Hantek DSO5102 vs Rigol DS1102 vs Rigol DS1054

[mnementh]

I've recently started working with some modern high-speed high-current ESCs (H-gate speed controllers for multirotors) and I can no longer get by with my beloved Tek 2465 and 2230; the bandwidth is plenty, but some waveforms I'm looking at are nonrepetitive and I just plain need more depth and resolution than the 2230 can provide.

I've been considering getting one of the cheapies for a while, and I've read oodles on the hackage possible with these scopes. After poring over the DSO Comparison chart until my eyes water, I'm pretty much sure I want to go with one of these three. This is my thumbnail assessment so far:

Right now the Hantek DSO5102 can be had on fleaBay for about $240 shipped; what I can see of it indicates the specs are very close to the Rigol DS1102, only the DS1102 costs $100 more and has a 320x234 LCD while the DSO5102 has a much nicer 7" 800 x 480 LCD. To get similar display with Rigol, I'd need to bump up to the 1054 which is around $400 now but does give me 4 channels instead of 2.

I believe I've read that Tek has in the past rebranded certain Rigol models as entry-level gear; aside from this, I'm not sure I can see a reason to spent the extra $100 or $160 for the Rigol. If I go with the Hantek I'll certainly be able to afford to do it much sooner on my hobbyist budget, which IMO is a big argument in its favor.

Also related; I could swear I saw an article on here somewhere about modding one of these cheapie scopes to add 16Ch analyzer functionality but danged if I can find it now. THIS would be a consideration in my final decision. I have a working saleae clone; if I can get a better analyzer and/or have similar functionality concurrently with my scope it would DEFINITELY make me think about saving up for the scope that can support this.

Anybody who's used and hacked these scopes; I'd REALLY like to hear from you re: Known bugs in these models, anything I'm missing in my assessment, what more can be hacked out of one model or other vs difficulty of hackage, and how the GUIs compare from a usability standpoint.

If this has been answered elsewhere ad nauseum, please direct me to relevant threads; I've looked and just seem to always get bogged down in individual reviews as opposed to the kind of comparative discussion I'm looking for.


Thanks,


mnem
*Lost somewhere East of Houston*

[theirishscion]

Greetings fellow Houstonian!

Alas I'm not the man to ask for input on this question. I'm still in the choosing/buying process myself and I don't have a specific task in mind that I'm buying for, outside of building fun digital/electronic widgets (audible brake light for a bicycle anyone?) and showing my kids that there really are interesting real world applications for STEM. I have a Hakko, a good Fluke, and a bit of experience from long ago. I need a scope and a PSU and a bunch of breadboard and components. As such, the Rigol DS1000Z and their cheapo DC PSU fit the bill perfectly. The hacks for both are just icing on the cake for my purposes.

I'm not quite as price-conscious, I suspect, so I'm more aiming for greatest bang-per-buck, which I suspect is unquestionably the DS1054Z at the moment. I gave serious consideration to the versions with the built in signal generators and logic analyzers but everything I read said that they were significantly compromised in features and UI for the cost, compared to what one could buy as a standalone device. The biggest argument for the built-in was portability. Since I'm not concerned about that much either, and since fairly equivalent standalones can be bought for the price difference between the base DS1054Z and the S and Plus models, I'll be going that route when the time comes.

You certainly can't hack the base Rigol for logic analyzer duty, it's missing the FPGA and associated hardware. Ditto the signal generator which is implemented on a daughter board.

As regards usability, the only thing I'm prepared to say on the record is that I _really_ didn't much like the low end OWON I played with a couple of years ago.

Good luck, let us know what you decide on! Holler if you're ever near Spring Branch, we can get a beer.

[mnementh]

Greetings fellow Houston-ite!

I'm not much of a beer drinker anymore; as I got older I found it wasn't worth the inevitable migraines. But I'll gladly ratchet-jaw atcha over a coffee next time I see a Work Order in your quadrant.


Okay... as I've never had my hands on one, what features can be unlocked on the 1054? Where is the best relevant discussion on this scope?

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/hantek-tekway-dso-hack-get-200mhz-bw-for-free/

I tripped over this thread about the same time as one of the Hantek DSO5102s crossed my RADAR at $140 used with 2 days left; then when I did a search I found it selling new for ~$240 shipped. With this hack so reasonably easily achieved, it seemed like a right awesome deal. But now I'm thinking maybe the guy selling his Hantek was doing so because he found out about the 1054...


Cheers,


mnem
There it is.

[bitseeker]

The DS1054Z mega-thread in all its (currently) 84-page glory.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-rigol-ds1054z-oscilloscope/

The easiest way to find things in the forum is to use the Search link in the menu, not the search box. Alternatively, you can use Google with a

Code: [Select]

site:eevblog.com/forum filter.

The hack enables 100MHz bandwidth and all software options (i.e., it becomes a fully loaded DS1104Z).

[Karel]

If 400 bucks is your budget, you will not find a better scope (than the DS1054Z) at this moment.
It's simple as that.

[mnementh]

The DS1054Z mega-thread in all its (currently) 84-page glory.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-rigol-ds1054z-oscilloscope/

The easiest way to find things in the forum is to use the Search link in the menu, not the search box. Alternatively, you can use Google with a

Code: [Select]

site:eevblog.com/forum filter.

The hack enables 100MHz bandwidth and all software options (i.e., it becomes a fully loaded DS1104Z).

Yeah, this was one of the threads I was talking about when I said I got "bogged down". A BIT daunting to slog through, when what I was looking for is comparison. LONGEST is NOT necessarily BEST or most relevant to the question.   The Hantek is hackable to 200Mhz which is quite tempting, but bandwidth is not the only consideration in a scope. I'm not sure if the memory structure and feature set is in any way comparable to the Rigol; the folks who design/sell these are quite adept in the art of creating specifications which sound similar but are in reality no way comparable at all.

Thanks for assuming I'm a moron who didn't bother to search though, even though I both stated and demonstrated otherwise in the original post.

If 400 bucks is your budget, you will not find a better scope (than the DS1054Z) at this moment.
It's simple as that.

Yeah... as with most hobbyist things, it's not that simple. $400 is doable; even more is doable. My choice is more one of *Insert thought bubble here* For $240 I could get the Hantek and be using it next week or in some unknown number of (probably 6-10 but not positive) months I should be able to swing $400 for the Rigol...

I was looking to make a more educated "educated guess", if you know what I mean.

Thanks for the short version answer though... this was kindof the conclusion my "discovery phase" has been leading me to.


Cheers,


mnem
*Irreversibly Contaminated*

[Fungus]

Yeah, this was one of the threads I was talking about when I said I got "bogged down". A BIT daunting to slog through, when what I was looking for is comparison. LONGEST is NOT necessarily BEST or most relevant to the question.   The Hantek is hackable to 200Mhz which is quite tempting, but bandwidth is not the only consideration in a scope. I'm not sure if the memory structure and feature set is in any way comparable to the Rigol;

No, it isn't.

If 400 bucks is your budget, you will not find a better scope (than the DS1054Z) at this moment.
It's simple as that.

Yeah... as with most hobbyist things, it's not that simple. $400 is doable; even more is doable. My choice is more one of *Insert thought bubble here* For $240 I could get the Hantek and be using it next week

You'll regret it.

or in some unknown number of (probably 6-10 but not positive) months I should be able to swing $400 for the Rigol...[/i]

Much better idea.

[mnementh]

Yeah, this was one of the threads I was talking about when I said I got "bogged down". A BIT daunting to slog through, when what I was looking for is comparison. LONGEST is NOT necessarily BEST or most relevant to the question.   The Hantek is hackable to 200Mhz which is quite tempting, but bandwidth is not the only consideration in a scope. I'm not sure if the memory structure and feature set is in any way comparable to the Rigol;

No, it isn't.

If 400 bucks is your budget, you will not find a better scope (than the DS1054Z) at this moment.
It's simple as that.

Yeah... as with most hobbyist things, it's not that simple. $400 is doable; even more is doable. My choice is more one of *Insert thought bubble here* For $240 I could get the Hantek and be using it next week

You'll regret it.

or in some unknown number of (probably 6-10 but not positive) months I should be able to swing $400 for the Rigol...[/i]

Much better idea.

Well, that was quite succinct. Thank you!


mnem
A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

[rolycat]

The DS1054Z mega-thread in all its (currently) 84-page glory.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-rigol-ds1054z-oscilloscope/

The easiest way to find things in the forum is to use the Search link in the menu, not the search box. Alternatively, you can use Google with a

Code: [Select]

site:eevblog.com/forum filter.

The hack enables 100MHz bandwidth and all software options (i.e., it becomes a fully loaded DS1104Z).

Yeah, this was one of the threads I was talking about when I said I got "bogged down". A BIT daunting to slog through, when what I was looking for is comparison. LONGEST is NOT necessarily BEST or most relevant to the question.   The Hantek is hackable to 200Mhz which is quite tempting, but bandwidth is not the only consideration in a scope. I'm not sure if the memory structure and feature set is in any way comparable to the Rigol; the folks who design/sell these are quite adept in the art of creating specifications which sound similar but are in reality no way comparable at all.

Thanks for assuming I'm a moron who didn't bother to search though, even though I both stated and demonstrated otherwise in the original post.

I think you are doing bitseeker a disservice by dismissing his attempt to help you.

Just as the first post in the Hantek thread you referred to has been edited in order to provide up-to-date information on how to hack the scope, so has the first post in the 'mega-thread' (which is still considerably shorter than that for the Hantek). It currently provides full details of the hack, several useful pieces of information which have emerged from the thread, a link to another thread for obtaining a discount code and links to Dave's videos about the scope.

It is not necessary to 'slog through' the whole thing unless you have a genuine interest.

As it happens I own both a Hantek DSO5062B and a Rigol DS1054Z - if there are any specific points of comparison you would like to know about feel free to ask. However, Dave's review provides an excellent comparison between the earlier Rigol DS1052E and the DS1054Z. Apart from the screen resolution the DS1052E is of a similar generation and has broadly similar capabilities to the Hantek scope.

[mnementh]

The DS1054Z mega-thread in all its (currently) 84-page glory.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/new-rigol-ds1054z-oscilloscope/

The easiest way to find things in the forum is to use the Search link in the menu, not the search box. Alternatively, you can use Google with a

Code: [Select]

site:eevblog.com/forum filter.

The hack enables 100MHz bandwidth and all software options (i.e., it becomes a fully loaded DS1104Z).

Yeah, this was one of the threads I was talking about when I said I got "bogged down". A BIT daunting to slog through, when what I was looking for is comparison. LONGEST is NOT necessarily BEST or most relevant to the question.   The Hantek is hackable to 200Mhz which is quite tempting, but bandwidth is not the only consideration in a scope. I'm not sure if the memory structure and feature set is in any way comparable to the Rigol; the folks who design/sell these are quite adept in the art of creating specifications which sound similar but are in reality no way comparable at all.

Thanks for assuming I'm a moron who didn't bother to search though, even though I both stated and demonstrated otherwise in the original post.

I think you are doing bitseeker a disservice by dismissing his attempt to help you.

Just as the first post in the Hantek thread you referred to has been edited in order to provide up-to-date information on how to hack the scope, so has the first post in the 'mega-thread' (which is still considerably shorter than that for the Hantek). It currently provides full details of the hack, several useful pieces of information which have emerged from the thread, a link to another thread for obtaining a discount code and links to Dave's videos about the scope.

It is not necessary to 'slog through' the whole thing unless you have a genuine interest.

As it happens I own both a Hantek DSO5062B and a Rigol DS1054Z - if there are any specific points of comparison you would like to know about feel free to ask. However, Dave's review provides an excellent comparison between the earlier Rigol DS1052E and the DS1054Z. Apart from the screen resolution the DS1052E is of a similar generation and has broadly similar capabilities to the Hantek scope.

My intent was NOT to dismiss... though my mild annoyance at being told "GIYF" probably did make it look that way.

Bitseeker, my apologies; please chalk it up to the vagaries of communicating over text rather than any real disrespect. I promise, none was intended.

I have read the first few pages of the mega-thread, and the last few. I'll admit here my ignorance of modern test equipment; I've been using my 2465 and 2230 since they were current gear. I understand that memory depth and configuration is key to useful data acquisition with a modern DSO; my 2230 has the 26K option (Wooohooo!!! ), however I haven't any experience with modern gear to be able to decide if I'll actually be able to acquire with adequate resolution and record length to use the 200 MHz BW that the Hantek promises once it's unlocked.

The additional features of the Rigol are quite impressive, but I have no yardstick to judge what similar features the Hantek offers, or even if I might be able to use it to its full potential.

Honestly,  if it's JUST a competent 2-CH DSO that  actually delivers 1GS/s sampling at 200MHz , compared to my existing gear I expect the Hantek to feel like stepping onto a freshly-minted NCC-1701D. All bright & shiny to me, but probably still old news to anybody else.

That said...

Thanks for the pointer to those reviews of Dave's as a comparison to the Hantek. I'll re-read when I'm a little less weary, maybe they'll make a little more sense to me.


mnem
A day where you don't learn something new is a day wasted.

[bitseeker]

My intent was NOT to dismiss... though my mild annoyance at being told "GIYF" probably did make it look that way.

Bitseeker, my apologies; please chalk it up to the vagaries of communicating over text rather than any real disrespect. I promise, none was intended.

No problem, mnem. Likewise, I didn't intend my post to be a "GIYF". Rather, I was replying to two specific questions from your post: (1) "Okay... as I've never had my hands on one, what features can be unlocked on the 1054?" and (2) "Where is the best relevant discussion on this scope?"

The forum search/Google suggestions were an unsolicited bonus since you were newly registered.

Yes, sometimes text-only communication can be challenging.

Honestly,  if it's JUST a competent 2-CH DSO that  actually delivers 1GS/s sampling at 200MHz , compared to my existing gear I expect the Hantek to feel like stepping onto a freshly-minted NCC-1701D. All bright & shiny to me, but probably still old news to anybody else.

Either scope will likely serve you well. I'm still happy with my 1054Z.