As a retired GM mechanic i was great with all basic electrical but never really needed an oscilloscope other than looking at secondary ignition sparks, After buying this DSO138 i removed two AC motors from a VCR, i was able to see the AC waveform from the motor, i built a full wave rectifier bridge out of some cheap in4001's and was able to watch the newly converted AC sine wave turn to DC ripple, I was than able to see the smoothing effect of adding a ceramic capacitor, i added an earth ground to the bridge and saw it get very smooth, when running a load, i found the ripple Re-appear as the caps capacity was exceeded, adding a secondary electrolytic cap fixed it perfectly, Just after doing this one little first project Im thrilled at the thought of a real scope! What great fun building and learning on these! P.S. The Thrill was SEEING for the first time! I had rebuild three-phase alternators with bridge rectifiers for 20 years but never got to SEE them working other than voltage and wine underload.
I can't remember where I learned this from, but instead of tinning both pads, only tin one side first. Then put the component (ie resistor), and reheat that one side. Because there is no solder on the other side, positioning the component is easier than if both sides have solder on them and having to quickly alternate the iron between the two sides. Just my 2 cents. :-) +GreatScott, amazing job editing the many hours of build AND some tips into only a 5 minute video! Well done!
+Hari Wiguna Yep, it's like tacking down SMD components when hand soldering with a soldering iron. You put solder on one pad, place component, heat up solder to tack part down, then solder the other side. Sometimes you do have to add some extra flux in order to get a good joint on the tacked pin.
Charles Bader when do you use the hot glue? Put component in place then tack it down with hot glue? What's the point? Why wouldn't you just tack it down to a pad with solder?
When SMD soldering, you will have an easier time if you add solder to one pad, add some flux from a flux pen, place your component and reheat the solder while you hold the component with tweezers. Once you are happy with the placement add solder to the second pad to complete. This way enables you to place components flat on the board and easily adjust them.
Well that's how I started, my first thing I built was a sign with my name on it. I had no clue what I was doing, I had one 230-24V transformer, some LED and a potentiometer. I had absolutely no knowledge of the calculations but it worked... The second time. 😂 The first time some LED exploded. 🤣 What I am saying is that you are learning by doing, but start with assembly an OSC thats SMD is a bit over kill, but you get the point.
@@hannescamitz8575 I just looked at the kit on Amazon, the one they have now has the SMD components presoldiered on the board. I had the same initial thought as you, but this is much better.
I did that. Was a good practice when starting to learn soldering and handling electronics stuff. Bonus: I got a working OSC for cheap that can even be used within its limits.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels EEV is a tad OTT in his requirements and rather rough on calling things shit. Dude really doesn't understand that for starters, tinkering, learning and certain tasks and hobbys, cheap kits like this are fantastic and often even a bridge to more. Heck, I've been tinkering with 4 and 8 bit computers made from non-integrated components. I bought 5 of these kits and can now monitor signals and signal quality on the busses with a bunch of these DSO's for under 100$. If I had to do that with "real" DSO's, I'd be out several hundred. If you do a lot IoT development or thinkering, and are mainly looking to analyze and view GPIO, I2C and other busses like them, a little scope like this is often more then sufficient. I always hate when people make light of cheap kits. Sure, if you mostly work on equipment that's worth 100's or 1000's of dollars, buy a 500$ or more scope. But I work on computers that have no application, various microcontrollers and 5-40$ micro computers. Why the hell would I want to have to use equipment on those applications that costs 10's and 100's of times more then what I'm working on, when I can get a 20$ kit to do the same with.
These kits are at best geared towards electronics classes in elementary schools. Since this works barely upto 100 kHz there isn't really much you can measure with it and now with Hantek and Rigol scopes being so cheap, or equivalent USB scopes are even cheaper and offer frequency domain display and uptop 4 channels. I don't really see why any electronic enthusiast would want to buy this for $20, assemble the thing for hours and doubt the possibility of it even turning on.
@@johnyang799 You still have to place the components but you don't have to worry about the more error prone and careful nature of manual soldering. In other words, with manual soldering, you can have varying levels of solder placed on each pad and without amazing hand precision it would be fairly easy to create bridges. Your also trying to work in a way that the tiny piece can be soldered so you need to ensure it gets soldered onto each contact point working fast and accurately. With solder paste through a stencil you mainly need to be careful to put the piece on there correctly, but you don't have to worry about any of the manual soldering issues. It all gets a thin even coat and remains somewhat cold or room temperature until you begin to heat it up after all is done. Once heated, the solder paste will re-flow and do everything else for you including positioning the components better, flowing up onto the components, etc... so it requires far less speed and accuracy and is far less error prone with the only challenge being to get the initial pieces on there best and making sure no bridging happens afterwards. I'm just saying many people prefer solder paste for those reasons and people who were scared away from SMD work often feel more hope when it comes to solder paste.
Built a couple of these. For audio and most power supply stuff, they're quite useful and work well. The later software ones with the data page like shown here are even nicer. And they're fun to build. Hard to beat. Good video. Good compare with 'real' scope. You took into account the value as well. Some folks just diss the lower cost stuff without acknowledging the price/performance aspect at all. I plan to use one of these to monitor our church audio system to make sure that the low level stuff isn't clipping. easy to set into a panel and use, much more useful than a meter and very cost effective. Thanks for a fair eval! Enjoy your stuff, and your Patreon.
You really should write the name of the oscilloscope(s) in the description (like DSO-138) because this probably should be the top search result for video reviews.
My DSO kit came with the SMD already done, but I can't get it to do anything. I just have a white screen. I keep meaning to dig it out and try to see what stupid mistake I made, but it's a bit daunting. Edit. I closely examined the thing today and found that I'd not bridged JP4. It's working now. What a silly mistake I made.
Great videos! Keep up the good work. I recommend when soldering smd resistors, just tin one pad before putting the resistor down, not both. Makes getting the position correct much easier. You just solder the other side down once you have the position right.
This might be a cool little toy, but for all of the labor building it then having a bare board and only one channel, I'd spend (and did) on the Hantek 6022BE dual channel 20MHz USB oscilloscope that attaches to your PC. You get a full featured, 2 channel scope for $69.50 US (on Amazon) with probes and cables. I've been using it for several years and it's pretty much as good as the $400 DSO. There are also several alternative scope programs with different interfaces and tools available for download too. Also, the DSOs are way down in price, a 7" - 2 channel 100 Mhz DSO is now only $150. I really enjoy your channel, please keep up the great stuff!
I mean, the Hantek one is 3-4 times the price of this toy, and it requires having a computer around which also takes up quite a lot of space, I think this might be great for beginners and think of buying it
@@oldmcfarlane has youtube (the company) ever said anything about doing that? Cause I have never heard anyone mention that. Plus, that system would mean that facebook would have to manage their fake accounts better because bots could artificially inflate views.
Excellent comparison video for starter oscilloscope viewers. Just all around DIY refresher for anyone else. +GreatScott! is a great teacher and reviewer!
Hey, thanks for identifying the mistakes and oversights you made during the assembly. :) It helps the rest of us a bit when we realize even very capable and bright people do make mistakes.
When soldering SMD resistors or capacitors, put solder on just one pad. Put component on it's place and heat up solder to make a joint with simultaneously adjusting component's alignment, apply solder on the other pad to make a second joint. IMO, way more easier, way more better. Tweezers with sharp tips are essential. Chisel tip is the right tip for SMD soldering. Of course you don't want it to be too wide and you don't want to use thick solder wire. Nice vid!
I bought the updated, Kuman brand of this oscilloscope kit from amazon. $40 for kit plus shell. This was the version with SMD components pre-mounted. It comes with a nice manual and includes several diagnostic/troubleshooting guides in case you get lost along the way. It was a nice project for me and the updated kit has a good layout and is pretty easy to use. As a hobbyist I'm happy with it; I don't need the $300 investment at this stage.
So glad you did a video on this as I have been considering buying one of these kits. I get a fun little project and it can fill the hole until I can afford a more expensive unit.
One of your best videos, I've been looking for a little fairly cheap something like this to put together and learn a bit about electronics and this is perfect.
upon your recommendation and this build video i bought one of these same kits and its great. I found my old eyes don't see the little parts like they useto but all went well and now i can learn a little about scopes. easily worth the twenty dollars thanks
+Proyectos LED Hola Gascón, podrías hacer un vídeo de este tipo en tu canal sobre este tema, sobre todo para los que no nos enteramos muy bien en ingles. Al final no me quedó claro si este kit es buena opción. Un saludo, no me pierdo ninguno de tus videos y tampoco los de Scott, aunque no le entienda.
+Ricardo C.M. hola paisano, el dijo que era muy bueno especialmente para tener práctica. a el le tomó 3 horas armarlo. y dice que se compara a el otro en las cosas básicas y no de muy alta frecuencia.
Hey Scott! Might be an old video and you might not read it, but the way I always soldered SMD parts was to put solder on one of the contacts, solder the part in place and put it in the correct orientation, and then apply solder to the second pad (and the part at the same time). I find it faster to do that.
Thanksfor the overview very helpful as I dip my toes into using an oscilloscope with my Arduino projects. I just got one of these kits already assembled for about $18 USD, so that made it worthwhile to me.
I bought one of these and I have to say, it's pretty robust for being $20 or so. I was expecting something much worse, but for general use it's a great option. And a fun little project for putting together.
thx 4 that comparsion ! short and full of most important needs 4 me ! i think i will buy this in used condition caused its enough for me to startup with an ossi
Thanks again for showing me more things I have to run out and buy. A little mini scope like that, with all your basic functions, you can stick in your pocket? That's pretty sweet.
I've ordered one, it might take a while to arive. Hope it will work for what I want to use it for. Thank you for uploading by the way, Its a big help seeing people testing things before I decide to buy stuff.
Excellent video.... I just started my daughter on simple electronic components. I hope to get her up to the soldering of components and then buy her one of these build your own scope kits. It'll allow her to get all the experience necessary for the bigger electronics (not needing a microscope or magnifying glass) and then gain a scope at the end!
just finished re-purposing a remote control thanks to an idea and help from your work, would like you to no ya have my support, just about to watch this as I need a new scope and am not a rich man ! so maybe this will help. Keep up the good work, but don't work yourself into an early grave !
for smd resistors / caps i usually pre solder only 1 of the pads, and slide the component while heating up the pad, then you got the resistor stable and flush with the surface, and whats left is only soldering the other pad
I really enjoyed building this one. It comes in very handy and is very small aswell. One big advantage is that it is not referenced to earth. With the big oscilloscopes you have to take great care. I already tested the FI switches in my appartement a couple of times with my USB Bistcope DSO.
I know this is an old video but figured I'd give you a heads up in case you aren't aware: GearBest is using this video edited and without the audio to sell these oscilloscopes. They even left in the LED "Great Scott" sign intro.
In case anyone needs this, if you actually read this thing's manual, most values will be returned to their default position if you highlight them and hold ok for 2 seconds, doing that on the time measurement turns off the readout
+Imetomi In electronics you can learn fast because you can easily make schematics ( if this word is wrong I apologize for my English It's not my main language ) and test them to see how they work, especially if you have an oscilloscope :) . Don't forget to read books :).
+EmiNNsoNify I know, I speak four languages and I'm reading books in these different languages, I have bigger problems with German, but I hope soon I'll speak better.
For a few dollars more, you can get a Pico Scope that connects to your laptop or pc USB port. The Pico software is excellent,and the Pico Scope itself is compact and very well behaved. I’m not affiliated, just an electronics hobbyist sharing my experience with inexpensive scopes.
Might have been mentioned elsewhere, but when when soldering smt components, only put solder onto 1 pad. Tack the item into place, then solder the other side. The results will be much cleaner looking, if this matters to you.
i just bought one of these on ebay for $21 assembled and in the acrylic case. In looking at the pricing I cant see purchasing the kit when assembled is only a couple dollars more. Unless you enjoy the building. I intend to use this $20 scope to monitor my ham radio rf signal. make sure im not overmodulating
Video idea - Oscilloscope and Function generator exercises. Learning what these devices are used for by trying it out yourself. With the rising popularity of those kits a video series like that could be a hit and nobody seems to make reasonable tutorials. It's either "this is a scope, this is a probe, good luck" or "look at my lissajous effects" and nothing in between.
7 years old video and it still coming up in my RUclips first page when I open it , fun. Ofc that I seen it again and could not resist to comment maybe again. But how you coming on idea to compare two things where is one thing 20 times more expensive then another. It is more than obvious that cheap one will not work as expensive one. But little one for 20$ working just fine , you get what you pay again, and in this case I think you get much more than you paid. Even I got video about this little thing , old one as well, but to mention , it still working just fine even today after 6 years. So 20$ I would say in my case this little thing for sure earned much more than those 20$ .
That’s one thing nobody shows on RUclips, someone actually using one of these cheap oscilloscopes to do actual diagnostics and repair, even if you’re just a hobbiest it may be a good idea to save $£€300-400 for a now seven years later decent 2-4 channel stand alone which are available. I bought a inductance tester and it was way way way off, 7 years ago it was £€$ 35-45 now since they’re going for under $7 7 years later after using the formula requiring about 7 calculations using a meter to get the actual henris it was money badly spent. Maybe Scott can do a video on how to update the chip on them to work better since it’s the same on the arduino nano. Yep save up and even as a hobbiest once you’re done having fun you can get some of your money back selling it online if no longer needed.
GreatScott!: Thank you for your videos. Watching them has gotten me a lot more hands on and enjoying the hobby a lot more than ever before. Keep up the great work.
In my opinion the kit is definitely something everyone can use, and I highly recommend it for newbies as the DIY-Part of it is a good way to practice soldering. Also, newcomers might not keep doing electronics for a long time, so a 400$-Oscilloscope is not worth it for them. Also, the (potential) portability makes it perfect for use in an environment that is not only for electronics, but for other things as well. Also, please do a project about a portable oscilloscope, I´m awful when it comes to compactness xD
It's quite interesting to see, that your DIY oscilloscope did work with a frequency above 100kHz, even beyond. Because my exact same oscilloscope kit refuses to even show frequency above 20kHz.
Thanks a lot, I was just thinking about getting an oscilloscope and of course also came around these cheap kits. However, considering the limitations and the build-process I think I'm gonna go for a proper second hand device.
an easier way to solder those 0805 resistors is to put solder down in one side. Then hold the resistor with the tweezers and reflow the side with the solder while holding and aligning the part. After the one side cools you can let it go, then solder the other side. Bam! Perfectly soldered part
To solder SMD resistors and capacitors I apply solder only on a single pad and then I heat it while placing the component using some tweezers. After that I solder the other pad :)
ebay.. think from Jai. DSO 150 is much better to assemble, repair & operate, with a decent wide range for most stuff. Can get it in kit form, with smd's already mounted, or mostly built, just have to assemble the casing yourself. Difficult for the DSO 138, weakest parts break..don't fit well, but DSO 150 body snaps easily into place, just mind the rotary dial is lined up at the end.Edit: also found with the DSO 138 the 9+ volt dc in regulator over-heats & had issues with the inductor.
I never herd of a Oscilloscope kit for that cheap. (if it works even a lil bit for smaller DC circuits, 100% worth it.) ty very much. Love your channel. (you are on par with Ben heck in Science (if u had a higher quality video Production you could make a huge channel here)
I got one of these kits about a year ago for ~£13 when I first saw Julian's channel. I also made the mistake of soldering the SMD TL084 backwards - initial voltages checked OK but the TL084 and an inductor blew when I shorted out the TP4 jumper. I needed a quick fix so paid ~£4 just to get replacement parts locally (UK). It now works well for the price but like many others I have read about the display has to be zeroed every time it is powered up - still don't know why.
I haven't found a comparison round up of these kit O-scopes and how the compare. I"m not sure that is your intended direction for the channel but it sure would be a helpful episode for us electronics noobs.
Found the DSO 150 much better to assemble, repair & easy to operate with it's easy push buttons & rotary dial. Tried the DSO 138, assembled it, worked.. for a while, repaired it, replaced the 10 uH inductor, but found 9v+ reg kept overheating. Gave up in the end to get the DSO 150 instead, which is suitable for most projects & repairs. One day hope to afford a proper scope.Using the scope for power supplies, inverter, motor control & help with learning the Arduino UNO programmer. Blind without a scope. I don't like soldering smd's.
I got a dso and a proper oscilloscope.. while the small one can show simple signals (pwm, etc) you usually have to spend a minute pressing those 3 buttons to set-it up.. once the time or y-scale changes, you spend another minute pressing those silly buttons. Is DSO useful? Yeah, for 5 mins at a time, else I'd always go for a proper direc-controlled scope. 4 channel, 100mhz goes for 400$
1. SMD components soldering (resistors, caps): I think it's better to tin one pad, solder one side of the component and then add solder to the second pa 2. DIY oscilloscope at high frequency: 'it's starting to act a bit crazy'. You know what Nyquist-Shannon theorem is and what happens when you input a signal with frequency greater than 0.5 times sampling frequency, right?
I can’t seem to find these anymore without the SMDs pre-mounted. My gf got me a USB microscope for an anniversary present, and I wanted to give it a try.
These scopes are very good for learning electronics on a budget. I would however suggest buying an original, rather than a clone. The manufacturer JYEtech list all the verified sellers. If you buy a clone and need support, JYE won't offer any help. They are however nice to build, they also come in kit form with the SMD parts added by the original manufacturer. This makes the build easier for beginners. I really like mine and am having fun learning. Thanks for the cool comparison video.
yeah i have the JYEtech DSO112A and it fucking rules. my mate thought it was so good he bought one as well. excellent handheld things. actually more handy than a real scope. next on the list is a handheld FFT
In fact this kitt is very good to see low frequency signals up to 200KHZ well known and accurate predictable like arduino PWM and similar but not for professional use in repairing.
I found it on bang good with a clear case made for it the price was only a little higher I think.I think a case should be included. I found a clock kit I like a lot all of them came with a clear case,except the one I bought ,now I pay attention a lot more,plus a lot of Chinese kits don't come with instructions.thank goodness a lot of builders like yourself offer us some help with there video's thanks
As a retired GM mechanic i was great with all basic electrical but never really needed an oscilloscope other than looking at secondary ignition sparks, After buying this DSO138 i removed two AC motors from a VCR, i was able to see the AC waveform from the motor, i built a full wave rectifier bridge out of some cheap in4001's and was able to watch the newly converted AC sine wave turn to DC ripple, I was than able to see the smoothing effect of adding a ceramic capacitor, i added an earth ground to the bridge and saw it get very smooth, when running a load, i found the ripple Re-appear as the caps capacity was exceeded, adding a secondary electrolytic cap fixed it perfectly, Just after doing this one little first project Im thrilled at the thought of a real scope! What great fun building and learning on these!
P.S. The Thrill was SEEING for the first time! I had rebuild three-phase alternators with bridge rectifiers for 20 years but never got to SEE them working other than voltage and wine underload.
As an EE student studying single-phase transformers atm, this got me really excited.
This is what happens in india, they teach and tell you "xyz happens this way, but you don't need to see it, it just happens, trust me"
beasterbunny217, I bet your going to have a fruitful career, Cheers!
@@EvanFerrao buy this cheap scope and be a gentleman
I can't remember where I learned this from, but instead of tinning both pads, only tin one side first. Then put the component (ie resistor), and reheat that one side. Because there is no solder on the other side, positioning the component is easier than if both sides have solder on them and having to quickly alternate the iron between the two sides. Just my 2 cents. :-)
+GreatScott, amazing job editing the many hours of build AND some tips into only a 5 minute video! Well done!
+Hari Wiguna
Yep, it's like tacking down SMD components when hand soldering with a soldering iron. You put solder on one pad, place component, heat up solder to tack part down, then solder the other side. Sometimes you do have to add some extra flux in order to get a good joint on the tacked pin.
Yes, and after that, its a pleasure to remove anything..
Hot glue. If you need to remove use a heat gun.
Charles Bader when do you use the hot glue? Put component in place then tack it down with hot glue? What's the point? Why wouldn't you just tack it down to a pad with solder?
That's exactly how I do it and I've replaced hundreds of IC's and thousands of chip components.
When SMD soldering, you will have an easier time if you add solder to one pad, add some flux from a flux pen, place your component and reheat the solder while you hold the component with tweezers. Once you are happy with the placement add solder to the second pad to complete. This way enables you to place components flat on the board and easily adjust them.
"Hey kid, wanna learn about electronics? You'll need an Oscilloscope. Now build it."
mmkay.
Well that's how I started, my first thing I built was a sign with my name on it.
I had no clue what I was doing, I had one 230-24V transformer, some LED and a potentiometer.
I had absolutely no knowledge of the calculations but it worked... The second time. 😂 The first time some LED exploded. 🤣
What I am saying is that you are learning by doing, but start with assembly an OSC thats SMD is a bit over kill, but you get the point.
I Guess at the end you get what you pay . A $20 bucks osciloscope is a $20 bucks results. How ever for fun is a great project
@@hannescamitz8575 I just looked at the kit on Amazon, the one they have now has the SMD components presoldiered on the board. I had the same initial thought as you, but this is much better.
LOL....
I did that. Was a good practice when starting to learn soldering and handling electronics stuff. Bonus: I got a working OSC for cheap that can even be used within its limits.
Nice to see a fair and unbiased video unlike eevblog where anything that isn't pro-equipment is thrown against the desk and deemed to be crap.
Glad to hear I'm not the only one that feels EEV is a tad OTT in his requirements and rather rough on calling things shit.
Dude really doesn't understand that for starters, tinkering, learning and certain tasks and hobbys, cheap kits like this are fantastic and often even a bridge to more.
Heck, I've been tinkering with 4 and 8 bit computers made from non-integrated components. I bought 5 of these kits and can now monitor signals and signal quality on the busses with a bunch of these DSO's for under 100$.
If I had to do that with "real" DSO's, I'd be out several hundred.
If you do a lot IoT development or thinkering, and are mainly looking to analyze and view GPIO, I2C and other busses like them, a little scope like this is often more then sufficient.
I always hate when people make light of cheap kits. Sure, if you mostly work on equipment that's worth 100's or 1000's of dollars, buy a 500$ or more scope.
But I work on computers that have no application, various microcontrollers and 5-40$ micro computers. Why the hell would I want to have to use equipment on those applications that costs 10's and 100's of times more then what I'm working on, when I can get a 20$ kit to do the same with.
The only video I've seen where EEV wasn't completely vitriolic towards cheap products was the 300$ electronics lab one
EEV Blog isn't exactly geared towards hobbyists. Once you move into the domain of real engineering, these kits are useless.
These kits are at best geared towards electronics classes in elementary schools. Since this works barely upto 100 kHz there isn't really much you can measure with it and now with Hantek and Rigol scopes being so cheap, or equivalent USB scopes are even cheaper and offer frequency domain display and uptop 4 channels. I don't really see why any electronic enthusiast would want to buy this for $20, assemble the thing for hours and doubt the possibility of it even turning on.
For this kind of price tag you are better buying an old analog scope like on ebay, much better performance and capabilities
Great! I found an old oscilloscope on a flee market for about 10$. It was a great find, but maybe I'll check out the DIY one too. Great vid as usual
@Belinda Talsma Thank you that doesn't sound suspicious at all and I'll definitely check that out
Starting from $80-100 in Poland if you want undamaged probes! And we're talking about the huge vintage ones.
😂😂😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉 fe. Aleksandreja 😂😂😂🎉🎉🎉
It’s crazy how far Great Scott’s tools and skills have improved since 8 years ago 😊
Funny stuff, I bought the preasembled kit and it came with full instructions
You soldered all these smds... Patience level over 9000
More simple process is soldering one pad of SMD component then another, not the both pads together.
SMD is much easier to solder in fact.
I prefer solder paste through stencil and hot air, way quicker and way cleaner
@@junehanabi1756 You still have to place the components. Not really much easier or quicker. (vs directly soldering)
@@johnyang799 You still have to place the components but you don't have to worry about the more error prone and careful nature of manual soldering. In other words, with manual soldering, you can have varying levels of solder placed on each pad and without amazing hand precision it would be fairly easy to create bridges. Your also trying to work in a way that the tiny piece can be soldered so you need to ensure it gets soldered onto each contact point working fast and accurately.
With solder paste through a stencil you mainly need to be careful to put the piece on there correctly, but you don't have to worry about any of the manual soldering issues. It all gets a thin even coat and remains somewhat cold or room temperature until you begin to heat it up after all is done. Once heated, the solder paste will re-flow and do everything else for you including positioning the components better, flowing up onto the components, etc... so it requires far less speed and accuracy and is far less error prone with the only challenge being to get the initial pieces on there best and making sure no bridging happens afterwards.
I'm just saying many people prefer solder paste for those reasons and people who were scared away from SMD work often feel more hope when it comes to solder paste.
Perfect timing on this video, I just bought one of these kits on Friday.
how was it
Built a couple of these. For audio and most power supply stuff, they're quite useful and work well. The later software ones with the data page like shown here are even nicer. And they're fun to build. Hard to beat. Good video. Good compare with 'real' scope. You took into account the value as well. Some folks just diss the lower cost stuff without acknowledging the price/performance aspect at all. I plan to use one of these to monitor our church audio system to make sure that the low level stuff isn't clipping. easy to set into a panel and use, much more useful than a meter and very cost effective.
Thanks for a fair eval! Enjoy your stuff, and your Patreon.
You really should write the name of the oscilloscope(s) in the description (like DSO-138) because this probably should be the top search result for video reviews.
True that
My DSO kit came with the SMD already done, but I can't get it to do anything. I just have a white screen. I keep meaning to dig it out and try to see what stupid mistake I made, but it's a bit daunting.
Edit. I closely examined the thing today and found that I'd not bridged JP4. It's working now. What a silly mistake I made.
Very helpful - to describe our mistakes - and success in building this kit.
It happens to everyone!
Still have a white screen. AV- is at 0.6V, can't find the source of the problem.
Great videos! Keep up the good work.
I recommend when soldering smd resistors, just tin one pad before putting the resistor down, not both. Makes getting the position correct much easier. You just solder the other side down once you have the position right.
This might be a cool little toy, but for all of the labor building it then having a bare board and only one channel, I'd spend (and did) on the Hantek 6022BE dual channel 20MHz USB oscilloscope that attaches to your PC. You get a full featured, 2 channel scope for $69.50 US (on Amazon) with probes and cables. I've been using it for several years and it's pretty much as good as the $400 DSO. There are also several alternative scope programs with different interfaces and tools available for download too. Also, the DSOs are way down in price, a 7" - 2 channel 100 Mhz DSO is now only $150.
I really enjoy your channel, please keep up the great stuff!
I mean, the Hantek one is 3-4 times the price of this toy, and it requires having a computer around which also takes up quite a lot of space, I think this might be great for beginners and think of buying it
Just to let you know, Gearbest have ripped off this video and are using it for commercial purposes on Facebook.
the chinsese always manage to suprise me
Mimicry is the best form of flattery.
@@Appregator yes, but it means that he lost profits which he could have used for more projects/videos, so it's still not a good situation
@@kingarthurthe5th I think he still gets credit for the views even if the youtube video is shared on Facebook.
@@oldmcfarlane has youtube (the company) ever said anything about doing that? Cause I have never heard anyone mention that. Plus, that system would mean that facebook would have to manage their fake accounts better because bots could artificially inflate views.
The best review of this new digital storage oscilloscope that I've seen so far. Well done.
Excellent comparison video for starter oscilloscope viewers. Just all around DIY refresher for anyone else. +GreatScott! is a great teacher and reviewer!
Hey, thanks for identifying the mistakes and oversights you made during the assembly. :) It helps the rest of us a bit when we realize even very capable and bright people do make mistakes.
When soldering SMD resistors or capacitors, put solder on just one pad. Put component on it's place and heat up solder to make a joint with simultaneously adjusting component's alignment, apply solder on the other pad to make a second joint. IMO, way more easier, way more better.
Tweezers with sharp tips are essential. Chisel tip is the right tip for SMD soldering. Of course you don't want it to be too wide and you don't want to use thick solder wire.
Nice vid!
I bought the updated, Kuman brand of this oscilloscope kit from amazon. $40 for kit plus shell. This was the version with SMD components pre-mounted. It comes with a nice manual and includes several diagnostic/troubleshooting guides in case you get lost along the way. It was a nice project for me and the updated kit has a good layout and is pretty easy to use. As a hobbyist I'm happy with it; I don't need the $300 investment at this stage.
This project was exacly what i was investigating this week! But was not realy sure about the usability. Thanx!
So glad you did a video on this as I have been considering buying one of these kits. I get a fun little project and it can fill the hole until I can afford a more expensive unit.
One of your best videos, I've been looking for a little fairly cheap something like this to put together and learn a bit about electronics and this is perfect.
upon your recommendation and this build video i bought one of these same kits and its great. I found my old eyes don't see the little parts like they useto but all went well and now i can learn a little about scopes. easily worth the twenty dollars thanks
Each week is a new video. It's very good.
Great video as always btw i dont know shit about electronics but still watch
+sarang sharma another one here!
And i thought i was the only one ..
Saif Alam lol no we are all together in this
+sarang sharma we should all start a Leccy no hope'rs
Jamie Rollinson what? Didn't get you
Your videos are always a joy to watch.
good video, I have the rigol too, but that diy it is a good starting point. adios amigo
Que bien verte por aquí, este es un buen tema para hacer un vídeo (guiño, guiño, codo, codo)
+Proyectos LED Hola Gascón, podrías hacer un vídeo de este tipo en tu canal sobre este tema, sobre todo para los que no nos enteramos muy bien en ingles. Al final no me quedó claro si este kit es buena opción. Un saludo, no me pierdo ninguno de tus videos y tampoco los de Scott, aunque no le entienda.
Hi Gaston!
+Ricardo C.M. hola paisano, el dijo que era muy bueno especialmente para tener práctica. a el le tomó 3 horas armarlo. y dice que se compara a el otro en las cosas básicas y no de muy alta frecuencia.
Hey Scott! Might be an old video and you might not read it, but the way I always soldered SMD parts was to put solder on one of the contacts, solder the part in place and put it in the correct orientation, and then apply solder to the second pad (and the part at the same time). I find it faster to do that.
Thanksfor the overview very helpful as I dip my toes into using an oscilloscope with my Arduino projects. I just got one of these kits already assembled for about $18 USD, so that made it worthwhile to me.
Your boot up turned out nice and clean. Mine immediately turns into screaming chaos as if I'm reading signals from everywhere on the planet at once.
Great video- somehow I missed these last year! Nice to see these cheap alternative electronics, for us home diy'ers
I bought one of these and I have to say, it's pretty robust for being $20 or so. I was expecting something much worse, but for general use it's a great option. And a fun little project for putting together.
I never thought oscilloscopes can be replaced with such cheap-o's! Thanks for that and keep ur Portable oscilloscope coming....
I will definately buy this osciloscope as a starter device for my job. Thanks a lot.
thx 4 that comparsion ! short and full of most important needs 4 me ! i think i will buy this in used condition caused its enough for me to startup with an ossi
I love my DSO138. I've lost count of how many times it has come in handy for debugging circuits.
Thanks again for showing me more things I have to run out and buy. A little mini scope like that, with all your basic functions, you can stick in your pocket? That's pretty sweet.
I've ordered one, it might take a while to arive.
Hope it will work for what I want to use it for.
Thank you for uploading by the way, Its a big help seeing people testing things before I decide to buy stuff.
For the smd components it's easier to wet a single pad, push the component on top, apply heat for basic holding, and then solder the other side.
Excellent video.... I just started my daughter on simple electronic components. I hope to get her up to the soldering of components and then buy her one of these build your own scope kits. It'll allow her to get all the experience necessary for the bigger electronics (not needing a microscope or magnifying glass) and then gain a scope at the end!
Get her the magnifying glass, reading the ceramic caps was a pain and I got the official kit with all the full color instructions
We want that portable oscilloscope project! Sounds ridiculously epic! Any newer kits that might make this work better in 2022?
you make the best videos ever ...........and you inspired me to do a lot of electronic projects
I bought a Tektronix 2213 60Mhz two channel scope for 30 bucks, was listed "not working, for parts" Unpacked it worked perfect on both channels.
Think the winner here is the DIY soundcard one, it has low sample rate (44 KHz), yes, but for dutycycle as you mention (and some FFT) it's lovely.
just finished re-purposing a remote control thanks to an idea and help from your work, would like you to no ya have my support, just about to watch this as I need a new scope and am not a rich man ! so maybe this will help. Keep up the good work, but don't work yourself into an early grave !
for smd resistors / caps i usually pre solder only 1 of the pads, and slide the component while heating up the pad, then you got the resistor stable and flush with the surface, and whats left is only soldering the other pad
I really enjoyed building this one. It comes in very handy and is very small aswell. One big advantage is that it is not referenced to earth. With the big oscilloscopes you have to take great care. I already tested the FI switches in my appartement a couple of times with my USB Bistcope DSO.
Looks like a really fun little starter project, I look forward to getting mine.
I know this is an old video but figured I'd give you a heads up in case you aren't aware: GearBest is using this video edited and without the audio to sell these oscilloscopes. They even left in the LED "Great Scott" sign intro.
In case anyone needs this, if you actually read this thing's manual, most values will be returned to their default position if you highlight them and hold ok for 2 seconds, doing that on the time measurement turns off the readout
You can also use a simple SMD rework gun (Like the 858D) and some solder paste to make these SMD kits MUCH easier. ~$60 but worth every dollar.
When did you start your hobby? I mean how old were you when you jumped in the world of the electronics? :)
+Imetomi Pretty late. With 18 years.
+GreatScott! But your knowledge is huge and you're sharing it with other people. This is a nice thing :). All the best!
Imetomi
Thanks ;-)
+Imetomi In electronics you can learn fast because you can easily make schematics ( if this word is wrong I apologize for my English It's not my main language ) and test them to see how they work, especially if you have an oscilloscope :) . Don't forget to read books :).
+EmiNNsoNify I know, I speak four languages and I'm reading books in these different languages, I have bigger problems with German, but I hope soon I'll speak better.
For a few dollars more, you can get a Pico Scope that connects to your laptop or pc USB port. The Pico software is excellent,and the Pico Scope itself is compact and very well behaved. I’m not affiliated, just an electronics hobbyist sharing my experience with inexpensive scopes.
Might have been mentioned elsewhere, but when when soldering smt components, only put solder onto 1 pad. Tack the item into place, then solder the other side. The results will be much cleaner looking, if this matters to you.
i just bought one of these on ebay for $21 assembled and in the acrylic case. In looking at the pricing I cant see purchasing the kit when assembled is only a couple dollars more. Unless you enjoy the building. I intend to use this $20 scope to monitor my ham radio rf signal. make sure im not overmodulating
Video idea - Oscilloscope and Function generator exercises. Learning what these devices are used for by trying it out yourself. With the rising popularity of those kits a video series like that could be a hit and nobody seems to make reasonable tutorials. It's either "this is a scope, this is a probe, good luck" or "look at my lissajous effects" and nothing in between.
7 years old video and it still coming up in my RUclips first page when I open it , fun. Ofc that I seen it again and could not resist to comment maybe again. But how you coming on idea to compare two things where is one thing 20 times more expensive then another. It is more than obvious that cheap one will not work as expensive one. But little one for 20$ working just fine , you get what you pay again, and in this case I think you get much more than you paid. Even I got video about this little thing , old one as well, but to mention , it still working just fine even today after 6 years. So 20$ I would say in my case this little thing for sure earned much more than those 20$ .
That’s one thing nobody shows on RUclips, someone actually using one of these cheap oscilloscopes to do actual diagnostics and repair, even if you’re just a hobbiest it may be a good idea to save $£€300-400 for a now seven years later decent 2-4 channel stand alone which are available. I bought a inductance tester and it was way way way off, 7 years ago it was £€$ 35-45 now since they’re going for under $7 7 years later after using the formula requiring about 7 calculations using a meter to get the actual henris it was money badly spent. Maybe Scott can do a video on how to update the chip on them to work better since it’s the same on the arduino nano. Yep save up and even as a hobbiest once you’re done having fun you can get some of your money back selling it online if no longer needed.
GreatScott!: Thank you for your videos. Watching them has gotten me a lot more hands on and enjoying the hobby a lot more than ever before.
Keep up the great work.
I have a tiny old CRT I've bought from a pawn shop for ~$10 and some analog stuff that's worth ~$5 and it works well enough for my use
Greatscott: 3 hour of madness
Me: 2 days of madness
In my opinion the kit is definitely something everyone can use, and I highly recommend it for newbies as the DIY-Part of it is a good way to practice soldering. Also, newcomers might not keep doing electronics for a long time, so a 400$-Oscilloscope is not worth it for them. Also, the (potential) portability makes it perfect for use in an environment that is not only for electronics, but for other things as well. Also, please do a project about a portable oscilloscope, I´m awful when it comes to compactness xD
I'm definitely getting one!
It's quite interesting to see, that your DIY oscilloscope did work with a frequency above 100kHz, even beyond. Because my exact same oscilloscope kit refuses to even show frequency above 20kHz.
Great video. If you don't want to diy, you can buy DS211 or Hantek 6022BE.By the way, the 6022BE is a USB dso.
Thanks a lot, I was just thinking about getting an oscilloscope and of course also came around these cheap kits. However, considering the limitations and the build-process I think I'm gonna go for a proper second hand device.
an easier way to solder those 0805 resistors is to put solder down in one side. Then hold the resistor with the tweezers and reflow the side with the solder while holding and aligning the part. After the one side cools you can let it go, then solder the other side. Bam! Perfectly soldered part
That's a nice "proof of life" portable scope. Gotta get me one.
To solder SMD resistors and capacitors I apply solder only on a single pad and then I heat it while placing the component using some tweezers. After that I solder the other pad :)
You can also get this already assembled for even less than $20 :D
Where?
Where
ebay.. think from Jai. DSO 150 is much better to assemble, repair & operate, with a decent wide range for most stuff. Can get it in kit form, with smd's already mounted, or mostly built, just have to assemble the casing yourself. Difficult for the DSO 138, weakest parts break..don't fit well, but DSO 150 body snaps easily into place, just mind the rotary dial is lined up at the end.Edit: also found with the DSO 138 the 9+ volt dc in regulator over-heats & had issues with the inductor.
@@rockyroomelyum6313 Aliexpress and Ebay
@@FCADurgeshKumar Aliexpress and Ebay
I never herd of a Oscilloscope kit for that cheap. (if it works even a lil bit for smaller DC circuits, 100% worth it.) ty very much. Love your channel. (you are on par with Ben heck in Science (if u had a higher quality video Production you could make a huge channel here)
Posted that before i finished the video. it looks awesome for my projects When i buy one ill be sure to come back and use your link.
Excelente practica para quienes se inician en esta apasionante ciencia de la electrónica.
my scope has valves and no data holding, i may need to use it in a few days so i should turn it on now to get warm and stable......
+lez briddon cool scope ! or rather not cool!
+lez briddon well same here, tube oscilloscope is more a room heater than measurement device, but they are nice piece of equipment anyways :)
Toooobbbbbsssss
I got one of these kits about a year ago for ~£13 when I first saw Julian's channel. I also made the mistake of soldering the SMD TL084 backwards - initial voltages checked OK but the TL084 and an inductor blew when I shorted out the TP4 jumper. I needed a quick fix so paid ~£4 just to get replacement parts locally (UK). It now works well for the price but like many others I have read about the display has to be zeroed every time it is powered up - still don't know why.
I just come by for the "...and I vill zee yuu next time!"
That alone is worth a thumbs up! 😉
I haven't found a comparison round up of these kit O-scopes and how the compare. I"m not sure that is your intended direction for the channel but it sure would be a helpful episode for us electronics noobs.
Nice job, the soldering is amazing. Bravo !
a tutorial about using oscilloscope will be a great
+majdinj Soon
Great scott if the one button moves the measurement desolder it and use an opener then it will walk over the display until you press the buttun
Found the DSO 150 much better to assemble, repair & easy to operate with it's easy push buttons & rotary dial. Tried the DSO 138, assembled it, worked.. for a while, repaired it, replaced the 10 uH inductor, but found 9v+ reg kept overheating. Gave up in the end to get the DSO 150 instead, which is suitable for most projects & repairs. One day hope to afford a proper scope.Using the scope for power supplies, inverter, motor control & help with learning the Arduino UNO programmer. Blind without a scope. I don't like soldering smd's.
Ah - the idea about the 9v battery is genius! I hate having to lug around the power converter
Another great video! Just wanna say that you can easily find this dso with pre-soldered SMDs for the same price ;)
Would it be possible to calibrate an car or any sound amplifier so it doesn't distort ? Like see the wave form how far you can push it in volume.
I got a dso and a proper oscilloscope.. while the small one can show simple signals (pwm, etc) you usually have to spend a minute pressing those 3 buttons to set-it up.. once the time or y-scale changes, you spend another minute pressing those silly buttons. Is DSO useful? Yeah, for 5 mins at a time, else I'd always go for a proper direc-controlled scope. 4 channel, 100mhz goes for 400$
I'm ashamed to say this, but it looks harder than learning german, great job man, good luck
Good video, I am new to this hobby, so thinking the metal detector is a better place to begin, but this seems like a nice toy for future projects.
Thanks, I've bought two "off-brand" ones, and built one already. I will probably buy a genuine one to support the original company.
Make a video of all your recommended cheap diy gadgets for new hobbyist! Oscillo, function gen, etc. Keep up the good work
1. SMD components soldering (resistors, caps): I think it's better to tin one pad, solder one side of the component and then add solder to the second pa
2. DIY oscilloscope at high frequency: 'it's starting to act a bit crazy'. You know what Nyquist-Shannon theorem is and what happens when you input a signal with frequency greater than 0.5 times sampling frequency, right?
The cheap $20 ones are amusing to build, I bought several even though I have a 1054Z. Great projects for kids.
Many multimeters can check duty cycle of those freq.
Miguel Rodriguez yup, thats what I thought aswell
many multimeters cost more than $20, Just sayin :)
Miguel Rodriguez back when harbor freight did the free coupons I got an ok and cheap multimeter
"Genius.. I know...." Laugh so hard on that lol
I can’t seem to find these anymore without the SMDs pre-mounted. My gf got me a USB microscope for an anniversary present, and I wanted to give it a try.
These scopes are very good for learning electronics on a budget. I would however suggest buying an original, rather than a clone. The manufacturer JYEtech list all the verified sellers. If you buy a clone and need support, JYE won't offer any help.
They are however nice to build, they also come in kit form with the SMD parts added by the original manufacturer. This makes the build easier for beginners.
I really like mine and am having fun learning. Thanks for the cool comparison video.
yeah i have the JYEtech DSO112A and it fucking rules. my mate thought it was so good he bought one as well. excellent handheld things. actually more handy than a real scope. next on the list is a handheld FFT
In fact this kitt is very good to see low frequency signals up to 200KHZ well known and accurate predictable like arduino PWM and similar but not for professional use in repairing.
I found it on bang good with a clear case made for it the price was only a little higher I think.I think a case should be included. I found a clock kit I like a lot all of them came with a clear case,except the one I bought ,now I pay attention a lot more,plus a lot of Chinese kits don't come with instructions.thank goodness a lot of builders like yourself offer us some help with there video's thanks
Hey! Can you look at DLO-138? It's basically a DIY upgrade you can do on DSO-138. It adds a second channel as well!
I got the one with the smd already done, works great!
Nice! Was looking forward to this!