OWON HDS 200 Handheld Oscilloscope w/ builtin DMM/AWG

[simple]

Thoughts on using this for automotive?

Maybe a lesser model?

I want something "good enough" to check DRL circuits and robust enough it could withstand a drop or two inside the engine bay.

I don't want to drag an expensive mains powered scope over to struggle and then damage it.

This scope will be capable of testing sensor waveforms including canbus

[Scottie]

I have an OWON HDS242 running firmware version 8.0.1. Recently while measuring the output of a 3V3 LDO I noticed the displayed readout value started intermittently blanking. 

When the meter registers a 3.338 V input, it freaks out, with the display cycles between displaying a range of 20V and 200 mA.

In DCV mode, when the meter reads 0.8295V, the display range mode cycles between 2V and 750V. Bizarre! The meter doesn’t even have a user settable 750V range as far as I am aware. (I guess there is a giant code base inside, perhaps that’s related to another owon product.)

I don’t know if the glitch is triggered based on the multimeter chipset’s ADC code or the final calibrated display readout value. So, if the issue based on the raw ADC code value other meters may trigger at the exact same input values but with in some margin (no idea).

I haven’t looked for every possible DCV input value where it occurs but it has thus far been repeatable and precisely defined for 0.8295V & 3.338V , so I don’t know…

Has anyone else experienced something similar using the DMM input in DCV mode?

[MrAl]

I have an OWON HDS242 running firmware version 8.0.1. Recently while measuring the output of a 3V3 LDO I noticed the displayed readout value started intermittently blanking. 

When the meter registers a 3.338 V input, it freaks out, with the display cycles between displaying a range of 20V and 200 mA.

In DCV mode, when the meter reads 0.8295V, the display range mode cycles between 2V and 750V. Bizarre! The meter doesn’t even have a user settable 750V range as far as I am aware. (I guess there is a giant code base inside, perhaps that’s related to another owon product.)

I don’t know if the glitch is triggered based on the multimeter chipset’s ADC code or the final calibrated display readout value. So, if the issue based on the raw ADC code value other meters may trigger at the exact same input values but with in some margin (no idea).

I haven’t looked for every possible DCV input value where it occurs but it has thus far been repeatable and precisely defined for 0.8295V & 3.338V , so I don’t know…

Has anyone else experienced something similar using the DMM input in DCV mode?

Hi,

I can check mine for this issue, probably tomorrow sometime.

[funky303]

yes Scottie...
Video 1: DC 0.8295V @ 0:03, 0:10
-display: no value, only unit, range toggles to manual 750V
Video 2: DC 1.9V  @ 0:02.
-display in slow motion: 01.905 > 01.902 > 0.1902 > 0.0000 > 1.8818
Video 3: DC 3.3338V @ 0:06, 0:12
-display: no value, only unit , range Auto toggles to 200mA :-)

video 1: https://youtu.be/xyMOSaZzW-I
video 2: https://youtu.be/mBMdQJZUshM
video 3: https://youtu.be/iKFCh6nLZyQ

[Scottie]

yes Scottie...
Video 1: DC 0.8295V @ 0:03, 0:10
-display: no value, only unit, range toggles to manual 750V
Video 2: DC 1.9V  @ 0:02.
-display in slow motion: 01.905 > 01.902 > 0.1902 > 0.0000 > 1.8818
Video 3: DC 3.3338V @ 0:06, 0:12
-display: no value, only unit , range Auto toggles to 200mA :-)

Funky303, thank you so much for testing it out on your own HDS242.

I find this behavior so bizarre, I can’t deduce what could be causing the meter to glitch at such precisely defined inputs..

Interesting that you have discovered another magic input value neat 1.9V. After taking a look a your video it might be that the meter is auto range switching from 20V to 2V near 1.9V. But it does illustrate one of the other downsides of the meter in that it reports a few intermediate samples before the final near steady state value.

A bit of a disappointment, though I still really like the form factor and the display. And having a portable handheld scope is just wonderful.

Fingers crossed it could be a simple firmware fix  

[Mickk]

yes Scottie...
Video 1: DC 0.8295V @ 0:03, 0:10
-display: no value, only unit, range toggles to manual 750V
Video 2: DC 1.9V  @ 0:02.
-display in slow motion: 01.905 > 01.902 > 0.1902 > 0.0000 > 1.8818
Video 3: DC 3.3338V @ 0:06, 0:12
-display: no value, only unit , range Auto toggles to 200mA :-)

My brand new HDS2202 (V 1.2.0) does exactly the same at all three voltages. 

Obviously the same MM section in all devices - or the same software fault?

[giovannirat]

HDS272S, V3.3.3, S2128xxx

Same erroneous behaviour...

[RogerG]

Same here, 242 with FW 7.2.0

[Scottie]

The meter doesn’t even have a user settable 750V range as far as I am aware.

Correcting myself, In ACV mode the top end range of the DMM is 750V.

I still find this behavior so strange that is so precisely defined.

I will try probing the TX optocoupler this weekend to see if anything obvious stands out.

[Evgeny]

HDS2102S  V3.0.1 the multimeter works correctly.

[steelz75]

Guys, for the HDS242S version are we still stopped on FW.5.7.1? From Link https://www.owon.com.hk brings as the last fw. 6.1.0 but during the upgrade I have always been error for me ... there are other official links where i can find updates and if yes, it is better that I stay with version 5.7.1 given all the problems I am reading around? Are these updates only for Board equal to or higher than version 3.02? Thnks...

[orb]

https://www.owon.com.hk/download.asp?category=Digital%20Oscilloscope&series=HDS200%20Series&model=HDS242(S)&SortTag=Latest%20Firmware

V6.0.0 can be upgraded to 6.1.0, but not yours. It depends on the hardware.
Don't play around too much with flashing unsupported firmware, because it may brick your device.

[s8472]

Can I update HDS2102S SN2210399 with firmware v1.5.1 to v2.0.4 ?

[orb]

As far as I know (oficially) you can't go above your current base version: V1.5.1.

V2.0.4 is for the tool which has stock firmware V2.X.X on the board.

[orb]

Since the sample rate of 242 and 272 are identical, I can't see any advantage of the 272.

What can you say about this parameter? 8 vs 5 ns, it's about 60% of difference.

[RogerG]

The rise time is not the limit. @Old-Papa in the german Mikrocontroller board did some measurement here. HDS 242 as mine.

https://www.mikrocontroller.net/topic/542385#7268144

I also did some measurement a few minutes ago, see the attached pic.

[orb]

Ok, I see, rise time is about the same (3.2 - 3.5 ns) for both measurements: ~3.2V & 1 Mhz (yours), ~0.8V & 10 Mhz (old-papa). Thanks.

I am still a little curious about what it looks like on the hds272.

[RogerG]

I think the only advantage of the 272 over the 242 is that the frequency counter still works above 47MHz, where the 242 begins to show zero .

[orb]

I think the only advantage of the 272 over the 242 is that the frequency counter still works above 47MHz, where the 242 begins to show zero .

Only that for 44€ more? 

[RogerG]

The sample rate is hardly sufficient for 40MHz, so what  ?

[funky303]

Hi, just for your information.
I had informed OWON about some bugs.

Today I surprisingly got a patch for testing by mail. 
It is a V8.1.0
At the weekend I will test the Issues.
After that I will ask them when this will be released or if it is allowed to distribute it here.



I had communicated that:
HDS242
SN: 224xxxxx
FW: V8.0.1   (The firmware 8.0.1 is not downloadable)
HW: V3.2

1: Oscilloscope: IF timebases >= 100ms (HOR M:>=100ms):
- and trigger = "AUTO", then the indicators (Vmax,Vmin;V...) do not work.
- "Vmin", "Vmax" are =0 or old values determined at <100ms / Div (HOR M:<100ms).
- Indicator "V" is extremely low-pass filtered.

2: Oscilloscope: The refresh time for triggers with large time bases (e.G. >500ms/div) appears very high.
The graph should be able to immediately and continuously map the current sample memory during each trigger event.
- Example: 1kHz int. generator with M:1.0s (1s/div) & PeakDetect & "trigger norm" measured. The update takes many seconds. If input signal is disconnected (= 0), and "force Trigger" is pressed to clear the screen, then it also takes a long time until a correct display occurs.

3: Oscilloscope: Sometimes the unit boots in update mode and loses all settings (starts in Language Setting Chinese). The behaviour is not reproducible and occurs sporadically.


4: DMM: some special (exactly these) voltages are not measurable:
Video 1: DC 0.8295V @ 0:03, 0:10
-display: no value, only unit, range toggles to manual 750V
Video 2: DC 1.9V  @ 0:02.
-display in slow motion: 01.905 > 01.902 > 0.1902 > 0.0000 > 1.8818
Video 3: DC 3.3338V @ 0:06, 0:12
-display: no value, only unit , range Auto toggles to 200mA :-)

video 1: https://youtu.be/xyMOSaZzW-I
video 2: https://youtu.be/mBMdQJZUshM
video 3: https://youtu.be/iKFCh6nLZyQ

users in forums report this issue for different models eg.
me: hds242 v8.0.1
others:  HDS272S, V3.3.3, S2128xxx; HDS2202 (V 1.2.0)

[orb]

1: Oscilloscope: IF timebases >= 100ms (HOR M:>=100ms):
- and trigger = "AUTO", then the indicators (Vmax,Vmin;V...) do not work.
- "Vmin", "Vmax" are =0 or old values determined at <100ms / Div (HOR M:<100ms).
- Indicator "V" is extremely low-pass filtered.

Hi. I have new scope with new firmware and... new issues.

I bought hds2102s (fw: V3.0.0), it has less voltage drift (<=4%) than hds242 (fw: V4.1.0), but the "min/max/vpp" values ​​behave similar to your scopemeter.
For 5/50 ms "min" doesn't work properly ("max" works). Above 50 ms "min/max/vpp" do not work at all, values ​​are not refreshed.

Here's Johnny!




And... here is "the bug":


I hope that these "anti confusion caps" will work.

[funky303]

Searching an array for min and max seems to be more difficult than expected... so no good news yet.

[orb]

HDS2102S  V3.0.1 the multimeter works correctly.

Do you have this issue on V3.0.1?: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/owon-hds-200-handheld-oscilloscope-w-builtin-dmmawg/msg4679332/#msg4679332

[Evgeny]

Yes there is.