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First oscilloscope?

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Alex M

Sat Apr 21 2012, 05:22AM

Registered Member #3943 Joined: Sun Jun 12 2011, 05:24PM
Location: The Shire, UK
Posts: 552

I have started looking into what I could get for my first oscilloscope, but don't really know what to look out for.

I have read that the Rigol DS1052E is meant to be a good beginner/first scope and I was thinking of going for that one (one I convince my parents to let me buy it, its my money but they sort of control it).

Any one here have the Rigol DS1052E or have any recommendations for a good first scope?

And what does the bandwidth of a scope actually mean anyway?

Thanks.

Conundrum

Sat Apr 21 2012, 08:31AM

Registered Member #96 Joined: Thu Feb 09 2006, 05:37PM
Location: CI, Earth
Posts: 4061

Bandwidth denotes the highest signal frequency that the scope can display.
So if your scope has a higher bandwidth then it can display more useful information within that signal range.

Alex M

Sat Apr 21 2012, 01:21PM

Registered Member #3943 Joined: Sun Jun 12 2011, 05:24PM
Location: The Shire, UK
Posts: 552

Conundrum wrote ...

Bandwidth denotes the highest signal frequency that the scope can display.
So if your scope has a higher bandwidth then it can display more useful information within that signal range.

Oh ok, so it literally just means it can sample waveforms upto that certain frequency.

Also is that Rigol DS1052E any good for a first scope?

Thanks.

Steve Conner

Sat Apr 21 2012, 01:38PM

Registered Member #30 Joined: Fri Feb 03 2006, 10:52AM
Location: Glasgow, Scotland
Posts: 6706

The Rigol is popular, several of our members own it.

Before splashing out, have a look on Ebay, Freecycle, Gumtree etc. to see if anyone has an old low-end analog scope. A 20MHz Hitachi or similar. When I was starting out in electronics, people were giving them away.

Weston

Sat Apr 21 2012, 05:16PM

Registered Member #1316 Joined: Thu Feb 14 2008, 03:35AM
Location: Cambridge, MA
Posts: 365

The rigol is a great scope. I have one and the storage features are wonderful for power electronics work.

Either get a rigol if the budget permits, or get a cheap analog scope like steve said.

Tetris

Sat Apr 21 2012, 10:52PM

Registered Member #4016 Joined: Thu Jul 21 2011, 01:52AM
Location: Gainesville, FL
Posts: 660

I remember my first scope... it was before I even liked electronics, and my dad bought me a scope when I was 9. He said then, "You'll want to use it one day." However it got hit too many times, so it doesn't display right. Don't get a tube one :P

Thomas W

Sat Apr 21 2012, 11:06PM

Registered Member #3324 Joined: Sun Oct 17 2010, 06:57PM
Location:
Posts: 1276

i brought a old TRIO 35Mhz CS-1577A at a Hamfest for about Â£35 hehe ^^

Proud Mary

Sat Apr 21 2012, 11:07PM

Registered Member #543 Joined: Tue Feb 20 2007, 04:26PM
Location: UK
Posts: 4992

Get a twenty quid for 20 MHz job on ebay, Alex.

tobias

Sun Apr 22 2012, 02:55AM

Registered Member #1956 Joined: Wed Feb 04 2009, 01:22PM
Location: Jersey City
Posts: 172

I have a Rigol 1062CA. They are good enough! I rent a small apartment and do not have too much space, only one table. So for me was an easy choice: renting a bigger place, for two months, would pay the difference between a cheap used huge-on-the-table analog and a digital small new one.
If you have plenty of space, go for the used one. Even if you decide to buy another one in a couple years, it's worth it.

Alex M

Mon Apr 23 2012, 02:16AM

Registered Member #3943 Joined: Sun Jun 12 2011, 05:24PM
Location: The Shire, UK
Posts: 552

Thanks for all the replies guys!

@Tom Williamson lucky, how much did they cost new?

@HighVoltageChick unlucky.

@tobias You mentioned a really good point that I had not thought of, the size of the scope. Somehow I ended up with the smallest bedroom even though I am the oldest sibling so the smaller size of a digital scope is a plus.

@Proud Mary @Steve Conner I did briefly look on ebay but my parents don't really like the idea of me buying second hand items over the internet (they are a bit old fashioned), even if it is much cheaper.

The Rigol is Â£280 on Amazon UK which I have more than enough for already (I have been slowly saving for something like this).

I think I will probably wait awhile since I have been known to impulse buy on a few occasions in the past, although I think I will probably end up buying it at some point.

Just one more thing, the Rigol is rated for 300v input max. Is this ok when scoping the waveforms on the high side of a SMPS? (Don't know if that is the correct term, the part the connects to the drain of the switching MOSFET). Is that what the 10x part on the probe is used for, to add more input impedance and allow for higher voltages?

As one of the first things I think I will do is have a go at making a SMPS using one of the countless yellow switching transformers I have here.

Thanks.

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