Tek 2-Series MSO In-Depth – Ch1: Market Survey

First of all, let me begin by thanking element14 and Tektronix for selecting me as the lucky RoadTester for the Tektronix 2-series MSO. This is a product I’ve been looking at since launch, having attending the launch event, as there is more than meets the eye. In this first blog post, I’ll try to explain just how the Tek 2-series MSO fits into the oscilloscope landscape (both within Tektronix and overall) and compare it with a slew of market offerings. This will allow us to understand why the Tek 2-series MSO is an interesting product.

So, You’re Looking for an Oscilloscope?

For any budding electronics enthusiast, educator, engineer or repairer, test gear is a vital part of getting things done. Usually one would acquire a multimeter first, perhaps a power supply after, before graduating to an oscilloscope. Having an oscilloscope is vital for visualising changing signals of any sort and is often a useful tool to troubleshoot problems with communications, power and lower-frequency radios. This is usually a fairly sizeable purchase, so there is an incentive to make the best choice.

In fact, there may not be a better time to buy an oscilloscope, as the market has (over the past half-a-decade) been facing a transformation. Over time, the entry-price has been reducing as many Chinese brands have entered the market, undercutting the traditional brands by a significant margin. Front-end technology has improved and higher-resolution/higher-rate analog-to-digital converters are now available for reasonable money. Deeper memory enables more in each acquisition with the power to zoom in even further. Protocol decoding, FFT and arbitrary waveform generators give the oscilloscope the ability to take over some of the roles of a protocol analyser, spectrum analyser and frequency response analyser. Screens have been getting bigger and of higher resolution for more clarity, while touch-screen user interfaces have matured and operation has become more intuitive. Finally, connectivity is now considered standard and remote-control operation is no longer considered a luxury.

Say Hello to the 2-Series

The Tektronix 2-series MSO is the latest to join Tektronix’s line-up and rather than pushing the envelope at the top, they created a unique offering that extends the MSO/MDO family down.

The 2-series is a portable mixed-signal oscilloscope that is touted as a “no compromise” little-brother to the other MSO/MDOs. It shares a user interface that is substantially the same to that used in the higher-end MSO/MDOs, while having quite a lower entry cost. It occupies a space between the TBS2000B which is a more basic DSO and the 3-series MDO which is a more sophisticated offering with a hardware spectrum analyser. Furthermore, it shouldn’t be written off as being lesser just because it is portable, as it is very much still a match for bench-top units and has bench-top aspirations from the outset with a desk stand and VESA mount capabilities. Only when equipped with the optional hot-swappable dual-battery pack does it become truly self-contained for use in the field. There is also the option for a carry bag, rubberised case and kickstand for toting the unit around, as well as a rack-mount option for fixed use.

A look at the specifications reinforces the sense that the 2-series MSO is more of a “hybrid” offering that brings more of the bench-top models into the portable world, while bringing some of the compactness of portability and lightness into the bench-top world, and not suffering any critical compromises in the process. It also seems to be a good replacement for the TBS2000B bringing a modern user experience, with a starting price not much more. It does also have a price ceiling that is quite high (indicating the availability of many options and upgrades) which allow the 2-series MSO to grow with your needs simply through applying license key codes. Compared to the 3-series MDO, it is clear that the 2-series is not quite as big or capable, as the name would suggest, but still has most of the features.

Perhaps the key downsides of the 2-series MSO are the low waveform update rate claimed in the datasheet and the significantly-shorter 1-year warranty by default (which can be extended at further cost).

Market Comparison

To compare the 2-series with the market is a little tricky, as the target user for a 2-series could have completely different motivations. As a result, I’ve tried to make comparisons based on several different types of users I could foresee considering the 2-series. In the process, I have compared a whopping 29 models of oscilloscope, taking a few days of work to compile.

As a disclaimer – all comparisons are based on extracted datasheet figures which do not cover all aspects of each oscilloscope. It is not possible, given the time, to compare every model or feature available. While the comparison is provided in good faith, errors and omissions may occur. Users should verify the specifications of an instrument and do their own research prior to purchase. I cannot be held responsible for any damages which are incurred, no matter how they are incurred, from the use, misuse or inability to use this information.

The first market I foresee for the 2-series is for those who are looking for a basic bench oscilloscope – for example, in undergraduate electronics laboratories or for a home lab.

The bench-top market is perhaps the most competitive, as it has been the most developed. There are no shortage of options to choose from, although in this case, I have taken the liberty of not only including “2”-tier units but also “3”-tier units in this comparison to provide better context, as the top-spec 2-series MSO reaches into “3”-tier pricing.

When it comes to “2”-tier products, the 2-series MSO definitely matches or exceeds all on bandwidth, display size/resolution, triggering and weight. It also scores pretty well on connectivity and has a VESA mount option which no other products appear to have in this class. The availability of AWG and pattern generator options compare very favourably, although having the serial decode features all being added-cost options is a negative. Software support is a key positive, however, the default warranty is the shortest in its class. Similarly, the 8-bit vertical resolution is very ordinary, with some competitors offering 10-bit. The memory depth of 10Mpt is a bit of a wash either way.

Comparing with “3”-tier and above, the 2-series cannot reach the 1GHz bandwidth or the deep memory depths available. Many have more protocol decode features and some even offer USB 3.0 capabilities.

With regard to pricing, Tektronix has historically not been one to underprice their products. This time around, the aggressive base pricing is clearly evident but so is the high ceiling. Perhaps such highly-specified 2-series MSOs would mostly appeal to those who value the portability or flexibility of the 2-series, while those chained to the bench may find a “3”-tier product offers more versatility for not much more. That being said, the pricing does still mostly compete with the traditional established brands, with Rigol clearly undercutting the competition quite significantly (although, at some cost to features).

Another market the 2-series MSO may appeal to is that of the handheld market. This is a market served traditionally by smaller, portable, battery-powered oscilloscopes that sometimes have very basic specifications.

Comparing with handhelds, the 2-series MSO is definitely the more capable unit. As a larger unit, it probably won’t work all that well hand-held as the weight is 3.2kg with one battery and it doesn’t offer the isolated channels that some of the higher-end handhelds do. However, in-return, there is entry-level bench-top grade performance. The best handheld (R&S RTH1000-series) has a price that is a bit more than the 2-series MSO while offering a competitive bandwidth and better ADC. However, the memory depth, screen, digital capabilities and lack of output generation is a key downside. The next-best from Keysight is inferior in practically all respects. That being said, this market has seen quite a few entries from low-cost Chinese brands such as Fnirsi, Owon and Siglent, with some products costing not much more than a decent digital multimeter. However, such products are very compromised in their capabilities and getting useful information from them could prove frustrating.

For those who don’t want to go with the limitations of a handheld, it is customary to instead use a laptop computer with a USB-connected oscilloscope. Such set-ups are relatively common amongst hobbyists as they can offer a lot of features for a relatively small investment, as the computer provides the display, processing and storage. However, such set-ups do have their own caveats as well, as higher-end USB-oscilloscopes often cannot be run entirely on bus-power and there can be safety issues regarding grounding. Nevertheless, this market is relatively small with regards to reputable manufacturers.

I made a comparison with the PicoScope 5000-series as the highest-end unit that can run at least partially on USB-host power. This at least means that it is possible to run fully battery-powered, relying on the laptop’s batteries. There is a higher-end model as well, however, I did not include it. Unfortunately, all other candidates identified require AC power.

When compared with the USB products, the 2-series MSO is not quite a clear winner. The PicoScope has less bandwidth and shorter AWG memory but more flexibility in resolution, more memory depth, an extensive array of free decoders, lower price ceiling and longer warranty. The rarely-seen Keysight offering is very expensive, but offers more bandwidth. The other options from Hantek are much cheaper “toys” by comparison, with significant limitations but may work for those with a very limited budget.

Finally, we have the portable market. This is a new market and includes products which are roughly “tablet-shaped”. Some manufacturers like to call them “tablet oscilloscopes”, even though they are a bit chunkier. Nevertheless, this is a form-factor that is mostly occupied by innovative Chinese vendors, with no established vendors identified making such products.

By comparison, the 2-series MSO is a lot more expensive than most of the portable units out there – but that is to be expected since the portable units don’t come from a company with such pedigree. That being said, the 2-series does show its superiority in terms of bandwidth, sample rate and AWG/pattern generator option. It is equal best when it comes to screen. As for connectivity and triggers, it is mostly a wash. As for weights, it seems all units are roughly similar. Key downsides of the 2-series are again, the warranty, waveform update rate and the fact decoders are all added-cost options. Another is the availability of higher-resolution or flexible-resolution features in some of these portable units which add versatility.

This makes it a difficult market to compete in – the competition is very much lower in price and while the Tek 2-series MSO does lead in some areas, the lead may not be enough to convince everyone to choose Tek over someone else, at least, on paper. While Tektronix does have an unimpeachable reputation to protect and the 2-series does have a lot to offer which isn’t captured here or isn’t entirely obvious at first glance, I have a feeling that this is a bit of a tough sell.

Will the Tek 2-series MSO inspire other reputable manufacturers into this portable market? I don’t know for sure, but I suspect many are watching to see if it is a success or not before deciding to make a move.

Conclusion

The oscilloscope market has been seeing many innovations in the last few years, with more features and capabilities arriving at ever-lower price-points.

The Tektronix 2-series MSO is the latest addition to their MSO/MDO family which takes things in a new direction, focusing on portability rather than on increased performance. Being the “baby” of the numbered-series, it slots between the TBS2000B and 3-series MDO. While the oscilloscope itself is smaller, lighter and more compact, it is still very competitive with other “2”-tier oscilloscopes and tries to be a “no compromise” solution.

Because of this, it is a bit of a “jack-of-all-trades”, shipping with a desk stand and having VESA mount holes as standard, it is definitely at home on the bench. With the optional carry bag, kickstand and rubber surround, it is also comfortable being taken around as a portable unit. Finally, with the option for a dual hot-swappable rechargeable lithium-ion battery pack, it can even substitute for handhelds as a self-contained solution in field-service scenarios and aspire to displace the venerable laptop and USB-oscilloscope.

As part of my market survey, I compared 29 models across bench-top, handheld, USB and portable market segments. Overall, when compared to bench-top units, the Tektronix 2-series MSO fared well with regards to its bandwidth, number of channels, AWG/pattern generator option, display size/resolution, triggering, weight and software support.  There were many areas where the 2-series was neck-and-neck including connectivity, memory depth and protocol decode support. However, the 1-year standard warranty is a notable exception, as is the 8-bit resolution (as others do offer 10-bit or flexible resolution). The fact that many features (such as all protocol decoders) are options will increase the price for a functional configuration and thus the base-price may be somewhat misleading. While the unit is definitely a lot less compromised compared to most handhelds, it is bulkier, heavier and does not offer channel isolation. Additionally, while it does leave most lower-end USB and tablet oscilloscopes in the dust, it is not head-and-shoulders above all of them.

As a result, it’s not quite a sure-win as the demands are different in each market and the specifications are often neck-and-neck. It must be remembered that the portable market is new and full of low-cost Chinese competitors, albeit without the reputation that Tektronix has. The 2-series MSO is definitely an interesting hybrid product that seeks to bring more of the capability of bench-top models into the portable world, while bringing some of the compactness of portability and lightness into the bench-top world. It represents the first foray for a reputable manufacturer into the portable market and I’m sure others are probably watching it closely to see whether it appeals or not. But even if it doesn’t, this seems a worthy upgrade to the TBS2000B and brings the familiar touch-based UI/UX of the bigger MSO/MDO to an even more affordable entry price point.

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This blog is a part of the Tektronix 2-series MSO RoadTest Review.