Hobby good quality oscilloscope

[wons]

Although there are many threads about it - i still cant figure out what oscilloscope to buy.
Im an engineer, worked mainly with keysight and tectronix equipment
I was hopping to buy relativly cheap oscilloscope for smps, vhf RF, and FPGAs

Although i found some options that their specifications answer my needs - though they were reviewd as toys not good for real lab use.

So the main requirements would be :
At least good for 200MHz
At least 8 digital inputs
Dicent screen and controls (usb scope will also be good)
Some level of channel OV protection
Basic functioning triggering
FFT  function
Exporting plots to matlab
Hopefully 4 analog inputs
Also hopefully arbitrary function gen included
And im hoping to spend less then 1000usd

[Warhawk]

There are multiple threads on this topic. I try to make it short:

• It often does not make sense to buy 2nd hand quality brands (Tek, LeCroy, etc) on eBay because they are expensive for what they typically offer
• Rigol, Siglent offer very good bang per buck that exceeds 2nd hand offerings ^^
• Since you want at least 200MHz, the SDS2104X is probably the right thing for you. Search the forum how to "hack it" to higher bandwidth
• MSO5074 from Rigol can be an alternative
• happy reading https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/rigol-mso5074-or-siglent-sds2104x-plus/ (both have pros and cons)

[jonpaul]

We use old Hameg analog scopes , very cheap and reliable at ham raio fles and local PtoP sites.

Seldom had any use for digital inputs.

Word Rec is an otprion on some scopes.

Your specs will not be met by any one scope esp <$1k.

More realistic for "hobbyest"

  digital scopes we preffer old Yokogawa DL/DLM series. But none os <$1K

Best classic analog scopes were Tek 2465B/2467B 4 ch analog but fly by waire.

Otherwise for <$1K you will find old Lecroy, HP/TEK but need fixing.

We have no clew on   junk from China like sigalent, Rigol,

The Chines CCP  fanboys   will infomrm you.

Bon chance

Jon

[tv84]

My old recommendation:

Rigol MSO5074 (totally "licenseable") - 1.069€
Siglent SDS2102X+  (totally "licenseable") - 1.069€

If you can do 1.421€:
Siglent SDS2104X+  (totally "licenseable") - the best in the class "all-around bang per buck"

[colorado.rob]

Note that for the Siglent scopes you still need to purchase an expensive (US$380) adapter to use the digital inputs. I have no experience with Rigol MSOs, but I think the same applies there as well.

[mwb1100]

At least good for 200MHz
At least 8 digital inputs
Dicent screen and controls (usb scope will also be good)
Some level of channel OV protection
Basic functioning triggering
FFT  function
Exporting plots to matlab
Hopefully 4 analog inputs
Also hopefully arbitrary function gen included
And im hoping to spend less then 1000usd

Except for "Exporting plots to matlab" (which I know nothing about), I think there are two scopes that meet these requirement (assuming you're OK with the widely available hacks):

  - Siglent SDS1104X-E ($500) - can be hacked to 200MHz and to enable all options. 

You'd need to also purchase the SAG1021i hardware option for wavegen ($165) and SLA1016 ($335) hardware for digital logic inputs.

The total list price would be $1000.  You can often find the scope itself for less than list; I'm not sure how often the wavegen and logic modules are offered at a discount.

  - Rigol MSO5072 ($909) - can be hacked to 350MHz and all options including all 4 analog inputs

No external wavegen module is needed.  For digital logic you need the  PLA2216 digital probe kit ($399).

So list price would come to $1308 - BUT you can find discounts for MS05000 scopes (but I don't think as often as for SDS1104X-E) and there are 3rd party logic probes available on eBay for under $100 - though I can't speak to their quality.  They appear to be based on discussions on this forum about designs for alternatives to the expensive PLA2216.

Also, if you go the MSO5000 route you might want to consider starting off with the MSO5074 instead for $90 more since it comes with 4 probes instead of 2.

[schmitt trigger]

For the digital inputs, I would strongly suggest that you consider instead an USB logic analyzer.
They can have more analysis and decoding capabilities, and protocol upgrades are usually a couple of clicks away.

I have got a SALEAE Logic 8, which for hobbyist use is plenty.
Yes, brand new are pricey.  But you can find used ones on Ebay, or brand new clones. 

[KungFuJosh]

Note that for the Siglent scopes you still need to purchase an expensive (US$380) adapter to use the digital inputs. I have no experience with Rigol MSOs, but I think the same applies there as well.

There's a thread on here to make your own logic probes for the Siglent, with all project files available. Like 1/10th the cost.

[tautech]

Although there are many threads about it - i still cant figure out what oscilloscope to buy.
Im an engineer, worked mainly with keysight and tectronix equipment
I was hopping to buy relativly cheap oscilloscope for smps, vhf RF, and FPGAs

Although i found some options that their specifications answer my needs - though they were reviewd as toys not good for real lab use.

So the main requirements would be :
At least good for 200MHz
At least 8 digital inputs
Dicent screen and controls (usb scope will also be good)
Some level of channel OV protection
Basic functioning triggering
FFT  function
Exporting plots to matlab
Hopefully 4 analog inputs
Also hopefully arbitrary function gen included
And im hoping to spend less then 1000usd

Tall order.

SDS2104X Plus as others have mentioned meets all your criteria bar cost and stock has a BW of ~185 MHz however these are currently running a promo free BW upgrade to the next BW model, SDS2204X Plus which my tests indicate has a 300 MHz -3dB BW point.

[Fungus]

And im hoping to spend less then 1000usd

Tall order.

I'd say impossible.

SDS2104X Plus as others have mentioned meets all your criteria bar cost and stock has a BW of ~185 MHz however these are currently running a promo free BW upgrade to the next BW model, SDS2204X Plus which my tests indicate has a 300 MHz -3dB BW point.

You still need the digital interface, etc., so it's going to be nowhere near $1000.

[tautech]

And im hoping to spend less then 1000usd

Tall order.

I'd say impossible.

To match all the OP's criteria, yes.

SDS2104X Plus as others have mentioned meets all your criteria bar cost and stock has a BW of ~185 MHz however these are currently running a promo free BW upgrade to the next BW model, SDS2204X Plus which my tests indicate has a 300 MHz -3dB BW point.

You still need the digital interface, etc., so it's going to be nowhere near $1000.

Yet the wish was for 8+ch LA/MSO capability and we all know/should know OEM probe sets are additional cost.
How much depends on the brand and if DIY LA probes are available.