If you’re on the hunt for the perfect device to view the electrical signals on most modern electronics devices, then you’ll definitely need an oscilloscope. While similar to that of a multimeter, the oscilloscope plots the waveforms and signals on a 2D graph over time. A multimeter can only take the current measurement but does not save the changes over time unlike an oscilloscope.
While most standard home repair enthusiasts will not need this as they would need a multimeter, those of you into electronics, engineers, or those working in an educational or industrial laboratory will find this device extremely useful!
You can find both analog or digital multimeters on the market, analog being the older form of technology and digital being the most preferred version. You will also find many devices as a standalone box with a screen that can be used without a computer and you’ll find devices that are much smaller that is used for connecting the signals and is plugged into your computer which does the calculations.
Today we’re going to take you through an amazing standalone digital oscilloscope by Siglent called the SDS1202X-E.
Siglent SDS1202X-E Reviews
OUR TOP PICK
- 2 Channels
- LAN, Pass/Fail Trigger, and USB ports
- Universal power supply port
- Large rubber rear feet on bottom with extendable front feet to tilt up
- Two 200 MHz probes
- Super Phosphor Technology
- 7-inch LCD screen 800×480 resolution
- Serial Decoder
- Waveform Capture of 100,000 wfms/s
- Sample Rate of 1GSA
Product Overview
This device has so many great features it’s hard to fit them in one article. When you’re looking for a great oscilloscope, you’ll want to keep a few key factors in mind to understand the quality of the device. These factors include the cost, memory, bandwidth, resolution, audible noise, waveform update rate, power consumption, screen refreshing rate, and size/weight.
Siglent SDS1202X-E Buying Guide
Here’s an overview of this Siglent SDS1202X-E’s features:- Resolution: This device has a resolution of up to 256 levels and while screen resolution may not seem like the most important part, it does make a difference in being able to see differences in the signal. A higher resolution will give you more accurate small details on the screen and it’s imperative when you want accurate signal measurement changes.
- Ports: The SDS1202X-E has a USB port that can be used to export data either to a USB stick or drive storage and is stored in a .png format. It also has both a LAN and pass/fail trigger port on the back. You’ll find software available in the box which can be used to visualize the data on your PC, or you can use other external software options available online.
- Resolution: The resolution on this Siglent device determines how many pixels on the screen it can show which the higher the resolution means you’ll be able to see smaller fluctuations in the signal. Having that higher level of details become really important when you need extremely accurate readings for small electronic circuits. The SDS1202X-E has a resolution of 256 level.
- Bandwidth: The bandwidth of your oscilloscope is important when determining what type of signals you can measure. The bandwidth specification on your scope is related to the speed of the waveforms it can measure. In order for your oscilloscope to adequately measure the signal, the scope’s bandwidth must exceed the operating frequency you’re trying to measure. This device can measure up to 200MHz which is great for almost all signals except for a few of the more high-frequency signals.
- Memory Depth: On dual channel, this scope can measure 500 msps (mega samples per second) and with one channel it’s double that at 1 gsps (giga sample per second). While the memory depth can get really confusing to understand, the memory depth is just the sample rate multiplied by the acquisition time window.
- Buttons/Audible Noise: Button pressing triggers audible noise when filtering through different options. Menu options displayed across the bottom of the screen with 6 buttons available including ‘back’ button when cycling through menu options. Intensity adjustment dial has key-pad option when pressing down hard.