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Cheap PC Oscilloscopes - Any Recommendations?

Posted by Cliff on from the waves-on-screen dept.

Missionary Man asks: "I'm an electronics teacher looking for a good (but reasonably cheap) PC based oscilloscope for classroom demonstration purposes. I've done a reasonable amount of research and come up with a few contenders. Ideally I'd like something with a bandwidth of up to 40MHz and 2 channels. Does anyone have any tales to tell regarding the use of any of these scopes (or any others I haven't found or mentioned) and can recommend a suitable device?"

"Here's the list of my findings so far:

  • The DS2200C from USB Instruments will do 2 channels at 12 bit resolution, but only to 200KHz.
  • The PCS100 from Velleman at QKits runs to 12MHz, but only 1 channel. It has a bigger brother, the PCS500, that has 2 channels and 50MHz bandwidth, but is a lot more expensive.
  • Picotech do cheaper ones, like the ADC-40/42, but these only operate in the KHz ranges.
  • Link Instruments sell the DSO-2102S that runs to 60MHz with 2 channels, but it's a bit out of my price range.
  • Finally, I found the bitscope which seems to be just what I'm looking for, combining a 2 channel scope and an 8 channel logic analyzer for a reasonable price.
I'm hoping to spend US$300-$400. I recognize the software is a fundamental part of the successful operation of these units and any comments regarding the bundled programs would be most helpful too!"

4 of 321 comments (clear)

  1. Cheap PC Oscilloscopes by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    Another "Award Winning" Ask Slashdot entry.

    Take your lazy, war mongering, fat-assed American ass over to google.com and fucking type "Cheap PC Oscilloscopes" into the search box and click "Search".

    CHRIST I'm tired of seeing Ask Slashdot questions that a 10 year old child would ask their parent on a Saturday afternoon.

  2. Re:Here's a good one by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    It's funny because it's -- get this -- Windows! HAHAHAHAH! BLUE SCREEN! GET IT!??! HAHA!

    Boy, that's original. You should get out of IT and seriously consider stand-up comedy as a lifelong career. You're a fricken riot! OMFG I am rolling on the ground! My chest hurts! Oh God! Medic, medic!!!

  3. Re:Here's one to check out -Price page is unreacha by You+Didn't+Spellchec · · Score: -1, Flamebait
    It looks like everything you need in a PC Oscillioscope.

    Oscillioscope? Oscillioscope? Looks like YOU DIDN'T SPELLCHECK! YOU FAIL IT!!!!!!1!!!!

    --
    Michael Moore is a
  4. Hey troll! (MOD PARENT DOWN PLEASE). by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Flamebait

    You see, it's funny. Because Windows crashes. And you see a blue screen. Te-he.

    Dear Windows Bluescreen troll: shut the fuck up. 1994 called - it wants it's jokes back. You're doing nothing but setting the Linux cause back 10 years to where poo-slinging was all the rage. We're past that now.

    By continuing to propagate the myth that Windows frequently bluescreens (a correctly maintained Windows installation doesn't crash these days unless your hardware is broken - I last experienced a Win2k bluescreen over two years ago when a network card failed) - not only is it obvious that you don't use Windows - but it's also obvious that you're a complete moron who doesn't know what the fuck he's talking about.