Which portable Oscope?

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

I know this has been discussed, but technology for this is changing extremely fast.

Which oscope is best for a budget around 50-150$. I'd prefer something cheap that functions than something that looks pretty for twice the price with no real added functions.

I've considered the DS202, and I know they make the DS203 but there's other options afaik.

What should I get?

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[hone]

I'm in the market for one too. Subbed

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

The one I have:

Portable Arm Nano DSO201 Oscilloscope Mini Storage LCD Digital Pocket Sized Kit | eBay

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

how long does it take to get it working? That's the problem with these i hear, takes a while to install custom firmware and set it up properly.. im great with computers but i dont feel like ripping my hair out for bad programming lol

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

Never updated it to anything. Don't see why you'd need to

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

hmm ok, good to hear. most of what i read was in depth reviews on amazon, but a lot of those people use these differently. the custom firmware made it easier to use and made it more functional (easier information access, improved menus, etc).

heres a couple of what these portable oscopes are like if anyones unfamiliar:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BB4ETJW/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00RZ4VIKU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Z5BWBD0QX37Z1W8329P

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SXVUETU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00RZ4VIKU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Z5BWBD0QX37Z1W8329P

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004KKTUV6/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_3?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00RZ4VIKU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Z5BWBD0QX37Z1W8329P

 

[Eggroll]

hmm ok, good to hear. most of what i read was in depth reviews on amazon, but a lot of those people use these differently. the custom firmware made it easier to use and made it more functional (easier information access, improved menus, etc).
heres a couple of what these portable oscopes are like if anyones unfamiliar:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BB4ETJW/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_2?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00RZ4VIKU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Z5BWBD0QX37Z1W8329P

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00SXVUETU/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_dp_ss_1?pf_rd_p=1944687562&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=B00RZ4VIKU&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Z5BWBD0QX37Z1W8329P

VELLEMAN HPS140I HANDHELD POCKET SCOPE 40MS/s (probe included): Science Lab Oscilloscopes: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

I have the first one (dso nano v3) really good and pretty easy to use once you get the hang of it

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

The reviews concerned me, one of the people mentioned that the voltage readings fluctuate with the actual battery voltage - so the circuits are tied together somehow.

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

The reviews concerned me, one of the people mentioned that the voltage readings fluctuate with the actual battery voltage - so the circuits are tied together somehow.

Why do you care what the voltage is? I didn't even look at that. Just made sure the wave didn't look like a square

 

[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

This is the one I use. The auto-ranging is worth the premium over the DSO Nano.

VELLEMAN HPS140I HANDHELD POCKET SCOPE 40MS/s (probe included): Science Lab Oscilloscopes: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

 

[wew lad 5,000+ posts]

I was looking at that one too, the screen just looks blah though. How's the resolution? I'd like to be able to see the waveform without pixelation

 

---------- Post added at 09:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 AM ----------

 

Why do you care what the voltage is? I didn't even look at that. Just made sure the wave didn't look like a square

In case I need to know the voltage in the future, and because I expect a feature such as voltage readings to work. If I can find a scope for the same price without that problem then that's what I'm gonna go for duh

 

[adulbrich 5,000+ posts]

I see no reason to know the voltage, but ok..

 

[fasfocus00 5,000+ posts]

This is the one I use. The auto-ranging is worth the premium over the DSO Nano.
VELLEMAN HPS140I HANDHELD POCKET SCOPE 40MS/s (probe included): Science Lab Oscilloscopes: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific

I have the same one. Great buy

 

[TaylorFade 10+ year member]

I was looking at that one too, the screen just looks blah though. How's the resolution? I'd like to be able to see the waveform without pixelation 

---------- Post added at 09:47 AM ---------- Previous post was at 09:46 AM ----------

 

In case I need to know the voltage in the future, and because I expect a feature such as voltage readings to work. If I can find a scope for the same price without that problem then that's what I'm gonna go for duh

The Nano actually has better resolution, but I can't imagine needing better resolution than the pixel size of the Velleman for setting gains and what not.

 

[Kangaroux 5,000+ posts]

I have a DSO nano v3, love it. The UI is a bit overwhelming the first time you use it but after playing around with it for 10 minutes you get a hang of it really quick. If you're going to be using it on your amp's speaker outputs, make sure to get a 10x probe. Basically, the nano can only handle up to a certain voltage, and then it just goes off screen. A special 10x probe reduces the incoming voltage by (wait for it), 10x, which means that when your amp's speaker outputs are putting out 30+ volts, you can still read it on the nano.

I wouldn't worry too much about the review regarding voltage. That could have been a firmware issue. The review is from over a year ago and they've released a lot of updates since then.

Here's the 10x probe if you want: Signstek 2 Pack P6100 100 MHz Oscilloscope Probe 10:1 and 1:1 Switchable for Rigol Atten Owon Siglent: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific . You'll also need this adapter to fit into the nano: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HWZS7D8?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00