New toy(?) scope, DSO154pro, 1ch, claimed 40MS/s

[tunk]

New small scope, this time hopefully with real specs:
- Sampling rate 40MS/s
- Bandwidth 1MHz/18MHz
- Sensistivity 20mV/Div ~ 10V/Div
- Time Base 50ns ~ 10s
- Generator Frequency: 0-500K, 3.0V
- Screen 2.4 inch / Resolution 320*240
- Size 87*58*18mm

http://www.sigpeak.com/productinfo/dso154pro.html
http://www.sigpeak.com/download/ZEEWEII-dso154pro_UserGuide_En.pdf
https://youtu.be/BmaMLNnN-rc

[tautech]

New small scope, this time hopefully with real specs:
- Sampling rate 40MS/s
- Bandwidth 1MHz/18MHz
- Sensistivity 20mV/Div ~ 10V/Div
- Time Base 50ns ~ 10s
- Generator Frequency: 0-500K, 3.0V
- Screen 2.4 inch / Resolution 320*240
- Size 87*58*18mm

http://www.sigpeak.com/productinfo/dso154pro.html
http://www.sigpeak.com/download/ZEEWEII-dso154pro_UserGuide_En.pdf
https://youtu.be/BmaMLNnN-rc

Useless in the real world for checking ripple on a supply rail. Some instruments specify 5mV max ripple, how can you see that with such poor sensitivity.

[ataradov]

I don't know why we need so many of those cheap scopes. They are useless.

The only thing I can see something like this being useful if you are making one your self from scratch as a somewhat advanced hardware/firmware project.

[james_s]

I think something like this is probably adequate for kids tinkering with electronics. I'm spoiled now but I would have been thrilled to have something like that when I was a kid. Limited, yes, but not useless. Sort of a VW Beetle or Lada, they weren't great cars by any measure but they were affordable and better than walking.

[BillyO]

I agree.  They have their place but probably more akin to a Wal-Mart bicycle. 

Using the older DSO-138 and a $15 FG I was able show my nephew how to plot the FR of simple RC audio frequency low-pass, high-pass, band-pass and band-stop filters.  A $100K Keysight would probably give more precise results but I doubt he would learn anything more.

[tunk]

Looks like there's two models:
- 18MHz, battery, P6100 probe, US $37
- 1MHz, no battery, US $28
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005004972406356.html

[Grandchuck]

What a great gift: this scope,  an inexpensive DMM, and an Arudino kit with parts and project ideas!  Could send the recipient down the EE path!

[tatel]

@tunk: I ordered it just after see this post. It arrived a week ago, but I have been quite busy

[tatel]

Some more pics

[tatel]

I have to say, I'm quite happy with that purchase. Since I bought my benchtop scope, etc, more than a year ago, I have done almost nothing with it. Mostly for a lack of spare time, but also:

a) Complication factor: Benchtop oscilloscope has many controls and a thick manual. This toy is absolutely basic in comparation, so one has to work with the essential settings. It has allowed me begin to understand the most basics aspects of operation faster than the benchtop device.

b) Fear factor: Not afraid to screw this thing, it's dirty cheap.

c) Comparation factor: When I saw that outputting a 5Vpp square vawe this toyscope was giving reads higher than 6 Vpp, I asked myself why. When the benchtop scope did the same, I knew it was me screwing up it all. Then a search in the forum of course gave me the answer.

BTW, I think you all will find quite interesting some advice that appears in tis oscilloscope manual. Looks a little bit kamikaze to me. Please see attachment.

All in all, happy with it. Sad I don't have spare time right now, I was getting quite fun. Will have to wait perhaps two or three months...

[gcwills]

To add to this thread I recently purchased a DSO154pro mainly to see how the lower spec no battery version would perform.
I hoped there would be a simple hack to increase the 1Mhz bandwidth spec to the 18Mhz claimed for the battery version.
Turns out that the lower spec no battery version appears to be identical to the 18Mhz version. My unit had no difficulty displaying a 15Mhz sine input.
It appears then that the lower 1Mhz spec for the battery version may be a strategy to encourage the purchase of the more expensive version??
Another thing I was keen to investigate was the possibility of adding an 18650 Li-Ion battery to my unit. Again, it appears that the "no battery" version is identical to the more expensive DSO as my unit has a 2 pin socket for a battery and an 18650 cell scavenged from an old notebook battery was able to be connected to the socket and charged via the USB C power input.
As Dave would say - "winner winner chicken dinner"
As others have commented the DSO154pro is a pretty basic unit however it significantly exceeds the performance of the 200Khz DSO138 for much the same amount of money.
With an 18Mhz bandwidth, a max 50ns timebase, variable persistence, roll mode, and inbuilt 0.01Hz to 500Khz function generator it has been a lot of fun to play with. 

[Fungus]

Useless in the real world for checking ripple on a supply rail. Some instruments specify 5mV max ripple, how can you see that with such poor sensitivity.

It's also only single channel and has no bode plot or serial decoders... 

It appears then that the lower 1Mhz spec for the battery version may be a strategy to encourage the purchase of the more expensive version?? 

The 1MHz limit might come from the crocodile clip that comes with the cheap one vs. the real probe that comes with the expensive one.

[tautech]

Useless in the real world for checking ripple on a supply rail. Some instruments specify 5mV max ripple, how can you see that with such poor sensitivity.

It's also only single channel and has no bode plot or serial decoders... 

Nowhere as important as having adequate sensitivity for normal tasks.
Anyways, if it were able to a single channel is all that's required for decoding UART.
Did so today as a demo to a customer.

[gcwills]

An update on the DSO154pro - after putting the function generator through its paces my unit topped out with a max frequency of 1Mhz. Twice the claimed 500Khz spec.

[Fungus]

An update on the DSO154pro - after putting the function generator through its paces my unit topped out with a max frequency of 1Mhz. Twice the claimed 500Khz spec.

I just ordered mine... I got the one with the battery and real probe. 

The 'scope will be very useful at Arduino club and the siggen is icing on the cake.

Seems like a bargain for 32 Euros (shipping included!)

[Matamipru]

Strange 1mhz or 18mhz. Strange 40msa or 16kbps 50ns ... Sure the chipset accepts sensitivity of 10mv or lower

[Fungus]

I got mine this morning.   

Much smaller than I expected - literally the size of a credit card! (but 2cm thick...)

Battery came charged so I just turned it on and it worked.

Menus are very easy to navigate, it all seems to work as expected. Didn't need to read the manual.

For 30-odd Euros I've got no complaints at all!   

[tatel]

Hi, I tried the rise time bandwidth calculation method mentioned by Fungus in another thread.

On the attached picture, PSU output was 1.34V checked with DMM. I did try other values but the results were always about the same. So if I'm getting it right, bandwidth would be about 9MHz? Half the spec?

Well, it has been a happy hour anyway.

I would love to use my Rigol DG811, after the upgrade, it should be good until some 60 MHz. However I think I'm missing something. Using coax+50 ohm terminator, atenuation should be set to 1x, but then the bandwidth would be lesser?

Edit: typos

 

[Fungus]

Here's a 5V, 16MHz square wave on mine:


I just connected it up and pressed "Auto". It locked onto the signal no problem.

As expected you can only see a sine wave, but it's there.... 

[tatel]

So you simply put atenuation at 10x with coax+terminator?

Edit: ni de coña... this has to be the probe. I see your screen shows Zeeweii, mine doesn't. Different software versions perhaps? My square wave becomes sinusoidal sooner

[Fungus]

Here's the awesome setup I was using above:


It's an Arduino clone that can run at 32MHz and the supplied probe at 10x. I told it to toggle an I/O pin as fast as possible and that makes a 16MHz square wave.

Reading between the lines: If it's sampling at 40Mhz and producing that display then it must be doing sin(x)/x interpolation. Maybe that's what the FPGA is for...

[Fungus]

Edit: ni de coña...

El tuyo no?

I see your screen shows Zeeweii, mine doesn't. Different software versions perhaps? My square wave becomes sinusoidal sooner

It doesn't show a software version.

If the bandwidth is correct then the square wave will start to become sinusoidal as you go above 5Mhz (ie. when the first harmonic is at 20Mhz).

FWIW: If I output a 4Mhz square wave it shows the 4MHz base wave and the 16MHz harmonic:


Textbook stuff. 

[Fungus]

I think I found a hidden feature: If you long-press the "Auto" button it switches into a mode where it sets the horizontal timebase continuously to match the input signal.

I tried pressing all the buttons at power-on, nothing seems to happen - no cheat codes here.

PS: It can also stop and then zoom out. Take that, Siglent!

If only it had two channels and a RS232/I2C decoder, it would be 100% awesome for "Arduino" work. You can't have everything at this price though.   

[Fungus]

...

The CPU is a "WinnerMicro W806"

The chip labelled "3PEAK 3PA9280" is the A/D converter but the datasheet says it's only rated to 32MHz.

GS8094 = Quad opamp

They seem to have lasered off a chip number. Is that the FPGA? (I guess it must be, by elimination...)

[hallo1]

Something interesting is that there is an USB to UART converter chip on board.
After powering on the scope and connect it to some PC you can see a serial port showing up.
But if you open the port the scope just immediately shut itself down! Some self-protect method?

This is very likely to be a programming port, but the programming tool of W806 only have one function (program flash) so there is no easy way to dump the firmware currently.