Hi.
Last night my trusty HP54600B failed at power-on, just when I needed it
. The SMPS is crowbar-ing, making a loud repetitive clicking sound. Part of me says "Don't be a loser. Fix it." but part of me says "You don't have time. It is false economy". I will probably fix it in my spare time sometime in the future as a backup but am interested getting new oscilloscope with more features now.
DESIRED FEATURESA 4 channel CRO - occasionally I need more than 2 channels
Serial decoding would be convenient. Not sure how good this feature is compared to a common logic analyser like the Salae Logic.
Decent FFTs.
Higher bandwidth is better of course, but I have a good mate who will let me borrow his Tekronix 500MHz bandwidth oscilloscope whenever I want.
Reliable and trusted - no some crappy software full of bugs with bling, no crappy soldering or dodgy board layout.
Logically laid out user interface.
Am prepared to hack the new oscilloscope.
OPTIONS1. Rigol DS1054ZThis looks like a good deal from a trusted local supplier for the 4 channel DS1054Z for about $440 USD including four options
https://emona.com.au/products/electronic-test-measure/oscilloscopes/ds1054z.html. The only hack required then would be to increase bandwidth. The only issue is 100MHz is pretty slow for some of my needs, but it will get me out of trouble the majority of the time. The FFT's are pretty poor on the DS1054Z apparently, but there is a workaround to get decent FFTs...
https://hackaday.com/2015/09/22/a-better-spectrum-analyzer-for-your-rigol-scope/With these free options, can I still hack the oscilloscope from 50MHz to 100MHz by changing its model whilst keeping the free legitimate add-ons?
2. Hantek DSO4104CI am tempted to get a Hantek DSO4104C for $66 USD more from a Hong Kong eBay vendor with a decent rating. According to an excellent hacking post on EEVBLOG, this model might still be hackable (I hope) to get at least 250MHz bandwidth and has an AWG built in.
3. Siglent sds1104x-eGet a Siglent sds1104x-e and hack it for 200MHz.
4. Old model high-end oscilloscope like the TDS754DUp to 1GHz bandwidth, but $2K. Very high bandwidth, but a bit expensive, big and bulky, risky second hand and they sport a diskette drive
.
5. Keysight or Rhode and Schwartz (and don't tell the wife).
Better made with less issues - the oscilloscope, that is. Could get a Keysight and hack it for greater bandwidth, but at the risk of losing features as per Dave's hacking video on the Keysight. I an not sure whether the extra money for a Keysight worth it over one of the Chinese oscilloscopes.
I have read the many posts around, opinions and reviews and am confused as ever. I am a bit of a tight-arse, but am prepared to spend a little more if I get a lot more bang per buck. Any comment on which oscilloscope you would suggest? I want to end up being biased to one solution; and I believe many other readers would be interested in the results too. Cheers!