Wow... just wow wow, oh, and wow. I haven't had the pleasure of working with a real oscilloscope since my college days. Arguably, this isn't a real oscilloscope either, because of course it doesn't have that dreamy, creamy smooth trace that only a CRT scope can presently give, but SO FREAKIN' WHAT. Omg. I've been into hobby and not-so-hobby electronics for years and years, uh... 29 years! Most of that time, I've been into designing strange yet useful (to me, anyways) stuff like radio jammers, lightning flash detectors, magnetometers, etc... mostly science stuff. I was taking a break from a little testing with my latest version of my outdoor stereo microphone, when the UPS dude knocked at my door with a big box that could only be my new Rigol DS1052E. It's been a very long time since I touched an oscilloscope, but I tossed the instructions aside and powered it up like a boss. I just spent the last hour or so (who knows, time's irrelevant right now - I have an oscilloscope!) sprawled on the floor, using the 'scope to probe, analyize, and hopefully improve and understand better my latest work on a homebrewed magnetic wave listener, watching the 'scope trace out the waveshapes from distant lightning sferics. Every so often, I'd stumble into some new feature, and be like, "Oh hell yes, this is AWESOME!". First I figured out the basics of sweep and level, and then I stumbled into some of the finer points of triggering, and just before I got up to write this, I had figured out the amazing cursor features. LOVE IT. I couldn't be happier right now.
Basically, this is a great little lab 'scope. It plugs in the wall, using what looks like a common desktop computer power cord, and that's the one and only thing I can say negative about it right now - the cord feels sloppy in the socket on the 'scope. It's not a problem if you don't jerk it around, but it does feel like it could fall out with one hasty movement. Anyway, it's bright, clean, dual trace, feels very solid, it's not terribly heavy but heavy enough to stay put reasonably well, LOADED with options (who knows if I'll ever learn/use them all) and the inbuilt fan isn't loud at all. Ok, it's loud enough to cover up the tiny, tiny sound of those distant sferics coming from the lightning listener's speaker, but we're talking about something that sounds quite a lot like snow ticking against window glass, so really now... it's not that loud. Who cares... I was instantly lost in daydream land while watching it grab snapshots of the stronger ones for my perusal. Already, it's helping me to understand the device I've created, helping me to know how to adjust it better, and very likely how to expand on it to make it vastly more practical and useful. I can already see its potential finished result in my head, as well as a myriad of other projects I've done in the past and will do in the future.
What a great instrument. AND, it didn't cost like a proper Tektronix CRT or other similar model would have cost me. The fact that it's digital lets you pull off crazy things that only a very expensive CRT scope would do, or maybe none of them, I'm not really up on modern CRT oscilloscope technology. I do know this... It's already teaching me things about my favorite hobby that I've waited most of my life to learn. I highly recommend this for hobbyists, scientists, and electronics/electrical professionals alike. It may yet come up with a problem, sure, and if it does then I'll come back to give an update, but so far, OH SO HAPPY I bought this. NICE. :-)
Update 6-7-2013: I had a couple of problems with the power cord coming out just from being bumped, so I swapped it out for a regular desktop PC power cord I had laying around. PERFECT fit, no slop at all now and stays put without being hard to remove or put back in. I do have to wonder what's up with Rigol for me having to do this, but whatever. It didn't cost me anything. Love the scope even more now than when I first wrote the review - learning more cool new stuff all the time and it's really helping me already with design and testing. :-)
Update 7-13-2013: Really, really loving this thing now. I've learned much more about the available functions, and I'm just absolutely thrilled at how the 'scope has impacted my ability to design and troubleshoot. I feel like I've come out of a long period of wandering in the darkness, and I can hardly understand how I ever got by without an oscilloscope now. Just as an example, I was able to completely redesign and optimize an older preamplified stereo microphone design I'd been working on for a long time previously, and then I was able to use that perfected preamplifier design in a complex mixer preamplifier that now drives the heart of the input to my PC-based household entertainment system. Another copy of that preamplifier bumps up the PC's soundcard output so that I can drive the twin AV receiver units (one in the bedroom and one in the living room) with excellent power output to the speakers. The 'scope also helped immensely with tuning the preamplifer design to eliminate noise and give truly phenomenal bandwidth while maintaining excellent fidelity. Again, I just don't know how I got by without a 'scope all these years. Still very happy. :-)
Rick NR417
Product Description
RIGOL Digital Oscilloscope DS1000E/U Series
The DS1000E Series is a market-proven digital oscilloscope. This series of digital oscilloscopes has excellent technical indicators and can meet the main needs of basic testing. The front panel design is clear and intuitive. The DS1000E is a reliable and affordable digital oscilloscope.
Main Features
- Dual analog channels, 100MHz maximum bandwidth, 1GSa/s maximum real-time sample rate and 25GSa/s maximum equivalent sample rate
- 5.6 inch 64k TFT LCD makes the waveform displays more clear and vivid
- Abundant trigger types: Edge, Pulse Width, Video, Slope, Alternate, Pattern and Duration
- Unique adjustable trigger sensitivity
- Measure 22 types of wave parameters and track measurements via cursor automatically
- Waveform record and replay function
- Fine delayed scan function
- Built-in FFT and practical digital filters options in math menu
- Pass/Fail detection function enables to output testing results
- Multiple math operations for waveforms
- Standard configuration interface: USB Device, USB Host , RS-232 and support USB storage device storage
- Support for remote command control using SCPI over USB
Applications
- Electronic Circuit Test
- Circuit Functional Test
- Logical Relation Between Singals Verification
- Circui of Mixed Signal Test
- Education & Training
Easy to Use Design
- Built-in help menu enables information acquisition more convenient
- Standard English menus with multiple languages available
- Can store files in USB storage device or local to the internal memory
- Analog waveform intensity can be adjusted
- "AUTO" signal discovery function for easy setup
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Up to 1Mpts Storage DepthThe standard storage depth of 1 Million points allows the user to give full consideration to the overall signal details, while maintaining a high sampling rate for a longer period of time. Zoom in to view small signal details in the complete waveform record. |
1 GSa/sec Sampling RateThe DS1000E sampling engine provides at least 5 X oversampling in any configuration with 10 X oversampling in 1 channel configurations using the full 1 GSa/sec at 100 MHz. Capture unexpected signal detail and zoom in for further analysis. |
Adjustable Trigger SensitivityThe unique adjustable trigger sensitivity function can effectively filter out the noise that may be superimposed on the trigger signal and ensure the signal can be triggered on correctly. |
Waveform Recording and Playback FunctionThe waveform recording function of dS1000E series can not only record the input waveform of two channels, but also record the waveform of pass / fail detection output. Up to 1000 frames can be recorded, and better waveform analysis effect can be achieved through playback and save function. |
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Top reviews from other countries
skeezix
Perfect machine, excepting small thing: if only it had the right plug included..
Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2013
