Brand new one day old Rigol DS1052E crashed

[skyfilter]

My new Rigol DS1052E which I had for just one day crashed. I am only getting a white pattern or sometimes vertical blue and white bars after the power on initial screen. From what I can remember I saved a measurement to internal memory, recalled it on the screen and then pressed the Utility button.The scope crashes every time I switch it on. No matter what button I press before or after the boot up process. The device was shipped with firmware version 00.02.06. Feedback from anyone who experienced crashes with a non hacked scope would be much appreciated.

[saturation]

This sounds a bit ominous, nothing you press should lead to this type of lockup/crash.  Hopefully you bought it from an authorized dealer. 

I read some folks are getting very bad responses from 2.05 firmware and up, and if you do not have a warranty or cannot take the scope back for an exchange or refund, I would load the older known good 2.04 firmware mentioned in the hack.

You can try the procedures mentioned here:

http://hardcoreforensics.com/rigol-ds1052e-gash-product

[skyfilter]

Thank you for the quick feedback. I stumbled upon that link as well after googling for hint on how to reset the scope. The procedure described there did not work for me. As the article indicates there is no firmware updates on Rigol's web site either. When I put a memory stick in the USB slot the scope beeps three times. That should be a sign it is able to identify the USB stick during the boot process. I believe if the firmware can be re-flashed that should clear the state that causes it to crash. Seeing the issues with firmware 2.05 SP1 I don't understand why Rigol doesn't include a reset button or have firmware updates posted on their site.
I bought my scope on ebay from what ebay considers a reputable seller. The device was shipped from a warehouse in the US. What I find odd is that the box came with an invoice of Amazon.com on it. I did receive the sellers invoice as well. On the "about the seller" link on ebay the seller state their products are shipped from Canton, China or their 3rd party warehouse in US directly. They also claim to have a fuss-free return policy where you can return purchased items within 30 days of delivery for a refund or exchange/replacement. Well I have contacted the seller (on Sunday) and they stated their engineer would be at the office tomorrow and they will provide a solution. I hope they do because it would cost a lot to ship the device back and then the long waits to have it returned. Rigol offers a three year warranty. I registered the device on Rigol's website as well.

[T4P]

Thank you for the quick feedback. I stumbled upon that link as well after googling for hint on how to reset the scope. The procedure described there did not work for me. As the article indicates there is no firmware updates on Rigol's web site either. When I put a memory stick in the USB slot the scope beeps three times. That should be a sign it is able to identify the USB stick during the boot process. I believe if the firmware can be re-flashed that should clear the state that causes it to crash. Seeing the issues with firmware 2.05 SP1 I don't understand why Rigol doesn't include a reset button or have firmware updates posted on their site.
I bought my scope on ebay from what ebay considers a reputable seller. The device was shipped from a warehouse in the US. What I find odd is that the box came with an invoice of Amazon.com on it. I did receive the sellers invoice as well. On the "about the seller" link on ebay the seller state their products are shipped from Canton, China or their 3rd party warehouse in US directly. They also claim to have a fuss-free return policy where you can return purchased items within 30 days of delivery for a refund or exchange/replacement. Well I have contacted the seller (on Sunday) and they stated their engineer would be at the office tomorrow and they will provide a solution. I hope they do because it would cost a lot to ship the device back and then the long waits to have it returned. Rigol offers a three year warranty. I registered the device on Rigol's website as well.

Amazon ? Some ebay sellers list both on amazon and ebay . so yeah .

[hugos31]

My new Rigol DS1052E which I had for just one day crashed. I am only getting a white pattern or sometimes vertical blue and white bars after the power on initial screen. From what I can remember I saved a measurement to internal memory, recalled it on the screen and then pressed the Utility button.The scope crashes every time I switch it on. No matter what button I press before or after the boot up process. The device was shipped with firmware version 00.02.06. Feedback from anyone who experienced crashes with a non hacked scope would be much appreciated.

        explain, the product arrived so? or did you fall to the ground?   

[saturation]

Sorry to hear skyfilter.  If Amazon doesn't protect your sale but only serves as a broker for the sale, I would, in the future, avoid such purhcases; they do state that clearly on their policies.  Not sure what country you come from, but in the USA I would have bought direct from Tequipment.net or Saelig.com, as they have no question return policy for 1-2 weeks after purchase, this is the time to performance test your device to insure it has no faults.

A potential procedure to install 2.4 firmware is follow the hack to upgrade it to 100 MHz.  If you can see the firmware via the USB port, then there is hope.  The instructions are in the hack thread.

Thank you for the quick feedback. I stumbled upon that link as well after googling for hint on how to reset the scope. The procedure described there did not work for me. As the article indicates there is no firmware updates on Rigol's web site either. When I put a memory stick in the USB slot the scope beeps three times. That should be a sign it is able to identify the USB stick during the boot process. I believe if the firmware can be re-flashed that should clear the state that causes it to crash. Seeing the issues with firmware 2.05 SP1 I don't understand why Rigol doesn't include a reset button or have firmware updates posted on their site.
I bought my scope on ebay from what ebay considers a reputable seller. The device was shipped from a warehouse in the US. What I find odd is that the box came with an invoice of Amazon.com on it. I did receive the sellers invoice as well. On the "about the seller" link on ebay the seller state their products are shipped from Canton, China or their 3rd party warehouse in US directly. They also claim to have a fuss-free return policy where you can return purchased items within 30 days of delivery for a refund or exchange/replacement. Well I have contacted the seller (on Sunday) and they stated their engineer would be at the office tomorrow and they will provide a solution. I hope they do because it would cost a lot to ship the device back and then the long waits to have it returned. Rigol offers a three year warranty. I registered the device on Rigol's website as well.

[alm]

One of the problems about buying from Ebay or Amazon is that the supplier can just sell the equipment but not have to support it locally.

No argument here. Buying from random resellers might save money, but you do take an extra risk, since support is usually worse and more expensive. Whether the money you save is enough to warrant the risk is for the buyer to decide.

To be honest you also risk people selling products as Rigols that look like Rigol equipment but actually aren't Rigols.

Pics or it didn't happen.

[skyfilter]

Thank you all for your valuable feedback. I contacted Rigol and they were and exchanged a couple of emails with their sales department and support engineer. I must say I am pleased with the way they handled my case. I send them screenshot and I even received a software update 2.06.01. However, due to the crash I could not access the menu to load the software. I was hoping the USB disk would be detected post start up and allow me to upgrade it before it continued with the final stage of the boot process. I was advised by Rigol to contact the ebay seller which I did. They offered to ship the scope back to the US where they would have it repaired or replaced. They also offered to pay the shipping expenses when I send them the invoice. I am located in the Caribbean and the closest quickest way to order is from US sellers. In this case the seller is based in China but they have a warehouse in the US. Rigol asked me for the sellers reference and they verified them as an authorized reseller. I wonder if my case is just a hardware issue or I may have stumbled upon some undetected bug in 2.06.00 that causes these devices to crash.

[skyfilter]

Sorry about the tipos and grammar/spelling. English is not my first language.

[saturation]

Glad this worked out for you.  Some questions to help others in the future:

Whom did you contact, Rigol China, or Rigol USA?

Did they say it was a bug or just a quality control hardware issue with your unit?  The reason you need to know is because if its a QC issue, then a new unit maybe all you need.  But if its a bug, it will happen again.  So, it may pay to test the replacement that is to be shipped to you to insure it does work.

The Rigol has a factory setting function and a self calibration routine.  Those 2 would be a simple thing to run to insure all is working with the scope before its shipped.

Thank you all for your valuable feedback. I contacted Rigol and they were and exchanged a couple of emails with their sales department and support engineer. I must say I am pleased with the way they handled my case. I send them screenshot and I even received a software update 2.06.01. However, due to the crash I could not access the menu to load the software. I was hoping the USB disk would be detected post start up and allow me to upgrade it before it continued with the final stage of the boot process. I was advised by Rigol to contact the ebay seller which I did. They offered to ship the scope back to the US where they would have it repaired or replaced. They also offered to pay the shipping expenses when I send them the invoice. I am located in the Caribbean and the closest quickest way to order is from US sellers. In this case the seller is based in China but they have a warehouse in the US. Rigol asked me for the sellers reference and they verified them as an authorized reseller. I wonder if my case is just a hardware issue or I may have stumbled upon some undetected bug in 2.06.00 that causes these devices to crash.

[Ajahn Lambda]

They offered to ship the scope back to the US where they would have it repaired or replaced. They also offered to pay the shipping expenses when I send them the invoice.

Wow.  That's great to hear.  I don't know of many companies that will offer, up front, to pay for shipping on defective items, let alone one so bulky.  Nice to hear Rigol's doing this right.  Let's hope your repair or replacement works perfectly.

I wonder if my case is just a hardware issue or I may have stumbled upon some undetected bug in 2.06.00 that causes these devices to crash.

Don't take it the wrong way, but I hope yours was the 'lucky' one.  Mine came with the same firmware version, and has been working very well through two months of heavy use.  My dad and I (both engineers) still can't believe how inexpensive, yet well-built, these oscilloscopes are, let alone the features they've packed into it at this price (~ $275 US back in December; the price HAS gone up, to $329 now).

By the way, your English is very good; it's hard to tell it's not your FIRST language.   

[wkb]

Hm, does anyone know if DX is an official Rigol distributor?

[T4P]

Hm, does anyone know if DX is an official Rigol distributor?

Not really , but people buy and are satisfied with their purchases .

[wkb]

Hm, does anyone know if DX is an official Rigol distributor?

Not really , but people buy and are satisfied with their purchases .

Well, I am one of their customers  and happy, I was just wondering about their status with regards to Rigol.  I imagine DX might be a good customer from Rigol's perspective?

[metalphreak]

DX just handles the website and shipping. There are third party suppliers who list their products on the site (after approval from DX I guess).


http://www.dealextreme.com/p/rigol-ds1052e-5-6-tft-lcd-50mhz-2-channel-digital-color-storage-oscilloscope-30573

"Listed by Supplier: OPURSTECH, added on 11/4/2009." <--- down the bottom on the right (not super obvious, and its not included on the dx.com website design)

[skyfilter]

Whom did you contact, Rigol China, or Rigol USA?

Did they say it was a bug or just a quality control hardware issue with your unit?  The reason you need to know is because if its a QC issue, then a new unit maybe all you need.  But if its a bug, it will happen again.  So, it may pay to test the replacement that is to be shipped to you to insure it does work.

The Rigol has a factory setting function and a self calibration routine.  Those 2 would be a simple thing to run to insure all is working with the scope before its shipped.

I contacted Rigol through their website. I am not sure but I believe from the names and some Chinese characters in between the replies that it was Rigol China.
They did not say it was a bug. They speculated it could be a hardware fault or a corrupted firmware boot file. I personally think the unit should be equipped with some hardware reset button that would re-flash the boot image from a backup. I suggested this to Rigol and they said they would feed my suggestion to Engineering. It is something else if it was a hardware fault.

[skyfilter]

Don't take it the wrong way, but I hope yours was the 'lucky' one.  Mine came with the same firmware version, and has been working very well through two months of heavy use.  My dad and I (both engineers) still can't believe how inexpensive, yet well-built, these oscilloscopes are, let alone the features they've packed into it at this price (~ $275 US back in December; the price HAS gone up, to $329 now).

My goodness, you got a great deal there. I bought mine for $389 incl. S&H and that was after much searching on ebay for a good deal from a reputable seller.

[wkb]

DX just handles the website and shipping. There are third party suppliers who list their products on the site (after approval from DX I guess).


http://www.dealextreme.com/p/rigol-ds1052e-5-6-tft-lcd-50mhz-2-channel-digital-color-storage-oscilloscope-30573

"Listed by Supplier: OPURSTECH, added on 11/4/2009." <--- down the bottom on the right (not super obvious, and its not included on the dx.com website design)

Drats!  I did not know it works that way at DX!  Thanks!

[saturation]

That's a new revelation, that Rigol China is doing international tech support.  Please keep us posted with your replacement and what your experiences were.  From what is described, it reads just as a production fault, and that the basic firmware is 'sound'.  That remains to be seen, when you get the replacement unit in and put it through its paces.

The Rigol 100 MHz hack thread has some folks posting successful downgrades to 2.4 from new purchases with 2.6, so it reads like that is clearly possible.

Whom did you contact, Rigol China, or Rigol USA?

Did they say it was a bug or just a quality control hardware issue with your unit?  The reason you need to know is because if its a QC issue, then a new unit maybe all you need.  But if its a bug, it will happen again.  So, it may pay to test the replacement that is to be shipped to you to insure it does work.

The Rigol has a factory setting function and a self calibration routine.  Those 2 would be a simple thing to run to insure all is working with the scope before its shipped.

I contacted Rigol through their website. I am not sure but I believe from the names and some Chinese characters in between the replies that it was Rigol China.
They did not say it was a bug. They speculated it could be a hardware fault or a corrupted firmware boot file. I personally think the unit should be equipped with some hardware reset button that would re-flash the boot image from a backup. I suggested this to Rigol and they said they would feed my suggestion to Engineering. It is something else if it was a hardware fault.