Oscilloscope Choice: Yokogawa DL1740EL or Iwatsu DS-5624A or Tektronics TBS2204B

[asterion]

Appreciate all the info! I was hoping that by going the used route I could get a good scope for around 1k but that seems unrealistic now. In an ideal world I would have preferred a 500MHz 4 channel scope with some SPI/I2C decoding capabilities but I’m ok with 200MHz if that’s more realistic.

Right now I’m between the SDS3034XHD and SDS2204XH. The 3000 series seems like decent features but not sure if it’s worth the extra $1k.

[tautech]

Right now I’m between the SDS3034XHD and SDS2204XH. The 3000 series seems like decent features but not sure if it’s worth the extra $1k.

Officially, 200 vs 350 MHz
Tested, ~300 vs ~400 MHz
500 vs 1GHz designs
200 vs 400 Mpts
Zero vs active probe support

^ all that costs money.

My additional 1c worth, SDS2000X HD are whisper quiet and on promo with a killer deal offered on option bundle pricing until June 30.
https://siglentna.com/news-article/permanent-analysis-bundle-on-your-new-oscilloscope/

Yeah I know, decisions.......

[Aldo22]

Well, in the $150 category you certainly don't have the next 10 years in mind, but you have to start somewhere and I see nothing wrong with starting with something cheap to realize what you really need.

The Hantek DSO2000 is currently selling for $202 for 2CH 100MHz: https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256802172076555.html
Thats not too bad.

Sorry for being off topic, but I have to make this clear:
The trick with the DSO2000 is to buy it as cheaply as possible, otherwise you'll be unhappy afterwards.
You can get it here for $162 shipped:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256806164187706.html
Or tomorrow on "Choice day" also here:
https://www.aliexpress.us/item/3256801658604066.html

It's only a question of price.
The DSO2000 is an incredible deal for that price (I bought mine for $130, including the AWG hardware), but I wouldn't pay "real money" ($250+) for it either.
If I wanted to spend more than $200, I'd save up for 12-bit / 4-channel. But that's a different decision...

[KungFuJosh]

Appreciate all the info! I was hoping that by going the used route I could get a good scope for around 1k but that seems unrealistic now. In an ideal world I would have preferred a 500MHz 4 channel scope with some SPI/I2C decoding capabilities but I’m ok with 200MHz if that’s more realistic.

Right now I’m between the SDS3034XHD and SDS2204XH. The 3000 series seems like decent features but not sure if it’s worth the extra $1k.

Do you need direct active probe support? Is 500MHz max good enough for you?

If you don't need active probes, or to go above 500MHz, then the 2000 series is a better buy, especially with the sale bundle that tautech mentioned (the bundle costs less than the included logic probes). Besides the slightly quieter fan, I would also guess it has slightly better noise with the lower speed design.

[asterion]

 I doubt I’ll ever really need to go above 500 MHz, but active probes can be nice for tuning crystals. Spending an extra 1k for that almost seems worth it when you account for all the extra features.

[nctnico]

Then again, brand specific active probes are always locked to a manufacturer and may not even work on all models from that manufacturer. So if you buy an oscilloscope from a different brand you'll need different active probes.

There are lots of generic active and passive probes for HF and current on the market which will work with any oscilloscope. These are a better long term investment. Only downside is that you'll need to set the probe scaling factor manually.

[KungFuJosh]

Exactly why I mentioned "direct active probe support." He could always get Lasmux's probe when ready.

There is an adapter that should eventually work with different probes on the SDS3000X HD. Not great yet though, but I suspect better support (more probe compatibility) will come in future firmware updates.

[EEVblog]

I doubt I’ll ever really need to go above 500 MHz, but active probes can be nice for tuning crystals. Spending an extra 1k for that almost seems worth it when you account for all the extra features.

You can get active probes that use a regular BNC input. No need to have a scope with that interface support, it's just a more convenient from a powering point of view and auto scale factor set.

[asterion]

Ah nice! if I can get third party ones then the deal for the 200 MHz scope seems like a good option.

[moerm]

Coming back to OP's question ...

Yokogawa DL1740EL
Iwatsu DS-5624A
Tektronica TBS2204B

... and a bit later ...

Ah appreciate the info! So I can get the Iwatsu for ~1300 while the Tek is around ~2500. Is there anything on the Tek that might make it worth that much more?

I’ll talk to the shop owner and see if he can run the self test before buy.

So it seems to me that spending $1000+ and up to $2500 is perfectly feasible and fine for OP. Hence, while I do understand that a hint at e.g. a modern Siglent scope may be useful, I think basic respect as well as the assumption that OP isn't an idiot and *has done* some thinking about what he is/should be aiming for should be expected.

Wrt his 3 candidates my opinion is that the Iwatsu probably is the best choice. Iwatsu is a very reputable company and the only major drawbacks seem to be that it's somewhat slow and that it's not a MSO (which for me personally is important but maybe not for OP).

IMO the Yokogawa isn't a worthy candidate because of its low sampling rate, and the Tektronix isn't because of its price.

If OP would be willing to consider modern scopes too I'd suggest to look at (only) Siglent scopes, preferably at not too new models i.e. models with mature firmware like the SDS2000X. Why Siglent? Because they are the only chinese manufacturer whom I consider a near-A brand.

Have a nice weekend everyone

[nctnico]

I guess you never heard about GW Instek and Micsig then.

[moerm]

I guess you never heard about GW Instek and Micsig then.

Fair point. I agree that GW-Instek products (often) are not "cheap crap" - but a) that's not a chinese company (but taiwanese), and b) their products tend to be more expensive than comparable chinese products.

But again, fair point and I rather like many GW-Instek products. But the point here was about a potential cheap(ish) but good alternative and all in all IMO Siglent scopes seemed to be an attractive option.

[EEVblog]

Ah nice! if I can get third party ones then the deal for the 200 MHz scope seems like a good option.

I have a Caltest CT4121, but it's discontinued now by the looks of it.
But there are others:
https://www.tequipment.net/Pico/TA112/Active-Differential-Oscilloscope-Probes/?v=7514