Re: Oscilloscpe purchase

David L. Jones wrote:
Abstract Dissonance wrote:
I'm looking to buy an oscilloscope and I don't really know where to start.
One thing I definately will not do is buy ones from an auction
house(specially from ebay).

Why not?
Some excellent deals are to be had on eBay, and many companies selling
them on there are legitiment test equipment refurbishers and will
provide a warranty and guarantee it's performance etc.

I'm not sure if I should go with a new or used one. I'm maybe willing to
spend upwards of 1000$ but rather spend the least amount I can(obviously).
Since I'm not a professional I don't need the latest and greatest but I'd
like to get something that I will grow out of in a few months(or even a few
years). I'm thinking, for now atleast, I need a bandwidth of atleast 1MHz.

Start out small and work your way up. Only then will you know what your
true requirements are.

Right now I'm looking on tektronix web site and the cheapest one I can find
is about 850$. Its the TDS1000 and has a bandwidth of about 40MHz.

That is OK for the money, but read my notes below. You'll want a real
analog scope too.

What I would really like to have is a logic analyzer and an oscilloscope(and
it would be nice even to get the other stuff like signal generators and
spectrum analyzers, etc...).

Agilent do the only decent "mixed-signal" (scope+logic analyser) scope
on the market, but it's well out of your price range.

I'd probably rather get used equipment but I'm
afraid that I cannot find something easily that is decent(i.e., won't die in
3 weeks of use) and isn't an antique that won't do me any good.

Get a used one, you'll save real $$$ and get a higher performance unit
for the price.

Can someone point me in the right direction so I can get a start into
finding something that will work? (Several people have mentioned getting
stuff but most of it has been from ebay.... I will not purchase from ebay
because I don't like the company for its business pratices. (so don't bitch
about it, ok? ;)).

Seriously, get over it :->
There are plenty of 2nd hand test equipment suppliers around, and many
of them now sell on eBay as well. If you are US based then you are
spoiled for choice. Even here in Australia we have a cople of 2nd hand
scope dealers, the US seemingly has hundreds.
I have heard people in the US buying scopes by the pallet load!

Also don't mention hamfests cause there are none around
me for several months(atleast according to some site I checked.) The closest
one is like 300 miles away and is in a month or so... unless, ofcourse, you
are sure the drive and wait is worth it(i.e., getting a good, cheap, and
working oscilloscope/other stuff)...

I've seen a few sites that are selling used oscilloscopes but they seem a
little shoddy. I'm just not sure where to look and, ofcourse, if I buy new
then I'll be paying out the but for something that I might not end up using
to its fullest along not having the budget for other things that I probably
need.

Thanks,
Jon

Here is what you need to do:
1) *essential* - Buy a cheap 2nd hand analog oscilloscope (20MHz will
do for starters, but a 100MHz one would be nice). New analog scopes of
any decent bandwidth offer poor value for money to someone in your
position.

2) Buy a new PC based USB logic analyser/scope. BitScope is one such
example, but there are plenty around now, just check the ads in
magazines like Circuit Cellar. They cost several hundred dollars
upwards. It will give you a logic analyser as well as a digital storage
scope and spectum analyser. The sample memory it has the better. A few
KB sucks, 32KB is useful, several hundred KB to a MB is great. More
memory allow you to zoom in to see packets of digital data etc - very
handy.

Dave :)

I forgot to add *why* you need a higher bandwidth analog scope like
100MHz+...
If you are viewing digital signals (or anything other than a sinusoidal
wave), a 20MHz scope *won't* display any detail in a 20MHz signal, so
it can become quite limiting for anything but "seeing if a signal is
there or not" at those sorts of frequencies.

Dave :)

.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Bandwidth importance on a scope for digital electronics
    ... At the moment I have a Hameg scope with 20 MHz bandwidth. ... I will have a clear and bright wave showing the changing logic states, ... signals on an analog oscilloscope display. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Low-cost oscilloscope recommendations
    ... I know people who buy used test equip on ebay and they haven't had a bit of trouble. ... The scope bandwidth will significantly influence your ability to see higher frequency signals. ... I have a GAL20V8 on a breadboard with flying leads as a trigger recognizer. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Basic oscilloscope recommendations
    ... ever buy a scope with a bandwidth less than 100MHz. ... For slow signals, memory depth is an important parameter. ... analog scopes that are high quality for much less than this. ...
    (sci.electronics.equipment)
  • Re: Low-cost oscilloscope recommendations
    ... There are some on-line sellers of used test equipment, ... Ebay, however very well may be your best bet, though I do understand ... A word of caution against a 100 Mhz scope: You are on the right track ... view these signals you need a scope with significant bandwidth. ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)
  • Re: Low-cost oscilloscope recommendations
    ... Although its been mentioned a number of times before, ebay is the way to go. ... I bought my scope there and it cost me half of any other place I ... > MHz bandwidth should be plenty for me but I'm not too sure since I've ... > So I'd love some help from you guys on choosing what oscilloscope to ...
    (sci.electronics.basics)