Oscilloscope advice and recommendations

[Rob_Esq]

Hi. I'd be grateful if any folk could give me some advice / recommendations on a suitable scope to buy. Ideally I'd like a digital scope that I can plug into my linux pc, which is capable of handling the high voltage spikes produced by the energiser. Also ideally it should be affordable, i.e. not more than £150 ($240). I've never used a scope before so this is a bit of a steep learning curve. All of the PC scopes I've come across so far, seem to be only capable of handling low voltages.

I'm keen to be able to record my signal, so if there is nothing out there that fits the above specs, could you please advise me on alternative ways to doing this, other than having a PC based scope, i.e. should I be looking for something with USB output?

Cheers ... Rob

[Tom C]

Hi. I'd be grateful if any folk could give me some advice / recommendations on a suitable scope to buy. Ideally I'd like a digital scope that I can plug into my linux pc, which is capable of handling the high voltage spikes produced by the energiser. Also ideally it should be affordable, i.e. not more than £150 ($240). I've never used a scope before so this is a bit of a steep learning curve. All of the PC scopes I've come across so far, seem to be only capable of handling low voltages.

I'm keen to be able to record my signal, so if there is nothing out there that fits the above specs, could you please advise me on alternative ways to doing this, other than having a PC based scope, i.e. should I be looking for something with USB output?

Cheers ... Rob

this is a decent scope PDS5022T 25Mhz Color LCD Oscilloscope + Probes (Replaces PDS5022S) ($269.00) : Saelig Online Store voltage handling is a function of the probes you use, a 10x probe will be sufficient for what we do here. as far as the linux interface, I dont know, you may have to write some code, but the scope I referenced has storage capability and a usb out.

Tom C

[Prinsloo]

Rob-Esq

Tom C's suggestion has similar features to the Rigol scope I have, the Auto Run feature is great for newbies ask me , just hit the button and it sets it self!

Theuns

[Tom C]

Rob-Esq

Tom C's suggestion has similar features to the Rigol scope I have, the Auto Run feature is great for newbies ask me , just hit the button and it sets it self!

Theuns

I have a rigol also, love the auto run!!!
Tom C

[Jet-A]

Tom C,

Do you have a link or specific model # of your Rigol scope?

Alex

[Tom C]

scope

Tom C,

Do you have a link or specific model # of your Rigol scope?

Alex

DS1102E 100 MHz Digital Oscilloscope | Rigol - Beyond Measure

Tom C

[Rob_Esq]

rigol-uk.co.uk have the DS1102E for £290. Quite a lot more than I was hoping to pay, plus also doesn't seem very linux compatible.

I think I'm going to go for something a bit different: BITSCOPE = PC OSCILLOSCOPES AND ANALYZERS . Bitscope seem committed to providing an open source product, which suits me. Also its pretty much within the budget (so long as I pretend that I don't have to pay for shipping from the US, and import tax :-/

R

[Tom C]

rigol-uk.co.uk have the DS1102E for £290. Quite a lot more than I was hoping to pay, plus also doesn't seem very linux compatible.

I think I'm going to go for something a bit different: BITSCOPE = PC OSCILLOSCOPES AND ANALYZERS . Bitscope seem committed to providing an open source product, which suits me. Also its pretty much within the budget (so long as I pretend that I don't have to pay for shipping from the US, and import tax :-/

R

I got my rigol when they were on a fire sale, only paid 179 for it, but that was a while ago. go with what works.

tom C

[Dave Wing]

Buy this one and do what they say in this video blog on YouTube... Search for "EEV blog#70" turn your Rigol DS1052E... 50 MHz Scope into 100mhz scope for free.

Dave Wing

[Thanos]

Would something like that be appropriate for the voltage that appears on these circuits?
DSO Nano DSO201 Pocket-Sized Digital Oscilloscope Review - ToolBoom Online Store

[wrtner]

There are very well spoken of USB scopes which plug into your computer.
Good value of rmoney. Widely sold on Ebay:
DSO-2250 USB_Hatek Electronic co.,Ltd._http://www.hantek.com.cn

[Thanos]

At the moment i have installed on my desktop PC a software oscilloscope named Soundcard scope 1.40 .
For probes input i have used the mic input of my sound card.
A DIY probe has been constructed according to the instructions of this page using a 10μf cap and a 100k pot.
It seems to be working fine at the moment.
Beware to check the voltage of the jack that your going to connect on your input of your pc. First measure and then connect. It should be lower than the recommended voltage of the input.


Probable next step is to buy a second bench scope from ebay.

Thank you very much for the information shared on this thread.

[wrtner]

At the moment i have installed on my desktop PC a software oscilloscope named Soundcard scope 1.40 .
For probes input i have used the mic input of my sound card.
A DIY probe has been constructed according to the instructions of this page using a 10μf cap and a 100k pot.
It seems to be working fine at the moment.
Beware to check the voltage of the jack that your going to connect on your input of your pc. First measure and then connect. It should be lower than the recommended voltage of the input.


Probable next step is to buy a second bench scope from ebay.

Thank you very much for the information shared on this thread.

Yes. check that voltage or you blow the sound card.

Also, the bandwidth is limited by the sound coard. 18khz or so.
Enough to see the principles.

Don't forget that the SSG can generate MASSIVE spikes. (The diode specified
is cleared for 1000 volts). It would be good to have a hefty potentiometer
in series, and start off with infinite resistance. Then bring it down slowly.

[Rob_Esq]

Calculating current from scope readout

Can anyone recommend a way of calculating the current going in to the charging battery from my scope readout? I know about Ohms law, but how do I measure the correct resistance? Rob

[wrtner]

Can anyone recommend a way of calculating the current going in to the charging battery from my scope readout? I know about Ohms law, but how do I measure the correct resistance? Rob

There is a method based on determining the area under the spikes which represents the quantitiy
of electricity.

1. It might be better to know exactly how discharged the battery was at the beginning
by knowing the amps x volts x time to discharge the battery to get it to that state.

2. Run your equipment.

3. Thern determine how much less electricity (amps x volts x time) you need to put in
to restore the battery to the start voltage.