# Oscilloscope - which (inexpensive) model to get?



## 50ShadesOfDirt (Oct 23, 2021)

Requirements (from what I think I know so far):

measure genny waveform ... must measure 120v (or "x10" probe?)
portable, to some degree (dso nano, or hantek w/ handle)
price range: $100 to $300, or thereabouts
looks like I need device itself, and some amount of "probes"
nice to haves: min 2 channels, up to 100mhz range, onboard or sd card storage, i/f to pc (usb), pc software

After measuring waveform of power output from various gennys, inverters, and such, it then goes back to the home electronics lab, for mostly small stuff (RPi, arduino, breadboard, etc)

Research so far:
- dso nano variants:
seeed studio "dso nano v3" $110
https://www.amazon.com/Pocket-Size-Handheld-Digital-Storage-Oscilloscope/dp/B099DVQ43S/
- 7" tablet no-name $160
Oscilloscope,Pocket-Sized Handheld Mini Digital Storage Oscilloscope with 2 Channel 100Mhz Bandwidth 7 inch Screen,Multi Functional Ultra Thin Portable USB Oscilloscope: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific
- hantek c-series (no signal generator) $220 for dso210 model, up from there
https://www.amazon.com/Hantek-DSO2C10-Digital-Oscilloscope-Bandwidth/dp/B08Y6SKTX6/

From my weak knowledge perspective, the hantek seems the best ... lots of probes, buttons, etc ... if that matters. Couldn't tell if the nano model will handle 120v operations?

Siglent and other higher-end models got into the "ask forgiveness from wife" territory, and Tektonics seemed to be in the "sell my first-born" territory ...

What advice can you offer, or what did you go with?


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

mortgage the neighbors kids is where i am at on test gear!
lol
i like the $2k fluke meter for power quality
pm if you need a link.

most of the scopes are not that great till you spend the bucks...
tectronics and HP both have good gear.
and if you watch the ham groups you might find a good used unit on the low dollar.


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## ToolLover (Jan 13, 2020)

I favor Tectronics dual trace as we used them for 30 years in our industrial plant.


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## exmar (Jun 29, 2015)

Inexpensive oscilloscope is an oxymoron. Yes, you can buy cheap stuff that will display a waveform, but for any kind of troubleshooting or analytical analysis they're kind of useless. Sounds like a one time use to evaluate your genset, consider renting a decent one or taking to a good shop that could do it for you. In my old age and decrepitude I've finally figured out that renting or paying someone is preferable to having a "treasure" in the barn which I haven't used in a long time. Gonna be one heck of a barn sale when I'm gone.


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## LaSwamp (Mar 16, 2021)

I saw this on sale at Amazon. It looks similar to what I got. Very handy little device that I've used more than I thought I would. 

Hantek Scope


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## drmerdp (Apr 10, 2018)

I like my DSO mini pocket scope, it was cheap and showed the waveform. (mine required a step down transformer) It won’t calculate THD, but for a little over a hundred bucks it’s small and won’t take up much space. I actually use it for automotive diagnostics as well so its been a handy tool.


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## OrlyP (Oct 19, 2021)

How about those tablet oscilloscopes that has become quite common in the last year or so?









Tablet Oscilloscope,Digital Touch Screen Storage Oscilloscope Kit,with 2 Channel 100Mhz Bandwidth 7 inch Screen,Multi Functional Ultra Thin Portable USB Oscilloscope: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific


Tablet Oscilloscope,Digital Touch Screen Storage Oscilloscope Kit,with 2 Channel 100Mhz Bandwidth 7 inch Screen,Multi Functional Ultra Thin Portable USB Oscilloscope: Amazon.com: Industrial & Scientific



www.amazon.com





Can I use it to probe directly on 220-240V AC circuits or do I need anything else to do so? Primary use is to check waveform on generators and UPS systems, etc, at a hobby level.


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## iowagold (Jan 22, 2020)

best to save your cash for a good solid unit.
find a good local elmer to help you on your selection.
that is an ham radio term for a local electronics educated guru that is willing to help.

basic there is no free lunch in all of this power generation.
you have to spend the cash to get the good stuff.

and if you want to be a quality repair person test gear that you want to depend on is the place to spend the BIG bucks.
there is a rule in computer software " garbage in garbage out "
and this also works for test equipment.
good test gear will get your the exact readings required to make the decision on what parts are really bad...
a go no go tester can be ok as low cost..... think test light!
but for exact measurements that you are doing bench mark testing or trouble shooting at an advanced level.
you need lab quality test equipment... and certified equipment at that...
that is if you want credible rock solid results..

then there is the next part of this...
you need the education to be able to take the measurements as well as understand and present the results to the lay persons as science fact.


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## 50ShadesOfDirt (Oct 23, 2021)

In my OP, I mentioned that there are at least two use cases for me ... initially, to get waveforms from gennys and other locations, and try to determine by looking at those where my problem THD areas are. We already know that my non-inverter gennys will be a problem to one degree or another ... I just want to visually identify it, and do that throughout the whole system (as I think house electronics are/might cause THD in the system).

Inverter folks tell me that my Magnum won't be affected by THD, and that they put out pure sine wave AC output from the batteries, so I'll verify that as well. Who knows what happens to this "pure sine wave" when it gets into the house ... could be all downhill from there ...

Once visual waveform stuff done, it would be nice if the device could transfer to the electronics workbench, and help out on RPi/Arduino projects, etc. There the work gets more technical, but I'm just starting out anyway ... always a risk of frying something on _my_ workbench ...

Anything above $300 for an O-scope is probably out of the running ... if I'm going to spend $1000+ or more for this kind of tool (TekTronix), I'll apply that money to the EU7000 (and I'll still have to sell my firstborn).

My wallet and I are zeroing in on a Hantek $200 solution (DSOc210 or thereabouts), _and_ possibly a nano format, if I can figure out who's is the one to get in this category.

The Hantek has a nice forum (www hantek com, and thence to their forum at eediscuss com) where folks post continually about the DSO2000 series.

Thanks to the poster of this link (daquarta software posts):









Generator Oscilloscope Waveform Measurements


How dirty is your generators electricity? Most people haven’t a clue. Others see their voltage and frequency to be on point and assume their generator is great. The truth is not all generators produce clean power, and the ones that advertise super low THD might not be up to snuff. I have scope...




www.powerequipmentforum.com





I'm also exploring the Daquarta software, for $30 ... uses sound card for DAQ, and I think most everything is already laying around somewhere. Powerful software, including a THD feature, which the other poster is working with daquarta on fine-tuning.

Interesting stuff in both categories (software and/or nano device, and a hantek bench device) ... that's where I'm at so far.


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