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Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

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    Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

    Good day folks. Searching for that all important tool in any electronics store, I came across this....the price is very tempting, but if there's one thing I learned is that in the field of tools and electronics, quality is more or less, though not always, directly proportional to the quality. Now I don't know sh!t about scopes - never had one, never worked with one, but I just want to see the cute little line flapping about Ok, no, joking, you get it ....I know some very basics, like the frequency you can measure with it should IDEALLY as high as possible and stuff like that, but I definitely need a pro's opinion in this field. Someone who has 20 of these in their shop and can say for sure "get this one".

    I definitely need to start off somewhere with scopes and this is an amount I'd be willing to spend because it's not too expensive compared to what IS out there easily in the thousands of dollars, so even if I don't get that much use out of it in the long run, at least the burn in my pocket won't be a 4th degree one That's the biggest issue here: I technically have the money to get something even more expensive than that, but it would take forever to pay for itself (if ever !). Like buying a really expensive car and keeping it in a parking lot somewhere with no gas in the tank...like yeah, "check out my new ride"..."so what does it DO ?".....I dunno....but it looks cool
    Wattevah...

    #2
    Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

    Hantek = junk.
    the price is not "cheap" for that spec.

    for about twice that, you get the 4 channel Rigol with about 100x more features.
    save up for a good scope.

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

      You would be better off hunting for some used Tektronix or HP/Agilent scopes in that price range. There are some for sale locally as well, i've seen a couple 4-channel ones for that price. If you wish to buy new, agreed, at least get a Rigol or a Siglent.
      Originally posted by PeteS in CA
      Remember that by the time consequences of a short-sighted decision are experienced, the idiot who made the bad decision may have already been promoted or moved on to a better job at another company.
      A working TV? How boring!

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

        Originally posted by stj View Post
        Hantek = junk.
        I thought so too TBH but that's why another man's opinion is always welcome...will do some more diggin'.
        Wattevah...

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          #5
          Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

          I second on saving for the rigol. much better.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

            That looks like it could be a Rigol knockoff.

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

              Even with my very limited experience with scopes, after watching a lot of EEV, I too would say it looks like a Rigol...
              Wattevah...

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                they all look pretty much the same, even the tektronix ones.
                it's intentional to make it easy to find what your looking for.
                the only real difference is some company's put function buttons up the sides of the display, others put them across the bottom.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                  Originally posted by Dannyx View Post
                  I definitely need to start off somewhere with scopes...
                  Hunt for an used analogue scope 40MHz, 2 channels, for half a dozen tens euros.
                  Most people don't even recall they have one (or several) forgotten laying out somewhere. Plus, most will think you're doing them a favor helping them getting rid of junk (so they think).

                  For playing around with power supplies, and even motherboards, and felling free to smash it (won't be easy) is the best.

                  Furthermore, you aren't likely interested in measure any signal to mV precision, neither signals beyond that frequency and with precision level, so i think.

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                    If you only do SMPS work anything past 20MHz will do great. If you want to measure clock generators on mainboards or bus clocks, you will need higher frequency capability.
                    Originally posted by PeteS in CA
                    Remember that by the time consequences of a short-sighted decision are experienced, the idiot who made the bad decision may have already been promoted or moved on to a better job at another company.
                    A working TV? How boring!

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                      Hantek generally has good hardware, but their weak spot is the software.
                      My first choice in quality Japanese electrolytics is Nippon Chemi-Con, which has been in business since 1931... the quality of electronics is dependent on the quality of the electrolytics.

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                        Originally posted by Dannyx View Post
                        I know some very basics, like the frequency you can measure with it should IDEALLY as high as possible and stuff like that
                        That's true to an extent but it all comes down to how you intend to use it.

                        If you want to do serious digital work, you may need a multi-channel scope with storage facilities. Depends how complex the digital circuit might be.

                        If you want to watch parallel digital signals, like on a buss, to check for timing, you may need 8 - 16 channels.

                        If you want to capture a glitch, you'll need a scope with an amp that can catch the glitch and maybe a storage scope to capture it.

                        For analogue, your bandwidth should be 5x the measured frequency according to Tectronix.

                        So much for theory. I worked on TVs for years using a 10 Mhz bandwidth scope. Things may have changed, but in my day, the focus was on low frequency horizontal and vertical circuits, colour burst signals, audio FM, etc.

                        You don't need to necessarily see high frequency signals in detail. With an RF signal, that is many times the scope bandwidth, sometimes all you need is to see the signal and its relative amplitude.

                        For example, the RF section of a TV tuner is many times the bandwidth of many scopes. However, you don't need to lock the RF signal to see individual cycles, or to measure wavelength. All you need to see is that the signal is there, and its relative amplitude.

                        Someone mentioned measuring crystal frequencies but how many times do you need to actually measure the frequency directly? The crystal is working or it's not. If you need to measure the frequency, you can divide the frequency down using digital circuitry and multiply what the scope shows by the amount you divided it down.

                        I am trying to say that the use of a scope comes down to ingenuity a lot of the time. Old hands will think the circuit through and find way to use the scope to confirm hunches. That would obviously be no good in a lab setting.

                        Then there are probes. A fast scope is no good with probes that won't respond to the signal adequately. Probes add capacitance to the circuit, and like an old analog volt-ohmmeter they can load the circuit, changing parameters.

                        As far as the cost of the scope you mentioned, how far away is the supplier and what are shipping costs? I just had an experience with that where a shipment of 18 pounds was a significant portion of the cost.

                        The scope you mentioned was selling for something like $300 Canadian. I would tend to agree with the majority opinion here that it's better to spend $500 or more for a brand-name scope.

                        A picture is worth a thousand words. A scope will often show you detail that you could never logically work out using a DVM.

                        Then again, I once worked in a TV repair shop abroad. When I asked the foreman for a scope, he looked at me with surprise and asked why I would need a scope? I could have listed off ten reasons but I bit my tongue.

                        Try aligning a colour TV system using a DVM, or checking the shape of a multivibrator signal.

                        About old/used scopes. You might get an excellent deal but the older the scope the more likely it is to develop what this site is about...bad caps. With a CRT display, the screen may have developed burned phosphors, and even with an LED/LCD screen you may get patterns burned into the screen.

                        Anyone experienced with scopes knows to adjust the brightness to a minimal value and not leave a scope running for long periods with a pattern, especially a straight horizontal line.

                        There is really no way to verify the condition of the scope when viewed online.

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                          I'm currently undergoing a change of workplace to a more "professional" service center and hopefully they can provide me with something to at least get started and get the hang of using a scope. To my shame, like I said, I haven't actually USED one - expensive "toys". It won't be laboratory-level stuff (at least not yet), just those situations when I wished I had a scope, for example off the top of my head: no power on a rail on a laptop but no shorts either: is the buck controller not switching its output or is the FET to blame ? A scope would tell me if the controller is actually switching anything on its "output" pins. No power on a SMPS but the FET(s) are OK: is the controller trying to drive the gate at least ? Scope to the rescue. These applications require high frequencies from what I gather.
                          Wattevah...

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                            a scope will tell you if caps are failing on a power rail, a multimeter usually cant show ripple with any accuracy.

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                              #15
                              Re: Aliexpress oscilloscope....good idea/bad idea ?

                              There, another application
                              Wattevah...

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