Inexpensive Scope Options

You found something worth trying and didn’t include a link?
Did it come with compatible probe or separate purchase?

(I began my professional career at Hewlett-Packard Scopes division in Colo. Springs,CO. but have never owned a scope. My first project was to create a microprocessor development station and change the division mission to “Microprocessor Development and Logic Analysers”)

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“Worth trying” is a very subjective term.

This scope is the JYE DSO-138 kit.

As in a bag full of discreet components that you have to sort, identify correctly, bend into the correct shape, and solder to a PC board without damaging anything or hurting yourself.

A “bit more complicated” than using a screwdriver or a multi-meter.

Also “worth trying” depends on what you want to do with it.

In your case, I’d expect you to be more interested in monitoring traffic on an i2c buss than looking at 250kHz ripple on a power supply.

A 'scope “worth having” is an expensive Rigol digital scope, or the 100mHz Phillips analog scope I had years ago.

This one is, admittedly, a “toy” with a 200kHz bandwidth on a good day, with the sun out, dry roads, and a tailwind.

Strictly audio and low radio frequency stuff.

I wanted it primarily as a form of physical therapy post-Covid, to help me practice “eye-hand” coordination, and exercise my right arm - all while doing something that might be worthwhile.

It’s dirt cheap, like maybe $30 or so in the States.

I suspect that you will have more use for a digital signal capture device, which I posted.a link to a while back.

Found the link:

Cheap and maybe more useful.

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Here’s a link to the device that makes it very plain what you’d be getting into.

https://jyetech.com/dso-138-oscilloscope-diy-kit/

I’ve been doing this stuff since elementary school, as well as being MIL-SPEC 883 cat C certified as an inspector and repair technician in an FAA certified repair facility where I worked on fuel-gaugeing systems and cockpit avionics for large commercial airliners. (Not to mention the high performance fighter and bomber aircraft for the military that I worked on as well.)

None of the soldering I’m doing here is going to pass “inspection”, but is pretty neatly done if I say so myself.

It’s a lot like you and coding. . .
“Hmm, I think I’ll just whip up a “little” class with a zillion methods. . .”

I look at your code and it might as well be Egyptian Heiroglyphics!

We all have our “niche”. Though if you decide to try to build it, I want to see how it comes out, and maybe give you some tips on good soldering technique.

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Since Google knows everything I used your:

to check it out, saw $22 gets the parts, with no case and decided I don’t want to be smelling rosin in my sleep.

I may appear to have the hands of a software guy, but I assure you I know my way around a micro fine tip and .022 62/36/2 electronics solder. While my first big solder task was 48k by 8-bit worth of 2102 1k x 1 chips with easy 0.1 inch pads, my most recent was to desolder/solder video transmitter boards VTX connected via 1cm long “wire wrap diameter” insulated stranded wires from/to a whoop flight controller FC on 1mm pads, and I didn’t bridge, cold solder, or lift a pad. I haven’t braved hand-soldering whole surface mount ICs, but have successfully re-routed a few connections. (At last count I own 4 soldering irons of various configurations, and there may be more hiding in the garage with my SCSI and “Parallel Printer” cables.)

These days a scope is a “sure would be nice to have”, but no longer critical since I stopped building my own QRP gear.

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Hot Damn!

That is impressive!

:pensive: <== me getting put in my place.

“Wire wrap wire” thickness would be #30 which isn’t the thickest wire around.

  • Stranded? Tougher. Little tiny #120 or so strands floating around everywhere.
  • In a flight controller? Even tougher as wires go through impossibly tiny holes to make insane bends to attach to pads that are impossible to get to.

And my money’s on it not being kynar or Teflon insulation - every time you get an iron near the stuff it shrivels up like a scared snail!

Like I said, impressive.
:+1:

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