On 4/16/2012 1:47 PM, Marvin Gozum wrote:
At eevblog.com forum Chinese scopes are a daily discussion for over 3 years.
In summary, in the<= 100 MHz level they are very cost effective but there are
better and worse. Rigol, Owon and Hantek are on par while Atten and Uni-T are
consistently rated less. The criteria for rating them are measurement accuracy
and precision, UI, construction quality and tech support.
Prices vary depending on country, and local support varies. Those differences
will help you choose between the better 3 brands.
Rigol is consistent in quality all around, but cost more than the others.
Rigol is the only maker with scopes that compete with Agilent or Tek, in the
1-4 GHz level. Support is mostly via the sellers. In the USA, Rigol has a
subsidiary that provides responsive support.
Owon and Hantek offer larger screens, more features and better GUI, but can be
plagued with construction flaws. Its acceptable if your seller will exchange
any defective units you purhcase. Owon has provided tech and hardware support
directly from China, including spares.
Atten and Uni-T glitches are concerning, as they tend to provide erratic
measurement.
I got one of the 50MHz Rigol scopes last year as a "toss in" when I
bought one of their arbs.
It works well, but one thing that annoys me is a flicker on the screen
at fast (less than a few microsecond) sweep speeds. I emailed Rigol US
about it, but never had a response so don't know if it's normal or not.
My Tek 2012 (almost identical form factor as the Rigol, by the way)
doesn't show the flicker.
The other notable thing about the Rigol is that the on-screen text uses
that not-very-attractive, Times Roman-ish, serif font that seems
ubiquitous in Chinese documentation. Anyone know why they use that
versus something more pleasant on the eyes?
John
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