Look who's all grown up! Finally able to pull the trigger and get an oscilloscope

[SoulFetish]

I just found a great deal on a Rigol DS1102E 100MHz Digital scope and bought it. Should be here by Wednesday and I can't friggin' wait!
These have been really well reviewed by owners and at a price of $190 (lightly used) w/$10 shipping and a warranty, I thought it was a lot of value.
This is long overdue, and it just so happens that I really need one right now for a project.
I don't think it comes with any probes, so what should I be looking for in that regard?

[nosaj]

I just found a great deal on a Rigol DS1102E 100MHz Digital scope and bought it. Should be here by Wednesday and I can't friggin' wait!
These have been really well reviewed by owners and at a price of $190 (lightly used) w/$10 shipping and a warranty, I thought it was a lot of value.
This is long overdue, and it just so happens that I really need one right now for a project.
I don't think it comes with any probes, so what should I be looking for in that regard?

Was there just one?

I bought 1x-10x 100mhz probes for my 20mhz scope. They've been just fine. Just make sure your probes voltage rating is good and know what the input voltage max on the scope is.

nosaj

[g1]

I don't think it comes with any probes, so what should I be looking for in that regard?

Depends on what the specs are for the AC and DC voltage it can handle.

[Enzo]

Right now you just need to learn to use the scope, and for that matter when to stop scoping every darn thing in sight. I have used the basic cheap probes on the market for years, and they have worked fine for me. I am sure the $150 probes work well also, but $30-40 has worked in my case.

We almost always use probes on X10 mode. I have bought probe sets with dedicated X1 and X10 probes, and wind up using the X10 most of the time. But the X1/X10 switch on the probe is useful. I run X10 mostly, but now and then I am searching a low level signal or maybe a noise signal, and X1 is useful for that. SO get yourself a probe with the switch.

I used to do more business with MCM, and bought probes there. I have a local electronics parts store, and I have bought them there.

[TimmyP1955]

Put a piece of tape over the probe's 1x/10x switch, so you cannot accidentally switch it to 1x and blow the input of your scope.

[nosaj]

Put a piece of tape over the probe's 1x/10x switch, so you cannot accidentally switch it to 1x and blow the input of your scope.

Good idea, do you know that one from experience?

nosaj

[Randall]

Put a piece of tape over the probe's 1x/10x switch, so you cannot accidentally switch it to 1x and blow the input of your scope.

This I want to see the responses to. I have used the same scope for 30 years with different probes, switching them back and forth 1X/10X and never had a problem. Mine has a 600v max P-P and DC rating, and I know I've exceeded that at least more than once, especially the P-P.

[The Dude]

What brand and model scope is it?

[drewl]

Congratulations!
I have at least three around here somewhere, and a ton of other test equipment.

Fortunately I used to work on test equipment back in the '80's.

Let me tell you about TUBE oscilloscopes!
Got a bunch of RCA 6550's that were in the Tektronnix scopes, as well as little spools of silver solder!

We used to joke that techs in the old days must have been huge hulking guys to lug around 80lb "portable" oscilloscopes.

Love them switchable x1/x10 probes.
We used to get free samples from a local mfgr.

[g1]

Put a piece of tape over the probe's 1x/10x switch, so you cannot accidentally switch it to 1x and blow the input of your scope.

One thing that was discussed in another thread, when you are on AC coupling, the 10x setting does not reduce the DC applied to the scope input.

[Mick Bailey]

What overload protection is on those scopes - would it need an additional input protection circuit? An accidental slip from scoping an AC grid signal on a 6L6 socket could give you maybe 460v on the input. Tube equipment has a much greater voltage range than probably any other gear you're likely to work on. For me, perhaps I'd be looking to build a little limiter/protection box if I were to move away from my Tektronix scope.

[drewl]

For our spectrum analyzers at work we made up probes with a cap on them to keep dc out.
They can only handle a few volts dc.

You could use something similar for scoping high voltage, with like a 1kv cap.

[nsubulysses]

scopes are fun. I have a bunch of 50s-80s tektronix scopes that are usually found on craigslist or ebay for free-$100.

I have one new scope, Rigol DS1054Z . It is pretty inexpensive but cool and does A LOT. I use it as my reference for my old scopes to check their cal, and usually they are amazingly either in cal or not far off. I use the rigol as my main scope because it's fast and easy (lots of digital measurements on the screen rather than count the graticules and get out the calculator) and has 4 channels.

Enjoy

Those rigol probes have a real cheap-ass feel compared to the old tektronix ones but a good scope none the less, and maybe not a fair comparison at all anyway

RIGOL RP2200 Passive Oscilloscope Probe Kit (Qty 2) all Accessories, Brand New!

make em an offer they can't refuse

[Chuck H]

Right now you just need to learn to use the scope, and for that matter when to stop scoping every darn thing in sight.

I laughed out loud reading this. Even though I wasn't always sure what I was looking at I still wanted to know what it looked like. There are a lot of on line sources for learning just what you're actually looking at. More important would be how to set up the scope for easy figuring. Time well spent for a new scope owner. Sometimes I just need to "see" what's going on and I just twiddle for the best visual. Sometimes I want more info and the easiest math conversion. About the time you stop scoping everything in site is when you get to reading about how to use the thing Not that I've entirely learned how to use my scope, but it IS a bench tool now and not a novelty.

[Enzo]

I see it over and over. Like when someone finally gets and ESR meter. All of a sudden they measure ESR on all the caps they see, and ESR becomes the most important thing since air to breath. With scopes, guys find that no matter what they are looking at, if they turn up the vertical far enough they eventually see some sort of noise waveform, or the local AM radio station, or SOMEthing. I made up the term "trace chasing" for the phenomenon. You chase after a trace long enough, you'll find one.