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$23 Pocket Oscilloscope Kit — Parallax Forums

$23 Pocket Oscilloscope Kit

ercoerco Posts: 20,257
edited 2015-06-27 13:42 in General Discussion
No SMT soldering, that's all done. Only 1 MHz, but useful for low-frequency tingz and teaching (Gordon & xanadu) , until an O-scope phone app comes out. 2.4" TFT. Heck, the parts alone are worth $23! You know I ordered one.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSO138-2-4-TFT-Digital-Oscilloscope-Kit-DIY-Parts-Electronic-Learning-Set-1Msps-/331577070491

$_57.JPG

$_57.JPG
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Comments

  • mindrobotsmindrobots Posts: 6,506
    edited 2015-06-09 10:49
    Ooops! Hit B-I-N...oh well, who can resist a kit to build these days??????
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    edited 2015-06-09 11:29
    Message received, thanks!
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2015-06-09 14:57
    That is a cool little kit. Not much use as a scope but fun all the same.

    Julian Ilett has yet to get his to work but perhaps that's a one off problem:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHG3S6xZ744
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nn5Qg6JxXU8
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2015-06-09 16:12
    Dangit Erco you're worse than a drug dealer. Those Chinese guys should pay you a healthy commission for your work on their behalf.
  • CuriousOneCuriousOne Posts: 931
    edited 2015-06-09 19:44
    I had such kit, but a bit older model, with b/w kit. It had separate SRAM chip. It went faulty. It was available from digi-key, but they asked me to sign-up a bunch of papers, confirming that I won't ship this chip outside US. So I've trashed the complete kit, except LCD.
  • rosco_pcrosco_pc Posts: 465
    edited 2015-06-10 01:18
    Not 1Mbps, but phone apps are there already. Just a few android examples:

    https://github.com/juankinder/AndroidScope

    https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.serverbox.android.osciprime&hl=en&referrer=utm_source%3Dgoogle%26utm_medium%3Dorganic%26utm_term%3Dandroid+oscilloscope&pcampaignid=APPU_1_W_J3VZf-DIG7sgG38bjwAw
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-11 07:46
    It is not often I order something before erco. Anyway, I'm still waiting for mine to come. The price seemed low enough to incorporate it in a new design as a full-time waveform monitor - won't have to schlepp the big scope around. Time will tell how well this approach works.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2015-06-11 11:14
    And here I gave you all my old scope probes...
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2015-06-11 11:46
    Shucks...

    I didn't want to say, but since you mentioned it, that scope was dead. But I still have it, I may put it in the Corvair. :)
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2015-06-11 12:06
    Just jiggle the switch. She's an oldie, but still has some mileage left on her. The power switch has been finicky for years.

    Unless YOU broke her!
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2015-06-11 14:58
    Oh, she's a jiggler! Worth another shot then.
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-23 12:00
    Scope kit arrived last week. Finally sat down and assembled it last night. It was a delightful kit. The online manual is excellent. All the parts were there. The scope is entirely functional and is even more endearing than I expected. I think it will be perfect for full-time monitoring of power MOSFET drain voltages on a project that involves occasional frequency adjustment to stay in resonance.
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2015-06-23 12:34
    Cool. That thing is so cute (and cheap) even if I have no idea what I would do with it I think I have to get one. A nice relaxing soldering exercise on something that is actually likely to work, as opposed to my own creations:)
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2015-06-23 13:30
    My kit arrived today. User Name, where's that online assembly manual? Amazon's $30 kit points to https://s3-ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com/sain-amzn/20/20-010-214/20-010-214-m.zip, a monstrous download.

    Kit is just $21.66 now from http://www.ebay.com/itm/DSO138-2-4-TFT-Digital-Oscilloscope-Kit-DIY-parts-1Msps-with-probe-STM32/181719582091
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-23 16:15
    erco,

    Just past half way down this page is a link to the Users Manual.

    http://www.jyetech.com/Products/LcdScope/e138.php

    Rather think I'll get a second kit...

    (I'm glad that there are some people to whom I don't have to explain why. :-)

    PS: The vendor you link (t-happy) is where I bought mine.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2015-06-23 20:01
    Heater. wrote: »
    Cool. That thing is so cute (and cheap) even if I have no idea what I would do with it I think I have to get one. A nice relaxing soldering exercise on something that is actually likely to work, as opposed to my own creations:)

    Heater: While your soldering iron and steely construction resolve are hot, nab yourself one of these cheap (I mean inexpensive) 64-LED FFT audio display kits. IIRC you're a FFT fan from way back. :)

    http://www.ebay.com/itm/DIY-Kit-8x8-Audio-Indicator-FFT-Voice-Frequency-Red-Blue-Green-Yellow-Mixture-/121556616820\

    $_57.JPG
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    edited 2015-06-23 20:13
    erco,

    I have spent many a relaxing hour welding surface mount white LEDs and resistors to LED strip boards. Which started me thinking about a panel...

    Thanks for the suggestion but that board is only separate coloured LEDs rather than all being RGB LEDs. I'm giving it a miss.
  • TorTor Posts: 2,010
    edited 2015-06-24 08:23
    User Name wrote: »
    erco,

    Just past half way down this page is a link to the Users Manual.

    http://www.jyetech.com/Products/LcdScope/e138.php

    Rather think I'll get a second kit...

    (I'm glad that there are some people to whom I don't have to explain why. :-)

    PS: The vendor you link (t-happy) is where I bought mine.

    According to the jyetech page in your link t-happy is selling lower quality, counterfeit kits. I had already ordered mine (same place) before I saw this.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2015-06-24 10:33
    My kit arrived today. Looks like I have a project for the weekend.
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-24 11:03
    Tor wrote: »
    According to the jyetech page in your link t-happy is selling lower quality, counterfeit kits. I had already ordered mine (same place) before I saw this.

    I thought this same thing the first 30 seconds of perusing the jyetech page. But my board is identical to the illustration jyetech provides of a legitimate board. The silk screen registration is excellent. Board quality is excellent. Soldering was very slick and quick. The components were excellent. Everything seems identical and top-notch.

    So I continue to feel like I have the real deal. If it isn't the real deal, the difference is completely lost on me. :)
  • Cluso99Cluso99 Posts: 18,069
    edited 2015-06-24 14:54
    Probably a typical Chinese knock-off. It all comes down to pricing vs risk.
    At $21 it's not bad since it includes a reasonable LCD.

    BTW does anyone know the resolution of the LCD?
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2015-06-24 18:59
    I suspect the real deal supports the labor that went into designing the kit and putting together the usuer manual, which is much better than typical for kits of this type nowadays. The components and boards are probably from similar sources.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2015-06-24 19:30
    Cluso99 wrote: »
    BTW does anyone know the resolution of the LCD?

    320x240 per http://tronixstuff.com/2015/04/02/kit-review-jye-tech-dso138-digital-storage-oscilloscope/

    That article has a good review of construction & testing.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2015-06-25 05:41
    Well did I say weekend? I couldn't wait. I went ahead and put mine together and it works, and I agree it's quite enchanting. One of my coworkers has already decided to buy one for himself having seen mine. Mine is one of the counterfeits but it went together OK and works fine. If I buy another I'll go to the recommended seller and support the folks who designed it though.
  • ercoerco Posts: 20,257
    edited 2015-06-25 11:53
    Good to hear, localroger. How long to build, 2-3 hours?

    I just had another boneheaded idea WRT low-performance scopes for education. Of course we all know there is the PropScope. Well how about a Stamp-Scope? Sure, laugh, but...

    Any kind of on-screen visualization is invaluable for beginners, and fun to interact with. Just showing a single captured pulse shape or width using Stamp Plot or such. Ping-Dar used the DEBUG terminal to good effect.

    This idea is barely a notch above my BS1 slow scan camera, which also used the debug screen. :)

    http://forums.parallax.com/showthread.php/126078-Poor-Man-s-BS1-Slow-Scan-Camera
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-25 15:49
    I've never used a Basic Stamp but this little $23 scope foray has got me motivated to make my own scope with a Prop, a $16 color LCD display, and an old TTL flash ADC from TI (12 MHz, iirc). They are all parts I have surplus around here.
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2015-06-26 12:50
    Yeah build took about 2.5 hours. Gotchas! The two diodes are not the same, and neither are the two transistors and the two voltage regulators. You need an EXTREMELY fine soldering iron for most of the work, but then you need a pretty hefty one to solder the switch bodies and BNC connector. I just ordered an enclosed with on-off switch six AA battery case for mine.
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-26 14:37
    I used a regular ol' Weller 921zx for everything but the BNC. A HF soldering gun made fast work of that guy. ;)
  • localrogerlocalroger Posts: 3,452
    edited 2015-06-26 15:14
    Also, despite the scare warnings from the legit vendor, I found the solder mask registration and tinning of the pads excellent and had no real trouble even with a worn Radio Shack 15-watt tip that was a bit too round for the job. If I do another one I'll make sure I have a new tip on hand. Needed a 40-watter for the switches and a gun is very helpful for the BNC connector though the 40 watt would probably do the job with some patience to make SURE the surfaces were wetted before removing it.
  • User NameUser Name Posts: 1,451
    edited 2015-06-27 06:54
    localroger wrote: »
    Also, despite the scare warnings from the legit vendor, I found the solder mask registration and tinning of the pads excellent...

    Also, thermal relief of the ground pads was superior to boards familiar to many of us...
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