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Need recommendations for a $200 oscilloscope — Parallax Forums

Need recommendations for a $200 oscilloscope

ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
edited 2004-11-23 21:12 in General Discussion
I'm a relative newbie to the Basic Stamp and hobby electronics. I currently have a Radio Shack Digital Multimeter and am looking to upgrade to an inexpensive USB based oscilloscope or a digital probe for designing and testing simple circuits and servo's. I'd also like something that works a lot like a 'real' oscilloscope to further my work experience as an electronics manufacturing engineer. The Parallax Optascope at $129 looks interesting www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28014 and after searching the web I've found similar instruments such as the Swordfish and Stingray from www.usb-instruments.com/
http://forums.parallaxinc.com/www.wittig-technologies.com/english/05_products/01_oszifox/oszifox_02_specs.htm
usbee.com/

Comments welcome.

Comments

  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2004-11-10 16:40
    What are your requirements, as far as voltage input and bandwidth?



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    Chris Savage

    Knight Designs
    324 West Main Street
    P.O. Box 97
    Montour Falls, NY 14865
    (607) 535-6777

    Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
    Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
    Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
    ·
  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2004-11-10 17:49
    I'm just interfacing Basic Stamps or SX chips with TTL chips, servo's, etc. I'd guess 0 to 20V, not sure about bandwidth.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2004-11-10 23:31
    If you're just sticking with 5VDC power and TTL/CMOS logic and MCUs, I would recommend the Parallax USB Oscilloscope.

    http://www.parallax.com/detail.asp?product_id=28014

    At $129.00 it's a great full-featured scope, and can handle everything you mentioned, no problem.· It's software very closely resembles a standard O-Scope, and has many of the same controls.· USB interface, and it's powered from that, so keep that in mind if you have other powered devices on the same hub.



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    Chris Savage

    Knight Designs
    324 West Main Street
    P.O. Box 97
    Montour Falls, NY 14865
    (607) 535-6777

    Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
    Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
    Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
    ·
  • ForrestForrest Posts: 1,341
    edited 2004-11-18 18:51
    I'd like an oscilloscope that can keep up with NTSC video (3.58 MHz). The Parallax scope doesn't look like it's fast enough if I'm reading the specs correctly. But this new $150 scope is rated for 10 MHz bandwidth - so it should be able to keep up. Comments welcome. Here's the link
    http://www.electronickits.com/gold/st16b.htm
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2004-11-18 19:52
    You didn't mention the NTSC Video requirement in your original spec requirements, and I don't know off the top of my head whether or not the Parallax Scope has the bandwidth, but I will mention that the Parallax Scope is the size of a box of wooden matches (Actually, slightly smaller), and the scope you listed the link for will take up a chunk of real-estate on your bench, as well as being 8lbs...Since I use mine on a Laptop, portability is nice.



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    Chris Savage

    Knight Designs
    324 West Main Street
    P.O. Box 97
    Montour Falls, NY 14865
    (607) 535-6777

    Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
    Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
    Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
    ·
  • nick bernardnick bernard Posts: 329
    edited 2004-11-18 22:17
    HAIL CHRIS,
    Is the scope well protected.... that is will the scope explode in a hail of fire if i accidentally put 20.1 volts or more across the probe... if so... how much more...

    rox on
    nick bernard
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2004-11-18 23:09
    Nick,

    ·· That's a question best suited for Stephen or Dave in Tech Support...smilewinkgrin.gif··· BTW, no Gilligan look anymore?· You look almost surprised now!· shocked.gif

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    Chris Savage

    Knight Designs
    324 West Main Street
    P.O. Box 97
    Montour Falls, NY 14865
    (607) 535-6777

    Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
    Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
    Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
    ·
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2004-11-19 01:04
    Just a few observations:

    The scope in the link is only a single channel, the parallax scope is two channels.

    If you are going to dabble with NTSC many scopes have a specialized trigger for video.

    I too wish the parallax scope had a higher sampling rate (and BNC jacks). But for the money it's tough to beat.
    One nice thing is that it is very easy to store waveform pictures and print them.

    Bean.
  • Alan BradfordAlan Bradford Posts: 172
    edited 2004-11-19 12:23
    Hi,

    I just bought a Tektronix 465· 100 MHZ dual chanel Scope for $103.50 on E-Bay.

    It is a·30 year old design, but this one just came out of military service and is calibrated.

    I have been using one of these for 25·years. They cost $3-$5K when new. I have one that needs calibration and that costs $300-$400. The 'new' one was cheaper.

    It has many triggering modes and does NTSC very nicely.

    I found many other scopes also. Look for a 60 MHZ unit or beter.



    Hope this helps you out.

    Alan Bradford

    Plasma Technologies
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2004-11-19 15:02
    Fortunately I am no longer designing Video Circuits (Ever since Commodore went under), however I do still build Power Amplifiers and Custom Audio Switchers (Controlled by a BS2 of course!) and the Parallax Scope is great for testing for noise on·audio line-level signals...As well as anything related to the BASIC Stamp...Power, PULSOUT, PWM...All stuff easily tested...Clock Signals...

    But hey, you never know...Parallax is always improving on the things they build...



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    Chris Savage

    Knight Designs
    324 West Main Street
    P.O. Box 97
    Montour Falls, NY 14865
    (607) 535-6777

    Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
    Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
    Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
    ·
  • BeanBean Posts: 8,129
    edited 2004-11-21 23:39
    Hey Chris, I'm working on an SX display project that has 6 lines of 12 characters (8x8matrix each). I have the display working using only 2 resistors. I still have to get it to receive serial data to update the display.

    It runs from a standard 50MHz resonator.

    If your interested in the code (SX/B with ALOT of assembly right now) let me know and I'll post it.

    Bean.
  • Chris SavageChris Savage Parallax Engineering Posts: 14,406
    edited 2004-11-23 21:12
    Bean,

    ·· It is, of course, an interesting project...Since Commodore went out I have stopped using Video circuits, mainly due to a lack of Composite Monitors, something that used to be available in great quantity when computers used composite outputs.· Now I stick to LCD or LED displays on MCU-based projects, and the few video circuits I do deal with are signals from Security Cameras or <blush> my Nintendo GameCube!· These devices plug into my Video Card's composite and/or S-Video jacks (ATI All In Wonder 9800 Pro here, 7500 at the shop).

    ·· As Jon would say/agree, you should still post it in a thread, perhaps in the SX forum for those who are going to make use of the SX/B.· I wish I could come up with something interesting and original to add to the SX/B stuff...I am blanking lately though!



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    Chris Savage

    Knight Designs
    324 West Main Street
    P.O. Box 97
    Montour Falls, NY 14865
    (607) 535-6777

    Business Page:·· http://www.knightdesigns.com
    Personal Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/chris
    Designs Page:··· http://www.lightlink.com/dream/designs
    ·
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