Please turn off "Stable Volume" in the video playback setting (the first menu item after clicking the gear icon) as for some reason, this new RUclips playback feature made the video much noisier than usual.
Seems that for some strange reason Zotek either don't watch your videos, or just ignore your suggestions. The inability to auto range at 46MHz is inexcusable. And I agree that the normal and fast range switching is a bit silly and could be a tad frustrating.
Good stuff, Kerry. FYI - I could not update my 702S until I had Windows repair the FIRMWARE file in the 702S. I think my 702S was 1.03.41 originally. My 702 also came with a bad battery. Still, I like it except for the recessed BNC makes it hard to attach a probe to.👍
I have the ZT-703S, the Aneng version of the 702S (the Aneng can run the Zotek firmware) and two of the Owon HDS series scope meters. I’ve had the Owon units for over a year and the 700 series for about four months. I really like the compact and somewhat sleeker styling of the 700 series units. The 703 is a bit of a disappointment because it fails to fully deliver on the advertised bandwidth. The other wart is if you leave the meter probe in the wrong socket when taking current measurements, you get crazy values displayed. True, there is a reminder flashed on the screen, but it is only there for about one second. I would have programmed the firmware to leave the reminder on the screen until some current flow is sensed; that way you’re sure the user read the reminder. The last complaint is that not enough of the BNC socket is poking through the plastic far enough to firmly seat a standard Amphenol plug on its detent. The probe included with the meter does firmly seat on its detent. The Owon HDS series meters outperform their promised specifications. The 200 MHz rated HDS-2102S will easily lock on a 300 MHz signal, and you can get a reasonable lock on 400 MHz, though sensitivity is about 6 dB down by that point. I am inclined to believe the Owon meters meet their CAT safety ratings. Even the BNC connector outer shells are insulated. The signal generator in the HDS S meters is pretty good. The output scaling can be set to 50, 75 or other Ohm load. Frequency, offset, duty cycle and amplitude are continuously variable. A variety of arbitrary waveforms are available. Unless you’re seriously restrained by budget, I would go with one of the Owon HDS series meters. My recommendation for the hobbyist just getting started would be to go with the Owon HDS-2101S - it is rated at 100 MHz (one channel operating) or 50 MHz (two channels active) and includes a 25 MHz signal generator. The price difference is only about 20 to 30 Dollars depending on the seller. It is definitely worth it to get the improved capability.
@@shaolin95 Thanks for the sharing your experience, adding another data point. My guess is that one or both manufacturers have variable quality control and there are good and not so good units sold. I particularly like the ergonomics of the 703S, the shape makes it easy to hold and the adjustments of gain/timebase and trace position are more logical than Owon’s. The 703S signal generator could use improvement. The applet menu is intriguing as they’ve left some blank spots in the grid where additional functions could be added. It is good to see that the 703S firmware is being actively updated. I haven’t yet found what’s different between 1.3.5 and 1.3.8 firmware, but 1.3.5 was a large improvement over what shipped on the meter. I give Zotek high marks on making the update process easy.
I wonder if the auto range offset is due to it being a 2 channel unit, I bet channel 2 gets placed above it with a positive offset, I should try my one to see if that is the case.
02:2910:19 Kerry, thankyou so much for bringing up the Auto Ranging issue!!! So annoying :( So it's still not fixed? I am on V1.3.2 . I really hope they are able to solve it.
I can imagine they went through the trouble of creating a second mode, just so they could put 50MHz in the specs while maintaining a decent battery runtime (in default mode). In China it's all about getting the highest numbers to beat other brands. Some do it by plain lying but that doesn't work out in the long run. Others do it by using tricks to achieve better specs, even though it's not convenient for the end user.
I think that Kerry Wong once found out, that Owon HDS was overclocking a 200 Ms/sec converter to 250 MS/sec. Perhaps Sotek is doing the same thing, but only then it is really needed?
Why is there a choise between normal and high? Because high is always the better choise. This reminds me of the old computers with a normal - turbo switch. It always run on turbo. The normal position was more of a slow switch.
Is it possible to use the signal generator and oscilloscope at the same time with this device? On the one hand, should we apply the frequency device with the signal generator and on the other hand, see the result simultaneously with the oscilloscope?!
Hi Kerry, nice and informative review! Do you happen to know the lowest and highest frequency of the built in frequency generator? I want to use it for audio amplifier analyses and lowest frequency below 20 Hz would be nice and highest above 40 kHz would be nice. Kind regards from Germany! Burkhard
The signal generator (sine wave from the app) goes down to 50 Hz , and up to 344 kHz. But if you go to the Output menu, you actually can get it down to 10 Hz but you only have the discrete values 10Hz, 50 Hz, etc.
@@KerryWongBlog as of 2024-07-26, the current file downloadable from that "firmware-update-703"-named URL (via Google Drive) is named "ZOYI-703S-FW-V139.ZTK" - so assuming this is firmware version "1.3.9" and because the ZT-703S got an update to "1.3.8", it may be worth to check the latest release and see if it solves any open issues.
@@Abdullu1.3.9 có thêm tính năng mới về phần hiển thị.có chế độ HD để đường sóng mịn màng hơn 😅.và cũng sửa một số lỗi.mình mới cập nhật xong tối qua cho con 703s của mình 😅
According to the sampling theorem (Shannon, 1949), to reconstruct a one-dimensional signal from a set of samples, the sampling rate must be equal to or greater than twice the highest frequency in the signal. So with a 50Mhz sampling rate don't expect to measure more than 25Mhz signal frequency accurately.
from the manual: Normal Mode: Maximum sampling rate 200MSa/s, Maximum measurement bandwidth 30MHz Lower power consumption, more power efficient. High Speed Mode: Maximum sampling rate 280MSa/s Maximum measurement bandwidth 50MHz Higher power consumption.
The designers give us a default to save battery power by lowering the bandwidth, we can then choose high mode if needed, that's a good thing. Why don't you RTFM before doing videos?
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![Best Flashlights in [2025 ] Top 5 Best Flashlights Reviews and Buying Guide](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/tTJe76_3pV8/mqdefault.jpg)
Please turn off "Stable Volume" in the video playback setting (the first menu item after clicking the gear icon) as for some reason, this new RUclips playback feature made the video much noisier than usual.
Seems that for some strange reason Zotek either don't watch your videos, or just ignore your suggestions.
The inability to auto range at 46MHz is inexcusable.
And I agree that the normal and fast range switching is a bit silly and could be a tad frustrating.
Good stuff, Kerry. FYI - I could not update my 702S until I had Windows repair the FIRMWARE file in the 702S. I think my 702S was 1.03.41 originally. My 702 also came with a bad battery. Still, I like it except for the recessed BNC makes it hard to attach a probe to.👍
I have the ZT-703S, the Aneng version of the 702S (the Aneng can run the Zotek firmware) and two of the Owon HDS series scope meters. I’ve had the Owon units for over a year and the 700 series for about four months.
I really like the compact and somewhat sleeker styling of the 700 series units. The 703 is a bit of a disappointment because it fails to fully deliver on the advertised bandwidth. The other wart is if you leave the meter probe in the wrong socket when taking current measurements, you get crazy values displayed. True, there is a reminder flashed on the screen, but it is only there for about one second. I would have programmed the firmware to leave the reminder on the screen until some current flow is sensed; that way you’re sure the user read the reminder. The last complaint is that not enough of the BNC socket is poking through the plastic far enough to firmly seat a standard Amphenol plug on its detent. The probe included with the meter does firmly seat on its detent.
The Owon HDS series meters outperform their promised specifications. The 200 MHz rated HDS-2102S will easily lock on a 300 MHz signal, and you can get a reasonable lock on 400 MHz, though sensitivity is about 6 dB down by that point. I am inclined to believe the Owon meters meet their CAT safety ratings. Even the BNC connector outer shells are insulated. The signal generator in the HDS S meters is pretty good. The output scaling can be set to 50, 75 or other Ohm load. Frequency, offset, duty cycle and amplitude are continuously variable. A variety of arbitrary waveforms are available.
Unless you’re seriously restrained by budget, I would go with one of the Owon HDS series meters. My recommendation for the hobbyist just getting started would be to go with the Owon HDS-2101S - it is rated at 100 MHz (one channel operating) or 50 MHz (two channels active) and includes a 25 MHz signal generator. The price difference is only about 20 to 30 Dollars depending on the seller. It is definitely worth it to get the improved capability.
I have the opposite experience. The 703s has been much more reliable and precise than the owon I had before
Cheaper too
@@shaolin95 Thanks for the sharing your experience, adding another data point. My guess is that one or both manufacturers have variable quality control and there are good and not so good units sold. I particularly like the ergonomics of the 703S, the shape makes it easy to hold and the adjustments of gain/timebase and trace position are more logical than Owon’s. The 703S signal generator could use improvement. The applet menu is intriguing as they’ve left some blank spots in the grid where additional functions could be added. It is good to see that the 703S firmware is being actively updated. I haven’t yet found what’s different between 1.3.5 and 1.3.8 firmware, but 1.3.5 was a large improvement over what shipped on the meter. I give Zotek high marks on making the update process easy.
I wonder if the auto range offset is due to it being a 2 channel unit, I bet channel 2 gets placed above it with a positive offset, I should try my one to see if that is the case.
I wonder if the signal generator can be turned off on the 703S. Setting it to off doesn't seem to work.
I appreciated your followup and details. I've been very satisfied with the Owon 200MHz scope I got after your review.
02:29 10:19 Kerry, thankyou so much for bringing up the Auto Ranging issue!!! So annoying :( So it's still not fixed? I am on V1.3.2 . I really hope they are able to solve it.
I have ZT703S. Unfortunately, after a few months of use, on the display appears many horizontal lines and is a bit difficult to use it!
I can imagine they went through the trouble of creating a second mode, just so they could put 50MHz in the specs while maintaining a decent battery runtime (in default mode). In China it's all about getting the highest numbers to beat other brands. Some do it by plain lying but that doesn't work out in the long run. Others do it by using tricks to achieve better specs, even though it's not convenient for the end user.
I think that Kerry Wong once found out, that Owon HDS was overclocking a 200 Ms/sec converter to 250 MS/sec. Perhaps Sotek is doing the same thing, but only then it is really needed?
Apparently firmware 1.4.2 has FFT support, so it is probably worth doing another upgrade
Why is there a choise between normal and high? Because high is always the better choise.
This reminds me of the old computers with a normal - turbo switch. It always run on turbo. The normal position was more of a slow switch.
Is it possible to use the signal generator and oscilloscope at the same time with this device? On the one hand, should we apply the frequency device with the signal generator and on the other hand, see the result simultaneously with the oscilloscope?!
Of course you can!
Thank you for the update. I use a scope to find signal interference. Do you have any examples showing waveforms that are not perfect?
Witam Panie Kerry, świetna robota. Proszę dodać język polski do translatora. Pozdrawiam z Polski👋
Hi Kerry, nice and informative review! Do you happen to know the lowest and highest frequency of the built in frequency generator? I want to use it for audio amplifier analyses and lowest frequency below 20 Hz would be nice and highest above 40 kHz would be nice.
Kind regards from Germany!
Burkhard
The signal generator (sine wave from the app) goes down to 50 Hz , and up to 344 kHz. But if you go to the Output menu, you actually can get it down to 10 Hz but you only have the discrete values 10Hz, 50 Hz, etc.
@@KerryWongBlog thanks a lot! I allready ordered it but have to wait for another two weeks …
Can this scope save the waveform data in a csv file on a pc or does it only save screenshots?
Ordered my 703 yesterday.
@7:15 may you provide the filenames of the firmware update files you used, and also where you downloaded them?
You can download the firmware from zotektools.com/firmware-update-703/
@@KerryWongBlog as of 2024-07-26, the current file downloadable from that "firmware-update-703"-named URL (via Google Drive) is named "ZOYI-703S-FW-V139.ZTK" - so assuming this is firmware version "1.3.9" and because the ZT-703S got an update to "1.3.8", it may be worth to check the latest release and see if it solves any open issues.
@@Abdullu1.3.9 có thêm tính năng mới về phần hiển thị.có chế độ HD để đường sóng mịn màng hơn 😅.và cũng sửa một số lỗi.mình mới cập nhật xong tối qua cho con 703s của mình 😅
According to the sampling theorem (Shannon, 1949), to reconstruct a one-dimensional signal from a set of samples, the sampling rate must be equal to or greater than twice the highest frequency in the signal.
So with a 50Mhz sampling rate don't expect to measure more than 25Mhz signal frequency accurately.
from the manual:
Normal Mode: Maximum sampling rate 200MSa/s, Maximum measurement bandwidth 30MHz
Lower power consumption, more power efficient.
High Speed Mode: Maximum sampling rate 280MSa/s Maximum measurement bandwidth 50MHz
Higher power consumption.
@@juhaszpeter4796đúng vậy 😅
To accurately measure 50Mhz you only need 100MSa/s
Firmware v139 is out
The designers give us a default to save battery power by lowering the bandwidth, we can then choose high mode if needed, that's a good thing. Why don't you RTFM before doing videos?
đúng là như vậy.nó có chế độ bình thường để tiết kiệm pin và chế độ tốc độ cao để đo tần số cao hơn.mình đã thử nghiệm và đúng như vậy 🥰🥰🥰