What's a good beginners Oscilloscope?

[Corn-Picker]

I am looking for a beginners Oscilloscope, I'm willing to spend up to $500 or so. Here's the basics of what I'm looking for.

20-25 MHz (Is this an acceptable range in your opinions?)
Dual Trace
At least 0.5 microsecond resolution
5 mV low voltage sensitivity

Features like storage, delayed sweep, and selectable triggering are optional.

Most of the scopes I've found online are of the $1500+ variety. I haven't been able to find much in the lower price ranges...

Monday I am going to go to the local universitie's (WVU) surplus warehouse and see if the physics department has thrown anything out, who knows I may get lucky.

Is this worth $270?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll...tem=1786118124

I hate to buy used as I may be getting someone else's junk.

Edit: I'm also afraid I'm getting stolen stuff on ebay. Almost all of the descriptions say "the thing turns on and lights up but I have no idea if it does what it's supposed to."

[halojoy]

I have an old very heavy tube oscilloscope. Made in Untited Kingdom.
Thanks, all brittish factory workers!
I got it for free. A guy had bought it cheap on an auction,
but had no use for it, so I got it.
There are nice peoples!

It has 2 channels and .5uS, which gives 2 MHz.
So it is enough for audio.
The problem was to carry it home, so I took the local bus!

[Ken L]

I picked up a 2232 for about 280 plus freight with a 20 days or so right of return on e-bay.

It just depends on how much time and energy you want to spend.

I lost a lot of bids on scopes that went to someone else -

The 2235 should be suitable with decent probes but if it were me I would just keep setting a snipe program and let tem go higher to someone else until I hit for one for less.

check out this link.

http://www.vaxxine.com/phil/scopes/scope$.htm

HTH

Ken

[fdegrove]

Hi Halojoy,

I'm slowly beginning to see why you post these lyrics and other joyous posts!

A free scope no less.

Lucky Swede.

[jackinnj]

the most seriously neglected series of very high quality scopes are the Tektronix 5XXX -- these have a large screen and very low noise sensitive plugins. Of course, they are 1970's vintage and the risk you take is that of a dull bulb -- but they go begging on the 'Bay. Plugins are very cheap for the quality. I have a couple of 'em. secondly, the 7XXX series are almost as inexpensive and have the richest set of plugins -- a 7704a in good shape with two time bases and two vertical amps will cost abou to $100 to $200 -- this for an instrument which cost in the tens of thousands and was used for all kinds of testing in the 1980's and 1990's.

[halojoy]

Originally posted by fdegrove
Hi Halojoy,

I'm slowly beginning to see why you post these lyrics and other joyous posts!

A free scope no less.

Lucky Swede.

Yes.
What is joyous in Belgium, besides drinkin' beer, diggin' music and watching the curves (on the scope)?
If anyone would try the impossible task of getting some data or a manual/instructions for my scope,
it is a TELEQUIPMENT LTD London type D43R.
It is really not nessesary.
After some trials and errors I managed to get a hold on how you do things with an oscilloscope. But still there are ways to use it I haven't learned.
The trafo is versatile.
One plug on the backside selects 220/110 VAC.
Another adjusts in in 7 positions!: plus/minus 5V, 10V, 20V
Nowadays not many would bother with such options.

[halojoy]

this is a picture of my free scope

http://www.thevalvepage.com/testeq/t.../d43/front.jpg

my version has the 2 lowests sections to the left of the screen
otherwise there is no difference in the functions

[dlharmon]

Definately check ebay. It will take some time finding what you really want, but will pay off. I spent about a month searching before I found the perfect scope. I got a HP 1715a. It only cost me $73, and its 200MHz. You might not find anything that nice, but you can find something good.

Be sure to also spend some time researching what is available. There are some good websites on this subject. I lost my bookmarks a while back so I no longer have the url's

Darrell Harmon

[till]

one link: http://www.reprise.com/host/tektronix/home/default.asp

i was at the same point some month ago.

ebay is the right way to go, i choose Tek 7904 and now i´m plugin collector...


there are some scope threads in this forum, do a search.

[BC108man]

Halojoy,

Happy to hear you like the scope. I used to work at the Telequipment plant in Hoddesdon (Hertfordshire) although that was after they were acquired by Tek. I stayed for a few years, but Tek wasn't really interested in that market. So I moved on.

Anyway, it's a fine instrument, and there is a manual online at:
http://www.thevalvepage.com/servdata...p/d43_main.pdf

Hope this helps.

Cheers, BC