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Help Choosing probes for my oscilloscope — Parallax Forums

Help Choosing probes for my oscilloscope

TerryRoopTerryRoop Posts: 1
edited 2013-02-10 18:14 in General Discussion
Hello Everyone

I have just been given my friends old Tektronix Oscilloscope, but did not get any probes with it.

I can see that I need probes with a BNC connection but which probes are best for my oscilloscope.

Can anyone help me select some probes from this list

Or would I better off making some? are they hard to make?

Thank you in advance

Comments

  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2013-02-08 10:16
    You might consider a few probes -- usually people start our with 1X and 10X attenuation
    The 10X allows you test higher voltages, but these days voltage are so low, you might just get by with a 1X

    You didn't mention the bandwidth of the scope -- 20Mhz or 100Mhz. A higher frequency requires better, more expense probes.

    And then there is the style.
    Do you want to poke a probe into circuits or do you want to have a hook connect and stay in place while you monitor?

    Lots of choices, but much depends on what you really need to use the scope for.

    I'd start out with a cheaper !x and use that for most of my work. Later I'd buy more expensive probes as I needed to. A lot can be learned without having to get into extremely precise measurement. Get to know the scope first. You might try Ebay for some probes.

    http://www.ebay.com/sch/Probes-/50971/i.html
  • Don MDon M Posts: 1,653
    edited 2013-02-08 11:18
    I recently bought a pair off eBay that were less than $10 including shipping. They work fine. Included several different tips. I bought a Sencore 60 Mhz scope SC61 at an auction that didn't have probes.
  • ajwardajward Posts: 1,130
    edited 2013-02-08 12:00
    You can find switchable 1x/10x probes on eBay. As Loopy indicated, you may not have a need for 10x, but down the road???
    Though my scope came with a single probe, I got a pair from eBay for, like, 10 bucks. ('Sides my scope was dual channel and I wanted to play with it!) :-)

    @
  • prof_brainoprof_braino Posts: 4,313
    edited 2013-02-09 08:54
    This is what I got. A couple years ago this was the best deal around.
    Elenco 250MHz Scope Probe, Switchable, OUR BEST! # P-3E
    http://cs-sales.net/p3d.html
  • RickBRickB Posts: 395
    edited 2013-02-09 12:32
    TerryRoop
    What is the model # of your scope? That makes all the difference in probe choices.
  • Mark_TMark_T Posts: 1,981
    edited 2013-02-09 14:28
    Loopy Byteloose wrote: »
    You might consider a few probes -- usually people start our with 1X and 10X attenuation
    The 10X allows you test higher voltages, but these days voltage are so low, you might just get by with a 1X

    No, I'd definitely avoid a 1X - the capacitive loading of a 1X probe is too high for lots of interesting circuits, a x10 (shouldn't that be
    /10 ??) probe means only a handful of pF loading on the probe meaning much less disturbance to the circuit being measured. Also
    you will not get the full bandwidth except on low impedance sources. Also leaving the probe on x10 setting means the 'scope is safe
    from accidental high voltages.

    Cheap and cheerful ones on eBay are so cheap its worth getting even if they then just become emergency spares, for instance
    http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2-X-100MHz-Scope-Probes-for-Oscilloscope-UK-X1-X10-Pair-Two-/181003163091?pt=UK_Sound_Vision_Other&hash=item2a24a115d3
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2013-02-10 09:59
    Get the cheapie 1x 10x switchable ebay or similar Ten buck a probe. Pics posted and my current avatar are 100mhz on tek 2247A scope. Works for me, the high enders will not make a big difference for what I am doing now. Well, maybe the convenience of auto switching the scopes input amps.

    Oh, yeah, watch out from where it is sources from, took a couple weeks for their world tour before I got them.....

    FF
  • Aristides AlvarezAristides Alvarez Posts: 486
    edited 2013-02-10 16:07
    frank freedman wrote: »
    Oh, yeah, watch out from where it is sources from, took a couple weeks for their world tour before I got them.....

    FF

    If you want fast shipping from US Parallax also sells scope probes at $8.99 per set of two (x1, x10 up to 20 MHz):
    http://www.parallax.com/StoreSearchResults/tabid/768/txtSearch/PROBES/List/0/SortField/4/ProductID/754/Default.aspx

    I think their current probes may be actually 100 MHz ones, so if your scope goes beyond 20 MHz you may check with them for current max frequency.
  • frank freedmanfrank freedman Posts: 1,983
    edited 2013-02-10 18:14
    Make sure of the BW, you don't want to go lower than your scope is rated for. Better to get the right one the first time. Also, when you get them, be sure to match them up with the little tool that comes with them. The test signal out seems to work fine for this job.
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