Products > Test Equipment
Questions on some older used Scopes and Probe Rec's
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Fulmir:

--- Quote from: bdunham7 on July 08, 2022, 12:45:09 am ---If you don't have any experience with DSOs the $500 Siglent will have you 'growing' into it for some time before you figure out the bulk of what it can do.  And with the WiFi you can use the webserver for a large picture if you like, as well as hands-off operation of the scope.  200MHz is not a big limitation if you are only using 'normal' probes. 

If you aren't actually restricted to a budget of $500, the next-up Siglent SDS2104X+ with the logic probe set is a pretty good setup and you'll be growing into that for years. 

--- End quote ---

So, this may just be my learning style, but I tend to be less into "learn by feature" and more "learn by project" so if I want to do something and the scope physically can't do it then I'm just kinda stuffed. I'm more than happy to work through all the pre-requisite learnings to figure out how to do the thing I want to do with the equipment I have.

The $500 isn't a hard requirement, but I need to be able to justify the increased cost to myself compared to buying older equipment and just dealing with the teething pains or buying something super budget. I definitely don't want to go above the ~$1400 the SDS2104X is going to set me back, and that thing looks like all the scope I'm ever likely to need unless I decide to go completely off the deep end and make a side-gig out of refurbishing dead graphics cards or something...

The Wifi is a good point, since I do have a monitor on the bench already, but it'd still be nice to have the larger screen of the Plus version.


--- Quote from: nctnico on July 07, 2022, 09:28:55 pm ---Let me throw my commision out of the window then: seriously consider other brands as well. I have spend several k euro on Siglent equipment only to find out it didn't perform when the pedal needed to hit the metal. If you have the budget then be sure to look at higher priced stuff from Keysight, R&S, Tektronix, Yokogawa, etc. For starters; you'll find much more polished user interfaces based on decades of experience making test equipment.

--- End quote ---

I think if I ever hit the point that this stuff won't serve my needs then I'll decide then if I want to spend the money on something more serious, used or new, but I don't really think that's going to be the case for a long while yet, unless I find a way to make this hobby self-funding anyways >.>

I'd love to be able to afford something like a brand new R&S or Yokogawa mid-ranged scope, but right now that's a hard no from me, I just can't justify that kind of money for a bit of a UI upgrade and a bit more performance on the far ends of the bell curve.

If you have some recommendations more in line with the 2104X or X Plus then please by all means, or even just some examples of places those scopes might trip me up. I'd love to learn, but I can only stretch the budget here, not break it...
tautech:

--- Quote from: Fulmir on July 08, 2022, 01:52:46 am ---If you have some recommendations more in line with the 2104X or X Plus then please by all means, or even just some examples of places those scopes might trip me up. I'd love to learn, but I can only stretch the budget here, not break it...

--- End quote ---
SDS2104X are an older EOL series and 4ch versions are no longer available.
https://siglentna.com/digital-oscilloscopes/sds2000x/

Note the recommendation: See SDS2000X Plus for replacement

SDS2000X Plus are in another league of instrument, I've owned and extensively used them both.
Touch and mouse control, webserver, VNC, Bode plot and so much more.
As you have found in your research, they've been a very popular seller over the last year or so as they can't be touched at this price point. Even LeCroy consider them good enough to have as their lower end range T3DSO2000A.

Happy hunting and anything in particular you need know just ask.



Fulmir:
Ah, okay, I can see that the naming scheme on these things is going to be the death of me...  :-DD

I meant the X-E, apparently. But yeah, the lowest end 4 Channel X Plus seems like the best deal, especially with the option to, uh, "liberate" some of the higher end features via "adjustments" >.>

Any particular problems or quirks with it I should be aware of? Any chance prices on these things are about to spike up due to supply chain etc? >.> :-/O
tautech:
On phone so replies will be nothing flash sorry.
First there are zero 2000 series 4ch X-E’s.
Unfortunately all specials on X Plus are now resigned to 2021 specials but I know of no impending price hikes.  :phew:
Performa01:

--- Quote from: G0HZU on July 07, 2022, 10:35:47 pm ---I'm not sure how Siglent design the front end but I've read that they do have much lower noise on the most sensitive ranges compared to the Rigol scopes for example.

--- End quote ---

They do it old-school instead of cheap-arse, they are not like Tek who make do with one single relay for the entire analog channel.

In a 2000-series Siglent, there are no less than five relays per channel: AC / DC / GND, 50 ohms, two 20 dB input attenuators.

Even the cheap SDS1000X-E has a proper input section with two relay operated 20 dB attenuators.
 
The noise of an SDS2504X HD (true -3 dB bandwidth = 570 MHz) at 1 mV/div with open input (1 meg or 50 ohms) is less than 80 µVrms.
See attached screenshot SDS2504X HD_Noise_2Ch.

EDIT: added another screenshot to demonstrate the noise spectrum: SDS2504X HD_Noise_1mV_500MHz_L
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