Regarding Test Equip - Oscilloscope

[erice1984]

I was looking at getting my first o-scope, I have used a few at work, and at school.

PC o-scope just sounds attractive to me.

Other than that what are some good choices? Or what should I look for, and what matters most?

Thanks
-Eric

[tenaja]

It totally depends on what you want/need/expect out of it. I have three styles.

I use the Velleman DVM-style the most. It has the worst resolution, it's the slowest, eats through batteries, and it's the least capable. However, it is handy because it's so portable and small. It works great for lower speed signals that are commonly seen in pic use. It won't measure a PIC crystal, but it's fast enough to measure just about any output a PIC is capable of, if the clock speed isn't higher than 10MHz. (Slow the pic down for testing high speed spi with faster clock speeds.) For a "typical" pic hobbyist, I would say one of these will be great 99% of the time, and you should be able to adjust to accommodate the other 1%. I liked my old one so much that when it broke, I immediatley ordered a replacement, that happened to be one newer generation. After I placed that order, I opened up the broken one and found a broken wire, which probably happened from me dropping it. (BTW, they do come with a power supply/charger for using it with NiMH or w/o batteries.)

The desktop scope is handy when you need precision, good storage capability, or high speed. This one can measure nS instances that the others can't. It also has better resolution on the trigger settings and cursors.

I haven't used my PC scope since I got my Velleman. It has all of the worst features of both of the above. Lower portability, and less convenience. The only thing good about it is the data logging capability... and the last time I needed that, I used my Radio Shack voltmeter. On the other hand, these are sometimes compact, and can fit in a laptop bag nicely.

Have fun!

[tenaja]

BTW, here is where I got my Vellemans:
http://www.apogeekits.com/handheld_oscilloscopes.htm

The HPS10 will do most things, and is great for a budget. The higher resolution of the HPS40 is worth it.


Here's my desktop, which is fully acceptable as far as usability goes. Sometimes you just HAVE to measure two channels. If you can only afford one, I'd get this one.
http://www.saelig.com/miva/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=PSSA002&Category_Code=
Oh, yeah... I splurged for the battery for this one too... although I haven't used it because I have the HPS's.

[erice1984]

thanks for the response tenaja, all looks interesting. The handheld Velleman is nice. I will probably use it for automotive stuff as well so the portability would be outstanding. I do own an Asus 901 Eee PC, its a relatively small laptop "netbook" as they refer to their type now. It has a 9" screen and does pretty well for its size.