Step up from DS1052E to what?

[psycho0815]

Hi, when i started messing with electronics about a year ago, i got myself a Rigol DS1052E basically, just to figure out, whether or not i really need a DSO and which features i do need and which i don't. Turns out i do need one, pretty much everytime i work on something. And while i still think the Rigol is a good buy, there are some features it lacks and some things, that just annoy the heck out of me. So, i think i should propably move on. So the question i'd like your help with is: to what?

What i need feature-wise:
4 channels
100 MHz
Serial Decoding on analog channels.
If it has a full LA i could do with 2 Channels. But i would use the LA almost exclusively for Serial stuff  (I2C,SPI,UART) so 4 Analog Channels seems to be more versatile for my purposes, in the end that would pretty much come down to price i guess.
>1MPts Memory
Bigger Screen than the Rigol. Preferable VGA or better.

Now the 100MHz are negeotiable. So far i'm getting along nicely with the 50MHz of the Rigol, but i'd like to keep the new one for a while, and 100MHz seem like a good compromise between Bandwidth and price. If the Scope is upgradeable, 50MHz or 70MHz would be ok.

Now after the hard facts some of the Rigols annoyances i want addressed:
I want seperate vertical controls for each channel. The combined control of the Rigol drives me mad!
Also i'd like to have a dedicated "Singleshot"-Button. This Seems to be pretty much standard on all midrange-scopes i've seen so far, but i thought i'd mention it anyways.

Budget: Well basically, as little as i can get away with and as much as it takes to get what i want. But for the sake of argument let's say <2000€.

The scopes i have looked at so far that seem to fit the bill:

Agilent DSO 2014, also the seem to be strangely hard to find in Germany and i'm not sure if the BW is upgradeable, Also the options are a bit on the high side.
Rigol DS4000, looks good, but is a bit more expensive than i'd like.
Hameg HMO1024 - No seperate vertical controls

And as an aside it would be great, if it comes with linux software, I wouldn't hold my breath for that one though.

I'd appreciate your input and suggestion. Especially on other brands i missed so far (lecroy, tektronix?). Also i read here on the forum, that agilent sells off, demo-units and refurbished ones on ebay. Do you know if any other manufacturer does something simmiliar?


Thanks and Cheers,

Psycho

[Hydrawerk]

Consider buying the GW Instek GDS-2104A. It has interesting specs. But I have not seen this scope in use yet. It might be difficult to get firmware upgrade... 
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/gds-2000a-new-economic-oscilloscope-by-gw-instek-comes-to-market/

[olsenn]

I'm in the same position as you; I currently own a DS1052E (hacked to be a DS1102E) and I am likely to be upgrading to the DS4024 over the next couple of days (200MHz, 4-ch, 4GSa/s). It is more expensive than I would have liked, but it still looks to be cheaper than its competitors (Agilent...)

You are highly unlikely to find a better DSO with sub-100MHz bandwidth than the DS2072 (costs around $900). However, this DSO only has two channels. I somehow imagine you may be better off sticking with your DS1052E (maybe soft upgrading it to 100MHz for free) and purchasing a cheap little logic analyzer. Your call though

[jpb]

The Agilent DSOX2014 only has 100Kpts of memory, also it doesn't do serial decode.

One option to consider is looking out for scopes on Agillent's ebay shop, though they still tend to be quite pricey. Beware also that some come with full warranty (the Centiprime ones) while others don't (they just have 7 days). The following one may be of interest (despite what I wrote about the lack of memory and no decode!):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-PREMIUM-USED-MSOX2024A-Mixed-Signal-Oscilloscope-/181094563240?pt=BI_Oscilloscopes&hash=item2a2a13bda8

[mikeselectricstuff]

The Agilent DSOX2014 only has 100Kpts of memory, also it doesn't do serial decode.

One option to consider is looking out for scopes on Agillent's ebay shop, though they still tend to be quite pricey. Beware also that some come with full warranty (the Centiprime ones) while others don't (they just have 7 days). The following one may be of interest (despite what I wrote about the lack of memory and no decode!):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-PREMIUM-USED-MSOX2024A-Mixed-Signal-Oscilloscope-/181094563240?pt=BI_Oscilloscopes&hash=item2a2a13bda8

If you look at their feedback you'll notice they are amenable to offers - they took mine of 10% off recently.
the older 5/6/7000 ones may be better value in terms of functionality, especially with the trial license 'bonus'

[psycho0815]

I'm in the same position as you; I currently own a DS1052E (hacked to be a DS1102E) and I am likely to be upgrading to the DS4024 over the next couple of days (200MHz, 4-ch, 4GSa/s). It is more expensive than I would have liked, but it still looks to be cheaper than its competitors (Agilent...)

You are highly unlikely to find a better DSO with sub-100MHz bandwidth than the DS2072 (costs around $900). However, this DSO only has two channels. I somehow imagine you may be better off sticking with your DS1052E (maybe soft upgrading it to 100MHz for free) and purchasing a cheap little logic analyzer. Your call though

I already have a cheap Logic Analyzer (Saleae Logic). But sometimes i think it would be more convenient to have one in the scope. As i said for that kind a thing, just serial decode would be fine.
As for the DS2072. I considered it, and i think it is a real nice scope, but i'm not sure how much of a step up that would really be. I might end up ordering one, just to play with it alittle and maybe send it back.

The Agilent DSOX2014 only has 100Kpts of memory, also it doesn't do serial decode.

One option to consider is looking out for scopes on Agillent's ebay shop, though they still tend to be quite pricey. Beware also that some come with full warranty (the Centiprime ones) while others don't (they just have 7 days). The following one may be of interest (despite what I wrote about the lack of memory and no decode!):

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Agilent-PREMIUM-USED-MSOX2024A-Mixed-Signal-Oscilloscope-/181094563240?pt=BI_Oscilloscopes&hash=item2a2a13bda8

If you look at their feedback you'll notice they are amenable to offers - they took mine of 10% off recently.
the older 5/6/7000 ones may be better value in terms of functionality, especially with the trial license 'bonus'

The Problem is that it ships from Malaisya or the States. That means i'd have to add import taxes and custom fees to that also the shipping and general hassle. I'd have to do the Math to figure our if it's worth it.

[mikeselectricstuff]

The Problem is that it ships from Malaisya or the States. That means i'd have to add import taxes and custom fees to that also the shipping and general hassle. I'd have to do the Math to figure our if it's worth it.

They ship via their normal distribution channels, so to anywhere they have an outlet, shipping is FREE! They handle customs so local taxes are added to the invoice. For EU it's Just normal VAT.

[jpb]

The Problem is that it ships from Malaisya or the States. That means i'd have to add import taxes and custom fees to that also the shipping and general hassle. I'd have to do the Math to figure our if it's worth it.

I don't want to push it - when I was looking to buy a 4 channel scope a couple of months ago I decided they were a bit pricey and managed to get myself a bargain LeCroy WaveJet - but I think it is no different from buying a new scope from Agilent, it would also come from Malaysia and you'd have to pay VAT either way. The impression I got is that the shipping might be free, it is free to the States and they also say it may be free to other countries.

The example I gave you the link to is $2344 (or less if they accept an offer) which is £1570 (in currency I understand). The ex VAT list price in the UK of a new one is £1839 so they are offering a discount of only 15%. Personally that is too small a discount for me but it would essentially be a new scope. By way of comparison I paid £1200 + VAT for a "new" WaveJet 334 which are listed at £3510 +VAT new so I got a 66% discount BUT it was built in 2006 so was 6 1/2 years old (it had been sitting in stock for a long time).

I would think a 30% discount would be more reasonable so if it is a model that you want I'd offer $1950 or perhaps $2000 for it. If they accept the offer you'll get it for something like 1840 euros including VAT but excluding any postal costs. If they don't accept it you haven't lost anything by making the offer.

[shadowcomputer]

I would consider the Rigol DS2102. It is 100mhz and retails for around $1100, has 50,000 waveform update rate, and has a big screen. I upgraded from a Rigol ds1102e. What I really like about it is the built serial decode on the analog channels. It's not a true MSO because it has no dedicated digital channels, but it's still great for decoding I2C, SPI, etc if you can get buy with just the two channels. It comes with all the serial decode features fully available for trail use, but once they expire you have to pay. Still worth it, considering your would have to pay closer to $2000 for the same features on say an Agilent dsox2000.