new killer scope in town - a true game changer from R&S - RTB2002 & RTB2004

[Gribo]

Thanks, I used the HCOP:DATA? command.

[Ecogeek]

I suspect the Fan model has been changed from early RTB to more recent. My unit arrived after 6 months on order in Jan 2023 and it is very quiet. Peaking inside the fan is also rubber mounted, but sorry no idea of the brand.

[alonsojar]

Hi,
After more than 6 years in service I'd like to check if the button battery on the rtb2004 front board would need a replacement. No messages nor any problem arised by now.

The cell is easy to access once retired the back cover, but I'm not sure if removing it may delete any important record (like calibration or so) or it's just a RTC battery that in the worst case will reset the system date and time.
Of course the user manual doesn't even mention it.

Has anyone gone into this? Thanks!!

Alonso

[Fenstergucker]

Has anyone gone into this? Thanks!!

Changing the battery is not a problem. When the oscilloscope is switched on, a message appears if the date is invalid, indicating that some options have been deactivated. But everything still worked for me, and after setting the current date and restarting, everything works as usual.

Peter

[alonsojar]

Changing the battery is not a problem. When the oscilloscope is switched on, a message appears if the date is invalid, indicating that some options have been deactivated.

Thank you Peter, I swapped the battery and all went smooth exactly as you said. Just for reference the battery was a Renata lithium 3V CR2032. It was still holding 2.95V, but replaced anyway to avoid leakage risks.

Alonso

[salomonander]

Is the RTB2002 still a good buy today? I can get a used one from 2018 like new (less than 10hrs of use) for around 900€

[KaneTW]

Is the RTB2002 still a good buy today? I can get a used one from 2018 like new (less than 10hrs of use) for around 900€

With all options 900EUR is a steal.

[salomonander]

Its the base model im afraid. No options at all. Dont really need them, to be honest.

[egonotto]

Hello

I would not buy the used RTB2002 without options for 900 €. A new Siglent SDS804X HD is cheaper and better in many areas.

Best regards
egonotto

[pdenisowski]

I would not buy the used RTB2002 without options for 900 €. A new Siglent SDS804X HD is cheaper and better in many areas.

I had the opportunity to play with an SDS804X and one of the things the RTB has going for it is a much larger screen (10.1" vs. 7") - it might not sound like much, but there's a huge difference in usability, at least for me.

And it's not just because I'm more familiar with R&S scopes   I have a much easier time driving a random KS, Tek, etc. scope that has a "normal" sized screen compared to the SDS804.  Still kind of surprised Siglent went with such a tiny screen, especially when there is no video out (like the Rigol DHO900 has).

[egonotto]

Hello,

if the screen is too small, you can use the web server. Or am I wrong?
If the noise of the RTB2002 is not significantly better than its bigger brother RTA4000, the SDS804X HD is better. It has more memory, 2 Mpts FFT instead of 128 kpts, 4 channels instead of 2, new instead of used and much cheaper.

Best regards
egonotto

[nctnico]

Using a webserver isn't ideal due to lag and needing to operate a touchscreen device through a mouse. I'd get the RTB2002 if it covers my needs. Noise can be mitigated using high-res mode. The RTB2002 has many nice UI features which make life easy. Maybe the price can be haggled down a little bit further.

[Martin72]

That one even compares a €500 scope with the former game changer...

[hansibull]

I would not buy the used RTB2002 without options for 900 €. A new Siglent SDS804X HD is cheaper and better in many areas.

I had the opportunity to play with an SDS804X and one of the things the RTB has going for it is a much larger screen (10.1" vs. 7") - it might not sound like much, but there's a huge difference in usability, at least for me.

And it's not just because I'm more familiar with R&S scopes   I have a much easier time driving a random KS, Tek, etc. scope that has a "normal" sized screen compared to the SDS804.  Still kind of surprised Siglent went with such a tiny screen, especially when there is no video out (like the Rigol DHO900 has).

You should instead compare it with a Siglent SDS1000X HD or 2000X HD.

I have a fully equipped R&S RTB2004 at the lab at work and a Siglent SDS2000X HD at the office.
I've been using the RTB2004 since 2018, and got the SDS2000X HD last year.

The RTB2004 has a few things I wish the SDS2000X HD has:

• 10 second boot time
• The ability to show decoded UART data as "packets", rather than a string of ASCII. This is actually a big deal because I do a lot of serial decoding on RS485 buses where I'm looking for collisions and other artifacts.
• being very light weight

However, I do like the UI on the Siglent better. I find it more intuitive, and easier to "find things" in the menus. I guess it's something one can get used to eventually, but I've always found the RTB2004 a bit more cumbersome, even when it was my only scope at work, and all I had back home was a Rigol DS1054Z.

[alonsojar]

A question salomonander,
How do you know it only has 10 hours of use? Is there any record or scpi command showing the total hours?
   
I noticed in the service record option a file named Deviceinfo.txt with a 'Total operating time' field but observed it was reset from time to time (I think when a self-calibraton is recorded, but not sure).
I imagine it should be a record with this information, but maybe this is only for service people?

Perhaps pdenisowski may help in this. I'm just curious about the total hours mine was up.

Alonso

[analogRF]

I also dont recall seeing operating hours anywhere on RTB.
I think on the system info page it shows how many hours it has been ON since it was powered (just the "current" operating time  not the total)

[pdenisowski]

Perhaps pdenisowski may help in this. I'm just curious about the total hours mine was up.

That's a great question.  Let me ask R&D

[pdenisowski]

• The ability to show decoded UART data as "packets", rather than a string of ASCII. This is actually a big deal because I do a lot of serial decoding on RS485 buses where I'm looking for collisions and other artifacts.

As someone who did a lot of protocol work early in my career, this is one of my favorite features   I made a video on this for the RTM3000 (works the same on RTB2000)

https://youtu.be/f13LbYHCOss?list=PLKxVoO5jUTlvsVtDcqrVn0ybqBVlLj2z8&t=193

[pdenisowski]

Perhaps pdenisowski may help in this. I'm just curious about the total hours mine was up.

According to R&D, there is no "total hours of operation (since manufacture)" counter on the RTB2000