Oscilloscope for a hobbyist: Rigol or used Tek?

[robodude666]

Hey guys,

A while back I asked Ladyada on Ask An Engineer - the friendly neighborhood HVAC live stream - "When should a hobbyist get [some piece of equipment]?" and she replies (paraphrased): "When you wish you had [some piece of equipment]." Well, I've come to that point. In the past few months, I've murmured to myself many times: "Ugh! I wish I had an oscilloscope.

For a hobbyist, the Rigol DS1052E is an obvious choice for only $350 - 400, and with the very simple software mod you can get an upgrade to the DS1102E for free. The Rigol is a "chinese scope" and while it's received great reviews and beloved by the eevblog, it's still a "cheap" scope -- though, for a hobbyist.. Does it matter?

There are also many used Tektronix scopes can be had for a similar price in a good condition on eBay. What are some comparable "classic" models that are worth considering?

I know there are a ton of oscilloscope threads that exist already, but I really haven't come across many that relate to this particular subject or at least conclude with what the person decided to purchase.

Cheers,
-robodude666

[westfw]

My choice was modified by not having ROOM for a full-sized scope. I like my TDS210, but I wish the Rigol had been around when back when I bought it (Color! USB connection!)

[robodude666]

While a classic HP/Agilent or Tektronix scope would be amazing to own, I unfortunately don't have the desk space for it like westfw. The Tektronix TDS220 can be had for about $500 used, but that's a bit out of my budget at this time.

I decided to go with the Rigol DS1052E. I've heard so many good things about it, and after looking at the internal build quality in one of the EEVBlog videos, I'm convinced it's a good scope for the money. I've ordered one for $340 and hope to get it within a week or so. I'll write back with thoughts on how I like it!

[ganzziani]

This list might help you:
Oscilloscopes for hobbyists

[robodude666]

Thanks!

I've ran across that list several times. Based on what I see, the Rigol DS1052E is the best hobbyist scope I can find. Mine just arrived from China, and is in the NYC post office being sorted; can't wait to get it friday morning!

[abqlewis]

Hope you don't mind me slightly hijacking your thread, but this is very related.

OK, now that Rigol seems to be the decision (also the way I've been leaning), what about the question of "Where to order?" I can pay ~$400 and go with known vendors (Amazon, NKC), or pay ~ $300-$350, and go with lesser known vendors (ghgate, dealextreme, dealexcel) that I've heard a few horror stories about (took a month, heard nothing, not all parts included, wrong plugs, everything in Chinese, stuck in customs till I pay more $, etc).
Now I trust people here more than on the vendors web sites. If you have experiences, good or bad, please tell me (us).

Thanks,
Michael

[adafruit]

we suggest going with an respected US vendor, its too expensive to risk having it damaged, lost, broken. do you really think (ghgate, dealextreme, dealexcel) will give you any support, help if the package is lost or damaged?

[Agent24]

I agree, its much more sensible for something like this to go with a reputable (and preferably local) seller.

Unless the local dealer for the brand goes rogue and starts trying to charge over 3x the normal price (happened to me when buying Proxxon tools, I bought from a shop in Singapore instead)

[fotoflojoe]

I ordered mine from these guys: http://www.saelig.com/PSBEB100/PSPC016.htm.
Price was good, shipping was free, and I had the scope in my hot little hands within three days of ordering.

I have no affiliation with Saelig other than being a satisfied customer.

[kscharf]

I was given a used HP 54100D digital scope. These are sometimes available used on ebay at reasonable prices. It's quoted as being a 1ghz scope, but I think this may be the sampling rate, not the corresponding analog BW. The 1ghz inputs are 50 ohm, but you can get analog plugins with standard 1 megohm inputs at lower BW. It's a huge monster that takes up a bit of the workbench, but gives frequency and period measurement as well as waveform display. It can't be used in xy mode and does not have a z axis input.

I also have an older TEK 454 scope that gets some use. This scope is 100mhz BW and uses Nuvistor vacuum tubes in the input preamps. Again, these are available on ebay from time to time reasonably.

If you are looking for your first scope, buy an expensive late model unit. If you are familiar with oscilloscopes, you can do well with an older analog unit. You need to know what you will be using it for however. I still trouble shoot radio equipment, and for this an analog scope is still a good match.