SFH: Week 4 - The Tektronix TBS1202B-EDU

So, a massive box arrived today and it was full of lots of juicy development boards. Jam packed.

Was it worth the wait and stress of customs? - HECK YES.

Today we'll be covering the Oscilloscope, which is a Tektronix TBS1202B-EDU.

Upon first glance, the box is much bigger than you would initially think. Lets venture into the contents.

These are the standard Tektronix Passive Probes. they are fairly solid and feel like they'll stand up to a lot of use. For my first Oscilloscope, and my first Tektronix product, I am impressed.

An interesting thing I noted about these probes is the hooked tip - after using these I feel like I should invest in multimeter probes that have hooked ends. They are very useful.

There is also a Compliance and Safety document, an accessory pack (Containing the Insulated Tuning Tool, and coloured rings which slide onto your probes to help identify them), and a CD, which contains the user manual.

The power cord included fits a US plug socket. As I am in the UK, I was not able to use this, however on the other end there is a standard 3-pin connector. After a quick trip to "Ye Olde Cable Bin", I found a cable that would work with the Oscilloscope.

The Oscilloscope itself is very nice and compact. It has feet which allow it to sit at an angle for easy viewing, and a handle on top to allow you to easily pick it up and move it around. This particular model has two inputs, which is great as two probes were included. The button layout is very nice, just by reading the labels on the front panel I could easily tell where everything was without having to read a manual. For ease of use, this was a plus for me.

The scope itself is extremely easy to use. I was able to get the scope up and running and tuned by just looking at the parts. Pictured above is the output of the probe compensation pins. In a previous review I have seen, the Multipurpose wheel was described as "Flimsy". To be honest, that is the only thing I dislike about this Oscilloscope - when you click the wheel it tends to move slightly, causing you to select an option other than the one you want.

This is all very new to me so I will be tinkering with it for a while to learn how to use this Oscilloscope. Well done Tektronix on producing an easy to use product.

Josh