Looking for oscilloscope new or used? Price range around 300 for DYI auto use

[GophersGarage]

Just looking for something simple to help with the up keep on my cars.

I see the used sun units but also see some new versions . Your thoughts








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[Andy22882]

A lot of people, even professionals like this scope.

Plus, that is a great place to buy it from. I have no experience with that scope. I use a 4 channel Picoscope, but I use it everyday and it's 10x or more what you're looking to spend.

Whatever you decide, using a scope is great for seeing and learning new things.

Good luck!

-Andy

 

[Andy22882]

Sorry, here's the link.

https://www.aeswave.com/uScope-Basic-Kit-p9621.html

 

[Wrench97]

That sun scope is from the mid 90's, refresh is too low pass on it.


The uscope from AES Wave is an excellent single channel scope for can bus, sensors and other square wave patterns.

 

[Mr_B]

in my opinion uscope is complete waste of money for a 1 scope setup and an absolute **** to use for a learner.
DIY best ability usability is 2000 series pico .200 to 300 bucks and you got intuitive software, great online forum support and learning guides and it do hell of a lot in auto testing .
We got the auto 4 channel pico and have the 2 channel 2207B and you be amazed how good it is at auto test plus can save settings and import settings so can replicate lot of auto version setup .
It also has a signal generator that super useful for inputting a signal like abs, speed signal to test control module receive and reports inputs which validates wiring and module in couple of minutes .
Bang for buck nothing comes close and 200bucks secures you a 2 channel scope and spend rest building up test leads/clamps etc as you learn .

 

[Wrench97]

in my opinion uscope is complete waste of money for a 1 scope setup and an absolute **** to use for a learner.
DIY best ability usability is 2000 series pico .200 to 300 bucks and you got intuitive software, great online forum support and learning guides and it do hell of a lot in auto testing .
We got the auto 4 channel pico and have the 2 channel 2207B and you be amazed how good it is at auto test plus can save settings and import settings so can replicate lot of auto version setup .
It also has a signal generator that super useful for inputting a signal like abs, speed signal to test control module receive and reports inputs which validates wiring and module in couple of minutes .
Bang for buck nothing comes close and 200bucks secures you a 2 channel scope and spend rest building up test leads/clamps etc as you learn .

Do you have a link to a $200 2207B?

 

[Mr_B]

2207b I have was 350 bucks
the 2205A or 2206b is 150 and 250 bucks, the 150 buck 2205A will make the uscope feel like the polished chinese sh1te it really is .

 

[Wrench97]

2207b I have was 350 bucks
the 2205A or 2206b is 150 and 250 bucks, the 150 buck 2205A will make the uscope feel like the polished chinese sh1te it really is .

At $169 for the basic kit the Uscope has it's place, will it do what Pico, Modus or Verus does no, but it's complete fairy easy to use for simple things.

The 2207B is a nice piece but @499 plus leads and a laptop to hook it to is not cheap or easy to pull out for simple pwm circuit tests.

The 2205A does not have the overvoltage protection the automotive scopes have, also when it came out a few years ago it did not work with the Pico automotive software I'm not sure that has changed.
https://www.picotech.com/support/viewtopic.php?t=14673

 

[Mr_B]

^
absolute no need use automotive software and technically you can't as it coded to the hardware .
I paid 359 for 2207b, 2206b is good choice balancing cost to ability and that under 300 and was 249 last time I noted prices .
Just about everyone got a notebook to use and if not pick up a used one, I started out using 14" HP dv2500 models as pick them up used for small money and used and new parts everywhere for next to nothing .
Still got one going now and paid 30 bucks for it as like new and 28 bucks for new old stock mainboard make it work like new .
These days I use surface pro in shop for all online subscriptions, pico software,dmm and obd software ( buy tidy used ones off eBay, put them in a decent durable case and they great bit of kit in the shop for not a lot of cost .)
tablet is always on so never any issue simply plug in scope and run pico software if not already running window .

 

[theoldwizard1]

This topic has been heavily discussed twice before this month (January 2021) !

Best budget vintage oscilloscope for automotive repair?

Oscilloscope...

IMHO, the Pico scopes are over priced. Yes, very nice software for newbies but the basic technology inside them is "ancient" by electronic standards.

Stay away from anything that has an AC power cord.

My current "low cost" 'scope favorite is

Typical Chinese, it is sold under multiple brand names, at different price points, but the model number always seems to contain "1013".

YEAPOOK ADS1013D Handheld, 2 Channel, Storage Oscilloscope, 7" touch screen display - Amazon $150.

 

[theoldwizard1]

For "accessories" watch this video !

AESWave uScope vs DSO201 DSO202 DSO203 scope kit

You can save a lot of money by buying the individual items on eBay or Amazon over what AESWave charges

 

[GophersGarage]

I just thought a nice compact quick start up tool would be handy for $300 range anything more not needed.

Thanks for reminding me about the AES unit that’s a cool one because it comes with wires and kinda simple ready to go tool.

I am researching to buy the Autel ms906ts which has a add on for 500 bucks to use it also as a oscilloscope that would be a nice set up

 

[2ndGearRubber]

What do you intend to do with the unit? What are your goals for the unit as far as capability? What sort of signals are you interested in measuring? Does your budget include leads, amp clamps, attenuators, etc?

SuzukiGS750EZ just bought the autel scope, hopefully he will give some insight on it soon.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=470398

 

[GophersGarage]

Having many cars one of which is my 96 impala ss is having Opti spark distributor issues. I just need one to see signals to confirm issues .

Only way I can afford my cars is to do my own work and have right equipment on hand .

I am planning to get autel ms906. Version and in future save up for the oscilloscope add on .

I just thought for now a basic hand held would be handy now and even in future if I wanted to have quick peak at something .


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[richfinn]

If that Sun LS2000 is in good condition and in budget, buy it!!

I love mine and use it daily, easy to operate and good quality (made by UEi). Good for quickly looking at most automotive sensor signals, I would recommend an automotive handheld scope for your first unit, just because they are more robust!!!

A used Snap-On Vantage pro (or even an old MT2400 graphing meter) might also be a good first choice as they include pin data for test points/expected values etc

Then save up your $$$ for a Pico Automotive set up, because it is the industry standard it has the biggest pool of users to learn and share from, any future software updates will cost nothing ��

If you want bang for buck forget the Chinese stuff, nobody really uses it or shares good/bad waveforms.

U-scope the weak point is the connector on the device is non standard (not 4mm or BNC) and will eventually break, also needs an adaptor to accurately display AC patterns

If you want cam/crank correlation waveforms for an oddball vehicle to check timing, somebody with a pico has captured it and shared it (somewhere in the world)!!!

Later you might decide to get into in cylinder pressure analysis, all the good/relevant training I've seen is on Pico software!!

The real advantage with Pico is the storage, you can record a lot of data and then scroll back through it and manipulate the recording to pinpoint glitches, the triggers/filters/math in the software make it a very powerful tool

The LS2000 will onlý catch whats on screen using a trigger but it's still very useful for 90% of what you need

 

[richfinn]

Some captures from jobs/memory card

 

[Mr_B]

Yeah if that used Sun scope sensible money it be way better choice than uscope .
If going cheap chinese you be wise paying what it really worth which not aeswave prices and going for a better version .
If you went 2000 series pico you wouldn't really need spend out on autel scope addons .
Can also be incredibly portable and quick with right package of tablet or small notebook and clever use of cases ... Most people don't realize the pro level ability and bonus features of 2000 series for auto test use and the fairly low cost you can achieve it for .

 

[crerus75]

I thought I posted in this thread already but I think my computer ate it. In any case, I just posted about a Pico-like app called HScope in this post. It isn't a Pico and doesn't have all the features or quality, but if you're just getting started or don't have a ton of money to spend, you can do a lot with it.


It's kind of a brain-dump of information so sorry about the length, but it may give you some insight.

 

[Mr_B]

^
Yes hscope is pretty useful app (paid app for full features/modules) .
The auto module and overlays allow you achieve a lot pretty easily .
I would avoid hantek, the scope hardware not the best and software is appalling .
OSC482 scope makes a good auto testing scope and it as low priced as 60 bucks, has a signal generator add-on board through expansion port that useful for injecting abs, crank/cam signals for simple test on circuit and control unit intergrity for example.
Also has ac couple mode hardware and windows software that pretty good, it also got full support on the android hscope app that takes it to another level and with phone or tablet easy connectivity as long as you got otg support on device .
Basically lot of features you get with pico 2000 series .
You can have good scope capability for auto testing basics less than 100 bucks and if got 1 or 2 hundred more throw at amp clamps and leads you do 80% coverage of what pro equipment doing at 10x the cost .
Anyone looking into a low cost but usable scope option should research above, don't waste money on uscope or hantek, far better options at budget price exist that both capable and real product value .

 

[crerus75]

I went with the Hantek because of the 3rd party apps available for it. I don't plan on using the factory software. So far it's been fairly capable when used with HScope, though I'm just beginning to explore its capabilities. It's far from a good scope, but so far it's been a "good enough" scope.

That's about the price point where I am ($100 or so) for the scope and app. I already had a tablet, and I scored a deal on a Hantek CC-65 current clamp off the usual auction site. I've made a few bits of test gear (COP probe, piezo stethoscope) and plan to make a few more.

The nice thing about having one of these scopes is that you can add presets for all sorts of custom sensors. Between the automotive, industrial, and Arduino communities, there are a lot of sensors out there that can be used to measure anything from pressure/vacuum to light intensity to concentrations of specific gases. Many of them can be adapted to output a usable signal to a scope, and HScope (and Pico, I think) allows a custom profile to be added for each sensor so that you can just select and go.

Want a manometer to see how many inches of water your furnace blower is pushing? Use an $10 GM fuel tank pressure sensor. Want to measure a couple of PSI of pressure? A MAP sensor for boosted applications will work. Vibration analysis? Use a microphone or a piezoelectric transducer and the FFT function. Lots of options available and lots of experimentation possible.

 

[Mr_B]

I guess you can do worse than hantek but these days you can also get little better scopes for slightly cheaper .
Lot of people rate the hantek clamps, I never used them .
hscope custom probe settings makes it quite a gem. Is very capable software and interface is very easy follow making it good use and learn with .
Is amazing the scope capability you can get with 100 bucks, besides amp clamps most of extras are pretty cheap .
I not made many probes besides map pressure sensor, couple cop, do want do a resistor based current logger but limited available time make that currently and do have other options achieve same data .
The main thing is even DIY guys or shade trees can have good scope capability for very little outlay .
The biggest cost with scope is putting in effort learn how use them and the data to best effect .

 

[crerus75]

The biggest cost with scope is putting in effort learn how use them and the data to best effect .

You're not kidding. I've used scopes like the old MT2400 and the PC-based engine analyzers in the past for automotive diagnostics, but I've been out of the industry for a while so now it's just a hobby for me. Having such an inexpensive scope at home is a game-changer, but I find myself going down a rabbit hole every time I start playing around with it. Fascinating stuff, but it's easy to spend a bunch of time on it. Sometimes it feels like I'm back in school.