OWON HDS 200 Handheld Oscilloscope w/ builtin DMM/AWG

[funky303]

hi to all. I got my HDS242 (pollin) today with fw V8.0.1.
after 5 min I lost a lot of trust in this tool.
The Software seems to be buggy here and there on basics.
The Vmin, Vmax Values (in OSC eg: DC Mode, 1x, probe to a AAA Batterie) are not refreshed / calculated,
if the time setting is >= 100ms/div. The displayed values are jumping to old measured values (made previously with <100ms/div) , when changing the time between settings >=100ms/div., The current measured Voltage V seems to be filtered and is extremly slow.
Do you noticed that in previous firmware ?
 

[MrAl]

hi to all. I got my HDS242 (pollin) today with fw V8.0.1.
after 5 min I lost a lot of trust in this tool.
The Software seems to be buggy here and there on basics.
The Vmin, Vmax Values (in OSC eg: DC Mode, 1x, probe to a AAA Batterie) are not refreshed / calculated,
if the time setting is >= 100ms/div. The displayed values are jumping to old measured values (made previously with <100ms/div) , when changing the time between settings >=100ms/div., The current measured Voltage V seems to be filtered and is extremly slow.
Do you noticed that in previous firmware ?

Hello there,

I just got one also about a week or two ago and have been using it almost daily on different things.
I was using it to analyze an automobile engine and battery.  You can get a lot of information from looking across the battery not just the voltage or the charge voltage but also some mechanical info just from how the battery voltage changes.
I've also been using it on some microcontroller circuits to check timings and stuff like that.

It's good for general stuff but i dont think we can call it a "professional" scope it's more of a hobby scope unless you dont have to do things a more expensive scope can do.

One thing i miss is the RMS readings as this scope does not display any RMS value of the waveforms.  I have a cheaper USB scope that shows that as well as FFT which this scope also does not have.
Luckily it has A-B and invert, which is often important when looking at two waveforms at the same time.

So overall i am looking at signals around 12 volts that can vary by about 100mv and also at digital logic signals from about 0v to about 4.6 volts and mainly just need to verify the  timings and just make sure everything is working as expected.

For working with the car battery, i used a low pass filter to filter out some of the noise in the signal which made it easier to read.

I tested the bandwidth and it showed to be 24MHz not 40MHz.  I suspected it would be lower, and after all it's just around $120 USD or so depending on where you buy it.  I think it is worth that price, but of course i would want a better one even if i had to pay a little more.

The best thing is that the prices of the digital scopes have come down a lot in recent years.  Back in the day the cheapest scope i could get was a CRT type and it was much, much larger and the price was $400 USD, and bandwidth only 20Mhz.

[NoMoreMagicSmoke]

I second that. This is great for a cheap hobby scope. Definitely not something I would use professionally.

[jwet]

I have one of these little scopes- 242S, I love it.  Mine is about a year old, a little after they came out.  My SW is v3.21.  Its pretty solid in my experience- I've tried to find bugs but I don't think I really have yet.  The RMS reading stuff is a small issue, as long as you know about it.  I mainly wanted a reasonably fast little scope that is completely isolated from ground- this is great for this.  I can look at 200V peak high side FET driver signals with my scope ground tied anywhere that makes sense.  I have a lot of other equipment but often, especially when servicing stuff- I like having something that is indestructible first order and wouldn't be a shame if I dorked it vs. my $10k Tek scope.  I don't run this at 100 mS/div, that's awfully slow.  Don't forget that once triggered, it will take a full second for that sweep to run. I'll give it a try and see if I can recreate your issue.  Perfection is the enemy of very, very good especially on a budget device- these kind of things are amazing..  All my equipment has some sort of limitations- this one more than others but its an great tool for what it is and what it costs- once I know what everything is doing, I can apply nicer equipment.  I also use it mobile which its great for.

[Mechatrommer]

One thing i miss is the RMS readings as this scope does not display any RMS value of the waveforms. I have a cheaper USB scope that shows that as well as FFT which this scope also does not have.

but USB scope we cant bring to our car, or outdoor field, can it? then its another problem for each device. if we need RMS, we use multimeter. its good to have all in one scope but what can we expect from budget limited device? imho the wisest thing to do is report the bug here and also send OWON a PM to inform them about the bug, and hope they will fix in another FW revision, ymmv.

[orb]

hi to all. I got my HDS242 (pollin) today with fw V8.0.1.
after 5 min I lost a lot of trust in this tool.
The Software seems to be buggy here and there on basics.
The Vmin, Vmax Values (in OSC eg: DC Mode, 1x, probe to a AAA Batterie) are not refreshed / calculated,
if the time setting is >= 100ms/div. The displayed values are jumping to old measured values (made previously with <100ms/div) , when changing the time between settings >=100ms/div., The current measured Voltage V seems to be filtered and is extremly slow.
Do you noticed that in previous firmware ?

I have hds242 (firmware 4.1.0). I checked for 0-3V DC (adjustable), x1, time: 200ms, 500ms, 1s, 2s. The data is refreshed almost instantly if a smaller or larger value appears on the oscillogram.

For me, the problem is the voltage drift (when the device warms up), which is 1.5 - 2V after 0.5h. Calibration makes sense only after 30 minutes of work (or more).

[funky303]

thanks orb. so it is a new bug with V8.0.1 .
Next year, I will report that to pollin.de (seller) and to OWON.
Also time shift/scroll along x with >=100ms/div is not working.

[orb]

Also time shift/scroll along x with >=100ms/div is not working.

No problem here.

[connectTek]

I recently purchased the HDS2202S Model.
On the Owon website it states this model has RMS measurements, that is why I bought this model, but it is not on the scope, firmware is ver 1.0.0 , I have contacted Owon but so far no response.

[MrAl]

I have one of these little scopes- 242S, I love it.  Mine is about a year old, a little after they came out.  My SW is v3.21.  Its pretty solid in my experience- I've tried to find bugs but I don't think I really have yet.  The RMS reading stuff is a small issue, as long as you know about it.  I mainly wanted a reasonably fast little scope that is completely isolated from ground- this is great for this.  I can look at 200V peak high side FET driver signals with my scope ground tied anywhere that makes sense.  I have a lot of other equipment but often, especially when servicing stuff- I like having something that is indestructible first order and wouldn't be a shame if I dorked it vs. my $10k Tek scope.  I don't run this at 100 mS/div, that's awfully slow.  Don't forget that once triggered, it will take a full second for that sweep to run. I'll give it a try and see if I can recreate your issue.  Perfection is the enemy of very, very good especially on a budget device- these kind of things are amazing..  All my equipment has some sort of limitations- this one more than others but its an great tool for what it is and what it costs- once I know what everything is doing, I can apply nicer equipment.  I also use it mobile which its great for.

Yes that's why i said in another post that if it works for you it works for you.
I have used it for several things already and when compared to the price i got a decent deal i guess.

I even run mine at 20 seconds per division (yes 20 seconds not 20ms).  That's to check some slow changing signals.

[MrAl]

One thing i miss is the RMS readings as this scope does not display any RMS value of the waveforms. I have a cheaper USB scope that shows that as well as FFT which this scope also does not have.

but USB scope we cant bring to our car, or outdoor field, can it? then its another problem for each device. if we need RMS, we use multimeter. its good to have all in one scope but what can we expect from budget limited device? imho the wisest thing to do is report the bug here and also send OWON a PM to inform them about the bug, and hope they will fix in another FW revision, ymmv.

Well you can use a USB scope in the field if you have a Laptop computer.  I have a laptop but it's a little bit of a pain to drag that out to the car with the scope and probes too.  Have to be careful where you place it so it does not fall.
I've had some unusual problems with the USB scope i got long ago too, but it was even cheaper about $70.  Bandwidth 15MHz although also advertised as higher.

[MrAl]

hi to all. I got my HDS242 (pollin) today with fw V8.0.1.
after 5 min I lost a lot of trust in this tool.
The Software seems to be buggy here and there on basics.
The Vmin, Vmax Values (in OSC eg: DC Mode, 1x, probe to a AAA Batterie) are not refreshed / calculated,
if the time setting is >= 100ms/div. The displayed values are jumping to old measured values (made previously with <100ms/div) , when changing the time between settings >=100ms/div., The current measured Voltage V seems to be filtered and is extremly slow.
Do you noticed that in previous firmware ?

I have hds242 (firmware 4.1.0). I checked for 0-3V DC (adjustable), x1, time: 200ms, 500ms, 1s, 2s. The data is refreshed almost instantly if a smaller or larger value appears on the oscillogram.

For me, the problem is the voltage drift (when the device warms up), which is 1.5 - 2V after 0.5h. Calibration makes sense only after 30 minutes of work (or more).

Oh that's interesting, mine doesnt seem to drift even after about 2 hours.
I also noticed mine does not have the calibrate function that i found in the manual.  The menu space where that should be is blank.
Could it have been a minor upgrade?

[MrAl]

I recently purchased the HDS2202S Model.
On the Owon website it states this model has RMS measurements, that is why I bought this model, but it is not on the scope, firmware is ver 1.0.0 , I have contacted Owon but so far no response.

Oh sorry to hear about that, and to think i almost bought a more expensive model also.
I liked having RMS but as the other member said it's not the end of the world either, just the end of the year 2022 (ha ha).

[orb]

hi to all. I got my HDS242 (pollin) today with fw V8.0.1.
after 5 min I lost a lot of trust in this tool.
The Software seems to be buggy here and there on basics.
The Vmin, Vmax Values (in OSC eg: DC Mode, 1x, probe to a AAA Batterie) are not refreshed / calculated,
if the time setting is >= 100ms/div. The displayed values are jumping to old measured values (made previously with <100ms/div) , when changing the time between settings >=100ms/div., The current measured Voltage V seems to be filtered and is extremly slow.
Do you noticed that in previous firmware ?

I have hds242 (firmware 4.1.0). I checked for 0-3V DC (adjustable), x1, time: 200ms, 500ms, 1s, 2s. The data is refreshed almost instantly if a smaller or larger value appears on the oscillogram.

For me, the problem is the voltage drift (when the device warms up), which is 1.5 - 2V after 0.5h. Calibration makes sense only after 30 minutes of work (or more).

Oh that's interesting, mine doesnt seem to drift even after about 2 hours.
I also noticed mine does not have the calibrate function that i found in the manual.  The menu space where that should be is blank.
Could it have been a minor upgrade?

Do you have hds242? Which version of hw&fw?

It looks like this on mine owon.



Here is a "log" from the voltage drift (voltages taken from the "mean" indicator; probe & usb disconnected). An oscillogram (flat line) also "wanders" about the x-axis.
@RogerG has a similar issue in his hds242 (hw: 2.1, fw: 7.2.0).

Code: [Select]

1. Calibration after 1h of working (external temp ~22*C)
2. Power off & rest: about 3h to "cool down"
3. Power on & test (@~22*C), full batt, lcd brightness 50%

Not exact values, more like "average".

V/T  : cold! / 20min / 30min / 45min / 60min
-------------------------------------------
100V : 2.8V  / 1.8V  / 900mV / 700mV / 400mV
50V  : 4.2V  / 2.1V  / 1.7V  / 1.2V  / 1V
20V  : 813mV / 230mV / 5mV!! / -200mV/ -450mV
10V  : 1.52V / 350mV / 170mV / -3mV  / -200mV
5V   : 1.51V / 230mV / 165mV / 1mV   / -180mV
2V   : 120mV / 100mV / 80mV  / 77mV  / 70mV
1V   : 80mV  / 50mV  / 41mV  / 26mV  / 26mV
0.5V : 48mV  / 28mV  / 10mV  / -4mV  / -5mV
0.2V : 35mV  / 15mV  / 7mV   / -1mV  / -4mV
0.1V : 32mV  / 10mV  / 6mV   / 1mV   / 2mV

Here is more info (with pics) about voltage drift in my hds242:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/owon-hds242-line-voltage-measurement-or-not/msg4613893/#msg4613893

[mashtu94]

Hello. Do you recommend buying the OWON HDS272? I am fond of electronics, I dedicate myself to repairing low power UPS and one or another domestic appliance.I want something portable

Thanks

[MrAl]

hi to all. I got my HDS242 (pollin) today with fw V8.0.1.
after 5 min I lost a lot of trust in this tool.
The Software seems to be buggy here and there on basics.
The Vmin, Vmax Values (in OSC eg: DC Mode, 1x, probe to a AAA Batterie) are not refreshed / calculated,
if the time setting is >= 100ms/div. The displayed values are jumping to old measured values (made previously with <100ms/div) , when changing the time between settings >=100ms/div., The current measured Voltage V seems to be filtered and is extremly slow.
Do you noticed that in previous firmware ?

I have hds242 (firmware 4.1.0). I checked for 0-3V DC (adjustable), x1, time: 200ms, 500ms, 1s, 2s. The data is refreshed almost instantly if a smaller or larger value appears on the oscillogram.

For me, the problem is the voltage drift (when the device warms up), which is 1.5 - 2V after 0.5h. Calibration makes sense only after 30 minutes of work (or more).

Oh that's interesting, mine doesnt seem to drift even after about 2 hours.
I also noticed mine does not have the calibrate function that i found in the manual.  The menu space where that should be is blank.
Could it have been a minor upgrade?

Do you have hds242? Which version of hw&fw?

It looks like this on mine owon.



Here is a "log" from the voltage drift (voltages taken from the "mean" indicator; probe & usb disconnected). An oscillogram (flat line) also "wanders" about the x-axis.
@RogerG has a similar issue in his hds242 (hw: 2.1, fw: 7.2.0).

Code: [Select]

1. Calibration after 1h of working (external temp ~22*C)
2. Power off & rest: about 3h to "cool down"
3. Power on & test (@~22*C), full batt, lcd brightness 50%

Not exact values, more like "average".

V/T  : cold! / 20min / 30min / 45min / 60min
-------------------------------------------
100V : 2.8V  / 1.8V  / 900mV / 700mV / 400mV
50V  : 4.2V  / 2.1V  / 1.7V  / 1.2V  / 1V
20V  : 813mV / 230mV / 5mV!! / -200mV/ -450mV
10V  : 1.52V / 350mV / 170mV / -3mV  / -200mV
5V   : 1.51V / 230mV / 165mV / 1mV   / -180mV
2V   : 120mV / 100mV / 80mV  / 77mV  / 70mV
1V   : 80mV  / 50mV  / 41mV  / 26mV  / 26mV
0.5V : 48mV  / 28mV  / 10mV  / -4mV  / -5mV
0.2V : 35mV  / 15mV  / 7mV   / -1mV  / -4mV
0.1V : 32mV  / 10mV  / 6mV   / 1mV   / 2mV

Here is more info (with pics) about voltage drift in my hds242:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/owon-hds242-line-voltage-measurement-or-not/msg4613893/#msg4613893

Hello,

That's funny i dont see a hardware version just software.  Version V8.0.1
Where did you find out your hardware version?

[MrAl]

Hello. Do you recommend buying the OWON HDS272? I am fond of electronics, I dedicate myself to repairing low power UPS and one or another domestic appliance.I want something portable

Thanks

That seems to be very hard to say there seems to be many different versions out there not sure which one you would get.
Whatever you buy, make sure you can return it without too much trouble.
Are you sure you need high bandwidth?

[mashtu94]

I think not, but I don't have many options, I live in Peru, then there are the most expensive equipment but they are from banks. They cost three or four times as much.

[orb]

Where did you find out your hardware version?

It's on the pcb, take a look: http://www.kerrywong.com/2021/09/18/teardown-of-an-owon-hds272s-3-in-1-handheld-oscilloscope-dmm-awg-compared-with-hantek-2d72/

[MrAl]

I think not, but I don't have many options, I live in Peru, then there are the most expensive equipment but they are from banks. They cost three or four times as much.

Oh sorry to hear that.
Then maybe you will be happy with whatever you can get ahold of.  My first scope many, many, many, years ago was a huge thing with a round CRT screen (ha ha) and it had NO DC COUPLING ha ha.  That was nuts.  I had to make my own chopper so i could get zero volts and the voltage of whatever i was measuring on the same screen, albeit in dashes instead of a straight line (for DC).  Bandwidth was probably 5MHz.
But it was all i could get at the time, too young to drive so could not go to any store to buy one.  So i was more or less happy with it.

[MrAl]

Where did you find out your hardware version?

It's on the pcb, take a look: http://www.kerrywong.com/2021/09/18/teardown-of-an-owon-hds272s-3-in-1-handheld-oscilloscope-dmm-awg-compared-with-hantek-2d72/

Oh i see, thanks.  Can you see the HW number by taking the battery cover off?  I am not sure i want to take the entire meter apart just yet, it's still new.

I checked the DC drift, it seems to be stable.

[orb]

Can you see the HW number by taking the battery cover off?

Idk, I have returned my hds242 back on guarantee. Voltage drift was pretty annoying. It was a "neverending story" of the calibration process.

[MrAl]

Can you see the HW number by taking the battery cover off?

Idk, I have returned my hds242 back on guarantee. Voltage drift was pretty annoying. It was a "neverending story" of the calibration process.

Oh sorry to hear that.  Can you say where you bought it?

[orb]

I bought it from the local dealer in my country, with his warranty seal.

[marks2c]

Recently bought an HDS2102S. S/N is 22520073 and F/W is V4.1.0.