Hello everyone!
Yes, this is yet another thread of some student trying to figure out what to spend his money on. I've done a fair bit of research over the last couple of months (mostly on these forums), but I still can't decide what oscilloscope to get.
I had actually purchased a Rigol DS1054Z, but that was so slow and unresponsive that I really did not like it at all. When I tried the FFT on a 10kHz oscillator and saw that I could not even go beyond 35dB SNR on it and I couldn't even see the harmonics (I had hoped for 45-50dB, I got 60dB with a Keysight DSOX3014T at Uni), I was so disillusioned that I returned it the same day.
That was about three months ago. Now, I still would like to buy an oscilloscope, because I've got quite a few projects that I have gotten annoyed with because I can't see what's actually going on in my circuits. I really, really want an oscilloscope.
So, my budget is about €500. But, that does not necessarily mean it all has to go to an oscilloscope. I've got quite an assortment of power adapters I'd like to get rid off, for example.
So, as for background: I'm a soon-to-be third-year Electrical Engineering student at University. I am very interested in tinkering with circuits involving analog signals (I even hope I might be able to design a low-bandwidth oscilloscope front-end at some point, because they are so freakin' cool), but I also use quite a lot of digital things (like Arduino, STM32, Raspberry Pi, that kind of stuff). The highest frequency signal any of my devices can create is the 100MHz maximum PWM signal generated by my BeagleBone Black, but I doubt I will need to measure that.
The four options I am currently looking at are:
Siglent SDS1104X-E @ €520: This is the real oscilloscope that I've determined to best suit my needs. It has four channels, good serial protocol decoding, a decent FFT from what I've seen (I couldn't find any material showing more than just that it exists) and the software should be a lot more responsive than the Rigol's. However, I am worried about the reliability and quality of the software.
Rigol DS2102E @ €500, with all upgrades: This oscilloscope has recently become available for a reduced price (almost like there's a successor coming out soon, hmmm...), but it only has two channels. It looks a lot more responsive than the DS1054Z though, and it seems Rigol has more mature software than Siglent. Still, based on pure specifications alone, it doesn't look like a good deal, but I wansn't able to find many reviews on it. The FFT is listed as only 2k points, but I couldn't find whether it was upgraded like the DS1054Z was. Even then, I probably won't use it _that_ much, so using my computer for better FFTs would seem acceptable if this really is the best choice.
Keysight EDUX1002A (2 analog channels only) @ €500: Yes, the whole Keysight-is-giving-uni-scopes-at-a-reduced-price-to-make-EE-students-Keysight-fanboys is paying off. The scopes at the university are a pleasure to use, always act logically and are just very nice overall. However, this one just seems very expensive for what I would be getting. It does all the basic things, but no high-resolution FFTs, it's relatively low-bandwidth, only optional serial decoding, no segmented memory, small memory to begin with... Of course, I could try to hack it once it is out of warranty, but I wouldn't want to try that before that time. Still, that Keysight logo inspires confidence.
Digilent/NI Analog Discovery 2, including probes and BNC board @ €210: This seems like a very tempting option. My desktop computer is right next to my workbench, so needing my computer would never be a problem. I've used an NI myDAQ before, and I really liked how I could post-process the data with Python. It has limited bandwidth and only two analog channels, that's the downside. As my BeagleBone Black can also function as a logic analyzer, I do not need that functionality all that much, but the bode plotter and great-looking FFT sure are tempting. Saving €300 would allow me to explore some more expensive projects and maybe get a power supply.
I am looking for a device that will allow me to finish my non-working projects (most of them are Arduino-level) by looking at the signals, and then starting new ones involving analog signals, mostly. I will be using my BeagleBone Black, Pynq Z2 (Zynq Z7000 FPGA board) and STM32 microcontrollers in those projects as well, but I don't think I'll be looking at square wave signals of over 2MHz any time soon. I want it to at least last through all of my Master's degree as well.
I'd rather spend the €500 now and be happy with my choice than spend €200 now and €500 next year, because this money is like a single-occurrence thing. Again, I am not going to change my mind on the DS1054Z no matter how many fans it has: I'm glad that there are lots of people who like it, but I have gotten spoiled by the great Keysight scopes at Uni.
If you would, please share your opinion on these choices. I don't really want to go any higher budget-wise, given that there other priorities money-wise as well. Even though I live in a student room, I have a spot a real scope would fit nicely, so that's not a consideration. I know I am pretty spoiled with the amazing oscilloscopes available at university (only for university work, unfortunately), but usability is a very important factor. The DS1054Z appeased my needs in all ways but speed and FFT, really. Last but not least: I live in the Netherlands, and the second-hand market for digital oscilloscopes here is pretty much non-existent.
Thank you for your time and effort. I hope you can tolerate a newbie like me asking a question like this.
TL;DR; Siglent SDS1104X-E, Rigol DS2102E, Keysight EDUX1002A or Analog Discovery 2 (at €300 less than the others) for a soon-to-be third-year EE student hoping to dip his toes in the water on analog circuit design.