New PicoScope 3000E Series 500 MHz 5 GS/s digital USB oscilloscope

[egonotto]

Hello,

there is a new PicoScope 3000E Series
https://www.picotech.com/oscilloscope/picoscope-3000e-series-500-mhz-5gs-digital-usb-oscilloscope?model=3418E.

350 MHz 3417E for 3375 € and
500 MHz 3418E for 4227 €

Both have 2 GB memory 8-10 bit ADC with a maximum of 5 GSa/s

Best regards
egonotto

[coromonadalix]

thks   ugly look     loll  and the prices  still   outch outch  vs  a table / bench model

[TomKatt]

I have no experience with Pico, but it strikes me that they are probably very well suited to analyzing long signal histories.  For example, I often see Picos used in automotive repair because you can run the scope like a chart recorder and monitor long time periods all at once.  That looks easier to use than any kind of history sequence I've encountered in (albeit entry level) desktop scopes.

Edit - Although not the same thing, the datalogger included in the Siglent SDS1000X-E series was handy for this type of use (though the Pico records in much greater detail)...  I wish they had carried this feature forward into the new SDS800X HD series.

[coromonadalix]

yes  i do use an 3406D  as a logger and long term monitoring,  the v7 software as improved a lot

Paid a 3400$ CAD  at the time  .. 1 year ago

[2N3055]

I have no experience with Pico, but it strikes me that they are probably very well suited to analyzing long signal histories.  For example, I often see Picos used in automotive repair because you can run the scope like a chart recorder and monitor long time periods all at once.  That looks easier to use than any kind of history sequence I've encountered in (albeit entry level) desktop scopes.

Edit - Although not the same thing, the datalogger included in the Siglent SDS1000X-E series was handy for this type of use (though the Pico records in much greater detail)...  I wish they had carried this feature forward into the new SDS800X HD series.

Picos are actually very interesting devices. They have many capabilities that standard scopes don't. And vice versa, they might not excel in some things a simple standalone scope might..

[TomKatt]

yes  i do use an 3406D  as a logger and long term monitoring,  the v7 software as improved a lot

Paid a 3400$ CAD  at the time  .. 1 year ago

I wish I could afford one...  Although many people seem to prefer a standalone instrument, personally I find the pc software environment appealing for investigative and repair work.  I think my workflow would benefit from the ability to sift through window tabs rather than any kind of sequence history - if nothing else, you can visually scan entire traces for anomalies or waveforms of interest rather than having to play back sequence history.  Additionally, I'm used to working on a pc anyway so I'd have no problem using mouse & keyboard to control the device.

I'm still surprised there aren't more good USB scopes - seems like they'd be cheaper by eliminating the need for control panels and display...  They're all software inside now anyway = just package up the front end and acquisition components and you're done.

[coromonadalix]

you have  Hantek and others, but software side  i've seen  many complaints and problems never adressed properly ...

[TomKatt]

When it comes to something like this, the quality of the software makes all the difference.  And good software development does not come cheap.  I guess with products like this you are probably paying for the software as much or more than the hardware.  Hardware and assembly costs can be minimized to virtually nothing, and we'll still need to pay for decent software if the overall product is to useful.

It may be that for some reason PC software development costs more than embedded code.  Or, a physical user interface eliminates the need for a software interface and all the features we get from a standalone device.

So, perhaps I've answered my own question - we may see inexpensive USB scopes, but I guess we won't see anything really worthwhile until we step up and pay for the software that allows that to work.  Those Hantek USB scopes might be closer to Pico than we realize, but the software makes Pico all that much better (kidding a bit - Pico is no doubt much better designed than Hantek)

[electr_peter]

I'm still surprised there aren't more good USB scopes - seems like they'd be cheaper by eliminating the need for control panels and display...  They're all software inside now anyway = just package up the front end and acquisition components and you're done.

There is Micsig VTO/VATO2004 for ~300-400€. it seems to be the same Micsig handheld battery operated scope, just without buttons/screen and controlled via Android app.

[2N3055]

I'm still surprised there aren't more good USB scopes - seems like they'd be cheaper by eliminating the need for control panels and display...  They're all software inside now anyway = just package up the front end and acquisition components and you're done.

There is Micsig VTO/VATO2004 for ~300-400€. it seems to be the same Micsig handheld battery operated scope, just without buttons/screen and controlled via Android app.

There is no comparison to Picoscope. It's software is order of magnitude more powerful than anything else...

[G-son]

Looks like a very good one. Just slightly out of my budget unfortunately.