Which oscilloscope would you choose?

[willd1971]

If you were thinking about test and measurement equipment for use at home what would be on your list of requirements?

Does brand name matter or is cost and performance more important?

Thinking about oscilloscopes: Is bandwidth more important than sampling rate? Is digital more likely than analogue? Is vertical resolution more important than horizontal resolution? Are 2 channels enough? Are you bothered about built-in measurements and calculations? What about connectivity - PC scope, standalone, or combined?

Thinking about bench power supplies: Do you prefer analogue or digital display indicators? How many output channels do you like? Do you ever use the voltage sense inputs? What's the maximum output voltage and current you use? Does calibration matter? Does output regulation matter? Do you prefer a linear transformer or is SMPS OK? Would you use PC connectivity if your power supply supported it?

I'm interested in sourcing and offering test and measurement equipment to the UK and EU hobbyist and SME market - any feedback you give will help me decide what real people are looking to populate their workbenches and laboratories with. You're welcome to come along and see what's on offer at Labtronix already:

http://www.labtronix.co.uk

Thanks

William

[GrahamRounce]

I'll tell you the kind of scope I can't find: Cheap with limited bandwidth just up to 2Mhz but accurate in that range, 2 channels, no fancy calculations etc, clear, good triggering, standalone (7" wide, 4" high, 2" deep).

[willd1971]

I'll tell you the kind of scope I can't find: Cheap with limited bandwidth just up to 2Mhz but accurate in that range, 2 channels, no fancy calculations etc, clear, good triggering, standalone (7" wide, 4" high, 2" deep).

How about a UT81A it's a handheld oscilloscope - footprint of a multimeter. It's 2MHz 20msps. Here's the manufacturer link http://www.uni-trend.com/UT81A.html- although it's only single channel. I don't stock them as standard but can get them - or you might find someone else who stocks them locally.

Alternatives are, I've seen micro based diy scope kits on ebay up to around 10MHz - or get a second hand analogue scope, should be quite cheap except for postage...

William
http://www.labtronix.co.uk

[GrahamRounce]

Hi - Yes, thanks for the reply. I got my current oscilloscope (don't you love that Edwardian-sounding name?) second-hand from ebay. It has a great spec (which I don't need), but the pots are dirty, it weighs a ton and takes up half the table!
And that UT81 costs about £200!! Are you crazy? And the little b/w lcd display! Yuk!
Honestly, I see a digital photo frame for £19.99 and think, "There but for a bit of AtoD and some software goes a light & convenient and cheap oscilloscope!" But it doesn't happen. Know anyone who's hacked one?
Graham

[willd1971]

Hi there, well good luck with the beast on the table... just as a point of interest there is a guy on ebay selling UT81B (40MHz) handheld at around £125, he is legit since my agent said so!

With respect to digital photo frames and conversion to oscilloscopes - you could be on to a winner, just don't let the cat out the bag until you've done it else we'll all be trying it!

Regards

William
http://www.labtronix.co.uk