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Oscilloscope - Total noob

Andy Betts

Taking my first steps into electronics, I've been playing around making guitar effects pedals and posting on my blog the outcomes from those adventures, it's been fun but there is one thing that keeps slapping me in the face..... The lack of advice for newby electronics hobbyists.

 

I fell into electronics as a way of making pedals for myself as I couldn't afford to buy the real thing. However, it's been made quite apparent in previous blog posts that if you're going to have fun with electronics you need the right kit. I seem to have most bases covered except the illusive Oscilloscope. To the uninitiated (me) they look technical, and the sort of thing you see in a NASA control room. However, using one is only one part of the issue...... How do you go around buying one, and what do you buy. Is it safe to buy second hand from that famous auction site, or should you buy brand new? Is there any advantage of digital over analogue? The older analogue scopes look cool and retro but are there limitations? What should the minimum specification be that I'm looking for?

 

This forum is great for electronics enthusiasts, and the amount of knowledge here is huge, but it appears the assumption could be it's for people that already know these things. that's why i'm putting this out there as a newby question. I want to buy an Oscilloscope, i'm on a budget, say a maximum of £200, i'm open to any ideas........ Discuss image

  • in reply to Andy Betts

    Beware of the hidden horrors with very low cost scopes - for example rarely quoted things like input amplifier overload recovery time (my Rigol DS2072 is pretty poor on this.)

     

    Another thing to watch out for is the offset range on analogue inputs - look for better than 5V offset on the mV ranges - it's often hard to find this parameter in specs.The Pico 2200 range isn't good on this (0.25V), the Rigol 1054Z is much better (2V) (but for twice the money of course).

     

    Finally, with PC scopes the software ranges from really good (LeCroy - whose scopes mostly are PCs) -> pretty good (nearly as good as LeCroy  on the Pico scopes) to really awful (no names to protect the guilty).

     

    For example, IMO the Pico software is the best FFT implementation on ANY scope.

     

    On the other hand all in one scopes are almost all much handier to use.

     

    Can you get a go with a friends scope - if you are ever passing through SW Scotland you can have a look at my scope collection (some still have CRTs).

     

    MK

  • in reply to rachaelp

    That's the scope model I'm considering buying too! I've heard great things about Picoscopes, and I could really do with a portable one to attach to a PC.

     

    A friend is a reseller for the automotive versions (for vehicle repair garages) and he says Picoscopes are the industry leader in that area, and they are reliable.

  • in reply to Fred27

      wrote:

     

    Generally, whenever this question is asked the answer is "get a Rigol DS1054Z". It's the go-to budget 'scope. However it is a little out of your £200 price range. If you can stretch to it then I think it gives much better price/performance than the cheaper options that Rachael recommended. If you really are limited to £200 then Rachael's right.

    If you have a little patience and don't mind second hand, a DS1052e can be had for say 150 €, and a DS1054z for 300 €.

    Set a search on eBay and look in the buy/sell section of the already mentioned eevblog.

    I bought a DS1052e from eevblog for 130 € and a DS1054z from the same community for 300. Both in excellent condition.

    I later sold the DS1052e on a local auction site here for a little more than what I had paid for it.

  • Hi Andy,

     

    Oscilloscopes are very simple. They allow you to see what your electronic signals look like over a time base, which for you your acoustic guitar signals would be very necessary.

     

    For audio purposes, a PC scope is fine. I use my Picoscope all the time for projects like that, plus I love being able to see the signals on my 19-inch screen verses the little 5-inch screen on my Techtronic's scope.

     

    For intricate electronics, it just takes time and some training. I learned my basics at tech school, but you can go the self taught route with on line courses.

     

    When in doubt, float your circuit here on element14 and let some of the more experienced members look it over and give you a nod.

     

    I suspect learning electronics is easier than learning to play the guitar, but then I have near zero musical talent, but I am a very good engineer.

     

    DAB

  • in reply to Fred27

    I was lucky enough recently to find a Rigol 1040Z for $200 used (but looks new and came in the original box) and could not pass it up even though I already had a 100 MHz 2 channel Siglent.  I would not hesitate to recommend either for someone getting started.  They have made a big difference in my ability to find problems and understand circuits.