Hi, Jonny. Welcome to the EEVBlog Forum. You've certainly landed with a splash.
Just my 2 cents as a novice with a little over a year into my E.E. degree and now putting in a year of some hands on while I get my business up and running before pursuing more school. I've only had the unit for 2 days but most people researching the unit just want to know, should I buy one for basic analysis?
Congrats on jumping in, getting your hands dirty, and gaining some real experience! I'm sure it will accelerate your learning process. I would suggest though that the decision-making process for some might be a bit more involved. For no reason other than their "basic analysis" may not be the same as yours, or mine.
I was told whatever I do, absolutely do not, under any circumstances, do not buy a Hantek or Sainsmart USB oscilloscope.
I'm glad I found this forum.
It's true that those two USB scopes (amongst others) are often disparaged, though sometimes it's simply for their lack of knobs and screens. But on a performance scale, one can not simply lump them all into one basket. Hantek, for example, has a whole range of USB DSO's. Some quite expensive and powerful. The 6022BE is simply at the bottom of their price & performance chain, which is achieved by stripping out everything they possibly could, to minimize costs. Leaving only core functionality intact. Devices like the Sainsmart simply went a bit farther than they should have.
For general audio circuits, fancy light circuits and general low speed analog devices that aren't on the cutting edge of technology, this unit is perfectly acceptable. I'm just designing musical instrument preamps, oscillators, delays, synthesizers, microphone preamps, simple light effects and maybe the occasional hobby ESC or sensor on the car.
I would agree that as long as you know the limits of the 6022BE (which many here have contributed to understanding), and are using Richard's improved software, this unit can be very usable for many folks, even beyond the limited domains you enumerated.
I will be the guy who suggests the same 10 dictators appearing on every forum someone asks about buying a cheap scope have something to gain by blacklisting these and pushing Rigol unrelentingly.
You're certainly entitled to hyperbole if you like, but you'll earn more respect here if you remain a bit more balanced. People recommending a Rigol (or a Siglent or even Hantek) standalone scope aren't trying to "blacklist" anything. They're simply letting folks with limited experience know in advance about limitations in cheaper devices, that may cause one to outgrow it sooner than an integrated unit. Labeling them 'dictators' doesn't help make your case.
If you're not trying to repair satellites, work for the cable company, repair ultrasonic visualizers and other pieces of equipment costing tens of thousands of dollars or at least very high speed devices, what's the harm in starting off with a $60 USB scope?
There is no harm at all in starting with "a $60 USB scope". Unless the limitations of the device and/or it's software make such a negative impression or are so difficult to use, that the newbie gets turned off to electronics as a result. Or it winds up just sitting on the shelf unused, because the effort expended doesn't justify the results obtained.
Nothing unless you're the guys selling $350 bench scopes that are only a few steps up in performance and quality but the way you pay for your winter vacation.
And again, you're exaggerating. $350 bench scopes are NOT "only a few steps up in performance". They have capabilities that go
far beyond what the 6022BE can muster. Each individual needs the information, so they can decide whether they need the extras, or can get by OK with what the 6022BE can do. Sometimes you don't need a Swiss-Army knife. Just a simple knife will do the job. OTOH, in many cases, using the 6022BE will take you longer than it would have with a bench scope. Even a cheap $20 used analog one. Certainly far longer than a DSO with functioning trigger capabilities. But even that doesn't make it worthless.
Of course it may very well just be gear snobbery which is a despicable trend in consumerism culture.
IMO, it's rather amusing to consider someone suggesting a $350 bench scope is a "gear snob".
My point is I'm happy with the purchase and in another year, yes I'll probably buy a 100mhz bench scope but for most of us dealing with common analog circuits well below the bar of cutting edge technology, this is a reliable tool.
I'm glad you're happy with your 6022BE. There are many others here who find it useful as well. And as long as you know where it's limits are, yes, it can be reliable.
If you're not an engineer or equivalent through hands on industry employment, odds are you're just a hobbyist building RC gadgets or a guy running a car stereo installation business. A $65 scope is more tool than you will ever actually need for such work.
That may actually be true. However, it does not mean that even those folks can not benefit from what others here with more experience have posted on using the 6022BE more effectively. The efforts of knowledgable people have also gone into producing better User Manuals, and better PC software. That can be a huge help to even the most casual hobbyist, increase their understanding, and save them a lot of time and frustration.
I won't call it a "hack" but if you set the software to 50Mhz, screen capture with a decent program and then playback in slow motion...guess what??
It's not fancy. It's not direct perfect. It is however a useful tool as opposed to the "toy" most gear snobs have labeled it.
And again with the over-the-top characterizations of those not praising the 6022BE.
Carrying such a big chip on your shoulder can get tiring. You may want to set it down for a bit, and relax. You've found a thread here where like-minded folks have gathered, not to bury the 6022BE
or to praise it, but to find ways to get the most out of the least-expensive piece of decent kit around.