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Recommended Oscilloscope for Engineering Student

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Lake9398

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This summer I will be entering College for Electrical and Computer engineering, and I will need an oscilloscope for school work and my own projects. I'm looking for something cheap, can export the trace image, probably single channel and a good sample rate. Any good suggestions?
 
A digital storage O'scope (DSO) is a great unit, but I use an older analog 90%+. You can make an adapter for a camcorder to record the analog scope, then import & find the best frame/image. I did this when DSOs were $5k+ ('91).

I recommend scouting EBay for an analog unit, 40MHz+, dual trace. Use it, get good with setups & diagnostics with it, all the while DSOs get faster & cheaper. Don't overbuy it, if it gets hurt you're not out that much.

I finally got a DSO last year, but my 1st good scope was in '81. Good Hunting... <<<)))
 
This summer I will be entering College for Electrical and Computer engineering, and I will need an oscilloscope for school work and my own projects. I'm looking for something cheap, can export the trace image, probably single channel and a good sample rate. Any good suggestions?

Yes, I suggest you take a lookie at what you will be doing the first few years. Digital scopes are as great as sliced bread sometimes better but they don't always do what an analog scope will do. I use digital as well as analog scopes at work as well as at home and despite the availability of both I generally choose the scope I use based entirely upon the application at hand.

So rather than debate the merits or short comings of either I would suggest you look at the course(s) curriculum and make an informed decision as to what would best suit your needs taking measurement parameters into consideration closely followed by pocketbook considerations.

I have not seen a single channel scope in maybe 40 years?

Just My Take
Ron
 
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Yeah I wasn't sure how many channels I would need. Can anyone recommend any specific models?

Once you go beyond two channels and/or about 100 MHz bandwidth, prices start to rise rapidly. First off, what's your budget for a scope, what are you intending on using it for (analog, digital, both, frequency range, etc), and are you wanting to buy new or used?

I currently own 5 scopes - only two of which are "real" scopes (a Tektronix 2213, and a Fluke PM3380). Those two I picked up used, and I was able to test both before purchasing. Two of my other scopes are original Parallax USB scopes (very low bandwidth, single probe) which I won in a Nuts and Volts contest in 2008, and the last is a Radio Shack Probescope (another very low-bandwidth, single probe scope).

Another question you should ask yourself is whether you will absolutely need such a device? I won't say scopes aren't useful, but for most issues you can get by without one - depending on, once again, what you will be using it for - anything analog, especially audio and/or RF will be prime candidates for a scope. Also, knowing what frequency ranges you'll be likely probing will determine what kind of scope you need; generally rule of thumb is the bandwidth should be 5 times the highest frequency you plan to measure, in order to get a good reading. Note that if you intend on measuring 100 MHz signals (ie, 500 MHz bandwidth), that scope will be anything -but- cheap.
 
Still not one mention of price anywhere in this thread. Anyone care to toss out some figures so the poor guy/gal (student) can figure out what they can afford?
 
Still not one mention of price anywhere in this thread. Anyone care to toss out some figures so the poor guy/gal (student) can figure out what they can afford?

I spent (memory fuzzy) $150.00 on the Tek, $200.00 on the Fluke. I think the parallax scopes at the time were going for $129.00, and the probescope is an "antique" and not available from radio shack any more (I think I paid $30.00 for it several years ago). All prices in USD.

The deals for the Tek and the Fluke are about what you should see; they may have been a tad high, if anything (although both scopes were in excellent condition - the Tek had even been factory calibrated, and I got the docs for that in the deal).

There are other options - many different kinds of PC USB scopes out there, plus you have the Rigols and other DSOs that are fairly cheap (starting around $400.00).

So - basically - for an "entry level" used scope, about $200.00 (2 channel, 50-100 MHz), to $500.00 (2 channel, DSO, 50-100 MHz) for a new scope. Once past that point (2 channel, 100 MHz), prices can jump greatly...

Now - if you wanted to go really low end, you can get one of chinese USB pocket DSO scopes (crap for bandwidth) for around $100.00...
 
I'm looking to spend anywhere from 50-250 for a scope. I dont mind buying used.

I don't know of any new scopes, beyond some handhelds or low-bandwidth USB scopes, that cost under $250.00. So, if you're looking to purchase anything decent, your budget limits you to buying used. I purchased my Tek off an individual via Craigslist (had to drive to BFE, Arizona to pick it up); my Fluke was purchased from a local electronics junk dealer (Apache Reclamation and Electronics in Phoenix). In both cases, I was able to test the scopes to verify proper operation. I wouldn't purchase a used scope otherwise (unless it was through a reputable dealer).

Ultimately, though, you need to tell us more than you have about what you plan to use the scope for? How many channels do you think you will need? Will you be looking at analog, digital or mixed-mode signals? What are the bandwidth requirements likely to be for those signals?

Another thing to keep in mind: Let's say you're only going to be looking at digital signals (no analog) - are you sure you don't need a logic analyzer instead (or in addition)? Logic analyzers can be had far cheaper than an equivalent scope (provided you are only looking to sample digital high-low type signals, without need to analyze the actual waveform of the signal), and have many, many more channels. However, they may not be suitable for what you are planning to do (or you may have the need for both an oscilloscope and a logic analyzer).

Only you can tell us that.

:)
 
Kettering University as in Flint Michigan?

You may want to give this thread a read. Tcmtech was selling some pretty nice older analog Tek scopes pretty reasonable. I don't know what he may have left. Anyway, that would be as to an analog scope.

Ron
 
Yep, Kettering University in Flint, MI. I found on ebay a tektronix 2205 and a tektronix 2225 for around 100 dollars. Worth it?
 
Yep, Kettering University in Flint, MI. I found on ebay a tektronix 2205 and a tektronix 2225 for around 100 dollars. Worth it?

The 2225 is absolutely worth $100. The downside will be shipping. Personally, unless I know someone, like a known forum member here, I like to see the scope before I buy it. There are threads in these and other forums that paint an ugly picture of some scopes bought sight unseen on Ebay. With a good reputable seller you can snag a good deal just beware.

Also, as I mentioned in my first post in this thread, make sure what you buy is something you can use for the course(s). :)

Ron
 
Yep, Kettering University in Flint, MI.

And there was me thinking... "I didn't know that there was a University at Kettering"

Silly me, I thought you meant the original Kettering in Northamptonshire, England.

JimB
 
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