Hantek DSO2000 Master Thread (DSO2C10 DSO2C15 DSO2D10 DSO2D15)

[Aldo22]

I have observed that if I plug it in directly without the alligator cable that comes with the oscilloscope, the peaks on the sides of the signal improve, but I do not get a clean signal like yours.

Yes, the noise and all that doesn't originate in the scope, it's from the cable or the probe.

You can minimize all that with a short/better cable.

In the attachment you see the short coax from the TinySA or NanoVNA and a 50Ohms LR.

You can measure signals below 1mVpp cleanly this way (second picture, the resolution starts to show, but not so much the noise).

With a probe, you probably pick up most of the noise from the screen. Stay away from it.

The scope does not "invent" the noise. If it's there, it shows it.

However, it has no “intensity grading” like newer Rigols.
So:
- Take the cable away from sources of interference
- Turn on the 20M bandwidth limitation if possible.
- With Acquire Mode “Average” repeating signals may also appear more stable.
- In 1x mode of the probe you will have less noise.
- If the noise is so bad that it cannot trigger stably, you can adjust the holdoff of the trigger for periodic signals.
  This is best done via SCPI, as it is sometimes not possible to make fine adjustments with the rotary knob (bug).

[RobtP]

AliExpress had an offer of £15 off spending over £129. Found a DSO2C10 with an extra probe for £129.05 including delivery. -£15 +20% tax (VAT) = £137 all in, which seemed pretty good to me.
Nothing new on the SW/FW front, seems latest of those available.
Working through some of the suggested mods. Function Generator works!
@DavidAlfa ... I can't thank you enough for the work you put into this.
 

[ereides]

Hello and thanks for your very detailed post.

I have a simple question, what can I do if the USB port in the front of the DSO2D10 isn't operative, there is some another manner of doing updates or trying to repair software problems? I have my instrument freeze after power on and no button of the interface is working.
I try reset factory and this does not help.

Have you some suggestion? 

Thank you and have a nice day!

[Aldo22]

If you have tried everything listed under "Recovery" on the previous page, then I would contact the vendor or Support@hantek.com or zhangqiang@hantek.com.

P.S. The front USB only works when the rear one is unplugged.

[ereides]

Thank you for your kindly response,
In my case the front USB isn’t working even when the rear USB is disconnected. May be some hardware trouble?
Thank you again!

[Aldo22]

I don't quite understand your situation.
Is your problem that the device is freezing or that the front USB is not working?
Is it immediately freezing or is it running for a while?
Does it freeze again when you restart it immediately?
If it freezes immediately, how do you know if the front USB is working?
Did you do anything special before the problems occurred?

[Elextro]

 Well, after a short period of time with the oscilloscope 2D15 I changed it for the Rigol DHO802 and the change has been like overnight. The only bad thing about the Rigol is the startup time, otherwise it is another world. There are no shaky images and the response is much smoother than the Hantek. Not to mention the touch screen that makes everything much simpler and more intuitive. Very happy with the change, the 12bits are very noticeable. I move to the Rigol section. Greetings

[Aldo22]

Well, after a short period of time with the oscilloscope 2D15 I changed it for the Rigol DHO802 and the change has been like overnight. The only bad thing about the Rigol is the startup time, otherwise it is another world. There are no shaky images and the response is much smoother than the Hantek. Not to mention the touch screen that makes everything much simpler and more intuitive. Very happy with the change, the 12bits are very noticeable. I move to the Rigol section. Greetings

Congratulations!
I just always wonder why you don't buy a Rigol / Siglent right away if the price doesn't matter.
Where I live, I can get three DSO2000s for one DHO802.
Of course the Rigol / Siglent is better, anything else would be very strange.

[Elextro]

Well, it turns out that price does matter, because first I had to sell the Hantek and something else to be able to buy the Rigol. Otherwise my wife kicks me out of the house.

[MentalFloss]

AliExpress had an offer of £15 off spending over £129. Found a DSO2C10 with an extra probe for £129.05 including delivery. -£15 +20% tax (VAT) = £137 all in, which seemed pretty good to me.

Hi, could you point me to the £15 off if it's still valid?

Also did you get charged any import taxes to UK? I thought max was £125 before they started to charge you import tax. Thanks

[Aldo22]

AliExpress had an offer of £15 off spending over £129. Found a DSO2C10 with an extra probe for £129.05 including delivery. -£15 +20% tax (VAT) = £137 all in, which seemed pretty good to me.

Hi, could you point me to the £15 off if it's still valid?

Also did you get charged any import taxes to UK? I thought max was £125 before they started to charge you import tax. Thanks

One of the cheapest stores is this one:
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/1005006350502458.html

At Aliexpress there are often "Welcome deals" or "Choice days", where it gets even cheaper.

[RobtP]

The offers come and go. You catch them when you can.
VAT is always payable and is taken by sellers and remitted to UK government. After some figure, I don't know what it is, it becomes your responsibility to pay on import. Some goods have import duties, or other taxes apply (such as alcohol) additional to VAT. I don't know what happens if we purchase something in one of those categories.
The VAT is calculated when you have the goods in the cart. Some product listings are shown without shipping, some are inclusive. Either way, they tend to come out at roughly the same price once in the cart.

[MentalFloss]

Has anyone updated to the latest firmware  from 2024-05-07 I can find on their website?
What are the outstanding problems with this scope with the latest firmware?

[MentalFloss]

With a probe, you probably pick up most of the noise from the screen. Stay away from it.

OK but in practice most people need to use the scope probe. So how would you stay away from, or at least minimise, the screen noise?

[Aldo22]

Has anyone updated to the latest firmware  from 2024-05-07 I can find on their website?
What are the outstanding problems with this scope with the latest firmware?

The scope sometimes freezes within 1-2 minutes directly after starting.
However, this is not related to the firmware version (afaik).
If this happens, let it continue to run briefly and then restart it. After the second boot, it will run "forever". I have never had it crash during a measurement.
You can avoid this to a large extent by setting it to default settings before switching it off, so that it is not immediately overloaded at the next cold start (memory depth, persistence etc.).
The good thing is that it starts in 12 seconds. Other scopes need up to a minute for this.

Otherwise it has a few bugs and shortcomings, because it is an extremely cheap scope with a wide range of functions (AWG, protocol decoding, FFT etc.).
In principle it is a $150 scope. You shouldn't pay much more for it.
If you adjust your expectations, it's an amazing device for hobbyists.
Take it for what it is. It doesn't compare to modern Siglents or Rigols, but they don't have anything for $150, not even used (where I live).

If it were a car, I'd say it's perfect for driving to the mall twice a week.
For other requirements, I would go for a more expensive one.

[Aldo22]

With a probe, you probably pick up most of the noise from the screen. Stay away from it.

OK but in practice most people need to use the scope probe. So how would you stay away from, or at least minimise, the screen noise?

Yes, but this only becomes visible at low voltages.
The picture below is measured with probes on an Arduino. No problem.
If you are looking for a "perfect" scope, you will have to spend more money.

[MentalFloss]

Yes, but this only becomes visible at low voltages.

I was impressed by your picture of the 1mV signal. Are you saying that this sort of low level measurement is not possible with a probe, even a better probe than that supplied by Hantek?

[Aldo22]

I was impressed by your picture of the 1mV signal. Are you saying that this sort of low level measurement is not possible with a probe, even a better probe than that supplied by Hantek?

It depends.
Not with the probe in the 10x setting anyway, because at 1mV at the tip only 100uV would reach the scope (Min. V/div at 10x ist 20mV)
In 1x mode with an adapter it looks good (Maybe with a ground spring too).
The crocodile clip with its cable acts as an antenna and 300uVRMS is not much.
But this is generally the case with all probes/scopes.

[MentalFloss]

Not with the probe in the 10x setting anyway, because at 1mV at the tip only 100uV would reach the scope (Min. V/div at 10x ist 20mV)
In 1x mode with an adapter it looks good (Maybe with a ground spring too).

Right, so I get myself a decent probe that has 30MHz bandwidth in x1 mode because I don't want to be limited to 6MHz bandwidth.

So then, other than the correct use and positioning of the probe, what scope settings are needed to minimise noise on the signal? I saw your list alongside the 1mV picture but which settings are you applying exactly?

Also, going back to screen noise, is that specific to this scope because it is insufficiently shielded? Or is it common with all DSOs?

[Aldo22]

I saw your list alongside the 1mV picture but which settings are you applying exactly?

It is Hi-Res acquisition mode with 20MHz bandwidth limitation.

But look, the DSO2000 is a $150 entry level general purpose scope.
For many it is the first DSO. There is still no cheaper one with this range of functions.
It's for people who don't yet know exactly what they need, want to understand what DSOs are all about and perhaps want to experiment with Arduino, etc.

It is well suited for this and the financial risk is low in any case.

But you know that you want to measure microvolts @30MHz.
That's really pushing the limits of the DSO2000 and for that I would buy a better scope.
Maybe a 12-bit scope like the Siglent SDS804X or the Rigol DHO804. However, I'm not sure whether these devices are ideal for your purpose.
Just ask in the relevant threads.

[unicornio]

hi, David,

I just wanted to publicly thank you for your work with this cheap oscilloscope...really the cheapest instrument I have ever bought in my life...:-)
It didn't work too badly with the firmware that came from the factory, but when I updated it with the firmware that Hantek has on its website, everything fell apart...it kept hanging...

With your latest firmware it's back to normal...

Thanks again

un abrazo desde gredos, españa!
Salud!

[unicornio]

Noisy oscilloscope

I have made some modifications to the dso2d10...basically I wanted to improve ventilation and cooling, and put measures in place that can mitigate the problem of internal and external noise...

For the ventilation issue I have put a fan, something obvious, and also some adhesive heatsinks on the main chip boxes, and I think it has been beneficial, I have it on for many hours and during this summer there have been no problems...

With regard to noise, I have installed a mains filter at the power input, and I have also twisted the flat cables so that they are a little more immune, and I have put ferrite chokes...

I think it has been worth it

Salud!

[Aldo22]

Sometimes I think I have a different scope than you guys.
I've never had any thermal problem with this scope and the mysterious "terrible noise” has never prevented me from taking any measurements.
But well, if you have fun...

[unicornio]

maybe you dont work with any radio comunications equipment on your bench?...

[Aldo22]

maybe you dont work with any radio comunications equipment on your bench?...

Yes, you're right.
I don't necessarily see the noise when measuring with the scope, but the Tinysa, for example, can see it.

In my opinion, however, the main source is the screen and there's probably not much you can do about that?