Automotive oscilloscope suggestions

[Freak007]

Good morning and a happy new year everyone.

I am currently in the market for an ocilliscope that will be primarily used for diagnostics of automotive drivability issues.

A little about myself, I am an auto tech by trade. I am familiar with the use of a scope in this capacity, but I would not consider myself an expert. In the past, I have used the Snap On Vantage Pro, Modis and Picoscope 3223. I prefer the portability of the Vantage Pro, but the screen and user interface of the Picoscope. I have used a Hantek once, but did not like the provided software.

I am no longer employed in the automotive industry, but I still do alot of automotive and power sports work for myself and my family, as well as the occasional side job, so this scope would be used in a mostly home/hobbiest type environment. My budget is $250-300.

I was originally going to get the Picoscope 2205 and use it with the standard software and attenuators. However, I am not dead set on it, and some recent searching has me wondering if there is possibly other options to consider. For example, maybe the VDS1022I, or a used Fluke 97/98? I'm also not directly opposed to a bench unit (GDS 1054B?), but I am concerned about portability and durability with it's intended use.

Any advice is appreciated. Thank you.

[nctnico]

MicSig ATO1102 could be an option but nearly twice your budget.

[Dennis Frie]

I remember having an Owon oscilloscope many years ago that supported battery. They still seem to have some series with battery-support, which might be worth a look.. It's a "traditional" bench oscilloscope, but not sure if you prefer that or not?
Their series OWON SmartDS seems to support battery. Not the most fancy oscilloscope on the market though.

[Freak007]

MicSig ATO1102 could be an option but nearly twice your budget.

Yes, there are several tablet based systems that I would be interested in, unfortunately they are outside my budget.

I remember having an Owon oscilloscope many years ago that supported battery. They still seem to have some series with battery-support, which might be worth a look.. It's a "traditional" bench oscilloscope, but not sure if you prefer that or not?
Their series OWON SmartDS seems to support battery. Not the most fancy oscilloscope on the market though.

I have actually never used a bench type oscilloscope, so I really have no opinion on them. My concern regarding them is mostly portability (size more than power source) and durability in the intended environment...



Has anyone used the Hantek scopes with Sigork or Open Hantek?

[J-R]

Owon makes quite a few handheld scopes that might be of interest.  I have the HDS1021M-N which I snagged at deep discount (under $100) and at that price I'm plenty happy with it.  However, the DMM aspect of it is painfully slow and just not worth using except in emergencies in my opinion.  Can't say if that is an issue with the other models.  The unit seems well built and rugged.  I also have the VDS1022I.  Both of these Owon scopes have not really seen any software or firmware updates since release many, many years ago.  So to me they feel a bit antiquated at this point, but they are still fully functional.

The newer Hantek "auto" series of handheld and USB scopes could also be worth checking out as they have some automotive features and accessories.  It doesn't look like Open Hantek works with them.  The screens on the handheld models in your price range are pretty small.  Hardware and software quality might be a concern.  Owon seems to get higher marks in this area.

There are also some handheld scopes from All-Sun, SainSmart and the typical no-name brands.

[Freak007]

Owon makes quite a few handheld scopes that might be of interest.  I have the HDS1021M-N which I snagged at deep discount (under $100) and at that price I'm plenty happy with it.  However, the DMM aspect of it is painfully slow and just not worth using except in emergencies in my opinion.  Can't say if that is an issue with the other models.  The unit seems well built and rugged.  I also have the VDS1022I.  Both of these Owon scopes have not really seen any software or firmware updates since release many, many years ago.  So to me they feel a bit antiquated at this point, but they are still fully functional.

The newer Hantek "auto" series of handheld and USB scopes could also be worth checking out as they have some automotive features and accessories.  It doesn't look like Open Hantek works with them.  The screens on the handheld models in your price range are pretty small.  Hardware and software quality might be a concern.  Owon seems to get higher marks in this area.

There are also some handheld scopes from All-Sun, SainSmart and the typical no-name brands.

Thank you very much for the input. I was unaware of Owon's handheld scopes. One thing I didn't specify is that I have no use for a single channel scope, which does rule out the HDS1021. However, Owon does make several 2 channel handhelds that from the little research I have done, seem would be useful in my application, although most seem to agree with you that the DMM portion is worthless. Fortunately for me, I own several DMM and would probably never use that feature. So far I am finding the HDS1022 for around $350, which is more than I want to spend, but if I can find a deal or perhaps lightly used it would be inside my budget.

I am not particularly concerned with having an "automotive specific" scope as I feel I am familiar enough with the waveform I would typically be viewing to not require the auto setup and waveform examples typical of the "automotive" specific scopes.

The more research I do, the more I think I am going to steer clear of Hantek and no-name scopes. I'd rather spend a little more to get a tool that is going to do what I need with minimal frustration and last.

[J-R]

Well, Owon isn't exactly anything special either, and some of those ARE quite old models.  So the no-names could still be worth checking into.

I see Siglent also has some handheld scopes, generally just a tad above your price range but maybe they are worth the extra money or you could wait for a deal.

[faraday]

In my experience, you need a deep memory oscilloscope for automotive applications. A preferred computer oscilloscope such as the PICOscope. 2 channels may not be sufficient for advanced diagnostics. The advantage will be a "floating ground" oscilloscope with a resolution of 12 bits.

[Xandinator]

When you already have the computer set up for OBD II you might as well attach a USB scope... At least that's the setup I've been using without any issues before upgrading to a handheld scope.
Although momentarily PicoScopes' support for Android or sigrok is not probable, the same was said about macOS support when I bought mine back in the day, so you might give it a shot. Also an AWG can come in handy?

[crerus75]

I suggest you look at the HScope Android app.  I have it on an old, inexpensive Android tablet.  I teamed it up with a Hantek 1008C scope that I bought used. 

The 1008C gives you 4 channels with the HScope app.  The specs of the scope are nothing to write home about but for most automotive tasks they're fine.  This is actually an 8 channel scope but only 4 channels work with the app.  If you want all 8 channels you need to use the Hantek factory software, which is nowhere near as usable as the app.

I recommend you look at a YouTube channel called Gadgets Playlist.  Dennis (the host) showcases a lot of the capabilities of the app with a variety of different USB scopes, including some DIY ones built on the STM32 development board.  He also covers a variety of different DIY probes and sensor implementations. 

I already had the tablet and bought the scope used but if I had to replicate this setup, I could do it with all new stuff for under $300. 

-The 1008C scope is on Amazon right now for about $110.  Shop around, there may be better prices.  I found a lightly used one on the infamous auction site for about $70 and snagged it.

-You can find a new Android tablet for about $100, give or take.  My old tablet is practically a doorstop but runs the HScope app just fine so you don't need anything very high-end.  I also have HScope running on a Kindle Fire (which takes some doing, as Kindles don't ship with the Google Play store) and also on my phone.

-There is a free version of the HScope app but to get all the channels and functionality you need to pay.  Each license you buy (about $14 apiece) enables it for a particular oscilloscope type.  I bought licenses for the Hantek 1008C and the Hantek 6022BL because those are the two USB scopes available to me.  I may eventually build one of the ultra-compact scopes based on the STM32 board, at which time I'll have to buy another license.  I wish I hadn't bought the 6022BL scope OR license, but too late now.

-You're also going to want to buy the HScope automotive module add-on, which is $12 or so.  It adds data recording and analysis features (cylinder overlay, etc.).  It's pretty useful and I recommend it for automotive work.  There are audio and digital modules available but I've never used them so can't comment.

-You'll need a USB OTG adapter.  I think mine was $12 on Amazon.  Do a bit of research on Martin Loren's HScope website (http://hscope.martinloren.com/) because some work better than others.

-Some scopes also require an external USB charger/battery bank but the 1008C does not.  It gets its power from the tablet's USB port. 

-The 1008C comes with BNC-to-alligator cables (but no scope probes) and I think a HV secondary ignition clamp.  If you want actual scope probes, I've bought generic ones on Amazon for $14/pair.  Search for P6100 oscilloscope probe.  They are inexpensive but are fine for just about anything automotive.  Then again, you may find that the alligator clip leads work fine for what you want to do.

-A pair of 20:1 attenuators (useful if you want to tame the inductive kick of a fuel injector or relay coil) are available for about $20.  Look for Hantek HT-201 on Amazon.

-You'll probably want a tablet case of some kind and most likely a screen protector.

So $220ish for the scope and tablet, another $25 for the app, and maybe another $40 for a case and an OTG adapter gets you a decent automotive scope package for a little less than $300, or right around $300 if you need scope probes or attenuators.  If you already have an Android tablet you might get this done for less than $200. 

For that money you won't quite have a PicoScope, but you'll have a pretty capable automotive oscilloscope that's a little more portable than a laptop-based device.  I find mine very useful for automotive work.