Storage scope specs

Google Groups
1

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says
the answer is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

Alan Burlison

2

Alan,

The most important specifications on an oscilloscope are:

Analogue Bandwidth
Max Sample rate
Number of input channels
Max sample memory

Everything else is less important…For what you would be using it
for a 100MHz scope will probably be fine as long as it’s a well made
scope from a reputable manufacturer and not a one hung low USB
scope…You get what you pay for with instrumentation and the best
stuff always costs the most. The RIGOL scopes that were hackable were
pretty good scopes for what you get.

Regards

AlexOn 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a 100MHz
one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the answer is
probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

–
Alan Burlison

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3

Sorry to tag onto somebody’s post, but this is quite similar

I need a portable scope or scopemeter (scopemeter I think would be better)
It is for looking at LED PWM waveforms on lights / matrices (disco and
stage lights) when put up / assembled

Being 15, I have very little money, so no flukes

I am looking at the uni trend UT81b and the DSO nano
I am leaning towards the uni trend - am I being an idiot, or is this the
way to go?

Thanks,
George
(Yes, I will be coming back in with the LC parts for teh printer, robotics
team crap has gotten in the way, sorry)On 14 October 2012 21:00, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.comwrote:

Alan,

The most important specifications on an oscilloscope are:

Analogue Bandwidth
Max Sample rate
Number of input channels
Max sample memory

Everything else is less important…For what you would be using it
for a 100MHz scope will probably be fine as long as it’s a well made
scope from a reputable manufacturer and not a one hung low USB
scope…You get what you pay for with instrumentation and the best
stuff always costs the most. The RIGOL scopes that were hackable were
pretty good scopes for what you get.

Regards

Alex

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz
one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the
answer is
probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

–
Alan Burlison

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4

George,

This is a difficult question to answer. It depends on a lot of
things…Normally this is about what you need the scope to do or
rather what are you using the oscilloscope for.

I’m not a great fan of the handheld meters but I accept that they have
a place and I may yet buy one! Hey, I bought one of these and it does
work but it isn’t the best:

http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/catalog/xmega-xminilab-oscilloscope-p-843.html

I like the look of the nano but I can’t say whether it would be any
good or not. The Uni-trend looks good too although I would be happier
with better analogue bandwidth.

I would read up on scopes and then make a decision. I prefer bench
scopes. My Mrs bought mine off ebay for £50…best thing she ever
did.

Best of Luck,

AlexOn 14 October 2012 21:36, George Ainscough dashroom66@gmail.com wrote:

Sorry to tag onto somebody’s post, but this is quite similar

I need a portable scope or scopemeter (scopemeter I think would be better)
It is for looking at LED PWM waveforms on lights / matrices (disco and stage
lights) when put up / assembled

Being 15, I have very little money, so no flukes

I am looking at the uni trend UT81b and the DSO nano
I am leaning towards the uni trend - am I being an idiot, or is this the way
to go?

Thanks,
George
(Yes, I will be coming back in with the LC parts for teh printer, robotics
team crap has gotten in the way, sorry)

On 14 October 2012 21:00, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

Alan,

The most important specifications on an oscilloscope are:

Analogue Bandwidth
Max Sample rate
Number of input channels
Max sample memory

Everything else is less important…For what you would be using it
for a 100MHz scope will probably be fine as long as it’s a well made
scope from a reputable manufacturer and not a one hung low USB
scope…You get what you pay for with instrumentation and the best
stuff always costs the most. The RIGOL scopes that were hackable were
pretty good scopes for what you get.

Regards

Alex

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz
one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the
answer is
probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

–
Alan Burlison

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5

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the
answer is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

100MHz is a pretty reasonable analogue bandwidth for the input.

Things to check for:

  1. Input sensitivity, what range(s) will it measure
  2. Sampling rate, should be at-least twice the input bandwidth.
  3. Triggering options and sources (some have external triggers)
  4. Sample depth, how much will it store pre and post trigger
  5. Post capture processing, such as frequency, pwm, fft on capture
  6. Post capture dump to PC or other mass-storage

There’s also a few gotchas, such as if the probe inputs GND is connected
to Chassis GND or not (can cause short circuiting if not careful)

I like my TDS220, and people can borrow it at the space for a time as I’ve
left it there.

Ben Dooks, http://www.fluff.org/ben/ bjdooks@googlemail.com

6

I use CRO scopes, and generally avoid handhelds.
This is for quick diagnostic on busted LED stage lights and if the matrix
ever decides to blow up in my face when set up at school. Mainly this will
consist of checking PWM waveforms for problems (what I gleaned from talking
to the HSL engineer, HSL is a massive lighting firm)
The specs are more than adequate for this; I was more looking for
more practical factors in usage, as I have no experience with them and only
a little with field testing, things such as battery life, display
visibility, ruggedness, size.etc

Thanks,

GeorgeOn 14 October 2012 22:00, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.comwrote:

George,

This is a difficult question to answer. It depends on a lot of
things…Normally this is about what you need the scope to do or
rather what are you using the oscilloscope for.

I’m not a great fan of the handheld meters but I accept that they have
a place and I may yet buy one! Hey, I bought one of these and it does
work but it isn’t the best:

http://www.coolcomponents.co.uk/catalog/xmega-xminilab-oscilloscope-p-843.html

I like the look of the nano but I can’t say whether it would be any
good or not. The Uni-trend looks good too although I would be happier
with better analogue bandwidth.

I would read up on scopes and then make a decision. I prefer bench
scopes. My Mrs bought mine off ebay for £50…best thing she ever
did.

Best of Luck,

Alex

On 14 October 2012 21:36, George Ainscough dashroom66@gmail.com wrote:

Sorry to tag onto somebody’s post, but this is quite similar

I need a portable scope or scopemeter (scopemeter I think would be
better)
It is for looking at LED PWM waveforms on lights / matrices (disco and
stage
lights) when put up / assembled

Being 15, I have very little money, so no flukes

I am looking at the uni trend UT81b and the DSO nano
I am leaning towards the uni trend - am I being an idiot, or is this the
way
to go?

Thanks,
George
(Yes, I will be coming back in with the LC parts for teh printer,
robotics
team crap has gotten in the way, sorry)

On 14 October 2012 21:00, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

Alan,

The most important specifications on an oscilloscope are:

Analogue Bandwidth
Max Sample rate
Number of input channels
Max sample memory

Everything else is less important…For what you would be using it
for a 100MHz scope will probably be fine as long as it’s a well made
scope from a reputable manufacturer and not a one hung low USB
scope…You get what you pay for with instrumentation and the best
stuff always costs the most. The RIGOL scopes that were hackable were
pretty good scopes for what you get.

Regards

Alex

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz
one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the
answer is
probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

–
Alan Burlison

–
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7

I thought I had covered that in the previous messages with Alan
although not as concisely. I agree with all Ben has mentioned
obviously!

Cheers

AlexOn 14 October 2012 22:13, Ben Dooks bjdooks@googlemail.com wrote:

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the
answer is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

100MHz is a pretty reasonable analogue bandwidth for the input.

Things to check for:

  1. Input sensitivity, what range(s) will it measure
  2. Sampling rate, should be at-least twice the input bandwidth.
  3. Triggering options and sources (some have external triggers)
  4. Sample depth, how much will it store pre and post trigger
  5. Post capture processing, such as frequency, pwm, fft on capture
  6. Post capture dump to PC or other mass-storage

There’s also a few gotchas, such as if the probe inputs GND is connected
to Chassis GND or not (can cause short circuiting if not careful)

I like my TDS220, and people can borrow it at the space for a time as I’ve
left it there.

–
Ben Dooks, http://www.fluff.org/ben/ bjdooks@googlemail.com

–
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8

If this is the case then the handheld trend is your best bet. It’s an
established product in a proper case with reviews available. The nano
is a bit of suck it and see device. Made by Hackers for Hackers
doesn’t mean it will be any good.

Cheers

AlexOn 14 October 2012 22:23, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

I thought I had covered that in the previous messages with Alan
although not as concisely. I agree with all Ben has mentioned
obviously!

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:13, Ben Dooks bjdooks@googlemail.com wrote:

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the
answer is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

100MHz is a pretty reasonable analogue bandwidth for the input.

Things to check for:

  1. Input sensitivity, what range(s) will it measure
  2. Sampling rate, should be at-least twice the input bandwidth.
  3. Triggering options and sources (some have external triggers)
  4. Sample depth, how much will it store pre and post trigger
  5. Post capture processing, such as frequency, pwm, fft on capture
  6. Post capture dump to PC or other mass-storage

There’s also a few gotchas, such as if the probe inputs GND is connected
to Chassis GND or not (can cause short circuiting if not careful)

I like my TDS220, and people can borrow it at the space for a time as I’ve
left it there.

–
Ben Dooks, http://www.fluff.org/ben/ bjdooks@googlemail.com

–
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9

Thanks,

Time to hit ebay :-DOn 14 October 2012 22:26, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.comwrote:

If this is the case then the handheld trend is your best bet. It’s an
established product in a proper case with reviews available. The nano
is a bit of suck it and see device. Made by Hackers for Hackers
doesn’t mean it will be any good.

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:23, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

I thought I had covered that in the previous messages with Alan
although not as concisely. I agree with all Ben has mentioned
obviously!

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:13, Ben Dooks bjdooks@googlemail.com wrote:

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says
the

answer is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

100MHz is a pretty reasonable analogue bandwidth for the input.

Things to check for:

  1. Input sensitivity, what range(s) will it measure
  2. Sampling rate, should be at-least twice the input bandwidth.
  3. Triggering options and sources (some have external triggers)
  4. Sample depth, how much will it store pre and post trigger
  5. Post capture processing, such as frequency, pwm, fft on capture
  6. Post capture dump to PC or other mass-storage

There’s also a few gotchas, such as if the probe inputs GND is connected
to Chassis GND or not (can cause short circuiting if not careful)

I like my TDS220, and people can borrow it at the space for a time as
I’ve

left it there.

–
Ben Dooks, http://www.fluff.org/ben/ bjdooks@googlemail.com

–
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10

Hmm just looked at a review of the DSO nano…not feeling the love.
It isn’t there yet and needs a bit more work.

I would seriously look at the trend.

Cheers

AlexOn 14 October 2012 22:27, George Ainscough dashroom66@gmail.com wrote:

Thanks,

Time to hit ebay :smiley:

On 14 October 2012 22:26, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

If this is the case then the handheld trend is your best bet. It’s an
established product in a proper case with reviews available. The nano
is a bit of suck it and see device. Made by Hackers for Hackers
doesn’t mean it will be any good.

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:23, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

I thought I had covered that in the previous messages with Alan
although not as concisely. I agree with all Ben has mentioned
obviously!

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:13, Ben Dooks bjdooks@googlemail.com wrote:

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says
the
answer is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

100MHz is a pretty reasonable analogue bandwidth for the input.

Things to check for:

  1. Input sensitivity, what range(s) will it measure
  2. Sampling rate, should be at-least twice the input bandwidth.
  3. Triggering options and sources (some have external triggers)
  4. Sample depth, how much will it store pre and post trigger
  5. Post capture processing, such as frequency, pwm, fft on capture
  6. Post capture dump to PC or other mass-storage

There’s also a few gotchas, such as if the probe inputs GND is
connected
to Chassis GND or not (can cause short circuiting if not careful)

I like my TDS220, and people can borrow it at the space for a time as
I’ve
left it there.

–
Ben Dooks, http://www.fluff.org/ben/ bjdooks@googlemail.com

–
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11

Thanks,
The only thing that was making me consider it was the nice screen, but I
think I am going to go with the trend.

Thanks,
GeorgeOn 14 October 2012 22:52, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.comwrote:

Hmm just looked at a review of the DSO nano…not feeling the love.
It isn’t there yet and needs a bit more work.

I would seriously look at the trend.

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:27, George Ainscough dashroom66@gmail.com wrote:

Thanks,

Time to hit ebay :smiley:

On 14 October 2012 22:26, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

If this is the case then the handheld trend is your best bet. It’s an
established product in a proper case with reviews available. The nano
is a bit of suck it and see device. Made by Hackers for Hackers
doesn’t mean it will be any good.

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:23, Alexander Lang alexanderlang1980@gmail.com wrote:

I thought I had covered that in the previous messages with Alan
although not as concisely. I agree with all Ben has mentioned
obviously!

Cheers

Alex

On 14 October 2012 22:13, Ben Dooks bjdooks@googlemail.com wrote:

On 13 October 2012 18:28, Alan Burlison alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a
100MHz one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling
says

the
answer is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

100MHz is a pretty reasonable analogue bandwidth for the input.

Things to check for:

  1. Input sensitivity, what range(s) will it measure
  2. Sampling rate, should be at-least twice the input bandwidth.
  3. Triggering options and sources (some have external triggers)
  4. Sample depth, how much will it store pre and post trigger
  5. Post capture processing, such as frequency, pwm, fft on capture
  6. Post capture dump to PC or other mass-storage

There’s also a few gotchas, such as if the probe inputs GND is
connected
to Chassis GND or not (can cause short circuiting if not careful)

I like my TDS220, and people can borrow it at the space for a time as
I’ve
left it there.

–
Ben Dooks, http://www.fluff.org/ben/ bjdooks@googlemail.com

–
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12

The TDS220 was the best $200 I spent in a while.On Oct 13, 2012 6:28 PM, “Alan Burlison” alan.burlison@gmail.com wrote:

I’m toying with the idea of buying a digital storage scope. Would a 100MHz
one be fast enough for AVR-type stuff? A bit of googling says the answer
is probably ‘yes’ but I thought I’d ask :slight_smile:

Alan Burlison

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13

The one I’m looking at is the Owon SDS7102, I think the following are

  1. Input sensitivity, what range(s) will it measure

Looks like the minimum is 2mV per division, and then up to 400V

  1. Sampling rate, should be at-least twice the input bandwidth.

2 channels, each at 500MS/sec

  1. Triggering options and sources (some have external triggers)

Internal and external, AC, DC, rising/falling edge, pulse width

  1. Sample depth, how much will it store pre and post trigger

10M samples per channel, I think up to 50% pre-trigger

  1. Post capture processing, such as frequency, pwm, fft on capture

inter-channel arithmetic ops, FFT.

  1. Post capture dump to PC or other mass-storage

Yes, save internally, USB and I believe Serial

There’s also a few gotchas, such as if the probe inputs GND is connected
to Chassis GND or not (can cause short circuiting if not careful)

Not sure about that, the manual is a bit vague.

Alan Burlison