scope which shows signals in a way they are hardly noticeable. I have used my fair share of analog scopes and one of the problems I ran into repeatedly was dim (hardly visible) signals.Decoding
-snip
There is one catch though: SPI decoding must have a chip select signal!
This means that the two channels scopes in this family are not able to decode an SPI interface even in the monodirectional form (DATA LINE + DATA CLK), could you please confirm this ?
Another question : looking at the Dave's video of GDS2000A @50:00 we can see that there is no screen intensity gradient applied for AM waveforms on the screen, is also the case for your instrument (so 2000E family )?
IF negative, could you post a screen that shows intensity gradient capabilities ?
Anyway, you are doing a great debugging job for them !
There is intensity grading but it starts from 50% intensity and then goes up. This means it doesn't simulate an analog scope but has the practical purpose of showing a signal very clear when there is a signal. IMHO this is a good thing; I don't want a scope which shows signals in a way they are hardly noticeable. I have used my fair share of analog scopes and one of the problems I ran into repeatedly was dim (hardly visible) signals.
First of all: the GDS2204E has mature firmware which works and the SDS2000 doesn't so there isn't really any sensible comparison to make ;)
There is intensity grading but it starts from 50% intensity and then goes up. This means it doesn't simulate an analog scope but has the practical purpose of showing a signal very clear when there is a signal. IMHO this is a good thing; I don't want a scope which shows signals in a way they are hardly noticeable. I have used my fair share of analog scopes and one of the problems I ran into repeatedly was dim (hardly visible) signals.
Many thanks, now it's clear how it works.
As far as i understood you owned a Siglent SDS2000, in which areas do you think that this one is much better ?
First of all: the GDS2204E has mature firmware which works and the SDS2000 doesn't so there isn't really any sensible comparison to make ;)
But I'll try.... Compared to the SDS2000 the GDS2204E is cheaper, has an impressive amount of processing power under the hood, has way more FFT points (1 million versus 1000), decodes the entire memory, can average much longer traces, has input filtering, more extensive math functions, saves images as PNG (instead of uncompressed BMP), decoding is included and more extensive protocol triggering to name a few.
Well, lot of important points, ie " decodes the entire memory" and 1M FFT's point will be important for me, i will be tempted to buy the 100Mhz 2 channels version but things like not shielded & whining PSU and overall not so great build quality worry me a bit.I'd prefer non shielded Instek over siglent rust. Also, from what I have read, it seem to use quasi-resonant SMPS topology, so the need for the shielding should be significantly reduced.
I'd prefer non shielded Instek over siglent rust. Also, from what I have read, it seem to use quasi-resonant SMPS topology, so the need for the shielding should be significantly reduced.
It's not like every capacitor explodes at some point (especially since they have safety vents). Also the input circuitry is well shielded in a metal box so there really is no noise visible from the PSU with the inputs open on my GDS2204E. It is hard to tell where the artifacts Dave shows come from. First of all there are signal display issues in the firmware of the scope Dave is showing and secondly he noticed the circuitry is slightly different so that could also be a source of noise coupling into it. Furthermore it seems Dave never has opened a Tektronix TDS500/600/700 series scope; in those scopes Tektronix has also used ribbon cable to distribute the power (a lot!) to various parts of the scope. For as long as you stay within the maximum voltage and current rating of a connector it is fine to use whatever connector to distribute power.I'd prefer non shielded Instek over siglent rust. Also, from what I have read, it seem to use quasi-resonant SMPS topology, so the need for the shielding should be significantly reduced.
Watching to Dave's 1000B teardown video @31:25 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SXZk2tsQ4g (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9SXZk2tsQ4g) you can see some quite strange periodic noise stuff, i'm wondering if it comes from PSU, that seems to be identical to the one mounted on GDS2000E family.
Regardless of the switching PSU's topology you always have high dV/dT circuit traces, avoid shieldind is not an option without implications, also for safety reason.
If some capacitor blows out, with open frames solution like that the whole instrument is involved.
It's not like every capacitor explodes at some point (especially since they have safety vents). Also the input circuitry is well shielded in a metal box so there really is no noise visible from the PSU with the inputs open on my GDS2204E. It is hard to tell where the artifacts Dave shows come from.
I did however made a slight modification to the fan. It started resonating into the casing which made an annoying sound. Instead of going for a new fan ... -snip
The Sunon fan you choose is rated at 25dB where the original Adda fan is rated at 18.4dB
Hmm now I'm tempted to give that Sunon fan a try and compare... where did you buy it?
Pity that the review is mostly text, and hardly any screenshots!
Very easy if you host the images externally.Yes, I started doing that recently but if Flickr ceases to exist then my postings will have to do without pictures. I used to use Imageshack but they have already purged all of the pictures I used on other fora.
E is the economy version but really its just a new scope version. In some ways it has better specs.
Also it had a 20% price drop yesterday on our site www.tequipment.net (http://www.tequipment.net)
Thanks
Evan Cirelli
TEquipment.NET
Is it really true that the GDS2204E is newer, has better specs and cheaper than the GDS-2204A?Yes it's true, except 1GSa/s vs 2GSa/s sampling rate as 2000E are budget series. Also 2000A does not include options by default, and need them purchased separately.
Is it really true that the GDS2204E is newer, has better specs and cheaper than the GDS-2204A?Yes it's true, except 1GSa/s vs 2GSa/s sampling rate as 2000E are budget series. Also 2000A does not include options by default, and need them purchased separately.
Is it really true that the GDS2204E is newer, has better specs and cheaper than the GDS-2204A?Yes it's true, except 1GSa/s vs 2GSa/s sampling rate as 2000E are budget series. Also 2000A does not include options by default, and need them purchased separately.
Thanks. Sorry, what do you mean by "not include options by default"? What options?
I2C/SPI/UART/CAN/LIN Serial Bus Trigger and Decoding Function
Under Real Time Sample Rate: Max: 1GSa/s (4 ch model), Per channel 1GSa/s (2ch model)It means that 2ch will always run at 1GSa/s, 4ch version will drop to 500 MSa/s if more than 2 of any channels simultaneously enabled.
What does that actually mean? Does that mean on a 4 ch GDS-2204E model, the max sample rate of each channel is 1GSa/s even when all four channels are used?
Under Trigger, it states that EXT* only on dual channel models. Does that mean I cannot use an external trigger such as a button to trigger on/off the recording on the GDS-2204E?Vast majority of 4ch scopes do not have separate external trigger input. Therefore you need to sacrifice one input channel for this purpose if you need one.
Is it really true that the GDS2204E is newer, has better specs and cheaper than the GDS-2204A?Yes it's true, except 1GSa/s vs 2GSa/s sampling rate as 2000E are budget series. Also 2000A does not include options by default, and need them purchased separately.
Thanks. Sorry, what do you mean by "not include options by default"? What options?
For example:QuoteI2C/SPI/UART/CAN/LIN Serial Bus Trigger and Decoding Function
Also full memory and other things fully enabled by default. In most of the scopes those need to be purchased separately and often will cost more than the scope itself.QuoteUnder Real Time Sample Rate: Max: 1GSa/s (4 ch model), Per channel 1GSa/s (2ch model)It means that 2ch will always run at 1GSa/s, 4ch version will drop to 500 MSa/s if more than 2 of any channels simultaneously enabled.
What does that actually mean? Does that mean on a 4 ch GDS-2204E model, the max sample rate of each channel is 1GSa/s even when all four channels are used?
Having full memory and I2C/SPI/UART/CAN/LIN Serial Bus Trigger and Decoding functions enabled by default seems to be a good deal.
Given that I am told 1GSa/s should be sufficient for my use, is it bad to have the sample rate dropped to 500 MSa/s if more than 2 channels of the 4 channels GDS2204E is used?
....
Does that mean for the 4-channel 2000X ones, when all four channels are used, the sample rate for each channel is 1GS/s while for the 4-channel 3000T X ones, when all four channels are used, the sample rate is 2.5GSa/s?
You have to keep in mind that in theory the minimum sampling frequency is twice the bandwidth. Everything more is overkill but in practical situations you need some margin for the anti-aliasing filters.
Again: I wrote 'margin' so don't insist on reading something different!
Again: I wrote 'margin' so don't insist on reading something different!
Sheesh... I'm not reading anything other than your English - which, admittedly, is poor. You can't "overkill" based on a theory, and by "practical situations", you actually mean "real-world applications". It's ridiculous to write posts which might make some people believe that sampling above the Nyquist Rate is irrelevant (i.e. "overkill").
I did some testing with the GDS2204E and aliasing is minimal because it has anti-aliasing filters in place. With a 200MHz bandwidth the 500Ms/s is more than enough to show the signal. You have to keep in mind that in theory the minimum sampling frequency is twice the bandwidth. Everything more is overkill but in practical situations you need some margin for the anti-aliasing filters.
I understood nctnico's post...or do you want to say a 20GSa/s sample rate would make sense for a 100MHz scope?
...or do you want to say a 20GSa/s sample rate would make sense for a 100MHz scope?
...and on a personal note I find your (repeated) rather condescending attitude towards non-native English speakers pretty poor.
SampleRate | AliasAttenuation |
2BW | -0.5dB (!) |
2.5BW | -2dB (!) |
4BW | -13dB (actual sample rate, 4 channels) |
8BW | ~30dB (actual sample rate, 2 channels) |
I unboxed my new GDS-2204E yesterday and fired it up.. About 15 minutes into using it, I was able to find a problem on a circuit I"ve been working on..It appeared on screen to be a high impedance power supply causing a glitch at the starting point of my circuit. My Tek analog scope did not see this, but the Instek picked up the glitch immediately. I'll see If i can post a photo.
If you mess with the fan do you loose the warranty ?Technically yes but there where no warranty void stickers on mine ^-^ So just store the original screws if you replace them with rubber fan mounts.
Yep, just keep original fan and screws, to put them back if need arises. If your hands are straight, there is nothing to worry about. If I do something like this, I also wear ESD gloves to avoid leaving any fingerprints inside :-DD.If you mess with the fan do you loose the warranty ?Technically yes but there where no warranty void stickers on mine ^-^ So just store the original screws if you replace them with rubber fan mounts.
May I ask you if 10Mpts setting is per channel or overall. E.g. if you sample 4 channels, do you get 10Mpts for each (40Mpts total) or is the overall amount spread around channels (e.g. you get 5Mpts or even 2.5Mpts when you have all 4 channels on).10Mpts for each (40Mpts total)
I've ruled out siglent 2000x series.Could you say why ?
Ntcnico, would you buy the gds-2204E again today?Definitely yes. Currently it sees more use than my very expensive Agilent scope.
I've ruled out siglent 2000x series.Could you say why ?
Ntcnico, would you buy the gds-2204E again today?Definitely yes. Currently it sees more use than my very expensive Agilent scope.
New version of the GDS 2000E series, the MDO2000E series with AWG option.Interesting! Also the 10Mpts for the MSO part is nice. Ofcourse this extension was to be expected because the firmware for the GDS2000E already had references to digital channels for a long time.
You can do this for sure (maybe this has been added in a recent firmware release). If you select a baudrate you can turn the 'variable' knob to select a custom baudrate.
The most recent version is 1.27 (30 Jan 2017). You have to create a login in order to see the download on GW Instek's website. I know: :wtf: and :palm:
Considering to buy the 70mhz version for audio preamp/opamp etc work.I just tried and it is wrong. The minimum frequency depends on the samplerate so you can go down to less than 1Hz/div on long time/div settings.
However the manual lists the fft horiz scaling as 10khz/div minimum, which would mean that audio freq response would be squashed within 2 horizontal divisions! Making fft unusable for audio frequencies..
Is this true or am I interpreting this wrong?
Hello tautech,You need to take a step back, reset to defaults and set up again with thought and not fast button bashing.
thanks for your reply, setting a falling edge (channel 1) on both oscillocopes I get the same result.
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4731/39202140291_d7bc6d8636_o.png)
(https://c1.staticflickr.com/5/4596/39202140481_59a8c5be1d_o.png)
As I remember someone wrote that he got wrong decoding on instek and fine on Rigol or maybe some other scope. Turned out that actual baud rate was off but Rigol was more tolerant to that. And after firmware update instek became more tolerant to inaccurate baud rate.First make sure to have the latest firmware. Secondly the decoding thresholds must also be adjusted to match the signal (for each channel). Triggering doesn't matter at all.
The Rigol has a crap FFT, but decodes UART well. The Instek is just the opposite. Whatever is a person to do?I'd chose FFT ability over RS232+ decode any day of the week. There are plenty of far more powerful stand-alone data decoders out there,
Wouldn't you normally trigger on the clock ?
*&#@!!!
I bought an MSO-2204EA precisely for this task!
I don't know if my settings are 100% right but I would say this oscilloscope has a problem decoding serial buses with the memory and sample rates selected.What would concern me more is the displayed signal integrity ? Not so much the scopes ability to portray it but the glitches and the variances in the data idle voltage of ~1/2/div. :-//
The shape of the signals isn't related to decoding. There are probably resistors between the various I2Cs devices to prevent one part of a circuit blowing up the rest of the circuit (safety barrier). Alternatively the value of the pull-up resistors may be too low so some devices may not sink enough current to pull the I2C lines completely low. Either way I've seen similar I2C signals before.I don't know if my settings are 100% right but I would say this oscilloscope has a problem decoding serial buses with the memory and sample rates selected.What would concern me more is the displayed signal integrity ? Not so much the scopes ability to portray it but the glitches and the variances in the data idle voltage of ~1/2/div. :-//
Something's maybe not right with your digital circuit or probing technique.
Jump back out of Decode and see what waveform shapes and amplitude you get then.
If thresholds are set correctly.The shape of the signals isn't related to decoding.I don't know if my settings are 100% right but I would say this oscilloscope has a problem decoding serial buses with the memory and sample rates selected.What would concern me more is the displayed signal integrity ? Not so much the scopes ability to portray it but the glitches and the variances in the data idle voltage of ~1/2/div. :-//
Something's maybe not right with your digital circuit or probing technique.
Jump back out of Decode and see what waveform shapes and amplitude you get then.
I have not heard back from GW Instek's technical support in the EU but I'm pretty sure they are closed for the holidays.
I got a reply saying they are working on it. I have not checked if a new firmware version has been released.I have not heard back from GW Instek's technical support in the EU but I'm pretty sure they are closed for the holidays.
Hello,
any news from GW Instek?
Version 1.34
1.Added a new ¡§Frequency Response Analyzer¡¨ APP function which can be downloaded from our website.
(This APP only available for MSO-2000EA & MDO-2000E series)
2.Updated the Japanese menu tree translations for SA function.
3.Updated the Japanese menu tree translations for digital filter function.
4.Updated the simplified Chinese menu tree translations for some functions.
5.Updated the Russian menu tree translations for DMM function.
6.Fixed the EVENT table display and storage error issue for UART bus decoding.
7.Fixed the window zoom display issue for I2C bus decoding.
8.Fixed the I2C bus decoding error.
9.Fixed the type of executable for DEMO function.
10.Fixed the return value of SA:MEMory SCPI command.
11.Fixed the return value of :D<x>:MEMory and :DIGital:MEMory SCPI command.
12.Fixed the setting value of TRIG:DEL:LEV SCPI command.
13.The digital filter function can be implemented now after the SEGMENT data caught.
14.The firmware upgrade procedure is now ONLY support the ¡§Safe mode¡¨ firmware upgrading from this firmware version.
For DS1000Z:That depends entirely on how the input circuit is designed and it is not 200x but 5x (40V/8V full display range @ 1V/div = 5x). If the oscilloscope allows a large offset then the input circuitry should be designed to handle a signal which swings between the maxima of the offset. It seems the Rigol has a design flaw and thus has overdrive problems.
Offset Range (Probe ratio is 1X)
1 mV/div to 499 mV/div: ±2 V
500 mV/div to 10 V/div: ±100 V
As far as I could see, DougM wants to look at part of 40V P-P signal at better than 1V/DIV or less..
No digital scope I know of will have dynamic reserve of 200x of full screen sensitivity... And probably only +-8 to 10 DIVS...
That depends entirely on how the input circuit is designed and it is not 200x but 5x (40V/8V full display range @ 1V/div = 5x). If the oscilloscope allows a large offset then the input circuitry should be designed to handle a signal which swings between the maxima of the offset. It seems the Rigol has a design flaw and thus has overdrive problems.
That depends entirely on how the input circuit is designed and it is not 200x but 5x (40V/8V full display range @ 1V/div = 5x). If the oscilloscope allows a large offset then the input circuitry should be designed to handle a signal which swings between the maxima of the offset. It seems the Rigol has a design flaw and thus has overdrive problems.
He said that he would want to look at 10mV/DIV if he could... I simply stated that what he expects is unrealistic.. The fact that other scopes might recover a bit better or will allow one more step on a vertical atten before going crazy is not gonna give him what he wants to do... Every overdriven amplifier have overdrive problem.
Also I really doubt ANY digital scope will have full 5 screens below and above actual screen of dynamic range.. Maybe a screen but not much more.
Like I said, if you know one that has such a great dynamic range I would like to know..
Old CRT scopes had signal path with much higher voltage on power supplies .. That gave them much higher inherent dynamic range.. They were much better in that regard..
On DS1000Z input path is powered by +-5V.. if they used +-15V, followed by limiter to protect A/D converter, it would be much better... I agree. But not much better.
Maybe one more step on attenuator..
Don't get me wrong. I'm not defending Rigol. I would be very interested in a test how other scopes would fare in this respect. I suspect not much better.
How much quantitatively, needs to be tested....
Regards
Sinisa
No, I don't think I asked for 10mV per box (though that would be excellent!).No you didnt, but I kinda figured you would like it :-))
I'm coming to realize that this may not be a very mainstream use case.
Yep, the devil is in the detail.For DS1000Z:That depends entirely on how the input circuit is designed and it is not 200x but 5x (40V/8V full display range @ 1V/div = 5x). If the oscilloscope allows a large offset then the input circuitry should be designed to handle a signal which swings between the maxima of the offset. It seems the Rigol has a design flaw and thus has overdrive problems.
Offset Range (Probe ratio is 1X)
1 mV/div to 499 mV/div: ±2 V
500 mV/div to 10 V/div: ±100 V
As far as I could see, DougM wants to look at part of 40V P-P signal at better than 1V/DIV or less..
No digital scope I know of will have dynamic reserve of 200x of full screen sensitivity... And probably only +-8 to 10 DIVS...
That only works if the Siglent doesn't have overdrive recovery problems just like the Rigol. Designing for a DC offset is easier than for a large signal swings.That depends entirely on how the input circuit is designed and it is not 200x but 5x (40V/8V full display range @ 1V/div = 5x). If the oscilloscope allows a large offset then the input circuitry should be designed to handle a signal which swings between the maxima of the offset. It seems the Rigol has a design flaw and thus has overdrive problems.Yep, the devil is in the detail.
For the new Siglent X-E series:
Offset ranges 1x input.
500uV~118mV/div: ±2V
120mV~1.18V/div: ±20V
1.2V~10V: ±200V/div
2V/div will give sufficient offset for DougM's needs and using the minor divisions ~250mV resolution.
Yep, the devil is in the detail.For DS1000Z:That depends entirely on how the input circuit is designed and it is not 200x but 5x (40V/8V full display range @ 1V/div = 5x). If the oscilloscope allows a large offset then the input circuitry should be designed to handle a signal which swings between the maxima of the offset. It seems the Rigol has a design flaw and thus has overdrive problems.
Offset Range (Probe ratio is 1X)
1 mV/div to 499 mV/div: ±2 V
500 mV/div to 10 V/div: ±100 V
As far as I could see, DougM wants to look at part of 40V P-P signal at better than 1V/DIV or less..
No digital scope I know of will have dynamic reserve of 200x of full screen sensitivity... And probably only +-8 to 10 DIVS...
For the new Siglent X-E series:
Offset ranges 1x input.
500uV~118mV/div: ±2V
120mV~1.18V/div: ±20V
1.2V~10V: ±200V/div
2V/div will give sufficient offset for DougM's needs and using the minor divisions ~250mV resolution.
I can't update the oscilloscope to v1.35: https://www.gwinstek.com/en-global/products/detail/GDS-2000E (https://www.gwinstek.com/en-global/products/detail/GDS-2000E)Are you sure you did not download wrong or corrupted file? Sounds like you want to brick your scope.
it seems the .upg file is not valid for my oscilloscope (gds-2000e) |O, upgrading by safe mode.
Interesting. I wonder if they removed the 300 MHz option between 1.21 and 1.28.I installed version 1.35 afterwards and the 300MHz option is still there. I measured using an RF generator and a 50 Ohm feedthrough. I referenced the bandwidth from the signal amplitude at 20MHz.
How did you measure the BW?
Hmm, you didn't install the 300MHz license key? ;D
Stretching the rope, I wish Santa could make FRA APP work with an external function generator so it could run on the GDS scopes.
Oh well!!... An SDS1104X-E to marry with the SDG1032X would solve the Bode plot problem ::)
You should be able to do this if you have a generator which can step through a range of frequencies with a certain dwell time. Most RF generators support this.
Stretching the rope, I wish Santa could make FRA APP work with an external function generator so it could run on the GDS scopes.
It would be nice if the FRA app were usable on the units *with* AWGs. A scan from 13-14 MHz at the maximum sampling of 90 samples per decade produces two points. So no way to find the resonances of a crystal with that.
I was able to sync it with a 33622A but not consistently. Despite several hours of fiddling, I was never able to get the series response of a crystal such as an 8560A SA w/ TG will produce. It's probably because the various operations are not operating in the same clock domains.
You should be able to do this if you have a generator which can step through a range of frequencies with a certain dwell time. Most RF generators support this.
No, use the SA mode in peak hold mode (which can be set to averaging).You should be able to do this if you have a generator which can step through a range of frequencies with a certain dwell time. Most RF generators support this.Are you referring to something old school with seep mode and trigger from a generator?
GW Instek could improve the screen layout but then again the fonts used by Rigol and Siglent are much smaller which may affect readability.
BTW if you look at the SA screen you'll see it stops measuring at 500MHz.
Having played a bit with the Spectrum Analiser option, after "re-upgrading" my 2074E from 200 to 300MHz, found that the higher frequency that can be set is 750MHz, but the span remains the 500MHz (so it has to start at 250MHz). Though it may seem a nice feature having the ability to shift the frequency range 250MHz up, it actually has no use since there's nothing shown in the display above 500MHz (see picture attached: GW2000E_SA_750MHz.PNG). Am I doing doing something wrong? Is that a bug? Or am I missing some useful point for this to be like it is?
It is not a bug. How can you get the maximum frequency in the center of the screen otherwise? Regular spectrum analysers usually allow similar settings.BTW if you look at the SA screen you'll see it stops measuring at 500MHz.That's exactly my point. What's the purpose of extending the SA up to 750MHz if it's useless above 500MHz? I would call it a bug. Reminds me a speedometer with a scale up to 220Km/h in a car that only reaches 160. >:D
It is not a bug. How can you get the maximum frequency in the center of the screen otherwise? Regular spectrum analysers usually allow similar settings.BTW if you look at the SA screen you'll see it stops measuring at 500MHz.That's exactly my point. What's the purpose of extending the SA up to 750MHz if it's useless above 500MHz? I would call it a bug. Reminds me a speedometer with a scale up to 220Km/h in a car that only reaches 160. >:D
@rhb: I have measured an increase in bandwidth on my GDS2204E after the 300MHz upgrade (IIRC from 270MHz to 320MHz) but it is probably too small to really see in the step response.
.. Or am I missing some useful point for this to be like it is?
...
It would be nice if the FRA app were usable on the units *with* AWGs. A scan from 13-14 MHz at the maximum sampling of 90 samples per decade produces two points. So no way to find the resonances of a crystal with that.
Something that I find annoying with this scope is the "supra imposed windows", like with the feature "statistics" or a "table". Seems that Rigol and Siglent (series 1000) manage to re-arrange the windows so things fit or having some degree of transparency, don't block much the signal to be viewed. GW just place a opaque board, blocking everything (GW2000E_SA_Table.PNG). :--
@Mortymore, is it you that have been fixing the portuguese translation? :)
I read the thread with pleasure. Good oscilloscope. But there are points that can be improved.
1. One mathematical channel is not enough, at least two are needed.
2. Make it possible to select a math channel as a source for FFT and SA and for another math channel.
3. Make it possible to display only the necessary traces on the screen. For example, to be able to leave only a trace of the math channel without traces of the source channels.
4. Vertical zoom.
5. And from the category of fantasy. Make it possible to combine two input channels into one differential input.
It would be a mega device!
5. And from the category of fantasy. Make it possible to combine two input channels into one differential input.
5. No and, correct that is a fantasy! ^-^
... and it's probably better to spend the money on making the math trace fast enough and flexible enough that the absence of the differential input feature wouldn't be noticed.Yes, a good solution.
Check Siglent SDS2000X+.:-+ I am also considering this device ... as well as the picoscope 5000 series. :)
For that you use a differential probe or pre-amplifier which you can put much closer to the circuit as well.5. And from the category of fantasy. Make it possible to combine two input channels into one differential input.
5. No and, correct that is a fantasy! ^-^
I do have to wonder how hard it would be to make it a reality. The scope already has hardware that is able to apply voltage offsets to the signal prior to amplification. How hard would it be for the offset to include the voltage supplied by one of the channels?