usb digital oscilloscope - DS0-2090

[burningman]

Has anyone used the 'Digital Storage Oscilloscope DSO-2090' It's relatively cheap with 2 channels and a bandwidth of 40MHz

[Ripthorn]

Never used it, but the only thing that really makes me reluctant to use a usb scope is the fact that you need a computer.  i am looking at getting one of the velleman handheld scopes.

[burningman]

Don't mind having a restriction to using around a PC. I'm new to oscilloscope use and just want to make sure that its specs are decent and that it is a reliable unit.

[R.G.]

Never used it, but the only thing that really makes me reluctant to use a usb scope is the fact that you need a computer.  i am looking at getting one of the velleman handheld scopes.

Think long and hard about that. A used laptop computer only costs a couple of hundred, and may be free if you have a friend/relative who's upgrading. You may already have such a laptop.

The USB scopes do a much better job of displaying the data - which is important - and for saving the data for later use, sending it to people on the net, etc. They also have a lot of built in software data reduction, such as running spectrum analysis for you.

I used a Velleman for about ten years one afternoon  then went out and bought a Picoscope. My only regret is that I didn't spend the extra $100 for the even faster, fancier one that included a software controlled signal generator too.

Velleman is OK, but the display and data capabilities are less than satisfying.

[burningman]

thanks R.G.

[iaresee]

If you search for "picoscope" you'll see a quick bit from me on them. I had a chance to use their big product at the office when they were demo'ing it for our field sales guys. Very impressive. As for "needing a PC" -- all the high end Tektronik scopes we have for gigabit snooping are running Windows XP on teeny, tiny displays. Sure: it's all in one. But it's a painful screen to look at. They're much more user friendly when the display is on a bigger laptop or even a desktop screen.

Everything is a PC now.

[WLS]

I agree with R.G. on the limitations of the Velleman and the size of the screen would also be an issue. Back when I was in the market for a scope I consider many options and still found my best bet was to buy a used one off ebay.

I ended up with a 3 channel 100 MHz scope that just needed feet.

Quick & Easy Fix!

Paid $95.00 for the scope $35.00 to ship and have been quite happy ever since.

Oh, and a digital camera allows me to share screen shots.

Bill

[jimbeaux]

Burningman - did you ever purchase the DSO-2090?

& If so - what do you think of it?

[burningman]

I didn't end up purchasing it - still deliberating between the digital software option vs traditional storage scope.

[arawn]

Just remeber that 40 mhz is way more bandwidth than you'll ever need. If you can find a lower bandwidth it may be cheaper. For our purposes you really only need 20hz to 20khz.

[12Bass]

Might be worth having bandwidth in the MHz in order to troubleshoot circuit oscillation.

[arawn]

I was thinking of something in the 1-5 mhz region, only because to go lower than that it's harder to find and they are generally pretty old and used .

[bean]

Circuit Specialists has a DSO-2090 for $149, it appears. I don't own one, but the price is tempting.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/10214

This Nano is also taunting me:
http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/micro-digital-storage-oscilloscopedso-nano-p-512.html

[dano12]

I used a Velleman for about ten years one afternoon 

Priceless.

[Thomeeque]

Circuit Specialists has a DSO-2090 for $149, it appears. I don't own one, but the price is tempting.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/10214

This one probably shares ground with the PC, right? It could be problem in some situations, if connected PC is grounded.. Otherwise it's impressive deal, I wish they would sell it here for similar price.. T.

[bean]

Circuit Specialists has a DSO-2090 for $149, it appears. I don't own one, but the price is tempting.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/10214

This one probably shares ground with the PC, right? It could be problem in some situations, if connected PC is grounded.. Otherwise it's impressive deal, I wish they would sell it here for similar price.. T.

Well, that could be a problem for me. The electrical wiring in my house (especially my office) is rather poor. So, maybe the little nano is a better choice for me.

[Thomeeque]

Circuit Specialists has a DSO-2090 for $149, it appears. I don't own one, but the price is tempting.

http://www.circuitspecialists.com/prod.itml/icOid/10214

This one probably shares ground with the PC, right? It could be problem in some situations, if connected PC is grounded.. Otherwise it's impressive deal, I wish they would sell it here for similar price.. T.

Well, that could be a problem for me. The electrical wiring in my house (especially my office) is rather poor. So, maybe the little nano is a better choice for me.

But you can always use laptop in battery mode and some laptops use non-grounded PSUs..