Author Topic: Owon 14-bit USB scopes  (Read 5687 times)

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Offline balnazzarTopic starter

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Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« on: October 11, 2022, 10:23:42 am »
Hi. I was eyeing those Owon USB scopes who are advertised as 14-bit.

The only actual source of information I managed to find is this review: https://youtu.be/LzNmIVRB0lY

The review is about the 2ch version (but also 14 bit) and it's not a Dave-like review, but still it shows how the software behaves, and it seems not that bad (generally, the software is the Achilles' heel of these cheapo usb scopes).

Are the 14 bits real? I mean, the corresponding (100 MHz, 1 GSa/s) Picoscope is just 8 bit and costs three times that thing [~1300 vs. ~450, prices in euros and VAT included].

Thanks.
 

Offline rf-loop

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #1 on: October 11, 2022, 11:54:31 am »
Hi. I was eyeing those Owon USB scopes who are advertised as 14-bit.

The only actual source of information I managed to find is this review: https://youtu.be/LzNmIVRB0lY

The review is about the 2ch version (but also 14 bit) and it's not a Dave-like review, but still it shows how the software behaves, and it seems not that bad (generally, the software is the Achilles' heel of these cheapo usb scopes).

Are the 14 bits real? I mean, the corresponding (100 MHz, 1 GSa/s) Picoscope is just 8 bit and costs three times that thing [~1300 vs. ~450, prices in euros and VAT included].

Thanks.

Perhaps you have not watched this video. In video, starting from 2:40:
14bit mode max 100MSa/s 
14Bit mode BW: 20MHz.

And old thread in EEVblog tell more: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/owon-vds6102a-pc-oscilloscope-with-14-bit-adc-wifi-and-usb-support-(battery)/

Specifications are in end of user manual https://files.owon.com.cn/probook/VDS6000_Series_2CH_user_manual.pdf


« Last Edit: October 11, 2022, 11:57:30 am by rf-loop »
I drive a LEC (low el. consumption) BEV car. Smoke exhaust pipes - go to museum. In Finland quite all electric power is made using nuclear, wind, solar and water.

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Offline jasonRF

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #2 on: October 11, 2022, 02:48:21 pm »
I don't know about the hardware, but the software has no features.  Zero waveform arithmetic, so you cannot even subtract two channels.  Likewise, no FFT of any kind.  I even emailed the company earlier this year and verified that it had none of those features, although they indicated that they are planning on adding them.  If/when they do add an FFT you will need to look closely at how long it is.  For example, according to the user manual the 8-bit vds3102 only has a 2k FFT so gives only 1k frequency bins, even though it has 10 MSamples of memory. 

I have downloaded both the vds3102 and vds6102 software, and the features line up with the documentation.  No math menu of any kind on the vds6000 software, and the vds3102 software gives you no choice of any kind for the FFT length.  It is fixed.

So even if the 14-bit hardware is great, if you want to do anything more than just look at waveforms and do basic measurements on them you will need to write your own software and just use the scope as an acquisition system.  For me it was a deal-breaker. 

I ended up on Ebay and managed to pick up a used (and out of production) multi-resolution Picsocope 5244B for $457 US delivered. 

By the way, which 8-bit picoscope were you looking at that was priced that high?  They have a ton of models. 

EDIT: Hi Balzannar.  I just realized that you started this thread - surely as part of your quest to find a quiet scope.  It looks like you are going down the same path I did earlier this year.  good luck!

jason
« Last Edit: October 11, 2022, 02:59:39 pm by jasonRF »
 
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Offline coromonadalix

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #3 on: October 11, 2022, 03:01:06 pm »
Wait until they make 24 bit   scopes ...  a war of numbers ???
 

Offline jasonRF

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #4 on: October 11, 2022, 03:49:07 pm »
Wait until they make 24 bit   scopes ...  a war of numbers ???
Yup!   But the numbers do have meaning as long as the software/firmware and analog hardware are good enough to make good use of the bits.   I don’t know about the hardware, but the Owon firmware/software are not currently good enough, in my opinion. 

When i was shopping for a used Picoscope I was just looking for a good deal on 2-channel 100-200 MHz scope.  I considered high-resolution, extra channels and MSO capabilities to be ‘bonus’ features that would be nice but not worth paying a lot extra for.  Had a good deal on an 8-bit 2-channel scope shown up first, i would have been happy with it for sure.   But I do like the extra bits.  I usually run 12-bit resolution, since you only lose a factor of 2 in maximum sample rate in order to gain the 4 extra bits. 

24-bits do have their place.  I use a 24-bit audio interface for analyzing distortion in audio signals. 

Cheers

Jason
« Last Edit: October 11, 2022, 04:13:27 pm by jasonRF »
 

Offline balnazzarTopic starter

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #5 on: October 11, 2022, 07:34:19 pm »

Perhaps you have not watched this video. In video, starting from 2:40:
14bit mode max 100MSa/s 
14Bit mode BW: 20MHz.


Yep, I listened at this. It's a limitation, but with respect to a pure 8-bit scope, you still have the chance to observe low-ish frequency signals with great accuracy. Consider that the 25 MHz, 4ch Pico sells for 110 eur more (and, right now, is unavailable). 


And old thread in EEVblog tell more: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/owon-vds6102a-pc-oscilloscope-with-14-bit-adc-wifi-and-usb-support-(battery)/


Thanks, at a first search that didn't pop up..

 

Offline balnazzarTopic starter

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #6 on: October 11, 2022, 07:44:50 pm »
I don't know about the hardware, but the software has no features.  Zero waveform arithmetic, so you cannot even subtract two channels.  Likewise, no FFT of any kind.  I even emailed the company earlier this year and verified that it had none of those features, although they indicated that they are planning on adding them.  If/when they do add an FFT you will need to look closely at how long it is.  For example, according to the user manual the 8-bit vds3102 only has a 2k FFT so gives only 1k frequency bins, even though it has 10 MSamples of memory. 

I have downloaded both the vds3102 and vds6102 software, and the features line up with the documentation.  No math menu of any kind on the vds6000 software, and the vds3102 software gives you no choice of any kind for the FFT length.  It is fixed.

So even if the 14-bit hardware is great, if you want to do anything more than just look at waveforms and do basic measurements on them you will need to write your own software and just use the scope as an acquisition system.  For me it was a deal-breaker. 

I ended up on Ebay and managed to pick up a used (and out of production) multi-resolution Picsocope 5244B for $457 US delivered. 

By the way, which 8-bit picoscope were you looking at that was priced that high?  They have a ton of models. 

EDIT: Hi Balzannar.  I just realized that you started this thread - surely as part of your quest to find a quiet scope.  It looks like you are going down the same path I did earlier this year.  good luck!

jason

Hi Jason, thanks for the tips! I was looking at the 2408B. It's nowhere to be found right now, except for Farnell that has a single 2408B for sale, priced 1135eur+vat(22%). Any other 4ch Pico with at least 100 MHz bw costs much more.
The limitations are quite heavy indeed, but I was attracted by the Python API.
I don't know... The Picos are of course much, much better software-wise (and almost surely hardware-wise as well, no matter the resolution..) but they are either nowhere to be found, or priced insanely high, even on Ebay.. Since there is low availability, people who own them don't want to sell cheap, and I understand them...

 

Offline jasonRF

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #7 on: October 11, 2022, 10:14:22 pm »
I don't know about the hardware, but the software has no features.  Zero waveform arithmetic, so you cannot even subtract two channels.  Likewise, no FFT of any kind.  I even emailed the company earlier this year and verified that it had none of those features, although they indicated that they are planning on adding them.  If/when they do add an FFT you will need to look closely at how long it is.  For example, according to the user manual the 8-bit vds3102 only has a 2k FFT so gives only 1k frequency bins, even though it has 10 MSamples of memory. 

I have downloaded both the vds3102 and vds6102 software, and the features line up with the documentation.  No math menu of any kind on the vds6000 software, and the vds3102 software gives you no choice of any kind for the FFT length.  It is fixed.

So even if the 14-bit hardware is great, if you want to do anything more than just look at waveforms and do basic measurements on them you will need to write your own software and just use the scope as an acquisition system.  For me it was a deal-breaker. 

I ended up on Ebay and managed to pick up a used (and out of production) multi-resolution Picsocope 5244B for $457 US delivered. 

By the way, which 8-bit picoscope were you looking at that was priced that high?  They have a ton of models. 

EDIT: Hi Balzannar.  I just realized that you started this thread - surely as part of your quest to find a quiet scope.  It looks like you are going down the same path I did earlier this year.  good luck!

jason

Hi Jason, thanks for the tips! I was looking at the 2408B. It's nowhere to be found right now, except for Farnell that has a single 2408B for sale, priced 1135eur+vat(22%). Any other 4ch Pico with at least 100 MHz bw costs much more.
The limitations are quite heavy indeed, but I was attracted by the Python API.
I don't know... The Picos are of course much, much better software-wise (and almost surely hardware-wise as well, no matter the resolution..) but they are either nowhere to be found, or priced insanely high, even on Ebay.. Since there is low availability, people who own them don't want to sell cheap, and I understand them...
I do not know how it works to order from Europe, but tequipment.net has 2407B in stock.   The spec is 70 MHz, but the 2407b and 2207b models that were tested in that picoscope 2000 thread (the one I linked in your other thread) had >100 MHz bandwidth if I read their posts correctly.  I don’t know if that sounds reasonable to you or not, as we each have our own requirements and comfort levels.   There is an eevblog discount at that store as well. 

When I was shopping earlier this year I also noticed that there were no good deals on used 4-channel Picoscopes. 

I am not familiar enough with the Owons to know about a Python api.  I just know that they have scpi interface, and I believe there are Python packages online that are designed to do scpi over Python.  My programming skills are not so great (unless it is Matlab/Octave which I use all day at work) and I really do not enjoy it, so as a hobbyist I had no interest in a device that would require me to write a bunch of code just to do FFTs or other tasks that I do all the time.  But it may be just fine for you.   

Edit: i did find some python scripts that the manufacturer posted on github, but it was not clear if those are for the older vds3000 scopes, or if they were also for the v newer vds6000a scopes.   
« Last Edit: October 11, 2022, 10:42:47 pm by jasonRF »
 
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Offline egonotto

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #8 on: October 12, 2022, 08:27:16 am »
Hello,

An important point is that the Picoscopes do not have a fine adjustment of the vertical scale.

Best Regards
egonotto
 
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Offline balnazzarTopic starter

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #9 on: October 12, 2022, 09:56:40 am »

I do not know how it works to order from Europe, but tequipment.net has 2407B in stock.   The spec is 70 MHz, but the 2407b and 2207b models that were tested in that picoscope 2000 thread (the one I linked in your other thread) had >100 MHz bandwidth if I read their posts correctly.  I don’t know if that sounds reasonable to you or not, as we each have our own requirements and comfort levels.   There is an eevblog discount at that store as well. 

When I was shopping earlier this year I also noticed that there were no good deals on used 4-channel Picoscopes. 

I am not familiar enough with the Owons to know about a Python api.  I just know that they have scpi interface, and I believe there are Python packages online that are designed to do scpi over Python.  My programming skills are not so great (unless it is Matlab/Octave which I use all day at work) and I really do not enjoy it, so as a hobbyist I had no interest in a device that would require me to write a bunch of code just to do FFTs or other tasks that I do all the time.  But it may be just fine for you.   

Edit: i did find some python scripts that the manufacturer posted on github, but it was not clear if those are for the older vds3000 scopes, or if they were also for the v newer vds6000a scopes.

It's a tough call. Tequipment reports that the 70B costs EUR 1,008.19, and that VAT and import duties will be calculated just before finalizing the purchase. I think we are looking at some 1300-1400 eur, from which you can cut off 6% of EEVblog discount. It's too much for my pockets.. I think there are no good deals right now due to scarcity..

One thing I could do would be purchasing both the 4ch Owon and the Pico 05A (25 MHz, 200 eur). That would be 650 eur all included. The Owon would give me 4 channels, albeit with the limitations you accurately described. The 05A, on paper offers nothing more that the AD2 I already have, but would give me the possibility to practice with the Pico ecosystem, see if I like it, so that I can decide if I want a more serious Pico for when I'll have the money..
 

Offline balnazzarTopic starter

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #10 on: October 12, 2022, 09:57:48 am »
Hello,

An important point is that the Picoscopes do not have a fine adjustment of the vertical scale.

Best Regards
egonotto

Thanks, egonotto. That's just for the 2000 series, or it's an issue even for higher tier models like the 3000 and the 5000 series? Thanks!
 

Offline egonotto

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #11 on: October 12, 2022, 10:45:48 am »
Hello,

I believe all scopes. But with the 12 bit or 16 bit devices, that's not so bad anymore

Best regards
egonotto
 
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Offline jasonRF

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #12 on: October 12, 2022, 07:22:12 pm »
As far as I can tell, you can control the axes scaling, but that does not change the gain in the physical front-end.    To be honest, even the axis scaling is a little clunky.    I never use it, and for what I do it doesn’t matter very much.   But I could see that some people may really want that feature.   Does the Owon have it?   From the user manual it doesn’t look like it does. 

This is not the only quirk about Picoscopes.  The main one that sometimes causes me trouble is the fact that they have no automated measurements of time-delays (or phase delays) between signals in two different channels.  They really have no excuse for leaving that out. 

Jason
 
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Offline balnazzarTopic starter

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #13 on: October 12, 2022, 09:31:04 pm »
As far as I can tell, you can control the axes scaling, but that does not change the gain in the physical front-end.    To be honest, even the axis scaling is a little clunky.    I never use it, and for what I do it doesn’t matter very much.   But I could see that some people may really want that feature.   Does the Owon have it?   From the user manual it doesn’t look like it does. 

This is not the only quirk about Picoscopes.  The main one that sometimes causes me trouble is the fact that they have no automated measurements of time-delays (or phase delays) between signals in two different channels.  They really have no excuse for leaving that out. 

Jason

Good to know that, thanks. It's a bit disappointing.
 

Offline balnazzarTopic starter

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #14 on: October 20, 2022, 05:33:24 pm »
I don't know about the hardware, but the software has no features.  Zero waveform arithmetic, so you cannot even subtract two channels.  Likewise, no FFT of any kind.  I even emailed the company earlier this year and verified that it had none of those features, although they indicated that they are planning on adding them.  If/when they do add an FFT you will need to look closely at how long it is.  For example, according to the user manual the 8-bit vds3102 only has a 2k FFT so gives only 1k frequency bins, even though it has 10 MSamples of memory. 

I have downloaded both the vds3102 and vds6102 software, and the features line up with the documentation.  No math menu of any kind on the vds6000 software, and the vds3102 software gives you no choice of any kind for the FFT length.  It is fixed.

So even if the 14-bit hardware is great, if you want to do anything more than just look at waveforms and do basic measurements on them you will need to write your own software and just use the scope as an acquisition system.  For me it was a deal-breaker. 

I ended up on Ebay and managed to pick up a used (and out of production) multi-resolution Picsocope 5244B for $457 US delivered. 

By the way, which 8-bit picoscope were you looking at that was priced that high?  They have a ton of models. 

EDIT: Hi Balzannar.  I just realized that you started this thread - surely as part of your quest to find a quiet scope.  It looks like you are going down the same path I did earlier this year.  good luck!

jason

Mh, I bought an Owon VDS1022i because it's a little insulated scope for just 119 eur (Amazon). Consider that comes with two probes.

Look, this is just the calibration waveform, but it can do the FFT and some math:



 
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Offline agusugid

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #15 on: February 04, 2023, 03:09:17 am »
Inside VDS6102A
 
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Offline jasonRF

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #16 on: February 04, 2023, 01:57:02 pm »
Inside VDS6102A
Nice photos!   It looks pretty good inside, and as expected has the HAD1520 ADC chip.   I would be interested in hearing your experiences using the scope, and whether they update the features/software.   

Enjoy!

Jason
 
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Offline agusugid

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #17 on: February 06, 2023, 08:36:37 am »
I think it has decent hardware.
Pretty hot after + 30 minutes.
You must connect it directly to USB3 port, using hub will not work in my experience.
Can only use a good quality USB cable, the included cable works fine (thick cable), using thinner cable lead to error or excessive noise.
Using included power supply is the best way.

Noise is pretty low. In 2mV/Div, measured below 2mV without test probe attached.

Can not clearly see differences between 8 bit or 14 bit mode, all seem in hi res mode  ;D and the difference in sampling rate made it even harder to see the difference. Can not set the sampling rate manually.

No lag in various memory depth in all bit depth mode.

Self calibration runs relatively fast with some relay clicking. Autoset in slow side.

Can not hear relay clicking  sounds when changing the coupling mode, maybe use solid state realy?? :-//


The software maybe the weakest point in this scope, very basic functionality, even cannot change background color and wave color  |O

Regards
Agus
 
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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #18 on: February 06, 2023, 02:51:41 pm »
**********
Noise is pretty low. In 2mV/Div, measured below 2mV without test probe attached.
******
Regards
Agus

 Is that P-P or RMS ?

Are you sure it is 2mV? That is not really low noise but very high...

 

Offline agusugid

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #19 on: February 06, 2023, 11:42:28 pm »
Image attached
in 14 bit mode and 8 bit Mode
« Last Edit: February 07, 2023, 03:03:23 am by agusugid »
 
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Offline YurkshireLad

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #20 on: February 07, 2023, 12:06:56 am »
I don't know about the hardware, but the software has no features.  Zero waveform arithmetic, so you cannot even subtract two channels.  Likewise, no FFT of any kind.  I even emailed the company earlier this year and verified that it had none of those features, although they indicated that they are planning on adding them.  If/when they do add an FFT you will need to look closely at how long it is.  For example, according to the user manual the 8-bit vds3102 only has a 2k FFT so gives only 1k frequency bins, even though it has 10 MSamples of memory. 

I have downloaded both the vds3102 and vds6102 software, and the features line up with the documentation.  No math menu of any kind on the vds6000 software, and the vds3102 software gives you no choice of any kind for the FFT length.  It is fixed.

So even if the 14-bit hardware is great, if you want to do anything more than just look at waveforms and do basic measurements on them you will need to write your own software and just use the scope as an acquisition system.  For me it was a deal-breaker. 

I ended up on Ebay and managed to pick up a used (and out of production) multi-resolution Picsocope 5244B for $457 US delivered. 

By the way, which 8-bit picoscope were you looking at that was priced that high?  They have a ton of models. 

EDIT: Hi Balzannar.  I just realized that you started this thread - surely as part of your quest to find a quiet scope.  It looks like you are going down the same path I did earlier this year.  good luck!

jason


Can you use generic oscilloscope software with the Owon? Eg.


https://www.roomeqwizard.com/features.html
https://www.sillanumsoft.org/

 

Offline ci11

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #21 on: February 07, 2023, 01:47:15 am »
Wait until they make 24 bit   scopes ...  a war of numbers ???

Actually, there has been a 24-bit scope for sometime now - the National Instruments 5922 in PCI of PXI interface. It varies its bit-depth between 16- and 24-bit, with sampling rate between 15MS/s and 500kS/s. So while it is extremely quiet with a noise floor at about 6µV, it's really more suited to being configured as a data collection VI or frequency domain work, not time domain as a scope is often called for. What's more, if used with an interactive UI like NI's InstrumentStudio running on their controllers, be prepared to wait as you crank those virtual knobs - it can be painfully S L O W. Not cheap either.
 
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Offline agusugid

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #22 on: February 07, 2023, 02:57:08 am »
I don't know about the hardware, but the software has no features.  Zero waveform arithmetic, so you cannot even subtract two channels.  Likewise, no FFT of any kind.  I even emailed the company earlier this year and verified that it had none of those features, although they indicated that they are planning on adding them.  If/when they do add an FFT you will need to look closely at how long it is.  For example, according to the user manual the 8-bit vds3102 only has a 2k FFT so gives only 1k frequency bins, even though it has 10 MSamples of memory. 

I have downloaded both the vds3102 and vds6102 software, and the features line up with the documentation.  No math menu of any kind on the vds6000 software, and the vds3102 software gives you no choice of any kind for the FFT length.  It is fixed.

So even if the 14-bit hardware is great, if you want to do anything more than just look at waveforms and do basic measurements on them you will need to write your own software and just use the scope as an acquisition system.  For me it was a deal-breaker. 

I ended up on Ebay and managed to pick up a used (and out of production) multi-resolution Picsocope 5244B for $457 US delivered. 

By the way, which 8-bit picoscope were you looking at that was priced that high?  They have a ton of models. 

EDIT: Hi Balzannar.  I just realized that you started this thread - surely as part of your quest to find a quiet scope.  It looks like you are going down the same path I did earlier this year.  good luck!

jason


Can you use generic oscilloscope software with the Owon? Eg.


https://www.roomeqwizard.com/features.html
https://www.sillanumsoft.org/

I don't think the softwares will work with owon scope.
For REW I will use hi res sound card
 
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Offline agusugid

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #23 on: February 07, 2023, 03:02:24 am »
I don't know about the hardware, but the software has no features.  Zero waveform arithmetic, so you cannot even subtract two channels.  Likewise, no FFT of any kind.  I even emailed the company earlier this year and verified that it had none of those features, although they indicated that they are planning on adding them.  If/when they do add an FFT you will need to look closely at how long it is.  For example, according to the user manual the 8-bit vds3102 only has a 2k FFT so gives only 1k frequency bins, even though it has 10 MSamples of memory. 

I have downloaded both the vds3102 and vds6102 software, and the features line up with the documentation.  No math menu of any kind on the vds6000 software, and the vds3102 software gives you no choice of any kind for the FFT length.  It is fixed.

So even if the 14-bit hardware is great, if you want to do anything more than just look at waveforms and do basic measurements on them you will need to write your own software and just use the scope as an acquisition system.  For me it was a deal-breaker. 

I ended up on Ebay and managed to pick up a used (and out of production) multi-resolution Picsocope 5244B for $457 US delivered. 

By the way, which 8-bit picoscope were you looking at that was priced that high?  They have a ton of models. 

EDIT: Hi Balzannar.  I just realized that you started this thread - surely as part of your quest to find a quiet scope.  It looks like you are going down the same path I did earlier this year.  good luck!

jason

Math function is available. You can do - + * / with both channels
FFT also availale, but I think Owon should not give the function as it so useless
 

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Re: Owon 14-bit USB scopes
« Reply #24 on: February 07, 2023, 08:36:56 am »
Image attached
in 14 bit mode and 8 bit Mode

That is not 2 mV, it is around 200uV RMS which is more normal.....


This is amount of noise that, for instance, has Rigol DS1054Z (unlocked to 100MHz) that is an 8bit scope.
It is still not low noise but OK. Low noise would be quite less than 100uV RMS. There are quite a few inexpensive 8 bit scopes (Micisg and Siglent comes to mind) that have much lower noise than that.

So Owon is 14 bit but noise levels are at just OK-ish entry level 8 bit scope level.. And it is not even that inexpensive.

For general purpose work, DS1054Z (or Micsig or Siglent) would be better choice overall..
 


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