Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

[dicky96]

Just thought I would raise his topic to see where it goes

I have three scopes now

A Rigol 1052

A Techtronix 485 B

A LG OS-5020 with built in function generator

Generally my favourite tool at hand is one of my analog scopes, and so far my first choice is the 485B but I have not had time really to try the OS-5020 yet.

This is because I like the instant way the analog scopes display a waveform, I always found my Rigol to be much slower at displaying anything

That's not to say the Rigol, with it's storage facility, does not have it's uses the analog scopes can not fulfill.......

So I was wondering - is that just me being old skool - or are analog scopes, in general, better than these new fangled digital ones?

dicky

[srhofmann]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

I have a 475A that just keeps going and going. With a quick glance you can tell how it's setup. No punching buttons to drill down to a menu to set something. Twist or push and it's setup and good to go. Not to say that there aren't advantages to digital scopes but I will have an analog scope until the day I die.....

[dicky96]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

Heck....One reply and it seems I am not alone in being old skool regards my analog scope(s)

But would be nice to see the arguments for the digital ones

dicky

[redwire]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

I've used the latest Agilent/Keysight digital scopes and many, many times the buggy firmware gives you an outright lie about the signal you are seeing. I would actually use two scopes (hail Tek!) probing the same point to confirm, "yup the Agilent is full of it".

Digital scopes are better to measure known, predictable waveforms, like a boring sine/square wave at low frequency or very high freq.

For looking at noise and mV signals analog scopes are superior to digital scopes.

[retiredcaps]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

I don't own a scope, but I can understand the need for both analog and digital.

I own digital multimeters, but I can see the usefulness of an analog one for certain types of readings where the digital one would be too slow.

[retiredcaps]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

If I had to buy a scope, I would probably go digital primarily for space and easier to read lcd screen.

Unless, I can get an used digital one for under $50 CDN, I won't be owning a scope anytime soon. Nor do I need it right now.

[eccerr0r]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

I have both a digital and analog ... meters and scopes...
It all depends on what you need to do.

Right now I've only need to use my analog scope but I try to use my digital one when I can for the heck of it, just because it can do automatic measurements despite having no need for them. My passive analog meters get used when I need to monitor a voltage and not have a power source nearby, though my DSO probably has faster reaction time and is equally usable...

[dicky96]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

Yeah I have an analog multimeter as well as a couple of digital ones. My Fluke autoranging DMM is my weapon of choice but it is no good when voltages are varying at slow rates, which is where the analog one really comes into it's own.

I also find the analog one useful for another reason - when you put it on the low ohms range it makes a bleeping noise to indicate continuity, and if you use it to test the resistance of a speaker coil the noise actually comes out of the speaker under test! Real handy that.

The Fluke also has a bleeper on low ohms range and diode test too - but that won't drive the sound out of a speaker.

Rich

[eccerr0r]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

Yes that's true, my passive analog meter in Rx1 mode sends out a ridiculous 250mA or so to measure resistance and can blow sensitive semiconductors. My DMMs in 200.0 ohm mode also dumps some current but not nearly as much as that analog. I don't remember exactly how much, nor my autorange FETVM dumps out when measuring low resistance.

[eccerr0r]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

Correction:

Eico 555 VOM Rx1: 115 mA (measured with RS 26-216 FETVM)
RS 22-216 FETVM Rx1: 5mA (measured with Eico 555 VOM)
BK 2833 DMM 200.00 ohm: 1mA (measured with RS 26-216 FETVM)

The Eico lights up a Joule thief circuit easily. Not sure about the other two, something else to try...

[srhofmann]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

My two cents on analog vs digital meters.

My goto meter is a fluke 85. It's taken a beating over the years. Love the fact it has separate switch positions for AC and DC volts. Downside is the fuses in it are expensive.

Got a couple of analog Simpson meters. They're nice because they aren't too sensitive. I've been burned before when an autoranging AC/DC digital voltmeter was reading noise instead of what I was really looking for and I didn't see it was showing AC volts instead of DC.

[eccerr0r]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

I just discovered one of my receivers have a signal problem...
Since my DSO is hooked up to GPIB to one of my PCs, I'm going to go use my analog scope so I don't have to disconnect it...

[japlytic]

Re: Analog Scope vs Digital Scope

Digital scopes give you many more features an analog scope can't do (now, digital scopes are just as good as the analog ones), such as retaining the last captured waveform (especially single shot), measuring frequency on part of a waveform, or even saving a waveform for regeneration with an AWG (arbitrary function generator).
I've bought a LeCroy, and I am in no way dissatisfied with its performance and features.