When I was a kid 40 years ago, and first getting interested in electronics, an oscilloscope seemed like a totally unobtainable tool for a casual hobbyist. It's pleasing to see that for so little money, a useful scope can now be bought new.
@@adriansdigitalbasement I can think of few better ways to introduce a beginner to electronics than to have them be able to SEE what a circuit is doing in real time. This takes some of the mystery out of electronics (or adds to it? It's rather astounding to contemplate the usually-invisible forces at play, acting at unimaginable speed, and with precision and repeatability unknown in the realm of physical machinery).
I was lucky someone donated a vacuum tube based Tektronics to me 30 years ago. I didn’t realize how awesome it was until I saw the list price of the “solid state” ones back in 1988.
Great video Adrian. Try switching the trigger mode from "auto" to "normal". In auto mode, the trigger will be forced at a certain interval. In normal mode the trigger will only occur after the trigger condition, ex. falling edge. You can use "auto" trigger to search for a signal when you do not know exactly what to trigger on. Then you can determine a trigger condition and switch to "normal" triggering which should give you a more deterministic trigger.
As an electronics tech with seemingly your comfort level (and my owning the upgrade model of that with the AWG/waveform generator) feature- I completely appreciate the time you took to cover the abilities of the scope-meter. Your analysis went beyond just looking at a waveform, but taught some noobs about why it would be beneficial by your real world examples. Arguably one of the best of any scope reviews I've ever seen. * I would have liked to see you cover the DMM and capacitance meter features more thoroughly, but understand the complexity of a scope demanded that time. I really enjoy the large numerical readout with super high contrast (and easy to read green/blue). And it's super convenient to take a voltage reading, then switch back to scope mode without every having to reach for another meter. Thanks Adrian - subscribed. (PS, I learned something about a feature I didn't know until you showed it).
While this is by no means a pro level piece of kit, the fact that it has multi-meter functions as well as the oscilloscope function while remaining pretty affordable makes this sound like it is probably quite a nice little unit for a hobbyist or a student getting into electronics.
Cheap things do work. In fact, my most used tool is a $179 Analog Discovery Gen 1 bought on sale. I think it is now $279 or so, but regardless, a very cheap 2-ch AWG, 2-ch DSO and 16-ch pattern generator or logic analyzer. Sometimes those cheap things are quite easy and handy to use, especially when all you need is functionality, not performance.
I've been looking to get into electronics myself and have been told by a few other friends that this would definitely fit the bill for someone like me with very basic knowledge who is still learning, with plenty of functionality to keep me going until I will inevitably need something more. I'm going all in on this but unfortunately don't have a lot of money right now so this is right within my price range.
Agree. This looks like a great first scope for a student or casual user. The best bit is that even when/if the user buys themselves a bench scope, they'll still have a portable scope on hand for field use or as a spare should their main scope develop any problems.
So 22 years ago I attended Penn tech for my associates degree in electronics. Wile there they had an old equipment sale. I bought an eico tube style 2 channel scope witch worked when I bought it. I had used solid state scopes in school. It's been 20 years and I've forgotten alot that I used to know. But with a hand held unit I will probably play with it and re familiarize myself. Thank you for the review, I went ahead and bought the Owon unit. Same money bigger screen. My eyes are weak too. Thank you again
I have started building my own lab for electronics as hobbyist due to my background in EE, and boy I am hooked to your channel. It is been years I have touched DSO and machines but your videos Adrian has refreshed all that knowledge, Thank you for such an amazing content and hardwork. I can only wish for you that the content brings all the benefits you need. I can see the hardwork that you put high quality video. You have knack for pedagogical skills and I must commend you for that.
Love the video, luckily I found a gem of info for expanding the functionality of the 2C42 model that I have aswell (purchased mine in 2020 for $90 on aliexpress). I have modified mine in accordance with the changes that nickbel recommends to get the arbitrary waveform generator working, and better sensitivity in the probe op amp based amplifiers. All that they did to release cheaper models was to remove a few chips and the chip's strapping, all the firmwares are the same. First among my modifications was adding a DAC902E burr brown chip and strapping, and using salvaged smd tantalum, mlcc, and resistors to strap both the awg output op amp circuit and the AWG's DAC. Next was adding op amps, AD8009 to be exact. I replaced only one of the probe op amps with an AD8009 to compare performance of both amps- nickbel already did this in his videos. I filled the empty awg gen amp position according to what nickbel shows in his forums and videos, and have been happy with a working AWG. Also BAV99 SOT-23 diodes are necessary. I have pics of my modifications before and after alterations if your interested. Nickbel has a full forum and youtube(subtitles necessary) channel, he's a russian ee engineer with some useful information.
@@hqiu6828 you already have a descent model including the AWGen, gotta watch nickbell's videos to understand what you might want to improve in your unit's probe amplifier circuits.
I bought this scope a while back for my job. It works fine for my needs. I don't use it all that often, so I always forget the menu structure. Other than that, it was a pretty good purchase, and I am glad I bought it.
So glad to see an appraisal of these Scopes. Always considered them to be a bit too expensive to take a punt at one hoping it's any good. This one looks very attractive. I could use one with a signal generator for checking transfer character of analogue stages in the field. Thanks Adrian, for an excellent video.
Excellent review. I like that your review is coming from a point of view from someone that is not accustomed to years of using very high end scopes. (Those that have used high end scopes for years pretty much always give every low cost scope a bad rating since their opinion of minimum quality is very skewed toward a $100,000 scope.) PS: You mentioned the logic level problem with mixing TTL and CMOS logic. The other huge issue is that when TTL receives the nearly rail-to-rail signal from CMOS there is very high current draw at the TTL input. Conversely, when CMOS receives a signal from TTL there is also very high current draw at the CMOS input. (This, of course, applies to devices using totem pole outputs being connected to totem-pole inputs.)
" when TTL receives the nearly rail-to-rail signal from CMOS there is very high current draw at the TTL input. " Not true, assuming both are powered by 5V, "Conversely, when CMOS receives a signal from TTL there is also very high current draw at the CMOS input." Also not true. The only way to get a high current at a CMOS input is if the driving signal exceeds the voltage of the input protection diodes, so more than 0.7V above the positive rail, or below the ground rail. "This, of course, applies to devices ... connected to totem-pole inputs.". There is no such thing as a totem-pole input.
So a TTL output driving a CMOS input can cause overcurrent. A CMOS input can be driven from rail to rail, were as a TTL output only drive 0.6 of a volt from the rails. A TTL can drive a CMOS just fine with room to spare.
@@appliedengineering4001 "a TTL output driving a CMOS input can cause overcurrent" -- no it cannot, assuming CMOS is running on 5V same as TTL. If you disagree, please tell us where in the CMOS chip that current goes. "A CMOS input can be driven from rail to rail, were as a TTL output only drive 0.6 of a volt from the rails." First off, a TTL output is asymmetrical, with typical output 2.4V for high (with very little pull-up current capability), and usually more like 3.5 to 4V for no load (which is what a CMOS input looks like). Whether or not the CMOS input correctly responds to the TTL output depends on which CMOS family it is. Some have explicitly TTL-compatible inputs (such as 74HCTxx series), and others do not, for example having 1/3 and 2/3 thresholds (which may still be fine, especially with a pull-up resistor on the TTL output). " A TTL can drive a CMOS just fine with room to spare." You just claimed that the output swing of TTL is less than the range of the CMOS input, and though you got the values wrong, the idea is correct. If the TTL swing is less than CMOS, where it the "room to spare". Perhaps you mean that the TTL output swing is at least large enough to cover the thresholds of the CMOS input. That may or may not be true, depending on CMOS family, as I noted.
@@Graham_Wideman Across the power lines. Take a look at the datasheet for a typical TTL chip and you will see that VoH(min) is typically specified at something like 2.7V,. while ViH(min) for a CMOS part is typically something like 3.5V - so an (in-spec) TTL part can drive a CMOS input with a signal that's outside of it's drive spec. Since CMOS chips (naturally) have complimentary input structures this sort of "above ViL(max) but below ViH(min)" can cause both FETs to be partially turned on and this is turn can cause excessive power dissipation. Sure, most of the time it works fine because the actual output voltage of the TTL part is above the linear region of the CMOS part, but checking the datasheets clearly shows this cannot be assumed. Note that connecting 3.3V CMOS logic with 5V TTL does give sufficient margin in both directions - which is precisely why that 3.3V supply voltage for CMOS was decided on in the first place.
@@TrimeshSZ " Across the power lines." Ie: current through the two complimentary transistors both being partially on. Yes, I agree, and I noted as much, suggesting, for example a pull-up resistor to ensure fulfilling logic level requirements when interfacing TTL to a non-T CMOS family. However, that does not speak to the comments I was responding to, which claimed excessive current into or out of the CMOS input itself. I concur that the datasheet specs oblige treating the possibility of an ambiguous voltage from the TTL output, even if in practice it may not be an issue.
I just picked up the Owon 70mhz handheld and I think it will work well for my basic needs. It’s a bit more expensive but seems to do the job and Auto is pretty quick too.
Bought one for work a couple of months ago. So far so good, but I absolutely had to change the timeouts for turning the screen off. It was very annoying looking away to work on something and looking back and the scope had shut down.
Adrian, at 75 now, after Vietnam Naval Avionics Advanced Maintenance, nicked named, "Mr. Scope", very much appreciated this review with experience and passion for the subject. Without explanation, my $2,000.00 Textronix Scope is over 10% out of calibration & questionable to use from in house storage. Motivated by car problems, have a renewed interest in an automotive scope to see the CAN Network and have been looking for a portable scope. I feel it adequate for general waveform diagnosis, with experience to interpolate through inaccuracies for automotive diagnoses at a poor Navy Veteran's forced early retirement. (Trouble shooting my primary 20 year old car) while driving 2nd 26 year old car. The new digital scopes have so much expanded capabilities over the older analogue scopes, your coverage is so a appreciated! After much research & your RUclips, I ordered the Hanmatek HO52 scope meter. (Hanmatek H052 scope/meter?), Oops? (?Hantek?) Oops? Adrian, thank you, from an old salty Navy Avionics AMD Technician!
Nice evaluation, thanks for sharing. I have an old battery operated portable Tektronix scope that I like for the same reason you've pointed out. It's always isolated from whatever you're connected to which makes it safer and more flexible in some applications. The portable Tektronix scope was far far more expensive and was sold back in a time when the dollar was more valuable than it is today and had fewer features than the hantek. Rigol is another manufacturer that's built one model on the assembly line and then sold it with different features for different prices where the only differences were in the firmware. It doesn't surprise me to see the function generator bnc connector there but basically not turned on. It also doesn't surprise me to see that they're using the center of the bnc connector as the output where you put the point on the scope probe to calibrate it. I have a number of Tektronic scopes and they're all the same in that they have a similar small round opening to put the point of the probe in to get the calibration square wave, never a loop for a hook lead. However they also have made models that provide a U shaped bar that you can use the press on hook lead on which is nicer (hands free).
I was just on Hanteks website and they offer pc software to view oscilloscope data from the handheld on the pc monitor. It’s pretty cool and looks better than the usb scope you demoed . Thanks again
Thanks for the walkthrough of the 64. Nice to see what pulldown resistors actually look like on gpio pins. That's a great way to demo the scope also. Thanks!
Hi Adrian, I have had couple of Hanteks in the last 2 years and have found calibration issues with them. The OWON is significantly better. The display is also much clearer on the OWON
About USB connection in 37:18. It does not necessarily grounds the oscilloscope. It can have a DC-DC converter with first and second stages isolated each other. En the signal can use optoacoplators. I have an old Micronta Multimeter with RS232C, and it is isolated from the multimeter. It only works if some signals are supplied to power the RS232 multimeter output circuit. Update at 37:30: You told what I was thinking about isolation. Update at 37:50: You did the test I wanted to see. THANK YOU. I missed how to change the battery.
Great review, and good catch on the power off battery drain. Rule of thumb is; if a rechargeable device you just purchased new comes out of the box completely drained, there is a problem there.
I just ordered an Analog Discovery 3 by Digilent and this video was so educational, I'm feeling less intimidated by the terminology of this particular tech. There's a bunch of terms that are the same but different in the DSP realm, so it was nice to see the clarification.
Hey Adrian! Can you please check continuity between the ground clip and the USB power ground pin? It's quite possible that the outer shell of the USB connector and the ground pin aren't tied together. I don't want anyone to have a mishap when probing a CRT with the scope connected to the charging lead.
That’s kind-of a redundant test, since whatever you plug it into is going to have the two tied together anyways, but I’ll go grab mine and check. Edit: I'm back with the results. At least on my 2D72 with the factory included USB cable, the outer shell of the USB connector and the USB ground are tied together, while the BNC shells remain isolated from both at all times. I think this'll be the same with all USB cables too, because the shell of the type-c end is also tied to the shell of the type-a end, just like any other cable will be.
You are correct about the shell being separate from the pins. The usb ground *pin* is tied to the BNC ground. I did some testing on my 2D42. The supplied usb cable is not shielded, the shells of the usb plugs are not connected. When you plug in a shielded usb cable the shell does provide continuity.
@@aetch77 Thanks! So definitely no ground isolation while USB is connected. This is important news! You might get away by using an unearthed charger like the one it comes with, but if you exceed the voltage rating of the internal class Y filtering capacitor you might still blow up the charger. Not to mention the leakage current through that cap.
@@aetch77 Huh, that’s odd, because I just tested my cable and meter again, and on mine the shells of both ends are connected together and to the USB ground pin, but BNC ground is floating relative to USB ground at all times. I wonder if that’s a hidden feature that either upgrading from 2Cxx to 2Dxx or 2x42 to 2x72 gets you?
I've had a 2D42 for 2 years and it's great. It won't replace my desktop scope but having a basic AWG, multimeter and scope, all in one, has been a big help for off bench projects.
in 1983 I purchased a used, non-working 100 MHz HP O'scope for $750. I was able to fix it with about 6 hours of troubleshooting and $18 service manual. That was an excellent deal back then.
Hi great video. I bought one of these with waveform generator. Must admit that I don't use that bit much. But it's was a great tool as I was away from my lab for many months due to COVID. So it worked well for me in a temp bench in my sister's spare room . I would definitely recommend one from my experience. Thanks for the video.
I was seriously considering the Hantek 2C42 as my first portable oscilloscope a little while back, but funds were tight at the time so I went for a cheaper single channel scope (FNIRSI). It does the job but in hindsight I wish I'd waited a little longer and bought this Hantek instead. Thanks for the detailed review.
I know those little single channel ones do work -- and I think they cost like $60 USD? I'd say they are similar to the $60 USB one I reviewed, but a lot worse and more cramped, so for that price bracket, the USB Hantek is the way to go. Two channels and a much easier to use UI ...... but this device really is pretty good, I'm definitely impressed.
I like these reviews and tests of cheap test equipment. Looks like they are getting better and better while the price stays the same. That thing boots up faster than either one of my Tektronix digital scopes. Also that screen can't be that bad, the ones Tektronix at least used to use on its cheap scopes are absolute garbage.
The funny thing is my old green crt one with a floppy drive boots up faster than my newer one with an lcd screen and this thing is faster than either. I guess the lcd one is easier to carry around though.
Thanks for the review. I was on the fence but now it’s in my Amazon cart. You should get Hantek to send you gear to review, you do it well. Thanks again! - Jason Burchell
Nice review. It's a good one to have around, that's for sure. I had my eye on this model, but also on the comparable Owon range. After much considerations I went for the Owon HDS242S. At €165 I got a 40MHz model with build-in function generator. The Hantek model you have was about the same price (€160), but (as you noticed) without that function generator (by the way - prices here in Europe are inflated by VAT and import costs). For me a handheld just covers my needs. Sure - I had way more expensive bench models in the past (I did run a consumer electronics repair and recycle shop a few years ago), but for my moderate needs nowadays such a hand held is more than enough. The build in function generator and (actually rather good) multi-meter functionality makes these hand held models a good all-rounder for repair jobs.
The hantek oscilloscope is ok for vehicle and audio but linearity is not the best, plus the signals can alias, their LCR meter is pretty good, some of the cheap LCD o-scopes like the DSO112A are better because they have 5mV/div, ideal for checking passive sensors and noise, I also use a fluke, Tektronix and agilent but they're not ideal as a first scope due to cost, but the cheap scopes are great for beginners, and as you advance and reach the limits of the equipment you upgrade. There is one other thing with the hantek portable gear, they seem to drain the battery down when switched off, so a fully charged battery will be drained in about 6 weeks, I modified mine to have a hard switch with a diode connected across it so I can completely switch it off and still allows it to charge, it's ready no matter how long it's stored away for when I need it.
If you still get a signal when shorting the probe to it's ground lead doesn't necessarily mean you have a bad ground lead, the loop from the probe tip to the ground clip works like an electromagnetic pickup, creating a makeshift EMC probe.
This scope seems to be so much better than the previous one (on which I commented that I much prefer stand-alone units, and other things). This actually looks useful.
Hey, great video. I was hoping you could also test the 2 channel (at same time) for performance and usability. Maybe for another video. Quick joke: Why did the submarine captain tell the first mate to bring 2 scopes to the bridge? He wanted make a pair o scopes. LOL
Wow. Another great review.. i just might buy one... OK, the challenge is,what is the next better low cost scope??? Keep up the good work, we all appreciate your efforts.
Thanks, I was looking for a good inexpensive scope, mostly for troubleshooting SBC breadboard circuits and other things where seeing what’s going on is helpful. I just ordered one, should be here tomorrow. 👍👍
The function generator output is there because oscilloscope makers usually make just a model and differentiate them by firmware only. There are cases of oscilloscopes max frequency limited by software and people discovered how to transform them in the more expensive model just changing the firmware.
I have the 2D42, that means it includes an AWG (arbitrary wave generator). Test your scope for a ground loop again. The USB cable does *not* appear to be shielded and the BNC ground connection does connect to the USB data cable.
I just tested my 2D72 for another commentor and I can't find any way in which the USB ground is shared with the BNC shells (at least up to the 2Mohm range limit of my other multimeter).
@@jean-lucpicard8186 Which part of the usb plug did you test against? The shell or the ground pin. The provided cable is unshielded so there is no connection between the shells of the usb plugs. However, I do get a dead short between the BNC and the ground *pin* of the usb cable. I also tested a shielded cable (this seemed a bit loose in the socket), this produced a dead short on the shell.
@@aetch77 I tested both the shell and directly on the ground pin in the end of the USB cable (I tested both outer pins inside the type-a end with a long thin multimeter probe). I found a resistance between them and to the BNC shells of greater than my measurement range of 2Mohms. I’ll try to shoot a short video showing the different tests I did and post it, then link it here. Might be a few hours though, I’ve got something I have to do first.
Good review / demo. I have the Owon version of a hand held oscilloscope and they are really neat. I just love the idea where the manufactures include a VOM within the design. It makes for a great carry around trouble shooting tool. I've never owned a scope before but now that I have my hand held scope, I'll never be without it. They are great ! Barry, KU3X
This looks like the typical "toy" scopes I had been seeing when looking for an inexpensive but usable portable scopes for our bioengineering students to use at home for the electronics labs during covid. Virtually every one of them were just crap, until we found the Fnirsi-1013D 2-channel tablet scope. The Fnirsi, at around $130, is a VERY usable scope, with two channel display, touch screen at around 7" and usable up to around 20 MHz, although they claim 100 MHz. Come with two probes and the battery has good run time and yet there is plenty of room for a larger and longer lasting battery. I was so impressed that I, along with another professor, bought one to use in our home labs. THIS is what you should do a review on, it would smoke that Hantek. The Fnirsi scope is also sold under a variety of names, but are all the same, basically a 7" tablet, touch-screen scope. People, check it out and stay away from these tiny screen "toy" scopes if you want to do real work, those rinky-dink scopes are a waste of time and money.
Grounding via USB can be an issue going the other way as well. When I put together my small microcontroller projects, I often connect them to my PC using a USB to UART cable that also supplies power to the board. So far, so good... until one day I wanted to measure a signal with my mains powered scope. Touching the board and the ground clip of the scope at the same time when I tried to connect the scope to the powered board gave me a small shock. It took a while for me to find out what happened. The outlet that the scope was powered from was one that I installed myself, it had proper grounding. The one that powered the PC was an outlet that was already there... and (breaking several electrical codes) was not grounded at all. So everything on the PC that should be connected to earth/ground was actually floating on a level defined by the input filter caps. The scope then gave the bridge to ground.. ouch. @Adrian Another nice tool for your retro repairs could be a small logic analyzer. For the speed you encounter there, one of the inexpensive "LA-1010" models may be something work looking into. I am using mine a lot, this thing was money well spent.
@@jean-lucpicard8186 Oh, I didn't know that Adrian's digital Basement is also watched on the bridge of the Enterprise... ;-) Jokes aside, I don't recall ever seeing him use a logic analyzer beyond his single logic beepy probe. But I may have just forgotten about that.
@@Colaholiker Yes indeed, he is a particular favorite with Lieutenant LeForge and Commander Data. They are fascinated with and impressed by the fact that someone from such an already ancient time as 2022 would be preserving technology that was already so old and outdated even then. :) Jokes aside, I don’t remember seeing it much either, I think he quickly realized that it wasn’t very much fun to watch compared to stuff on the oscilloscope. And yes, I was counting the “single logic beepy probe” as his logic analyzer, my apologies if that isn’t the proper name for that tool.
@@jean-lucpicard8186 No need to apologize when talking about technology from long gone times and not getting the terminology 100% straight, Captain! :o) At least during my time, we used to call those "logic probes", while logic analyzers were monitoring several channels at once, for example to analyze the data bus and see what bytes are going through there.
@@Colaholiker Interesting, I’ll have to see about getting one of those replicated as a gift for their work. They are currently trying to figure out how to procure one of these “Commodore 64” computers, and that tool might prove useful for diagnostic work. The biggest issue at the moment is procuring one that DOESN’T work so they can enjoy the troubleshooting process, as the initial thought of “just replicate one” would produce a fully working specimen, and remove some of the enjoyment.
I've often wished for an oscilloscope with isolated channels. Tektronix used to make one, but I don't know if they still do; Rohde & Schwarz makes one too, but it's too low bandwidth for my purposes. I don't know why there aren't more scopes that have that; the channel-to-channel isolation especially would be really useful for the types of measurements I do routinely. I get that it costs a bit to add, but surely more companies could at least offer such a scope, even if it cost more than their non-isolated ones. This portable scope won't work for my needs (I need a bandwidth on the order of 1 GHz, preferably a bit more, and I wouldn't trust this thing at 500 V regardless), but it would be nice to see isolated channels on other scopes, I suppose is what I'm saying.
I'm impressed. Thank you for posting these videos. At 37:47, I think the connection to ground should be checked against the actual ground pin, not the connector shield - that is not always connected to the ground pin.
Great Vid, very informative, you sound like you're on your game and in your element... and... I'm not complaining, just noticing... but at 28:38 that component, is not an inductor. It's a PTH Resistor. Also, all of those components on that 64 board are ESD sensitive and you are not personally ESD protected. If you want to see the battery current draw while charging, power off the equipment first so you are not measuring equipment current draw as well as charging current. I was impressed with that handheld scope for the price. For the everyday tech doing signal chasing that scope carries a pretty big punch for the price. Strap a battery backpack on it as necessary, the scope operates while it charges and I'm sure it will last operational all day. Thanks for the show and tell.
I love seeing the water heater in the background, it really kinda proves the "Basement" aspect. I hope nobody out there has a fake water heater in the background of a Hollywood studio, cashing in on the whole basement aesthetic.
I think I know why you had the triggering issue. Time base was way too high to measure the 1 MHz signal. You were actually seeing an aliased subsampled version of the signal because the scope is probably reducing its sampling rate without applying a proper antialiasing filter when using a big time base. The triggering was most likely working correctly on the 1MHz, so it appeared the trigger point was floating on the undersampled signal. It also explain why the refresh rate was too slow.
Correction : the scope may be sampling at full speed at all time, the simple fact of drawing the curve on the LCD may be doing the subsampling by itself, since the number of pixels is limited. More expensive scope probably have fancy rendering algorithms to show a blurred trace ressembling a crt trace.
Interesting product. I do wish someone here in the US made a similar product. This leaves the Fluke scopemeters I've used in the past behind for about a tenth of the price.
Even if they did, it would just be outsourced to China anyway and probably be the same quality. Might even just be the exact same product with just enough cosmetic changes to fool someone who doesn't get one of each. Oh, and it'd cost more in spite of all that.
When I started working for Tektronix, I was suprised that I had to build my own test equipment, including a scope. Luckily, there was an old timer who walked me through it.
Great timing! I'm an automotive electrician and looking for a half decent scope for probing sensors/computer networks/etc. I think the only thing that may be an issue is the screen size/visibility off angle. Do you think the second one you linked with the bigger LCD would be a better choice? I don't need any real fancy features seeing as 9/10 its just for confirming a signal exists rather than what the signal is actually doing. I was actually looking at one of the hantek PC based scopes (hook it into the workshop PC) but seeing as these seem to do PC passthrough, best of both worlds (actually do they? or is the PC software just for displaying saved captures? Not live view?)
The reason the func-gen output is there is to save cost; this way they only design one board, have one BOM, and one process for the pick-and-place machine. They just program them at the end based on how many units of each part # (SKU) they expect to sell. And, I’ll bet, even that is automated. This way, if they expect to sell 70 of every 100 as the low-end model, they just hit a button, and the automation programs every 7 units with the base configuration, and the next 3 with the high-end (func-gen) configuration. After that, they get boxed and shipped! Then they use feedback from the inventory-keeping end to adjust the percentage of each SKU. At, least, that’s what I’d do!
Definitely going to be considering this model. I have a piece of equipment that I want to analyze further but it unfortunately has a ‘hot chassis’ design (meaning there is 120V on the circuit ground even when turned off). I wonder if one is able to make screen shots of waveforms on this?
Maybe you would want to get an isolation transformer. That you can use either on a hot chassis device OR on an oscilloscope, to interrupt the ground reference...
Watchout that what you tested with USB is only the shield. In a good design the shield isn't directly tied to ground, it's ac-coupled + high value resistor in parallel. What you really needed to connect to is the GND pin of the usb connector (but it's not easily accessible with a multimeter probe ...)
I got an OWON HDS272S portable scope a few months ago. It is *very* similar to this one. The button layout is a little different, but the graphics are identical.
i have the same scope but 40mhz. tho they may be quite similar to the hantek scopes i'm pretty sure that the hardware is different. the owon has a few annoying little bugs: 1) when you auto capture it often leaves the second channel active, even tho it's not currently in use, so you have to go switch channels before any of the vertical/horizontal/trigger controls work. 2) the multimeter cap tester is so so slow. slower still than you imagine.
I have this exact model and the screen is always randomly dimming. Did you ever find a way to get rid of that. Excellent video by the way very helpful.
I’m sure you’re aware of a video that compares the Hantek and Owon hand scopes. If not, you should check it out. Published by Kerry Wong, it definitely depicts the Owon as the superior hand scope of the two. Thanks again for your review of the Hantek.
37:20 forgive my total ignorance (I’m learning a lot from watching you): is it even possible to have a USB port that can charge batteries if the port has opto-coupler isolation? I would think that would also preclude voltage from being applied to the batteries.
The data lines are opto isolated and the 5V and ground are galvanic isolated using a DC-DC converter. These days there are isolation modules available that plug into your USB port that can be used when the equipment doesn’t have to built in.
Thanks for the video, had one of these for a while, I needed to replace ALL the PCB banana sockets on the DMM as all my standard fluke banana jacks would not fit! I ended up disassembling some panel mount banana sockets and replacing all and now zero problems. I do not understand why Hantek would change the banana socket standard, very poor form and should be fixed. Otherwise, the Hantek is a very good value machine.
Thanks for the great review! And if this was reviewed by either Dave Jones or big Clive it is either hot garbage or the best thing ever since sliced bread!
Would this scope be good enough for testing analog audio circuits? I build and repair guitar pedals and while a multimeter is good enough for my needs, I’ve been thinking about picking up a cheap scope to play around with.
I wouldn't be surprised if the function generator hardware is onboard (probably baked into some larger chip) and blocked out by software. Eventually we'll probably see a software modification to re-enable it just like with the older TL866 programmers to re-enable the ISCP port.
😂 IDKW But watching someone else use a scope is absolutely infuriating 🤯 I appreciate the review though I’ve thought about getting one of these; now I think I will
Hi, thanks a lot for the video. Is this oscilloscope valid to see the wave form of a 230VAC grid or inverter signal? If not, could I use a 230/48 transformer and the 10x? Does the transforme "smooth/disturb/...." the signal? Do you have any video about how to see this signal to chekc modified, pure sine, armonics, .... Thanks
I only use the Hantek for the Function Generator. So far, this is the cheapest battery-operated function generator that doesn't require a computer that I can find. The main problems I see for this unit is you always need to run the O'scope self-calibration before measurement & if you leave it sitting for a month, the battery will be dead. For cheap O'scopes & Arb Generators, I prefer Siglent.
I have this scope and the charging circuitry went out after a few months - Still using it by pulling the cells out and throwing them in a lithium charger. Other than that, it's worked pretty well.
I would buy this as my main multimeter, IF: 1. battery would stay charged at least for a year, when not used 2. multimeter would be better 3. bigger/better screen. I understand scope is not the best, but I could live with it is it was a decent multimeter at least.
How are you getting to the individual measurements at 18:26? When I go to measurements in my 2C42, all I get is a toggle on/off that displays max/min and frequency. Not getting any options to turn on/off individual measurements. What am I doing wrong?
Keep the Ground lead as short as you can. At those frequencies, it won't bite you too bad, but best practices should be learned early. Also, if designing a board, add Ground points on the board, to make it easier to solder in a pin to attach the scope ground.
Thanks for the review. I wanted one of these handhelds, but there are so many brands/versions that it is just impossible to decide just on the info (which usually is scarce and badly translated). I just ordered the OWON, just for the bigger screen, and to check how different it might be.
Would you suggest this to measure automobile ignition coil, injector, relative compression, CKP sensor, etc. purpose? I am in need of portable automotive scope with 2 channels but not sure of which one to choose. My main usage is quick scope for automobile diagnosis.
HI - i work on old outboards at my repair shop and found this.. would this be suitable for detecting elec arcing etc? currently working on a running motor, all specs check out but there is a light shocking coming from the pack, i think the insulation has broken down and id like a way to find out if wires have broken down - be very nice if these units could detect anomalies.. Thanks!!
I wonder what screen driver it uses? Could you graft in a replacement better quality LCD - same resolution obviously, but maybe larger with better viewing angles and contrast. Also, please open it up and see if it can be hacked to enable the function generator :) thanks for keeping us entertained, while providing useful impartial advice, it's always good to hear an honest independent perspective :-)
Most Hantek scopes are software locked. This is most likely the 70mhz with AWG limited to 40mhz and the AWG locked. Their desktop scopes can be unlocked over the JTAG port to the higher bandwidth and feature set. It is usually cheaper to make 1 scope for all models instead of multiple production lines.
Love all your videos. Great work. I like the owon better . The Owon came out later than this. This is better in a few ways. One of them is the bandwidth The other is computer software. The Owon has a faster refresh rate and takes more power. If i didn't buy my Hantek 2D72 i would have gotten the higher end Owon. Owon came out with a newer model late last year. It is similar to the Owon HDS272 but its 100Mhz.
One thing with Hantek is that they're upfront about the capabilities of their gear. When Hantek say it's a 40MHz scope, it's a 40MHz scope. Not sure if I'd trust the specs on an Owon. This comes from a dude that bought a "100MHz" FNIRSI knowing full well it was only good for 30MHz or so but not caring because even 30MHz is more than enough for my use case and the price was right.
I got one of these for Christmas, and am excited to have it, but haven't used it much yet. This video was helpful.. A couple comments. 1: Careful you dont lose that extra long USB-C cable.. That jack is so far recessed in there, I'm not sure you could get another cable in there easily. And second, doesn't this have software to use a PC as a controller/display device? I haven't done it, but I thought I read that.
Since I'm not sure I caught that in the video: Can this $125 scope also, as an alternative to using its little screen, be connected to a laptop just like the $60 Hantek? (You did show the software briefly, but I'm not sure which scope that was.)
Short answer is yes but I wouldn't. Just like the Hantek supplied software for the $60 model, it's horrendous. Also, I don't believe 3rd party software exists for the 2xx2 range (I would love it for my 2D42).
6:44 Once again, peeling the layer off of most devices is the opposite of what I do. Heck, I sometimes add some scotch tape to keep such things on! :-)
When I was a kid 40 years ago, and first getting interested in electronics, an oscilloscope seemed like a totally unobtainable tool for a casual hobbyist.
It's pleasing to see that for so little money, a useful scope can now be bought new.
It's so true -- 20 years ago something like this for so little money was unimaginable!
@@adriansdigitalbasement I can think of few better ways to introduce a beginner to electronics than to have them be able to SEE what a circuit is doing in real time. This takes some of the mystery out of electronics (or adds to it? It's rather astounding to contemplate the usually-invisible forces at play, acting at unimaginable speed, and with precision and repeatability unknown in the realm of physical machinery).
You are so damn right.😉
I was lucky someone donated a vacuum tube based Tektronics to me 30 years ago. I didn’t realize how awesome it was until I saw the list price of the “solid state” ones back in 1988.
@@user-yr1uq1qe6y I started with a barn find voltmeter from the 1930's and an ampmeter salvaged from an abandoned truck.😁
Great video Adrian. Try switching the trigger mode from "auto" to "normal". In auto mode, the trigger will be forced at a certain interval. In normal mode the trigger will only occur after the trigger condition, ex. falling edge.
You can use "auto" trigger to search for a signal when you do not know exactly what to trigger on. Then you can determine a trigger condition and switch to "normal" triggering which should give you a more deterministic trigger.
As an electronics tech with seemingly your comfort level (and my owning the upgrade model of that with the AWG/waveform generator) feature-
I completely appreciate the time you took to cover the abilities of the scope-meter. Your analysis went beyond just looking at a waveform, but taught some noobs about why it would be beneficial by your real world examples. Arguably one of the best of any scope reviews I've ever seen.
* I would have liked to see you cover the DMM and capacitance meter features more thoroughly, but understand the complexity of a scope demanded that time. I really enjoy the large numerical readout with super high contrast (and easy to read green/blue). And it's super convenient to take a voltage reading, then switch back to scope mode without every having to reach for another meter. Thanks Adrian - subscribed. (PS, I learned something about a feature I didn't know until you showed it).
While this is by no means a pro level piece of kit, the fact that it has multi-meter functions as well as the oscilloscope function while remaining pretty affordable makes this sound like it is probably quite a nice little unit for a hobbyist or a student getting into electronics.
Cheap things do work. In fact, my most used tool is a $179 Analog Discovery Gen 1 bought on sale. I think it is now $279 or so, but regardless, a very cheap 2-ch AWG, 2-ch DSO and 16-ch pattern generator or logic analyzer. Sometimes those cheap things are quite easy and handy to use, especially when all you need is functionality, not performance.
I would never use something like that in a lab. But for out in the field use. That would be an excellent scope to have.
I've been looking to get into electronics myself and have been told by a few other friends that this would definitely fit the bill for someone like me with very basic knowledge who is still learning, with plenty of functionality to keep me going until I will inevitably need something more. I'm going all in on this but unfortunately don't have a lot of money right now so this is right within my price range.
It's looks like an easy way to learn how scopes work tbh.
Agree. This looks like a great first scope for a student or casual user. The best bit is that even when/if the user buys themselves a bench scope, they'll still have a portable scope on hand for field use or as a spare should their main scope develop any problems.
So 22 years ago I attended Penn tech for my associates degree in electronics. Wile there they had an old equipment sale. I bought an eico tube style 2 channel scope witch worked when I bought it. I had used solid state scopes in school. It's been 20 years and I've forgotten alot that I used to know. But with a hand held unit I will probably play with it and re familiarize myself. Thank you for the review, I went ahead and bought the Owon unit. Same money bigger screen. My eyes are weak too. Thank you again
I have started building my own lab for electronics as hobbyist due to my background in EE, and boy I am hooked to your channel. It is been years I have touched DSO and machines but your videos Adrian has refreshed all that knowledge, Thank you for such an amazing content and hardwork. I can only wish for you that the content brings all the benefits you need. I can see the hardwork that you put high quality video. You have knack for pedagogical skills and I must commend you for that.
Love the video, luckily I found a gem of info for expanding the functionality of the 2C42 model that I have aswell (purchased mine in 2020 for $90 on aliexpress). I have modified mine in accordance with the changes that nickbel recommends to get the arbitrary waveform generator working, and better sensitivity in the probe op amp based amplifiers. All that they did to release cheaper models was to remove a few chips and the chip's strapping, all the firmwares are the same. First among my modifications was adding a DAC902E burr brown chip and strapping, and using salvaged smd tantalum, mlcc, and resistors to strap both the awg output op amp circuit and the AWG's DAC. Next was adding op amps, AD8009 to be exact. I replaced only one of the probe op amps with an AD8009 to compare performance of both amps- nickbel already did this in his videos. I filled the empty awg gen amp position according to what nickbel shows in his forums and videos, and have been happy with a working AWG. Also BAV99 SOT-23 diodes are necessary. I have pics of my modifications before and after alterations if your interested. Nickbel has a full forum and youtube(subtitles necessary) channel, he's a russian ee engineer with some useful information.
I have the 2D42, what to do to improve it?
@@hqiu6828 you already have a descent model including the AWGen, gotta watch nickbell's videos to understand what you might want to improve in your unit's probe amplifier circuits.
I bought this scope a while back for my job. It works fine for my needs. I don't use it all that often, so I always forget the menu structure. Other than that, it was a pretty good purchase, and I am glad I bought it.
That's the biggest problem with handheld scopes, the UI.
So glad to see an appraisal of these Scopes. Always considered them to be a bit too expensive to take a punt at one hoping it's any good. This one looks very attractive. I could use one with a signal generator for checking transfer character of analogue stages in the field. Thanks Adrian, for an excellent video.
Thanks Adrian. I own this Oscilloscope for some time and now I understand it much better 🙂
Excellent review. I like that your review is coming from a point of view from someone that is not accustomed to years of using very high end scopes. (Those that have used high end scopes for years pretty much always give every low cost scope a bad rating since their opinion of minimum quality is very skewed toward a $100,000 scope.)
PS: You mentioned the logic level problem with mixing TTL and CMOS logic. The other huge issue is that when TTL receives the nearly rail-to-rail signal from CMOS there is very high current draw at the TTL input. Conversely, when CMOS receives a signal from TTL there is also very high current draw at the CMOS input. (This, of course, applies to devices using totem pole outputs being connected to totem-pole inputs.)
" when TTL receives the nearly rail-to-rail signal from CMOS there is very high current draw at the TTL input. " Not true, assuming both are powered by 5V, "Conversely, when CMOS receives a signal from TTL there is also very high current draw at the CMOS input." Also not true. The only way to get a high current at a CMOS input is if the driving signal exceeds the voltage of the input protection diodes, so more than 0.7V above the positive rail, or below the ground rail. "This, of course, applies to devices ... connected to totem-pole inputs.". There is no such thing as a totem-pole input.
So a TTL output driving a CMOS input can cause overcurrent. A CMOS input can be driven from rail to rail, were as a TTL output only drive 0.6 of a volt from the rails. A TTL can drive a CMOS just fine with room to spare.
@@appliedengineering4001 "a TTL output driving a CMOS input can cause overcurrent" -- no it cannot, assuming CMOS is running on 5V same as TTL. If you disagree, please tell us where in the CMOS chip that current goes. "A CMOS input can be driven from rail to rail, were as a TTL output only drive 0.6 of a volt from the rails." First off, a TTL output is asymmetrical, with typical output 2.4V for high (with very little pull-up current capability), and usually more like 3.5 to 4V for no load (which is what a CMOS input looks like). Whether or not the CMOS input correctly responds to the TTL output depends on which CMOS family it is. Some have explicitly TTL-compatible inputs (such as 74HCTxx series), and others do not, for example having 1/3 and 2/3 thresholds (which may still be fine, especially with a pull-up resistor on the TTL output). " A TTL can drive a CMOS just fine with room to spare." You just claimed that the output swing of TTL is less than the range of the CMOS input, and though you got the values wrong, the idea is correct. If the TTL swing is less than CMOS, where it the "room to spare". Perhaps you mean that the TTL output swing is at least large enough to cover the thresholds of the CMOS input. That may or may not be true, depending on CMOS family, as I noted.
@@Graham_Wideman Across the power lines. Take a look at the datasheet for a typical TTL chip and you will see that VoH(min) is typically specified at something like 2.7V,. while ViH(min) for a CMOS part is typically something like 3.5V - so an (in-spec) TTL part can drive a CMOS input with a signal that's outside of it's drive spec. Since CMOS chips (naturally) have complimentary input structures this sort of "above ViL(max) but below ViH(min)" can cause both FETs to be partially turned on and this is turn can cause excessive power dissipation. Sure, most of the time it works fine because the actual output voltage of the TTL part is above the linear region of the CMOS part, but checking the datasheets clearly shows this cannot be assumed.
Note that connecting 3.3V CMOS logic with 5V TTL does give sufficient margin in both directions - which is precisely why that 3.3V supply voltage for CMOS was decided on in the first place.
@@TrimeshSZ " Across the power lines." Ie: current through the two complimentary transistors both being partially on. Yes, I agree, and I noted as much, suggesting, for example a pull-up resistor to ensure fulfilling logic level requirements when interfacing TTL to a non-T CMOS family. However, that does not speak to the comments I was responding to, which claimed excessive current into or out of the CMOS input itself.
I concur that the datasheet specs oblige treating the possibility of an ambiguous voltage from the TTL output, even if in practice it may not be an issue.
I just picked up the Owon 70mhz handheld and I think it will work well for my basic needs. It’s a bit more expensive but seems to do the job and Auto is pretty quick too.
Bought one for work a couple of months ago. So far so good, but I absolutely had to change the timeouts for turning the screen off. It was very annoying looking away to work on something and looking back and the scope had shut down.
Adrian, at 75 now, after Vietnam Naval Avionics Advanced Maintenance, nicked named, "Mr. Scope", very much appreciated this review with experience and passion for the subject.
Without explanation, my $2,000.00 Textronix Scope is over 10% out of calibration & questionable to use from in house storage.
Motivated by car problems, have a renewed interest in an automotive scope to see the CAN Network and have been looking for a portable scope.
I feel it adequate for general waveform diagnosis, with experience to interpolate through inaccuracies for automotive diagnoses at a poor Navy Veteran's forced early retirement. (Trouble shooting my primary 20 year old car) while driving 2nd 26 year old car.
The new digital scopes have so much expanded capabilities over the older analogue scopes, your coverage is so a appreciated!
After much research & your RUclips, I ordered the Hanmatek HO52 scope meter.
(Hanmatek H052 scope/meter?), Oops? (?Hantek?) Oops?
Adrian, thank you, from an old salty Navy Avionics AMD Technician!
Nice evaluation, thanks for sharing.
I have an old battery operated portable Tektronix scope that I like for the same reason you've pointed out. It's always isolated from whatever you're connected to which makes it safer and more flexible in some applications. The portable Tektronix scope was far far more expensive and was sold back in a time when the dollar was more valuable than it is today and had fewer features than the hantek.
Rigol is another manufacturer that's built one model on the assembly line and then sold it with different features for different prices where the only differences were in the firmware. It doesn't surprise me to see the function generator bnc connector there but basically not turned on. It also doesn't surprise me to see that they're using the center of the bnc connector as the output where you put the point on the scope probe to calibrate it. I have a number of Tektronic scopes and they're all the same in that they have a similar small round opening to put the point of the probe in to get the calibration square wave, never a loop for a hook lead. However they also have made models that provide a U shaped bar that you can use the press on hook lead on which is nicer (hands free).
The VHS-quality intro always hits that peak nostalgia part of my brain and primes me to have a good time with these videos.
I saw a Tektronix scope at a trade fair. I was so impressed, I spent the next 25 years repairing them. Love this little scope! Awesome.
I was just on Hanteks website and they offer pc software to view oscilloscope data from the handheld on the pc monitor. It’s pretty cool and looks better than the usb scope you demoed . Thanks again
Thanks for the walkthrough of the 64. Nice to see what pulldown resistors actually look like on gpio pins. That's a great way to demo the scope also. Thanks!
Hi Adrian, I have had couple of Hanteks in the last 2 years and have found calibration issues with them. The OWON is significantly better. The display is also much clearer on the OWON
About USB connection in 37:18.
It does not necessarily grounds the oscilloscope. It can have a DC-DC converter with first and second stages isolated each other. En the signal can use optoacoplators.
I have an old Micronta Multimeter with RS232C, and it is isolated from the multimeter. It only works if some signals are supplied to power the RS232 multimeter output circuit.
Update at 37:30: You told what I was thinking about isolation.
Update at 37:50: You did the test I wanted to see. THANK YOU.
I missed how to change the battery.
I had been looking at these but wasn't sure if I wanted to actually pick one up. Appreciate the review!
Ah yes, perfectly timed. I just bought a cheapo oscilloscope yesterday.
I'll see when it arrives whether I should go back and get something like this.
Great review, and good catch on the power off battery drain. Rule of thumb is; if a rechargeable device you just purchased new comes out of the box completely drained, there is a problem there.
I just ordered an Analog Discovery 3 by Digilent and this video was so educational, I'm feeling less intimidated by the terminology of this particular tech. There's a bunch of terms that are the same but different in the DSP realm, so it was nice to see the clarification.
Hey Adrian! Can you please check continuity between the ground clip and the USB power ground pin? It's quite possible that the outer shell of the USB connector and the ground pin aren't tied together. I don't want anyone to have a mishap when probing a CRT with the scope connected to the charging lead.
That’s kind-of a redundant test, since whatever you plug it into is going to have the two tied together anyways, but I’ll go grab mine and check.
Edit: I'm back with the results. At least on my 2D72 with the factory included USB cable, the outer shell of the USB connector and the USB ground are tied together, while the BNC shells remain isolated from both at all times. I think this'll be the same with all USB cables too, because the shell of the type-c end is also tied to the shell of the type-a end, just like any other cable will be.
You are correct about the shell being separate from the pins. The usb ground *pin* is tied to the BNC ground.
I did some testing on my 2D42.
The supplied usb cable is not shielded, the shells of the usb plugs are not connected.
When you plug in a shielded usb cable the shell does provide continuity.
@@aetch77 Thanks! So definitely no ground isolation while USB is connected. This is important news!
You might get away by using an unearthed charger like the one it comes with, but if you exceed the voltage rating of the internal class Y filtering capacitor you might still blow up the charger. Not to mention the leakage current through that cap.
@@aetch77 Huh, that’s odd, because I just tested my cable and meter again, and on mine the shells of both ends are connected together and to the USB ground pin, but BNC ground is floating relative to USB ground at all times. I wonder if that’s a hidden feature that either upgrading from 2Cxx to 2Dxx or 2x42 to 2x72 gets you?
I've had a 2D42 for 2 years and it's great. It won't replace my desktop scope but having a basic AWG, multimeter and scope, all in one, has been a big help for off bench projects.
in 1983 I purchased a used, non-working 100 MHz HP O'scope for $750. I was able to fix it with about 6 hours of troubleshooting and $18 service manual. That was an excellent deal back then.
Hi great video. I bought one of these with waveform generator. Must admit that I don't use that bit much. But it's was a great tool as I was away from my lab for many months due to COVID. So it worked well for me in a temp bench in my sister's spare room . I would definitely recommend one from my experience. Thanks for the video.
I was seriously considering the Hantek 2C42 as my first portable oscilloscope a little while back, but funds were tight at the time so I went for a cheaper single channel scope (FNIRSI). It does the job but in hindsight I wish I'd waited a little longer and bought this Hantek instead. Thanks for the detailed review.
I know those little single channel ones do work -- and I think they cost like $60 USD? I'd say they are similar to the $60 USB one I reviewed, but a lot worse and more cramped, so for that price bracket, the USB Hantek is the way to go. Two channels and a much easier to use UI ...... but this device really is pretty good, I'm definitely impressed.
I like these reviews and tests of cheap test equipment. Looks like they are getting better and better while the price stays the same. That thing boots up faster than either one of my Tektronix digital scopes. Also that screen can't be that bad, the ones Tektronix at least used to use on its cheap scopes are absolute garbage.
The funny thing is my old green crt one with a floppy drive boots up faster than my newer one with an lcd screen and this thing is faster than either. I guess the lcd one is easier to carry around though.
Thanks for the review. I was on the fence but now it’s in my Amazon cart. You should get Hantek to send you gear to review, you do it well. Thanks again! - Jason Burchell
Nice review. It's a good one to have around, that's for sure.
I had my eye on this model, but also on the comparable Owon range. After much considerations I went for the Owon HDS242S. At €165 I got a 40MHz model with build-in function generator. The Hantek model you have was about the same price (€160), but (as you noticed) without that function generator (by the way - prices here in Europe are inflated by VAT and import costs).
For me a handheld just covers my needs. Sure - I had way more expensive bench models in the past (I did run a consumer electronics repair and recycle shop a few years ago), but for my moderate needs nowadays such a hand held is more than enough. The build in function generator and (actually rather good) multi-meter functionality makes these hand held models a good all-rounder for repair jobs.
I like mine. I can take it outside and have a usable scope with me in strange places.
Thank you Adrian for a very thorough and informative review - I purchased on your recommendation
The hantek oscilloscope is ok for vehicle and audio but linearity is not the best, plus the signals can alias, their LCR meter is pretty good, some of the cheap LCD o-scopes like the DSO112A are better because they have 5mV/div, ideal for checking passive sensors and noise, I also use a fluke, Tektronix and agilent but they're not ideal as a first scope due to cost, but the cheap scopes are great for beginners, and as you advance and reach the limits of the equipment you upgrade. There is one other thing with the hantek portable gear, they seem to drain the battery down when switched off, so a fully charged battery will be drained in about 6 weeks, I modified mine to have a hard switch with a diode connected across it so I can completely switch it off and still allows it to charge, it's ready no matter how long it's stored away for when I need it.
If you still get a signal when shorting the probe to it's ground lead doesn't necessarily mean you have a bad ground lead, the loop from the probe tip to the ground clip works like an electromagnetic pickup, creating a makeshift EMC probe.
This scope seems to be so much better than the previous one (on which I commented that I much prefer stand-alone units, and other things). This actually looks useful.
Hey, great video. I was hoping you could also test the 2 channel (at same time) for performance and usability. Maybe for another video.
Quick joke: Why did the submarine captain tell the first mate to bring 2 scopes to the bridge? He wanted make a pair o scopes. LOL
Wow. Another great review.. i just might buy one...
OK, the challenge is,what is the next better low cost scope???
Keep up the good work, we all appreciate your efforts.
Very nice review Adrian! Cheers from Italy
Thanks, I was looking for a good inexpensive scope, mostly for troubleshooting SBC breadboard circuits and other things where seeing what’s going on is helpful. I just ordered one, should be here tomorrow. 👍👍
The function generator output is there because oscilloscope makers usually make just a model and differentiate them by firmware only. There are cases of oscilloscopes max frequency limited by software and people discovered how to transform them in the more expensive model just changing the firmware.
I have the 2D42, that means it includes an AWG (arbitrary wave generator).
Test your scope for a ground loop again. The USB cable does *not* appear to be shielded and the BNC ground connection does connect to the USB data cable.
Arbitrary *WAGE* generator? As long as I can implement an "arbitrary attendance policy". :)
@@MrWaalkman Oops, my bad.
I just tested my 2D72 for another commentor and I can't find any way in which the USB ground is shared with the BNC shells (at least up to the 2Mohm range limit of my other multimeter).
@@jean-lucpicard8186 Which part of the usb plug did you test against? The shell or the ground pin.
The provided cable is unshielded so there is no connection between the shells of the usb plugs.
However, I do get a dead short between the BNC and the ground *pin* of the usb cable.
I also tested a shielded cable (this seemed a bit loose in the socket), this produced a dead short on the shell.
@@aetch77 I tested both the shell and directly on the ground pin in the end of the USB cable (I tested both outer pins inside the type-a end with a long thin multimeter probe). I found a resistance between them and to the BNC shells of greater than my measurement range of 2Mohms. I’ll try to shoot a short video showing the different tests I did and post it, then link it here. Might be a few hours though, I’ve got something I have to do first.
Good review / demo. I have the Owon version of a hand held oscilloscope and they are really neat. I just love the idea where the manufactures include a VOM within the design. It makes for a great carry around trouble shooting tool.
I've never owned a scope before but now that I have my hand held scope, I'll never be without it. They are great !
Barry, KU3X
This looks like the typical "toy" scopes I had been seeing when looking for an inexpensive but usable portable scopes for our bioengineering students to use at home for the electronics labs during covid. Virtually every one of them were just crap, until we found the Fnirsi-1013D 2-channel tablet scope. The Fnirsi, at around $130, is a VERY usable scope, with two channel display, touch screen at around 7" and usable up to around 20 MHz, although they claim 100 MHz. Come with two probes and the battery has good run time and yet there is plenty of room for a larger and longer lasting battery. I was so impressed that I, along with another professor, bought one to use in our home labs. THIS is what you should do a review on, it would smoke that Hantek. The Fnirsi scope is also sold under a variety of names, but are all the same, basically a 7" tablet, touch-screen scope. People, check it out and stay away from these tiny screen "toy" scopes if you want to do real work, those rinky-dink scopes are a waste of time and money.
Except, the cheapest I see them on Ebay is $170... :(
@@Quickened1 got them from aliexpress
Grounding via USB can be an issue going the other way as well. When I put together my small microcontroller projects, I often connect them to my PC using a USB to UART cable that also supplies power to the board. So far, so good... until one day I wanted to measure a signal with my mains powered scope. Touching the board and the ground clip of the scope at the same time when I tried to connect the scope to the powered board gave me a small shock.
It took a while for me to find out what happened. The outlet that the scope was powered from was one that I installed myself, it had proper grounding. The one that powered the PC was an outlet that was already there... and (breaking several electrical codes) was not grounded at all. So everything on the PC that should be connected to earth/ground was actually floating on a level defined by the input filter caps. The scope then gave the bridge to ground.. ouch.
@Adrian Another nice tool for your retro repairs could be a small logic analyzer. For the speed you encounter there, one of the inexpensive "LA-1010" models may be something work looking into. I am using mine a lot, this thing was money well spent.
He already has a logic analyzer, he just doesn't use it much anymore because it's not as entertaining to watch.
@@jean-lucpicard8186 Oh, I didn't know that Adrian's digital Basement is also watched on the bridge of the Enterprise... ;-)
Jokes aside, I don't recall ever seeing him use a logic analyzer beyond his single logic beepy probe. But I may have just forgotten about that.
@@Colaholiker Yes indeed, he is a particular favorite with Lieutenant LeForge and Commander Data. They are fascinated with and impressed by the fact that someone from such an already ancient time as 2022 would be preserving technology that was already so old and outdated even then.
:)
Jokes aside, I don’t remember seeing it much either, I think he quickly realized that it wasn’t very much fun to watch compared to stuff on the oscilloscope. And yes, I was counting the “single logic beepy probe” as his logic analyzer, my apologies if that isn’t the proper name for that tool.
@@jean-lucpicard8186 No need to apologize when talking about technology from long gone times and not getting the terminology 100% straight, Captain! :o)
At least during my time, we used to call those "logic probes", while logic analyzers were monitoring several channels at once, for example to analyze the data bus and see what bytes are going through there.
@@Colaholiker Interesting, I’ll have to see about getting one of those replicated as a gift for their work. They are currently trying to figure out how to procure one of these “Commodore 64” computers, and that tool might prove useful for diagnostic work. The biggest issue at the moment is procuring one that DOESN’T work so they can enjoy the troubleshooting process, as the initial thought of “just replicate one” would produce a fully working specimen, and remove some of the enjoyment.
I've often wished for an oscilloscope with isolated channels. Tektronix used to make one, but I don't know if they still do; Rohde & Schwarz makes one too, but it's too low bandwidth for my purposes. I don't know why there aren't more scopes that have that; the channel-to-channel isolation especially would be really useful for the types of measurements I do routinely. I get that it costs a bit to add, but surely more companies could at least offer such a scope, even if it cost more than their non-isolated ones.
This portable scope won't work for my needs (I need a bandwidth on the order of 1 GHz, preferably a bit more, and I wouldn't trust this thing at 500 V regardless), but it would be nice to see isolated channels on other scopes, I suppose is what I'm saying.
I'm impressed. Thank you for posting these videos.
At 37:47, I think the connection to ground should be checked against the actual ground pin, not the connector shield - that is not always connected to the ground pin.
Great Vid, very informative, you sound like you're on your game and in your element...
and... I'm not complaining, just noticing... but at 28:38 that component, is not an inductor. It's a PTH Resistor. Also, all of those components on that 64 board are ESD sensitive and you are not personally ESD protected. If you want to see the battery current draw while charging, power off the equipment first so you are not measuring equipment current draw as well as charging current.
I was impressed with that handheld scope for the price. For the everyday tech doing signal chasing that scope carries a pretty big punch for the price. Strap a battery backpack on it as necessary, the scope operates while it charges and I'm sure it will last operational all day.
Thanks for the show and tell.
I love seeing the water heater in the background, it really kinda proves the "Basement" aspect. I hope nobody out there has a fake water heater in the background of a Hollywood studio, cashing in on the whole basement aesthetic.
Great review! 👍 Thinking about buying one of these. 🙂
I think I know why you had the triggering issue. Time base was way too high to measure the 1 MHz signal. You were actually seeing an aliased subsampled version of the signal because the scope is probably reducing its sampling rate without applying a proper antialiasing filter when using a big time base. The triggering was most likely working correctly on the 1MHz, so it appeared the trigger point was floating on the undersampled signal. It also explain why the refresh rate was too slow.
Correction : the scope may be sampling at full speed at all time, the simple fact of drawing the curve on the LCD may be doing the subsampling by itself, since the number of pixels is limited. More expensive scope probably have fancy rendering algorithms to show a blurred trace ressembling a crt trace.
Very profound review. I start to like the Hantek.
Interesting product. I do wish someone here in the US made a similar product. This leaves the Fluke scopemeters I've used in the past behind for about a tenth of the price.
Even if they did, it would just be outsourced to China anyway and probably be the same quality. Might even just be the exact same product with just enough cosmetic changes to fool someone who doesn't get one of each. Oh, and it'd cost more in spite of all that.
@@stevethepocket Yup. You've pretty much summed it up.
When I started working for Tektronix, I was suprised that I had to build my own test equipment, including a scope. Luckily, there was an old timer who walked me through it.
Great timing! I'm an automotive electrician and looking for a half decent scope for probing sensors/computer networks/etc. I think the only thing that may be an issue is the screen size/visibility off angle. Do you think the second one you linked with the bigger LCD would be a better choice? I don't need any real fancy features seeing as 9/10 its just for confirming a signal exists rather than what the signal is actually doing.
I was actually looking at one of the hantek PC based scopes (hook it into the workshop PC) but seeing as these seem to do PC passthrough, best of both worlds (actually do they? or is the PC software just for displaying saved captures? Not live view?)
Put the model number in the video title so people can find it ! .. YT is the first place I look for reviews of stuff like this
The reason the func-gen output is there is to save cost; this way they only design one board, have one BOM, and one process for the pick-and-place machine. They just program them at the end based on how many units of each part # (SKU) they expect to sell. And, I’ll bet, even that is automated. This way, if they expect to sell 70 of every 100 as the low-end model, they just hit a button, and the automation programs every 7 units with the base configuration, and the next 3 with the high-end (func-gen) configuration. After that, they get boxed and shipped! Then they use feedback from the inventory-keeping end to adjust the percentage of each SKU. At, least, that’s what I’d do!
Perhaps a firmware upgrade would unlock these 'hidden' features.
Definitely going to be considering this model. I have a piece of equipment that I want to analyze further but it unfortunately has a ‘hot chassis’ design (meaning there is 120V on the circuit ground even when turned off). I wonder if one is able to make screen shots of waveforms on this?
Maybe you would want to get an isolation transformer. That you can use either on a hot chassis device OR on an oscilloscope, to interrupt the ground reference...
i have the hantek 6254bc usb scope it has 1GSamples shared with up to 4 channels. for about 250$.
i was really impressed!
Watchout that what you tested with USB is only the shield. In a good design the shield isn't directly tied to ground, it's ac-coupled + high value resistor in parallel. What you really needed to connect to is the GND pin of the usb connector (but it's not easily accessible with a multimeter probe ...)
Which version of this would you recommend for automotive work, if any? Thanks for the video.
I got an OWON HDS272S portable scope a few months ago. It is *very* similar to this one. The button layout is a little different, but the graphics are identical.
i have the same scope but 40mhz. tho they may be quite similar to the hantek scopes i'm pretty sure that the hardware is different.
the owon has a few annoying little bugs:
1) when you auto capture it often leaves the second channel active, even tho it's not currently in use, so you have to go switch channels before any of the vertical/horizontal/trigger controls work.
2) the multimeter cap tester is so so slow. slower still than you imagine.
@@maebeans Yeah, the multimeter is almost uselessly slow. I went to see if there was a firmware update after watching this video, but no.
uh got a hantek lab power supply in january, its fab! Now listening on your thoughts on the oscilloscope 👍 Lready love the illuminated display
I have this exact model and the screen is always randomly dimming. Did you ever find a way to get rid of that. Excellent video by the way very helpful.
amazing review, RIchard Dreyfuss.
The portability of that little scope would be great for automotive uses.
I’m sure you’re aware of a video that compares the Hantek and Owon hand scopes. If not, you should check it out. Published by Kerry Wong, it definitely depicts the Owon as the superior hand scope of the two. Thanks again for your review of the Hantek.
Very good. Helpful review. Might pick one up
37:20 forgive my total ignorance (I’m learning a lot from watching you): is it even possible to have a USB port that can charge batteries if the port has opto-coupler isolation? I would think that would also preclude voltage from being applied to the batteries.
The data lines are opto isolated and the 5V and ground are galvanic isolated using a DC-DC converter. These days there are isolation modules available that plug into your USB port that can be used when the equipment doesn’t have to built in.
Thank you, you've noted some important aspects that can help me with designing a better cheap oscilloscope based on STM32H7!
Thanks for the video, had one of these for a while, I needed to replace ALL the PCB banana sockets on the DMM as all my standard fluke banana jacks would not fit! I ended up disassembling some panel mount banana sockets and replacing all and now zero problems. I do not understand why Hantek would change the banana socket standard, very poor form and should be fixed. Otherwise, the Hantek is a very good value machine.
Thanks for the great review! And if this was reviewed by either Dave Jones or big Clive it is either hot garbage or the best thing ever since sliced bread!
Would this scope be good enough for testing analog audio circuits? I build and repair guitar pedals and while a multimeter is good enough for my needs, I’ve been thinking about picking up a cheap scope to play around with.
It's not the most accurate since it's only 8-bit, but yeah should likely work just fine on low frequency audio stuff.
6:20 - thd model number is on the front, on top of the screen next to the Hantek name (8:20).
I wouldn't be surprised if the function generator hardware is onboard (probably baked into some larger chip) and blocked out by software. Eventually we'll probably see a software modification to re-enable it just like with the older TL866 programmers to re-enable the ISCP port.
Yeah the fact it's producing a 1khz square wave means there's something there. Teardown Tuesday time?
no it does not have the components but you can source components for it and hack the firmware to add an awg
😂 IDKW But watching someone else use a scope is absolutely infuriating 🤯
I appreciate the review though I’ve thought about getting one of these; now I think I will
It's so much better than the $60 one! It would be even better if it had video out...
Hi, thanks a lot for the video. Is this oscilloscope valid to see the wave form of a 230VAC grid or inverter signal? If not, could I use a 230/48 transformer and the 10x? Does the transforme "smooth/disturb/...." the signal? Do you have any video about how to see this signal to chekc modified, pure sine, armonics, .... Thanks
I only use the Hantek for the Function Generator. So far, this is the cheapest battery-operated function generator that doesn't require a computer that I can find. The main problems I see for this unit is you always need to run the O'scope self-calibration before measurement & if you leave it sitting for a month, the battery will be dead. For cheap O'scopes & Arb Generators, I prefer Siglent.
I have this scope and the charging circuitry went out after a few months - Still using it by pulling the cells out and throwing them in a lithium charger. Other than that, it's worked pretty well.
great review!! and interesting C64 facts :)
Betcha the AWG can be enabled via firmware
great video. thank you. but i have just one question, why wear a t-shirt over a long sleeve top?
I would buy this as my main multimeter, IF:
1. battery would stay charged at least for a year, when not used
2. multimeter would be better
3. bigger/better screen.
I understand scope is not the best, but I could live with it is it was a decent multimeter at least.
How are you getting to the individual measurements at 18:26? When I go to measurements in my 2C42, all I get is a toggle on/off that displays max/min and frequency. Not getting any options to turn on/off individual measurements. What am I doing wrong?
Keep the Ground lead as short as you can. At those frequencies, it won't bite you too bad, but best practices should be learned early.
Also, if designing a board, add Ground points on the board, to make it easier to solder in a pin to attach the scope ground.
Thanks for the review. I wanted one of these handhelds, but there are so many brands/versions that it is just impossible to decide just on the info (which usually is scarce and badly translated).
I just ordered the OWON, just for the bigger screen, and to check how different it might be.
Nice review! I think 13:10 is rather a sampling or memory depth problem than a trigger problem. 😉
How much would it cost in UK? Also would it be safe for repairs on smpsu primary circuits? Fraser!
Love the video. I think I’ll just save up for a nice new scope. Maybe I’ll luck out with a nice used one.
Would you suggest this to measure automobile ignition coil, injector, relative compression, CKP sensor, etc. purpose? I am in need of portable automotive scope with 2 channels but not sure of which one to choose. My main usage is quick scope for automobile diagnosis.
HI - i work on old outboards at my repair shop and found this.. would this be suitable for detecting elec arcing etc? currently working on a running motor, all specs check out but there is a light shocking coming from the pack, i think the insulation has broken down and id like a way to find out if wires have broken down - be very nice if these units could detect anomalies.. Thanks!!
I wonder what screen driver it uses? Could you graft in a replacement better quality LCD - same resolution obviously, but maybe larger with better viewing angles and contrast. Also, please open it up and see if it can be hacked to enable the function generator :) thanks for keeping us entertained, while providing useful impartial advice, it's always good to hear an honest independent perspective :-)
..... Kerry Wongs channel has a excellent comparison between this unit and the Owon if your interested.
Most Hantek scopes are software locked. This is most likely the 70mhz with AWG limited to 40mhz and the AWG locked. Their desktop scopes can be unlocked over the JTAG port to the higher bandwidth and feature set. It is usually cheaper to make 1 scope for all models instead of multiple production lines.
Love all your videos. Great work. I like the owon better . The Owon came out later than this. This is better in a few ways. One of them is the bandwidth The other is computer software. The Owon has a faster refresh rate and takes more power. If i didn't buy my Hantek 2D72 i would have gotten the higher end Owon. Owon came out with a newer model late last year. It is similar to the Owon HDS272 but its 100Mhz.
One thing with Hantek is that they're upfront about the capabilities of their gear. When Hantek say it's a 40MHz scope, it's a 40MHz scope. Not sure if I'd trust the specs on an Owon. This comes from a dude that bought a "100MHz" FNIRSI knowing full well it was only good for 30MHz or so but not caring because even 30MHz is more than enough for my use case and the price was right.
I got one of these for Christmas, and am excited to have it, but haven't used it much yet. This video was helpful.. A couple comments. 1: Careful you dont lose that extra long USB-C cable.. That jack is so far recessed in there, I'm not sure you could get another cable in there easily. And second, doesn't this have software to use a PC as a controller/display device? I haven't done it, but I thought I read that.
Since I'm not sure I caught that in the video:
Can this $125 scope also, as an alternative to using its little screen, be connected to a laptop just like the $60 Hantek?
(You did show the software briefly, but I'm not sure which scope that was.)
Short answer is yes but I wouldn't. Just like the Hantek supplied software for the $60 model, it's horrendous. Also, I don't believe 3rd party software exists for the 2xx2 range (I would love it for my 2D42).
6:44 Once again, peeling the layer off of most devices is the opposite of what I do. Heck, I sometimes add some scotch tape to keep such things on! :-)