Is Rigol DS1054Z still a good option in 2019?

[Mr. Scram]

It's remarkable how those who value their personal hobby time are wasting a lot of it on the same discussion about brands over and over. Unless it's not personal hobby time but professional on the clock time, in which case I assume the forum moderators would have a rather different view on the forum participation.

[Simon]

People are free to do as they please with their time, I see a mate on here regularly when I know ho is at work I use the forum at work too but I deam it to be more of a learning experience.

[Mr. Scram]

People are free to do as they please with their time, I see a mate on here regularly when I know ho is at work I use the forum at work too but I deam it to be more of a learning experience.

Sure, though being on the forum at work and trying to make a buck by working on the forum are two different things.

[2N3055]

And don't try to argue price, price apparently doesn't matter, that is the entire "squabble" here isn't it?

No! Price is precisely the point!

You can look at the hundreds of threads like this, in this forum, and you'll see that, in the end, all scopes that have been discussed do the job that the OPs require.

So, if you can do the job with less buy the cheaper that does the job. If you want one that may someday be used in a unicorn situation, and are willing to spend that money, then go that way.

This is all about bang for the bucks, and all these scopes have aprox. the same bang for the bucks ratio!!

If you want more bang, then add more bucks. If the bang is enough, stop there!

In case of doubts, go for the KS UXR and it should get you covered.

PS: Definitely, this should be a sticky!

Agree!!
In life, there is always something a bit pricier and somewhat better, and then something a bit pricier and better than that....
You don't use or recommend Ferrari to deliver pizza, despite Ferrary being better car than VW Polo diesel...

No! Price is precisely the point!

I agree entirely. Bang for buck. It's the fud and hyperbole that people in this thread are throwing around about Rigol belonging in a dumpster that I take issue with.

The OP wants to know if the Rigol DS1054Z is still a good option in 2019. And the answer is just yes. It is. For its price right now, in 2019, it is still an amazing bang for buck.
If you have a little extra get the Siglent SDS1104X-E. But the rhetoric here that Rigol shouldn't even be considered and that Siglent is the entry level I just find off putting. Esspecially since it simply isn't true.
............

And as Vaiti says it simply still is. You know why? Because it was in 2017 and 2018 and nothing changed or happened since then to change that. SDS1104X-E is not a competitor to DS1054Z, it is a step up on price scale. And above it there is Rigol MSO5000.. And .......

My advice is to skip DS1054Z and give a little more money and get Keysight MSO-X 3000T... It IS a bit more money, but it is better scope,  you know..
But wait,  MSO-X 3000T has small memory,and there are scopes that have 12-16 bit resolution.... Maybe give a bit more money and go for Infiniium S‑Series. It is better, you know.. 

The whole idea of "bang for the buck" is what is best i can get for the money I have in my hand..

For the Rigol DS1054Z kind of money, Rigol DS1054Z is still best bang for the buck.
For the Siglent SDS1104X-E kind of money,SDS1104X is BBFTB .
For Rigol MSO5000 kind of money MSOX5000 is BBFTB .
For Siglent SDS5000X kind of money SDS5000X seems to be BBFTB.

There are other scopes in those price ranges, that some might prefer for some reason (fancy brand, specific function etc.). But those wouldn't be BBFTB, just justified to the buyer for their own reason.
Also, what kind of money people are willing to part with is their decision.  Sometimes people have hard limit on money, and sometimes they just want certain technology level, and are willing to pay for it.

This stands as of today, unless there is change in prices somehow, or a new scope comes to scene, those categories are standing today and will until something changes...

It really should be a one page sticky..

[Fungus]

It really should be a one page sticky..

There's light at the end of the tunnel. These threads get shorter every time.

I predict the next one will be very short indeed. 

[uargo]

In my modest opinion, he will say that Rigol is quite good for its price, but if I stick to the parameters, in Spain:
The Rigol DS1054Z costs € 400 with taxes included.
The Siglent SDS1104x-e costs € 510 with taxes included.
The price difference is € 100, it is 25% and not 50% with they say out there.
If we have to hack the two oscilloscopes, we get:

Rigol 4 channels, 100Mhz and serial decoders, for € 400.

Siglent 4 channels, 200Mhz, serial decoders, Wifi, AWG license (option to expand to AWG) and MSO license (option to expand to MSO), for € 510.

And if we enter into technical characteristics:

Siglent is better than Rigol in:

Siglent has 2 Adc of 1Gs, being able to work the 4 channels at 500Ms
Rigol has 1 Adc of 1Gs, being able to work the 4 channels at 250Ms

Siglent Wfm = ​​100,000, up to 400,000 in segmented memory.
Rigol Wfm = ​​30,000.

Siglent has 14Mb x 2, that is 14Mbs per 2 channels = 28Mbs.
Rigol has 24Mb.

Siglent has FFT of 1Mp, really usable and reliable.
Rigol has a toy FFT.

Siglent has SFRA or Bode Plot with an AWG (any AWG from Siglent works).

Siglent has Wifi, remote control by web, option to expand to AWG and MSO.

Siglent moves faster in the menus because of its more modern hardware.

Siglent has functions of tables and markers in FFT and serial decoding, etc. They really help a lot.

With this I do not say that Rigol is a bad option, much less, but if seeing its technical characteristics the Siglent is one step above the Rigol, and the price is also a step above.

It all depends on whether you want or can spend those extra € 100.

[SmokeyTheElectrician]

With that MSO 5000 series,
in particular the 5074 with hacks,IMHO,
Rigol owns the knee in the curve ( ~$1000+/-)
of diminishing returns for the hobbyist market.

Even so,I am totally on board with either the
Siglent 1104 or Rigol 5074 and hacks.

However, I ended up "bargaining-out" with
a $230 deal on the Rigol 1054  from my local uCenter,
which with the "hacks", should more than support my
futzing around with electronics ( mostly rPi, ucontrollers,
and FPGA / CPLD programmable logic ) for quite a while...

Before stumbling across the uCenter deal on the Rigol 1054,
I was much more thinking, "well, I have ~ $200 or $250 in
the budget today for such a purchase and PayPal has that
6 months no interest payment plan, so I should get the
Siglent 1104 with $250 as a down payment of sorts and
then pay it off with 6 payments of about $42 without
incurring any interest.

cheers to all.

[SmokeyTheElectrician]

confession:

this is a duplicate post from the what did you buy today thread,
but read on, I think it may help someone(s) score a total deal
on a Rigol 1054z.

--

I found the caveat in the deal,
the calibration just expired.

Which is fine for my bench.
I doubt my old GW Instek GOS-635G
was ever calibrated outside the factory
and it has served me well for the past
couple years ( bought used from someone
of whom I believed obtained it from
someone else who bought surplus from
when ITT Tech closed up shop ).

It must have gotten lost and been
laying around for 12 or 15 months
and they just wanted to clear it out.

If anyone is in the market for a great deal on a Rigol 1054z,
uCenter's web store was showing they still have a handful
or two scattered around the USA and last I checked they
were down to 184.31.
   ( store pick up only -- 1@Duluth-GA, 2@Rockville-MD, 2@Westbury-NY,
      1@Brooklyn-NY, and 3@Yonkers-NY )
By the time they sell the last one, someone is going to walk away
with a 1054z for something entirely ridiculous, like $35.

Cheers.

[thinkfat]

The whole idea of "bang for the buck" is what is best i can get for the money I have in my hand..

For the Rigol DS1054Z kind of money, Rigol DS1054Z is still best bang for the buck.
For the Siglent SDS1104X-E kind of money,SDS1104X is BBFTB .
For Rigol MSO5000 kind of money MSOX5000 is BBFTB .
For Siglent SDS5000X kind of money SDS5000X seems to be BBFTB.

Memorable quote from "Top Gear" (when it was still Top Gear):

The best car you can get for Mondeo money is a Mondeo.

[Gandalf_Sr]

If we have to hack the two oscilloscopes, we get:

Rigol 4 channels, 100Mhz 300MHz and serial decoders, for € 400.

Siglent 4 channels, 200Mhz, serial decoders, Wifi, AWG license (option to expand to AWG) and MSO license (option to expand to MSO), for € 510.

And if we enter into non-technical characteristics:

I bought a new Siglent scope that had missing capacitors that caused an issue where you had to re-calibrate the probes when changing Y gain.  Siglent told me that this was an in-specification 'feature' and offered to send me the missing (surface mount) capacitors, they also confirmed that, if I took the back off the scope, I'd void my warranty.

No doubt we'll be told by the Siglent fan boys that this is all now fixed, in fact someone was saying that Siglent was actively working on the firmware which I presume meant that Rigol weren't!  That could be interpreted to mean that the Rigol is full debugged but the Siglent isn't.

I own two $10,000ish 4-channel Keysight scopes but the DS1054Z still does 99% of what I need.  IMHO, buy the DS1054Z and use Riglol (not a typo) to upgrade it to 300 MHz and all options enabled.  Spend what you save on beer or a gift for the one you love.

[bingo600]

IMHO, buy the DS1054Z and use Riglol (not a typo) to upgrade it to 300 MHz and all options enabled.  Spend what you save on beer or a gift for the one you love.

Hmm where did those 300MHz come from 

Can a DS1054Z do 300MHz wo. any hw mod ?

/Bingo

[TK]

IMHO, buy the DS1054Z and use Riglol (not a typo) to upgrade it to 300 MHz and all options enabled.  Spend what you save on beer or a gift for the one you love.

Hmm where did those 300MHz come from 

Can a DS1054Z do 300MHz wo. any hw mod ?

/Bingo

With just the 100MHz software hack (all other options are now included for free) I am able to see a 450MHz signal (very attenuated, but well formed sinewave) on my DS1054Z. Frequency measurement is spot on (450MHz).

[Fungus]

Hmm where did those 300MHz come from 

Can a DS1054Z do 300MHz wo. any hw mod ?

No, the -3dB point is usually about 135MHz

You'll be able to see a 300Mhz signal but don't rely on the voltage measurements being accurate.

[nctnico]

Hmm where did those 300MHz come from 

Can a DS1054Z do 300MHz wo. any hw mod ?

No, the -3dB point is usually about 135MHz

You'll be able to see a 300Mhz signal but don't rely on the voltage measurements being accurate.

Exactly. And there have been better options out there for a long time. GW Instek 1054B for example. Similar price but much better compared to the Rigol 1054Z.

[Fungus]

Exactly. And there have been better options out there for a long time. GW Instek 1054B for example. Similar price but much better compared to the Rigol 1054Z.

Now that it's been fully hacked, yes. It's a great little 'scope if you can get one for a good price (price is very variable by distributor/country).

[Fungus]

In my modest opinion, he will say that Rigol is quite good for its price, but if I stick to the parameters, in Spain:
The Rigol DS1054Z costs € 400 with taxes included.

https://www.tequipment.net/Rigol/DS1054Z-B/Digital-Oscilloscopes/

(plus you get EEVBLOG discount if you buy there)

[Martin72]

For this price, there´s no alternative in sight..

[nctnico]

For this price, there´s no alternative in sight..

There is. The GDS-1054B is only marginally more expensive and is well worth the extra money. More memory, individual channel controls, faster UI, freeform math, 1Mpts FFT and full memory decoding (when hacked).

[Martin72]

https://www.reichelt.de/digital-speicher-oszilloskop-gds-1054b-50-mhz-4-kanaele-gds-1054b-p176032.html?&trstct=pol_1

https://www.batronix.com/versand/oszilloskope/Rigol-DS1054Z.html

If it was 50 bucks more, I would agree.

[nctnico]

https://www.reichelt.de/digital-speicher-oszilloskop-gds-1054b-50-mhz-4-kanaele-gds-1054b-p176032.html?&trstct=pol_1

https://www.batronix.com/versand/oszilloskope/Rigol-DS1054Z.html

If it was 50 bucks more, I would agree.

On Tequipment.net it is less than 50 bucks more compared to the DS1054Z. IOW: you have to shop around a bit to get a good price.

[Martin72]

Gwinstek I don´t know really.
Got experiences with Tektronix, Lecroy, Siglent; Uni-T, Rigol.

GW claims to have 10mpts per channel memory - If it were so, it would be a benefit (when needed).
But in the specs it wouldn´t be claimed, only 10mpts in general.

DS1000Z got 12mpts/24mpts optional/ hacked, divided when more channels are active.
Also the same screensize and resolution.
Tons of trigger-things they got both, except alternate which the gwinstek got.
Rigol got lots of math functions, including filters.

I don´t see really remarkable advantages.

[nctnico]

Gwinstek I don´t know really.
Got experiences with Tektronix, Lecroy, Siglent; Uni-T, Rigol.

GW claims to have 10mpts per channel memory - If it were so, it would be a benefit (when needed).
But in the specs it wouldn´t be claimed, only 10mpts in general.

I don´t see really remarkable advantages.

Then please read a review before making wrong assumption. For starters the GDS1054B has 20Mpts per channel in segmented mode. This is a GDS2024E review I wrote a long time ago: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/gw-instek-gds2204e-(200mhz-4-channel-dso)-review/
It basically covers everything the GDS-1054B has when hacked. The only differences are a smaller screen on the GDS1054B and half the samplerate (which is why the GDS1054B has a hardware fixed bandwidth of 100MHz). Other than that it is the same hardware & software platform:


When hacked the GDS1054B is miles ahead of what the Rigol 1054Z can do. GW Instek has many clever productivity boosters in their firmware as well.

[Martin72]

Then please read a review before making wrong assumption.

It should be enough to trust on the specs they disclaim, not to wait/ search for private peoples reviews…
But thank you, I´ll read it soon.

[nctnico]

Then please read a review before making wrong assumption.

It should be enough to trust on the specs they disclaim, not to wait/ search for private peoples reviews…
But thank you, I´ll read it soon.

The specs usually paint only half the picture when it comes to an oscilloscope. You really need to test an oscilloscope thouroughly yourself or go by thourough reviews. For me it was a nice surprise the firmware was quite mature on the GW Instek compared to what Siglent and Rigol tend to put on the market when a device is still relatively new. And bugs where fixed quickly too.

[rsjsouza]

Differently than Rigol or Siglent, keep in mind that GW Instek does not offically support decoders on their oscilloscope. You need to hack it to get this functionality.

Sure, others report that it works well, but it is surely worth noting. I personally would be very cautious, but YMMV.