Nice to know that the knob can easily be replaced if the original one breaks.
Since I seem to have sensitive fingers ("Safe Cracker Mode") I don't find the stock setup particularly hard to use.
But "not particularly hard" isn't the same as "easy". I bet you still occasionally manage to turn the knob 0.1 degrees when you're pushing it, giving a bad selection.
The whole thing has a ridiculously easy software fix IMHO - just allow people to press the grey menu button to accept a menu choice after you turn the knob.
(And bonus points for letting us move up/down inside a menu using the blue up/down arrow buttons).
Let's see... waste a couple of seconds by not being careful when pushing the knob and having to re-select the correct item.... vs. voiding the manufacturer's warranty, spending _at least_ an hour taking apart, removing and replacing the encoder and reassembling the scope _if_ you are really skillful, and a lot more if you aren't .... You guys crack me up!!
How much time do you "pro-modders" actually have, using your 1054z scopes, I wonder? I've used mine for at least several hours every day since it was delivered back in April. I've gotten pretty good at selecting the item I actually want, with the little knob and the detent-less stock encoder. Practice makes perfect!
If you want to "make it yours", then put a Hello Kitty sticker on it !!
If it ain't broke, fix it until it IS broke !!
Boo hoo, he voided he warranty. You seem to be obsessed with this particular scope, to the point that you're taking it personally that he's modifying it. You should try to relax a little. Most of us aren't going to worry about a warranty on a crappy, sub $400 scope. It's practically disposable.
Let me address your points one at a time.
First, he voided the warranty. When I received my _first_ DS1054z, after several days of operation I found that the scope developed a bad glitch in one channel, and I had to return it for a warranty replacement. Had I done something like changing out an encoder or replacing the fan, I might have been "sol" as they say. I even bought a quiet fan, and had it all ready to install based on the reports from sensitive users on this forum... imagine my surprise when I found out that the scope is actually quieter than my computer, my power supply, and my airconditioner. I'm glad I didn't replace the fan before the first scope started glitching and had to be returned.
Second, I am not "obsessed" enough to want to change an encoder simply because I can't control my fingers well enough to select the item I want to select! I use the scope daily and you can look at the screenshot I attached below to see just how I do use it. I have also used it enough to uncover several severe bugs, which I have reported to Rigol. Obsessed? No, just a real _user_ of the scope, who wants it to work properly and who would like to be able to return it under warranty if it does not. And I certainly don't "take it personally"... I think it's hilarious, that's all. I do rather take the accusation of being "obsessed" personally though.
Third, "most of us" apparently can afford simply to write off 400 dollars.... well, fine, but I can't. One wonders why these wealthy people have bought this "crappy sub $400" scope to begin with, if they are in such a great financial position that they can risk buying a "crappy, practically disposable" oscilloscope in the first place. Why didn't they buy a "real" scope from Agilent or LeCroy, if the money means that little to them?
Hey, it's your scope, modify it if you want. I just think it's pretty silly to spend an hour of your valuable time, plus the cost of the encoder, to change something on your crappy, practically disposable, under $400 scope to begin with, when the fault that is being "fixed" isn't in the scope, but rather is in the user.