interested in buying a new oscilloscope looking for info

[animal]

howdy folks , don't know if this is the right place for this question , if not moderators please move it to the proper place . I have been looking at buying a new oscilloscope for my hobby stuff , mostly Arduino & maybe some Pi when I learn enough . right now I have a 40+ year old HP & would like to get one smaller . I've been looking a the Rigol, Hantek types . I really like the small form factor of them . I probably don't need more than a 50 Mhz ? or do you folks think I should go for a 70 or 100 Mhz ? I have a pretty tight budget with my SS so I'm looking in the $ 150- 250 range . what are you folks using ? anyones that I should stay away from ? any info deeply appreciated seeing as this is a pretty big purchase for me .
thanks
animal

 

[JimB]

I cannot comment directly on oscilloscopes, but last year I bought a Rigol spectrum analyser, to replace a 40+ year old HP analyser.

At the time I was very apprehensive, especially considering the cost of the analyser.
One year on, no regrets whatsoever.
The Rigol performs very nicely.

I probably don't need more than a 50 Mhz ? or do you folks think I should go for a 70 or 100 Mhz ?

When it comes to scopes, faster is usually better, but a man has to know the limitations of his budget.

JimB

 

[Mickster]

Putting the size issue aside, have you exceeded the capabilities of the oscilloscope you already have yet?
Are you looking for the bells and whistles which the new oscilloscopes have, such as logic analyzers and serial decoding?

If the answer to the first question is 'No' and the answer to the second is 'Yes', maybe something like this might be a complement to your bench, that will leave you with cash to spare for other sparkly things:

USB Logic Analyzer - 24MHz/8-Channel - TOL-18627 - SparkFun Electronics

This 8-channel USB Logic Analyzer with support for sampling rates of up to 24MHz provides a good while economic option making it a great and easy tool.

www.sparkfun.com

FWIW, as a hobbyist too, (with a limited allowance from Mrs Management), stumping up for something like a DS1054Z would have to somewhat justify need vs want.

I want it, but I have an old Tek and a Chinese clone of the linked logic analyzer. (Probably the same thing.... )

My 0.02

 

[fos1]

You should consider https://bitscope.com

Very nice scopes on a budget

Jeff