Author Topic: Need help selecting oscilloscope  (Read 7963 times)

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Offline JayyTopic starter

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Need help selecting oscilloscope
« on: December 30, 2014, 02:03:59 pm »
Hi,

I am in to embedded systems work mostly.
Frequency of work: up to 80Mhz

Need help is selecting the best scope between the 2. They both are the same rate.

Rigol
http://www.rigolna.com/products/digital-oscilloscopes/mso2000a/mso2302a-s/
300Mhz bandwidth
2GSa/s
110,000 wfs


Hameg
http://shop.rohde-schwarz.com/uk/hameghmo3054.html
500 Mhz Bandwidth
4GSa/s
5000 wfs

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Jayy.
 

Offline rf-loop

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #1 on: December 30, 2014, 02:29:21 pm »
If someone put to table exactly these named two oscilloscopes and tell me I can free (this delete any effect of money) select which one I want to take.  (related by my own needs and what are important for me  and I also know what is difference between "up to" 50000wfm/s and 4800wfm/s and what difference between intensity grading and what is difference between memory and so on...  and many other dingle dongles. )

I do not need think even 1 second: Rohde@Schwarz (Hameg).

If need select between Rigol MSO4000 series 4ch model  and this Hameg... then need think and think...
« Last Edit: December 30, 2014, 02:53:37 pm by rf-loop »
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Offline rf-loop

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #2 on: December 30, 2014, 05:39:40 pm »

The waveform rate is 200.000 wfs (and not 5000 wfs) - HOO14 is part of the deal.


Oh, it really come also with many options. In this price and quality class  it looks really hardcore offer.

Btw, I have understood that this HOO14 is  segmented memory and there (up to) 200000 wfm/s  (for compare, Siglent SDS2000 segmented memory speed is up to over 400000 waveforms/s (segments) but of course it can not show this speed real time on the screen))

or do you mean it rise also realtime displayed waveform update rate on the screen to 200kwfm/s.
In updated data sheet:   "Waveform update rate up to 5000 Wfm/s"  and older datasheet 4800.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2014, 05:42:54 pm by rf-loop »
EV of course. Cars with smoke exhaust pipes - go to museum. In Finland quite all electric power is made using nuclear, wind, solar and water.

Wises must compel the mad barbarians to stop their crimes against humanity. Where have the (strong)wises gone?
 

Offline nctnico

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #3 on: December 30, 2014, 08:15:37 pm »
In that pricerange I'd also consider the Lecroy Wavesurfer 3000 series. One of the downsides of the Hameg is the 640x480 screen where 800x480 is standard nowadays.
« Last Edit: December 30, 2014, 08:17:18 pm by nctnico »
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 

Offline Mark_O

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2014, 05:42:41 am »
In that pricerange I'd also consider the Lecroy Wavesurfer 3000 series.

In general, I'd agree.  However, I don't know that a WS3000 actually IS in that price range, once you've bundled in all the options in the R&S promo.

The base on the WS3054 is about 7-grand, before the pricey MSO and decoder options are  added on.  And that doesn't include CAN decode, which still isn't available at any price (which I find very surprising).

[and if a 2-analog channel version would be adequate for your needs, in conjunction with the 16-logic channels; a 3052 configuration isn't even an option with LeCroy.]
« Last Edit: December 31, 2014, 05:45:00 am by Mark_O »
 

Offline nctnico

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #5 on: December 31, 2014, 08:44:45 am »
Still: Wavesurfer 3000 versus HMO3000 means a 1040x600 screen versus 640x480. IMHO it is worth to spend some extra cash on twice the amount of screen real estate.
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 

Offline Wuerstchenhund

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #6 on: December 31, 2014, 09:16:42 am »
In general, I'd agree.  However, I don't know that a WS3000 actually IS in that price range, once you've bundled in all the options in the R&S promo.

The base on the WS3054 is about 7-grand, before the pricey MSO and decoder options are  added on.  And that doesn't include CAN decode, which still isn't available at any price (which I find very surprising).

It looks like you're in the US so you could always contact a LeCroy salesdroid and show them the pricing for the Hameg, and ask them to match that price. They often even include the software options (i.e. CAN) you want.

There's quite a bit of haggle room with the more expensive LeCroy scopes.
« Last Edit: December 31, 2014, 09:18:25 am by Wuerstchenhund »
 

Offline Wuerstchenhund

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #7 on: December 31, 2014, 01:34:23 pm »
One should once read all these nice stories about the LeCroy series made by Siglent or Iwatsu ... - their reputation is on stake since they have a partnership with Siglent.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/emergency-help-scope-purchase/30/

Good luck with the low end series from LeCroy !

Not sure if there's much point in going through that thread. Fact is that the low end LeCroy scopes (WaveAce Series) are rebadged Siglent SDS1000CML/CFL scopes whith shoddy Siglent firmware and a ridiculous price tag. This was certainly a mistake as people (rightfully) expect LeCroy quality when buying these scopes, just to be later disappointed when the Siglent developed firmware is full of bugs. It also certainly affected LeCroy's reputation.

However the WaveSurfer 3000 is not a low end scope, and it is *not* a Siglent rebadge. LeCroy has developed the scope together with Siglent, and all of the Software comes from LeCroy. It's essentially the same kind of partnership LeCroy once closed with Iwatsu, who at the time didn't really know how to design a proper DSO, and which resulted in what were probebly the most reliable LeCroy scopes ever (WaveRunner LT, WaveRunner2 LT, WavePro 900).

So the short lesson to learn is that stay away from the LeCroy WaveAce, but there's no need to worry regarding the WaveSurfer 3000.
 

Offline don

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #8 on: January 03, 2015, 04:59:55 am »
Ironically it may not be a "rebadge" in the sense of 100% turnkey solution like waveace, but you can buy the same scope with the LeCroy badge or Siglent badge and it makes quality-conscious  people wary.  Regardless of who's SW  is in it, how partnerships are supposed to work, or how past partnerships have worked. 

New partnerships are often  perceived as a new company with a mix of the two companies strengths, weaknesses and the unknown wildcard of how well it all worked in the end.  They just need  substantial service time behind the product with a favorable outcome.   LeCroy obviously could have avoided this by designing in- house or at least disallowing siglent from selling the identical siglent  sds3000  given how easy it is to do a google search.  But they saved cost with co-design and apparently do not get a free pass that all is well because of the lecroy name.

The logistics of a co-design are not great for engineering.  Communication between company a and company b is dictated by nda's that limit IP transfer.  NDA's are designed to share just enough info.  Never more than needed if lawyers are doing their job.  The reason is if you share to much then the company with the more valuable IP (presumably lecroy) may teach the other company trade secrets which will hurt them down the road in the form of competition.  If you share to little the product may have issues. So design targets can fall through the cracks or just are not communicated or tested.  The concern is real and not unique to these two companies.   Time will tell how successful the partnership was.  Its the risk you take when you save development costs with co-designs and sell the same scope under different brands. 

The good news is LeCroy saved cost and the ws3000 might be a very good  scope.  It does have lecroy SW in it, albeit with less features than some may expect from higher end lecroy's (ie very limited math capability). But in general it seems to check all the major features a scope of this class should have so is one of several to consider in this price class depending on your needs and likes ( agilent, tek, hameg, etc as well obviously ).  The bad news is they might have a hard time getting traction with sales until there are more first-hand  reviews for day-to-day usage to convince people to take the plunge. I only saw one on youtube, may be others.  The really really bad news would be the hypothetical worst case scenario where siglent did not hold up their end of the deal and hw design is not where it should be.
 

Offline devanno

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #9 on: January 03, 2015, 06:12:12 am »
If you follow the rule of 5's, the only one of the two that meets your needs is the 500MHz 'scope.  The rule of 5's says that you want a -system- (o'scope and probes) that are rated at least 5X the highest bandwidth you're measuring.  Of course, many 'scopes will measure higher, but they'll have greater attenuation once you pass their rating.
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Offline nctnico

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #10 on: January 03, 2015, 11:45:09 am »
The really really bad news would be the hypothetical worst case scenario where siglent did not hold up their end of the deal and hw design is not where it should be.
Fortunately designing the hardware for a DSO is extremely easy compared to the software. Judging the teardowns of various pieces of Siglent equipment they seem to be capable of designing good hardware.
There are small lies, big lies and then there is what is on the screen of your oscilloscope.
 

Offline Wuerstchenhund

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #11 on: January 03, 2015, 01:26:01 pm »
Ironically it may not be a "rebadge" in the sense of 100% turnkey solution like waveace, but you can buy the same scope with the LeCroy badge or Siglent badge and it makes quality-conscious  people wary.  Regardless of who's SW  is in it, how partnerships are supposed to work, or how past partnerships have worked. 

Then I guess you will never buy a car because all cars are more or less designed that way. Or travelling by train or airplane.

Quote
New partnerships are often  perceived as a new company with a mix of the two companies strengths, weaknesses and the unknown wildcard of how well it all worked in the end.  They just need  substantial service time behind the product with a favorable outcome.

Not really. It's not that Siglent and LeCroy have founded a new company (SigCroy?) they both operate together. All they do is sharing product responsibilities and dividing certain design aspects amongst them. Happens all the time in many industries, probably much more than you're aware off.

At the end of the day the entity that sticks its name on the finished product is the one who has product responsibility towards the customer.

Quote
LeCroy obviously could have avoided this by designing in- house or at least disallowing siglent from selling the identical siglent  sds3000  given how easy it is to do a google search.  But they saved cost with co-design and apparently do not get a free pass that all is well because of the lecroy name.

Siglent is only allowed to sell the SDS3000 in China (and maybe some other parts of Asia) while LeCroy 'owns' the rest of the global market. It's great that you can find the SDS3000 on Google but you won't get one over legitimate channels outside China, and even if you managed to get one you'd end up with a scope with no warranty which would have cost you around the same as the LeCroy variant which comes with full warranty and long-term support (and a nicer color).

Both parties benefit from this deal. Siglent because they can get their name out in their home market as a vendor offering serious test equipment (which they struggle to do with their own kit), and the "Powered by Teledyne LeCroy" in the lower left corner on the screen signals that they are using technology from one of the leading manufacturers of highend scopes, which raises Siglent's stake. For LeCroy, they have someone who has shown to be capable of designing and producing good hardware, which allows them to offer the WS3k for very low prices in their traditional markets.

Quote
The logistics of a co-design are not great for engineering.

Not really. For example, the whole automotive industry is proof that this isn't true, because this industry lives and breathes co-design. Or do you think all parts of your car is made by the company that has their name on the hood?

The same is true for Aerospace as well.

Quote
  Communication between company a and company b is dictated by nda's that limit IP transfer.  NDA's are designed to share just enough info.  Never more than needed if lawyers are doing their job.  The reason is if you share to much then the company with the more valuable IP (presumably lecroy) may teach the other company trade secrets which will hurt them down the road in the form of competition.  If you share to little the product may have issues. So design targets can fall through the cracks or just are not communicated or tested.  The concern is real and not unique to these two companies.   Time will tell how successful the partnership was.  Its the risk you take when you save development costs with co-designs and sell the same scope under different brands. 

You're overcomplicating things. There aren't really much secrets in the hardware design of a 4GSa/s scope. Everyone can do that. LeCroy may be able to offer some improvements due to their experience but there isn't much "IP" in these designs. The secret sauce is in the software which Siglent gets as an encrypted binary blob to flash into their scopes.

Agilent had a similar deal with Rigol which they apparently later regreted as it made Rigol stronger as a competitor, but there isn't much risk in it for LeCroy. First, LeCroy has no interest in designing 4GSa/s scopes. Even 15 years ago they already showed Iwatsu how to make 4GSa/s scopes, and at that time these scopes were highend scopes. It didn't hurt them at all, in fact, it reduced their cost base so that LeCroy scopes were often cheaper than comparable scopes from Agilent or Tek.

Quote
The good news is LeCroy saved cost and the ws3000 might be a very good  scope.  It does have lecroy SW in it, albeit with less features than some may expect from higher end lecroy's (ie very limited math capability). But in general it seems to check all the major features a scope of this class should have so is one of several to consider in this price class depending on your needs and likes ( agilent, tek, hameg, etc as well obviously ).  The bad news is they might have a hard time getting traction with sales until there are more first-hand  reviews for day-to-day usage to convince people to take the plunge. I only saw one on youtube, may be others.  The really really bad news would be the hypothetical worst case scenario where siglent did not hold up their end of the deal and hw design is not where it should be.

Again, you're overcomplicating things. There's nothing wrong with Siglent's hardware designs, even the shitty LeCroy WaveAce scopes are shit because of the software (and the price tag for these scopes). LeCroy always kept their fingers on the companies they partnered with, and I have full trust that the hardware of the SDS3000 aka WS3000 is just fine. The part where LeCroy got caught out was the incapability of Siglent to design proper software. However, this has been addressed with the SDS3000 aka WS3000 because the software is pure LeCroy.
« Last Edit: January 03, 2015, 02:01:20 pm by Wuerstchenhund »
 

Offline don

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Re: Need help selecting oscilloscope
« Reply #12 on: January 04, 2015, 12:14:11 am »
Ironically it may not be a "rebadge" in the sense of 100% turnkey solution like waveace, but you can buy the same scope with the LeCroy badge or Siglent badge and it makes quality-conscious  people wary.  Regardless of who's SW  is in it, how partnerships are supposed to work, or how past partnerships have worked. 

Then I guess you will never buy a car because all cars are more or less designed that way. Or travelling by train or airplane.

No, I get it.  Your examples just speak to different component and sub-assembly integration.  That is very different than what we are dealing with here where you throw the entire product over the wall (and yes, than happens all the time as well - both successfully and unsucessfully).   As I mentioned earlier, a lot has to happen to get a successful product with codesigns.  Of course they can do it, but it is not guaranteed just because it has a LeCroy badge on it.


You're overcomplicating things. There aren't really much secrets in the hardware design of a 4GSa/s scope. Everyone can do that. LeCroy may be able to offer some improvements due to their experience but there isn't much "IP" in these designs. The secret sauce is in the software which Siglent gets as an encrypted binary blob to flash into their scopes.

Agilent had a similar deal with Rigol which they apparently later regreted as it made Rigol stronger as a competitor, but there isn't much risk in it for LeCroy. First, LeCroy has no interest in designing 4GSa/s scopes. Even 15 years ago they already showed Iwatsu how to make 4GSa/s scopes, and at that time these scopes were highend scopes. It didn't hurt them at all, in fact, it reduced their cost base so that LeCroy scopes were often cheaper than comparable scopes from Agilent or Tek.

I don't think I am over-complicating.  You may be simplifying. It takes more than just designing & assembling HW, throwing in a binary and shipping it (factory test & calibration routines for example).  Look at smart phones. Can you throw android in any phone and get a good overall experience?  No way. Seems easy but there is a lot of junk out there.   

And I'm sure LeCroy wants the low end business else they would not be in it.  They must understand the importance of getting in university labs.  The point is if LeCroy puts forth sufficient effort to ensure it meets their quality, they may start teaching Siglent trade secrets as siglent reviews the list of things they need to fix or improve.  They can have ah-ha moments and start producing better scopes than they could prior to the relationship.  This is why there is no guarantee quality will be as high as one hopes because information sharing is limited due to underlying competitive nature.  Not necessarily now, but down the road.


There's nothing wrong with Siglent's hardware designs, even the shitty LeCroy WaveAce scopes are shit because of the software (and the price tag for these scopes). LeCroy always kept their fingers on the companies they partnered with, and I have full trust that the hardware of the SDS3000 aka WS3000 is just fine. The part where LeCroy got caught out was the incapability of Siglent to design proper software. However, this has been addressed with the SDS3000 aka WS3000 because the software is pure LeCroy.

I'm not saying there is anything wrong with Siglent HW design.  The only thing I see deficient at the moment is LeCroy's quality gate that let the waveace scopes you reference on the market.  And a failed quality gate makes engineers dubious of new product introductions with the same companies - right or wrong in the end.  If someone in the market does not care then great, but it's certainly a consideration for some.   I hope it works great, it looks like a decent scope.  Would be nice to get some user feedback for potential buyers.
 


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