The Coolest Piece of Test Equipment Ever

Tony Stewart · Feb 25, 2016

If you want to be creative, use free Audacity and your mic or Aux input as a 2 channel scope with a built in sig gen and FFT analyzer

at least 70 dB range. 0 ~22kHz by default.. 10x more with a little effort.
Arbitrary function EQ filters and many different signals can be generated.

for a simple scope. Only thing lacking is real time trigger and sweep control.

Mikebits · Feb 26, 2016

Why does everyone assume we are all just hobbyist? I do some actual work in my home office. Over the years I have made friends with engineers. Some of them are working as consultants and lately have been farming out work to me. Some of the work I have been doing is design verification on circuit boards. This usually involves signal integrity of signals I/O, clocks etc. I also perform spec validation using testers either given to me or some I design and build myself. We often don't know what we don't know, over the years I have learned the value in higher BW scopes, and other added features that save time and mistakes. Not only that, many people on this forum work in a professional capacity, Derstrom for example.

strantor · Feb 26, 2016

Mikebits said:
Why does everyone assume we are all just hobbyist? I do some actual work in my home office. Over the years I have made friends with engineers. Some of them are working as consultants and lately have been farming out work to me. Some of the work I have been doing is design verification on circuit boards. This usually involves signal integrity of signals I/O, clocks etc. I also perform spec validation using testers either given to me or some I design and build myself. We often don't know what we don't know, over the years I have learned the value in higher BW scopes, and other added features that save time and mistakes. Not only that, many people on this forum work in a professional capacity, Derstrom for example.

My 100MHz scope I was referring to is a Fluke ScopeMeter 190-104 (you can read my review on that Amazon link). I paid $4,500 of my own money for it; the most expensive product I've ever bought that wasn't a car or a house. I bought it when I was self employed, and while my LLC endeavors are on pause right now, I still consider it a business asset. There have been times when I needed money badly and was tempted to sell it, but it's part of my livelihood, my fallback plan; in case I ever unexpectedly lose my job, I can jump back to what I know - going into industrial plants and troubleshooting Variable Frequency Drives with my "expensive" 4 isolated channel 1000V scope.

Now if it just had a 16ch logic/protocol analyzer built into it....

atferrari · Feb 26, 2016

Mikebits said:
Man o man, I am ready to rob a bank to get one of these. I have dreams about owning this scope. It is just so dern expensive. Price of some cars...
https://info.tek.com/www-mdo-portfo..._medium=display&utm_content=scopes-mainstream

As a hobbyist I have not an opinion; I am just wondering. Other than portability and simpler handling, what is the convenience, vis-a-vis the possibility of a catastrophic damage that could destroy the 6 instruments in an instant? Is it worth the cost and the risks?

And, what about the possibility of any one of the 6 being needed some 10 meters away from rest?

Mikebits · Feb 26, 2016

atferrari said:
As a hobbyist I have not an opinion; I am just wondering. Other than portability and simpler handling, what is the convenience, vis-a-vis the possibility of a catastrophic damage that could destroy the 6 instruments in an instant? Is it worth the cost and the risks?

And, what about the possibility of any one of the 6 being needed some 10 meters away from rest?

Not exactly sure what your question is, but as for the cost and risk, The piece of equipment I made this post about is most likely to be purchased for lab/professional use, unless your wealthy. In a commercial use setting, I would most certainly have my expensive equipment insured. Also the Tek instruments come with a quite good warranty. Having the right lab instruments in a professional setting is just part of the cost of doing business.
As a business owner, knowing before hand what assets/equipment is needed and the cost of ownership are all part of a good business plan. I am sure as a hobbyist these expensive scopes are out of reach, but it is fun to dream

JimB · Feb 26, 2016

Mikebits said:
Why does everyone assume we are all just hobbyist?

Some of us who are simple hobbyists these days, take out hobbies seriously and are in a position to allocate a reasonable budget to it.

atferrari said:
Other than portability and simpler handling, what is the convenience, vis-a-vis the possibility of a catastrophic damage that could destroy the 6 instruments in an instant?

For a field service guy or an on-site commissioning guy, an all in one bit of kit is often a big bonus. Takes up less room in the car, less baggage at the airport.
Lost or damaged? Who said life was easy?

atferrari said:
what about the possibility of any one of the 6 being needed some 10 meters away from rest?

What engineering is all about - compromise.
A 6 in 1 unit trades versatility for convenience. You pay your money and you take your choice.

JimB

large_ghostman · Feb 26, 2016

I like my boat anchors, Lecroy 400MGHz 4 channel, old HP 15600C logic analyzer. The newer stuff dosnt do it for me! My fave bench meter was the solaratron I dropped, 7.5 digits and still accurate.

the great robomont · Feb 26, 2016

Tony Stewart said:
If you want to be creative, use free Audacity and your mic or Aux input as a 2 channel scope with a built in sig gen and FFT analyzer

at least 70 dB range. 0 ~22kHz by default.. 10x more with a little effort.
Arbitrary function EQ filters and many different signals can be generated.

View attachment 97732

for a simple scope. Only thing lacking is real time trigger and sweep control.

is there a way to get this on an android tablet,that looks awesome?

strantor · Feb 26, 2016

Mikebits said:
In a commercial use setting, I would most certainly have my expensive equipment insured.
[...]
As a business owner, knowing before hand what assets/equipment is needed and the cost of ownership are all part of a good business plan.

+1
I had/have to carry a $2M general liability policy to get into most customer's plants. When you're paying for that, you might as well tack on the equipment policy; I did. It doesn't cost very much, but it is sort of a PITA. You have to list every piece of equipment you own/carry, what it's for, why you need it, why it might become damaged, how old it is, how much it has depreciated, etc., and you must explain it all to someone who doesn't even know what a voltmeter is.

JoeJester · Feb 26, 2016

Don't forget if you have to have a current certification of calibration for each of your General Purpose Electronic Test Equipments.

Anything that is ordinary and necessary to your pursuit of income, is deductable as an business owner. Depreciation is deductable.

strantor · Feb 26, 2016

JoeJester said:
Don't forget if you have to have a current certification of calibration for each of your General Purpose Electronic Test Equipments.

What regulatory body issues this decree? Is it a law? All the mainstream companies I worked for had rigorous calibration compliance programs, but I thought that was to meet ISO (et. al.) requirements, not necessarily by law.
Does this apply to everyone? The HVAC guy's vacuum guages? The mechanic's hydrometer? The Electrician's voltage detector pen?

EDIT: just noticed the "IF" ("Don't forget if you..."). Now I'm not sure what you mean. Care to clarify?

JoeJester · Feb 26, 2016

No, it doesn't apply to everyone ... But if you send your gpete out and want proof, it too is deductable.

I would only do that if tight tolerances were specified. If I were checking the frequency of a transmitter with 1 ppm error max in frequency, I would be sure my equipment is suitable to ensure that specification is met and the equipment is calibrated at the recommended intervals.

Everything has a depreciation value. For the trivia minded, a slide rule depreciates at four percent per year (25 year useful life)

The Coolest Piece of Test Equipment Ever

Tony Stewart

Well-Known Member

Mikebits

Well-Known Member

strantor

Active Member

atferrari

Well-Known Member

Mikebits

Well-Known Member

JimB

Super Moderator

large_ghostman

Well-Known Member

the great robomont

New Member

strantor

Active Member

JoeJester

Active Member

strantor

Active Member

JoeJester

Active Member

Similar threads

The Coolest Piece of Test Equipment Ever

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Super Moderator

Well-Known Member

New Member

Active Member

Active Member

Active Member

Active Member

Similar threads

Privacy & Transparency

Privacy & Transparency