Another cheap scope: $18, shipped! (FNIRSI DSO152)

[@jorgensigvardsson9749]

Adrian, just wanted to let you know that your videos have inspired me to learn electronics again. I started some 15 years ago, but then I got children and family responsibilities. Now the children have grown up, and I have spare time. I've committed to learn electronics again, and I'm awaiting a shipment of analog and digital components to get going. Many thanks for your videos! You make electronics look fun, easy and approachable. Keep up the good work!

[@wesley00042]

Andre LaMothe has a great electronics video series on Udemy for under $20.

[@spookytoes1333]

Absolutely awesome. Not just for testing the cheap scope, but to see your methodical diagnostic technique. Bravo.

[@cannabiscomet4410]

Dear Adrian, I really appreciate you taking the time to test equipment and repair tools on your channel. I’ve made a couple of purchases based on what I’ve seen here over the years sincerest thanks.

[@LeftoverBeefcake]

Yep, I bought the Pinecil soldering iron thanks to the review of it on this channel, and that definitely was a worthy purchase, it's a great little iron.

[@geofflamon9348]

ya also got LCR meter after seeing adrian using his. Keep up the good work!!

[@annieworroll4373]

Same. I didn't get the exact one he reviewed, but that Hantek video got them a purchase. I went with the 70mhz version, if I had a decent desktop unit for higher frequencies I might have gotten the one he reviewed but this is my only scope and is likely to be for quite a while. Works pretty well.

[@DeadCat-42]

I grew up very poor so I'm thrifty, I have a budget in my head that I balance each days costs, food transportation entertainment etc. So do I pack a sandwich?make my coffee at home , go out to eat, order door dash? Buy a cheap Scope? I literally skipped lunch and bought this scope. I wasn't hungry that day, so I have one. I'm working on old Atari ST's power supplies so this does most of what I need and I can blow it up(I'm not that skilled lol) and learn what not to do with it..

[@yarghhargh9345]

sounds exhausting

[@sandrinowitschM]

​@@yarghhargh9345being poor usually is. That's why it sucks. And when you grow up like that you'll never really shake the mindset. Believe me, being frugal is no fun when you don't have a choice.

[@TheKetsa]

@@yarghhargh9345 it's a useful skill.

[@hayleyxyz]

If you want a cheap scope I'd get a decent and cheap USB one. Unless you really need full portability/no laptop, then you'll always get more bang for your buck.

[@DeadCat-42]

@hayleyxyz unfortunately they have to be so close that the heat from the solder reworking destroyed the plastic lense.

[@tinkerman-q]

First time I enjoy a real world usage, uncut, of an oscilloscope for repairs. Congratulations, this is real good content. I own another oscilloscope from the same brand and have been quite pleased with it, but I'd really like to see you put it to the test. It's a dual channel 20MHz and 500MSPS,.with built-in function generator. It's the FNIRSI-DPOX180H

[@ShALLaX]

This was an excellent video. You walked through an entire diagnosis and repair without patronising your viewers. You've earned a subscriber.

[@Agnarian]

You are the Bob Ross of computer repair!

[@shimarlie1]

He looks more like Richard Dreyfuss to me.

[@RetroDawn]

Totally! With the looks of Richard Dreyfuss.

[@Eng_Simoes]

However, there are mistakes.

[@jimsteele9261]

Back in the Elder Days, when I was building my homebrew z80, I didn't have a scope either... To test the clock, I clipped a lead to the signal and tuned in the 4mHz on my shortwave radio.

[@shadroid]

I have a z80. What did you need a scope for? ps, xenix lives!

[@jimsteele9261]

@@shadroid Well, as I mentioned, I was building it. from schematics in Kilobaud and Byte magazines. Nothing like that is ever without mistakes, and a lot of the components were salvaged from dead boards. I just wanted to see if the clock was oscillating. (it was) . Anyway I was able to borrow our backup scope from work - a Tek 453 when I really needed it for testing.

[@asherael]

That's WILD

[@KarenLopez-in5ih]

Same here..

[@broganmcintyre8594]

I've purchased a few items from that brand on AliExpress. So far I've been only blown away by the quality for the price. The last thing I purchased was the FNB58. Very impressed.

[@fjdarling]

Thanks!

[@WowplayerMe]

This video has much more value than just a simple review of a cheap oscilloscope. In just under an hour, this is a master class on C64 troubleshooting.

[@Johnny99993]

My VIC 20 is getting jealous now.

[@jerrymilhorn3980]

I never comment on videos, but this one is an exception. I am an electronics engineer from the 1970's and grew up when minicomputers were just beginning to be developed. This video is a learning tool that is still relevant today. I wish I had had you as a professor in college. A very down to earth explanation of basic computer processors and "cheap" scopes. A cheap scope in my day was $5,000, Very well done.

[@jeffreyyoung4104]

As a test gear junkie, I have to say that, that $18 scope would have been a very welcome addition to my test bench as a kid, and it would remain on my bench even with my Tektronix scopes, today! The only problem with it, is the low bandwidth, but for the majority of my work, I suspect it would be an easy to use troubleshooting tool. But, the fact it isn't connected to a computer to display the information, makes it faster and with a true scope display, is icing on the cake!

[@leokimvideo]

Rare to see someone on this site who isn't flogging sponsored rubbish, and along the way we actually learn stuff. Again rare on this broken site

[@ded5630]

I’m so grateful to be living in a time where the tech has come so far. I enjoy working on old circuits and the tools at my disposal makes it fun.

[@cjmazdatech]

These inexpensive DSO are great for automotive for doing quick checks on circuits before diving deeper into trouble shooting. Great video!

[@jamesraymond1158]

Fascinating. Adrian is really talented and he speaks well, too.

[@betafoofoo270]

I'm not really that skilled in electronics but I found your diagnostic approach fascinating and you put it across in such an easy way to follow. I could follow what you were saying and understand the logic of your approach. You would be a great instructor Adrian. That oscilloscope is obviously basic but it was so refreshing to see somebody of your skill level not simply dismiss it out of hand in favour of something more expensive; you definitely showed, that if you know what you are doing, how it could be used effectively within its ability. Great video.

[@IzzySpeaks]

I got one of these budget scopes awhile back. Nice to see it in use in detail. Mine came with a full probe. I am using it for remote control stuff. While it is a single channel it looks like it will still allow me to see the phases in a brushless motor one at a time. I know mine wasn't $18 so I probably paid the little extra for the probe. When I started many years ago an Oscope was thousands. Now it is attainable. These are useful, one just needs to keep in mind the limitations of this scope. BTW, really liking the vibe of your video. You have a new sub. Some can teach,, others can not.

[@elvinhaak]

Another good reason to have such a small extra scope is for example if you have an older second-hand scope that runs on 230 Volt and needs to be grounded. Simply since it runs on batteries and can give much info. Also good for checking on PSU's on relatively simple way besides computers. Nice video and repair!

[@Hellhound604]

Lol, Adrian, seeing you using that little scope reminds me so much of me in the 1980’s. Even though I had access to descent oscilloscopes and multimeters at work, not at home. Only had a small Hioki DMM that could only measure up to 200mA and an ancient Heathkit oscilloscope that had a 200kHz or so bandwidth…. But with those 2 pieces of kit I managed to fix many Commodores, ZX Spectrums and Dragon32’s. You don’t need the best test equipment, but just perseverance, knowledge of the limitations of your test equipment and so on…. All in all, it is better with modern test equipment, but you run into the same limitations today if you don’t have top-end equipment trying to diagnose faults on modern stuff, like DDR-memory, etc, etc…. But, you can still find 95% of faults using very primitive test equipment. As for the logic probes…. Pfffffff, they suck for anything else than static logic, and even there, a multimeter works better, lol.

[@TheRepeatloader]

I never thought of this before-- but if you solder a piece of Solder Wick to a wire and attach that wire to ground, its great for clipping your alligator clip onto (just a real tiny piece and you can pull it into the rubber of the clip to protect it from short) and the Hanmatek brand is fair for a low price table scope incase anyone is looking.

[@edwardfletcher7790]

That's a great old hack from the TV repair days 👍

[@badermeinhof123]

Thank you for this video. You inspired me for a new hobby and the way you navigate the board and explain made me want more. Wish you a great Christmas and I look forward to learn more electronics. ❤

[@L1Q]

thank you so much for this showcase and explanation. it's invaluable for a novice. this is my first scope purachase ever, bigger ones were scary buy at tight budget so I went for it even knowing it would be of limited functionality. I had to go through the entire documentation booklet to learn the basics. now I know know what kind of projects it wold be most useful for.

[@eddie2480671]

Thank you for this video, I bought this for myself from Amazon with the adapter and regular probe. You showed me how it works, and since you think it's worth it, then I feel better about buying it.

[@jandjrandr]

I'm sure lots of people are screaming NO not an $18 scope, you can't test a C64 with that! Still, it has its merits for some use cases where it can be useful. Especially with analog audio, radio and TV signals that are often in the lower frequencies. So if you want to test the AC/DC power input and A/V signal output stages this scope is perfectly fine. Anything in between and yeah you really need something better.

[@agentmith]

I got a DSO150 a few years ago to use almost exclusively with testing and figuring out eurorack signals. It’s been pretty handy, and works fine. I’d like to get a nicer one one day, but kind of want an analog one or is latency not an issue with nicer digital scopes?

[@c1ph3rpunk]

It’d work for things like guitar pedals, especially AC signal side at those lower freqs, the ones in the MHz range.

[@Spongman]

a few $ more will get you a DSO154Pro which goes up to 18MHz, has proper probe, and a built-in signal generator.

[@agentmith]

@@Spongman at the time this was the best available. What I would like is an improvement on how fast the screen updates, which had put me off from using a digital oscilloscope in general honestly.

[@k4qdex]

i learned so much in this single video. incredible

[@reiisthebestgirl]

I got one of these to quickly check analog sensor outputs for automotive use. Got one with BNC adapter and hooked it up to test leads that cost almost as much as the whole scope alone. It is quirky and quite janky to use, but if you know what you are doing it does give good enough readings for anything that isn't data bus. Of course you need to stay away from high voltage stuff too. I have computer based scope, but that is really cumbersome to setup to get a quick read or two and for those situations this is just golden! I wouldn't get this as my first and definitely as only scope, but for 2nd quick deploy option this is very much worth it. I have used mine approx. 7 months almost weekly basis and it has held up just fine.

[@leblancexplores]

Thank you so much for this comparison. I’ve never owned an oscilloscope but these are really approachable.

[@gasgas2689]

It was wonderful to see how the inside of a Commodore 64 works. I was a computer shop manager in the mid 1980s and sold lots of them. They were an excellent machine, and knocked spots of the carppy Sinclair Spectrums which didn't last more than 3 months. Atari were also very well made, as of course was the BBC Model B.

[@FantaBH]

FNIRSI TC3 comes with MXC to BNC adapter .

[@uni-byte]

Down in the $30 price range there is the Zeeweii 154Pro that will do an honest 18Mhz. It would certainly be fine for working on retro computers. I did a review on it (as well as the DSO152 and 2 others) on my channel (video 0106). The 154Pro was hands down the best of them in many ways. The $30 version comes with a real probe too.

[@andymouse]

I remember that review, mainly because I bought one just because of the looks and price and I'm realy glad I did as it's an awesome little guy ! nice to have around !! Cheers Mr byte

[@uni-byte]

@@andymouse Cheers Mr. Mouse.

[@TRONMAGNUM2099]

On sale for 22 bucks now shipped!

[@uni-byte]

@@TRONMAGNUM2099 If I did not have one already I'd be tripping over myself to get in on that deal. IS that the one with the battery and probe?

[@apollolux]

Amazon is showing Zeeweii 154Pro 18MHz for $42 right now, and 1MHz for $33, with free delivery from China. I assume the prices y'all are talking about are on AliExpress?

[@coptertim]

I've had a lot of fun with these pocket scopes. I have the Hantek, a 4 channel DSO213 that makes a great toolbox scope and this little Fnirsi 152. They're great for simple projects and fun to use.

[@ELECTROLATIF-s7o]

Omg I Learn a lot information when you do this repair. I like the method you use. It is unique❤today I am lucky find your Chanel. Now I will improve in my electronic

[@HamzaThy]

One of the best review videos I have ever seen!! Thank you so much Adrian ☺️

[@beatlessteve1010]

Sir, you belong to the 'Digital/Analog/ASCII Fundamentals Brotherhood of Troubleshooting and Love" The bad Capacitor is the ..culprit for a noisy supply which damaged the CPU...in my experience shorts usually show as ground unless the outpost are floating and being drive high. AWESOME video thanks !❤❤💯

[@tedsteppe255]

I also ordered a ZEEWEII DSO1511G from China. And it was worth every penny! Does a great job in T/Sing.

[@strummergr]

I have a previous version of this fine little display, permanently connected to my audio amp load, so that I can see clipping levels when I measure output power. It's convenient because it's good not to have my measuring system connected in any way to signal or power ground. That may well be a short if a speaker output comes from (e.g,) a class D or some other amp config which results in neither connection being ground. I've blown up more than one amp IC after having forgotten not to make that connection! Worth its price and absolutely suitable for this purpose! Thanks for a great video promoting this great little scope!

[@Mr25thfret]

This was an awesome video. You covered so many side topics, it made it even more valuable. Thanks!

[@cdh79]

thanks, I just ordered the new model (DSO510) and while waiting for it to arrive, I decided to look up some videos and came across this one. I grew up with a C128, so I loved that you were working on the C64. The DSO510 can go to 10MHz and 48MS and cost me about 30 Euro with an adapter and proper probe, so while I know "you get what you pay for", I'm looking forward to it, as I don't own any oscilloscope yet, and it hopefully should be able to handle my basic requirements.

[@ouch1011]

I used to work as an automotive tech and specialized in diagnostic work. I honestly don’t know how some “mechanics” do accurate diagnostic work without an oscilloscope. I suspect that they aren’t doing accurate diagnostics and just guessing based off of prior experience, trouble codes or automotive forums. I used my DSO for everything from intermittent bad starters and fuel pumps, failed diodes in alternators, glitches in high speed sensors (like crankshaft position sensors), network diagnostics, and even compression waveform analysis to check cam/ignition timing and pinpoint the cause of mechanical misfires without having to disassemble anything (except for a spark plug). I have a similar tiny oscope like this that I used for parking lot diagnostics. Seriously an absolutely invaluable tool for working on electronics, or even mechanical systems with the appropriate transducers/sensors. It’s awesome that scopes are getting this cheap, but I’d say this one is too slow for a lot of uses. It will work for extremely basic stuff, but even on this old, slow computer, there are many signals that are too fast for it to capture, and many more that it can’t capture with any reasonable resolution. I’d also say the 40V limit is probably not ideal, because if accidentally probed something connected to mains, it would probably be dangerous, but as you said, this is better than nothing.

[@Tinkerwizzah]

If you don't mind...what do you do now that you're not an automotive tech anymore?

[@andymouse]

Your only a kid ?

[@deang5622]

We don't talk about scopes being slow. That is not the correct lexicon. We talk about _scope bandwidth_ .

[@NoSpam1891]

An adapter lets you use a regular x1/x10 scope probe and this has a button for x10 so no mental arithmetic.

[@gasgas2689]

Automotive techs plug their $4500 diagnostic machine in and do what it says. Change the part, charge the customer $500. That doesn't fix the fault, the garage won't refund the $500 because the part is now used and they can't return it. So they change another part. Charge the customer $450. Then another fault occurs, obviously the customer won't go back to that garage so they go to another one. "It can be fixed for $1000 Sir." Customer says I'll leave you the keys, walk home and I'll post you the registration document. A month later the customer discovers that the last fault was a $50 sensor. The customer meanwhile has bought a 40 year old Mercedes with no computers. That customer was me.

[@tonyunderwood9678]

I bought a 2-channel version of this little scope a year or so ago after a recommendation by an associate. Yeah, not the fastest thing in the world but I didn't need lightning speed since it would see only audio waveforms. As such, it's perfect for servicing stereo gear. And, it's convenient since it can be perched right beside the work instead of higher up on the bench where you have to keep looking away to see a waveform on the bench scope. Now that said, the bench scope is still the go-to piece if I'm looking at RF or other hi-freq stuff, but for troubleshooting audio this dinky little scope is well worth the few bucks it cost me. By the way, nice video. I've not even Seen a Commie 64 in the wild for a couple of decades but who knows... 🙂

[@dividion8102]

I enjoyed the video. Always good to see an old Commodore getting back into the action. And I think for future use, you'd be better off extending the red wire rather than the black, so you won't have to drag the Y-split around so much when you go to probe things.

[@notyoung]

The right tool for the job is ideal, but a good fixer can make use of almost anything when needed. I deal with some mobile and backup/standby AC power sources where I'm mostly interested in low voltage DC and 120 volts AC so I have the great-grandfather of that 'scope - the DSO138 - which was about $20 for the semi-kit. Semi-kit = SMD chips & display socket mounted on the board and the switches and the probe connector were to be installed. The DSO138 runs on 9 volts so I have a 5 volt to 9 volt boost converter that plugs into a 5000mAh VAAS power bank which can run it for hours. A battery powered 'scope means there are no hassles of trying to isolate a line-powered scope so I can check AC waveforms. I've even included pictures of the 'scope screen in my evaluations of various DC=>AC power inverters from 40 to 2000 watts. I can say that some of the better pure sine wave inverters deliver a cleaner AC waveform than our local power co-op. And that some of the cheapest inverters just deliver a PWM square wave. I also have a dual channel Tektronix 2247 "solid state" 'scope - everything but the CRT itself - which I found on the local Craig's List a few years ago for $100 so I have 'scope capabilities up to 100MHz.

[@LambdaTechnology]

I just purchased the DSO-152 for about 35$, but it came with an upgraded (and useful) hook probe with a bunch of adapters (having the upgraded probe justified the cost for me). I have to say, for the job I'm using this for, it really is very handy. I'm working down at the TTL logic level and this thing just works. It's not perfect, but it does its job and pretty decently at that. I watched about 3 review videos on this little guy after I'd purchased it and I have to say, your video is the best review by miles! Easy to follow, the format is fantastic, and I really like the way you implement your screen splits. Many other content creators could learn a thing or two from you. Subscribed and following! Keep up the awesome work, and thanks for the time, effort, and great explanations you put into this video. (I REALLY liked the explanation of validation of the video signal...there was so much information packed into that bit; anyone would benefit from watching this!)

[@michaelc1966]

You had me at "costs less than lunch." :) TY For the info, watching the rest of it now.

[@RyanSmith-pf7ci]

Love checking the manual AFTER using it!

[@RetroJack]

I got one of these with the BNC adapter and 10x probe about 6 months ago and it's been great for the basic stuff I use it for.

[@dkeithtag]

Just discovered your channel. A man after my own heart ❤.

[@iNireus]

I loved this fix especially with the scope

[@paulspencer153]

Hi When you first use the little oscilloscope you are suppose to calibrate it using the 1K square wave. There is a factory reset above the power charging red/green led. I found once it was reset and calibrated it was really accurate up to 200K using my signal generator Great video on repairing old computers

[@suzakule]

ERROR! ERROR! the 12 volt regulator is a LM7812 for positive 12v ( you said 6812, this is incorrect :/ ) and the counterpart for negative 12v LM7912. I have used these parts many times. so I caught the error right away! :P

[@Snowsea-gs4wu]

At around 23:30 regarding the DER EE capacitor tester: Adrian could you please make a practical video on using that piece of equipment? I have one and I don’t really know how to use it properly since the manual is pretty bad and other videos I have seen are either too long or too cumbersome to follow. Thanks in advance!

[@sammas7440]

"For the price of lunch", you can buy the better oscope. Great video. This is my first time on your channel. The C64 was nostalgic. My first home computers were the C64 and C128 I purchased used back in around 1986 and around 1989/1990, I splurged for the Amiga 500.

[@Internationalmanofmysteries]

Commodore 64 video with the bro vibing to the sid tunes at the end. Definitely a good way to start the day! 😊

[@FreedomToRoam86]

Will I ever try this? Nope. But is it really extremely cool to see how it is done? OH YEAH!!! Great vid, glad to see a little more about how this kind of troubleshooting is done!

[@waltschannel7465]

Finrisi has a DSO with one of those transistor/component testers AND a signal generator for $45! The main drawbacks are bandwidth (500KHz ) and the fact that you can't use the scope to measure the output of the sig gen.

[@pengiswe]

It looks like the board is prepared to also take non-axial capacitors, since it looks like there is a negative pad just beside the positive that should be possible to use for much nicer capacitor mounting

[@TerryLawrence001]

Thee videos bring me back to my early days of computing. I had access to a Commodore warranty depot and got hold of many "Binned" VIC20s and C64s. I used am AM radio to listen for signs of life to do a quick triag on my haul of rejected units. Just bring the AM pocket radio near the clock circuit and the harmonics will make noise in the speaker that sounds cool and shows some signs of life. I use the test on all sorts of calculators and mini games.

[@Chaos89P]

Will that AM test work on any more modern devices?

[@TerryLawrence001]

@@Chaos89P Most digital devices will show up as some kind of interference in the AM band. Cheap pocket AM radios with the manual tuner will pick it up.

[@Chaos89P]

@@TerryLawrence001 Got an AM/FM radio or two in my house. Maybe I should try with my phone as a starting point?

[@TerryLawrence001]

@@Chaos89P Explore away. :-) you will be surprised how many things make the radio buzz and pop.

[@TerryLawrence001]

@@Chaos89P Even the static spark from carpet static when you touch a door knob will be heard.

[@Snowsea-gs4wu]

Love this “toy testing” adventures Adrian! Thanks for the video!

[@jameshanna5865]

I just bought my scope from Amazon. It was $36.00 and came with the adapter and a 1x / 10x BNC probe. Been happy with it so far. It beats lugging my full size Techtronics around.

[@LeinaDZiur]

I got a very similar one (same brand, model FNIRSI-138 pro) and I love it because I don't reeeeally know how to use it so if I end up ruining it somehow, it's less of a loss. Thank you for covering it!

[@littlegoobie]

like me with my multimeter. basic functions and a very important tool for those who understand more... ive used one my entire life for about 3 general tests.

[@chrissavage5966]

I know I'm getting old when I remember I still have a home-made logic probe from 40 years ago that I built into a small pen. Invaluable bit of kit.

[@baronvonschnellenstein2811]

Thanks Adrian for demonstrating the use of that "budget" oscilloscope and showing that you _can_ - with limitations, of course - fix a C64 with it. It was a fair and objective test and shows that if you have a DMM and are on a very tight budget and/or _very_ infrequently going to need a CRO, it will do a job. Thanks too for the other recommendations there (the Zoyi might be a better choice for ppl with no DMM and no CRO and will be infrequent users of such tools) - I might just get hold of the Hantek device for when I want to quickly check a signal without having to drag out my old skool 19" CRO :joy:

[@barrybogart5436]

The Zoyi is a killer deal. Go for the 703 and not the 702. (Or wait for a '704'!)

[@boganlegolas5562]

Awesome video - glad you ended with the 8bit dance party! 😀 I learned a lot, thanks.

Hi Adrian. A leaky (DC conductive) electrolytic capacitor may have a good ESR. ESR is the series résistance (a quality factor measured in AC). A leaky capacitor develops a DC parallel resistance. So two unrelated resistances (up to a point, of course). Thanks for the video.

[@FranksRetroLab]

Great video. The eraser you used on the edge connectors was the same type we used when I was learning typing to erase mistakes. Thanks again for the video. Love the C64 repairs.

[@JamesMack-lt1ux]

Very informative and interesting will be watching more of your videos and thank you for making them available keep up the great work

[@davidstevens3355]

First video I have seen of yours, very good thank you. And I guess as the oscilloscope isn’t mains earth referenced then safer to use for beginners as less chance of blowing up a desktop scope.

[@trooperj9152]

Appreciate the perspective, ended up getting the budget $45 (154pro) 18mhz oscilloscope as was thinking 200khz would be too low for my vintage PCs. I'm a newbie to electronics repair so couldnt justify spending more than what I need. Likely not going to use an $80-300 scope enought to justify its cost. Thanks for thinking of us casual hobbists!

[@ChairmanMeow1]

Gotta start somewhere!

[@MarianoLu]

This looks like a great scope for the (car) shop. The size and specs (200khz) looks right for car troubleshooting. I can see how it can help to fix some old retro computers but not being able to check the clock (1Mhz) limits the usefulness. But the price point is good (less than a cheap multimeter) and In a pinch you can make a TTL clock divider if you’re on a tight budget. But I will recommend saving some extra lunch money and getting one that can do the whole thing

[@Peter-rt3tu]

Had the same impression. For just another lunch you can get something with a few 10 Msp/s and a few MHz bandwidth that gets you further, like the DSO Pro, DSO154Pro or things like this

[@ouch1011]

Former mechanic here. This scope would work ok for a lot of stuff on cars but the speed limitation means that you wouldn’t have the _resolution_ needed for some of the higher speed sensors or actuators (like crankshaft position sensors or CAN network). Also, not having any storage function would be a major limitation. Most automotive diagnostics is waiting for problems to happen and essentially catching glitches. I’ve done that with a standard oscilloscope before and it is much more difficult without a DSO.

[@keithkneeland6849]

@@ouch1011Current mechanic here, agree on everything you said!

[@Tom-ru9ds]

if you are just looking to verify the requency ...to check the clock is simple enough. I use a cheap crystal oscillator and a TTL decade counter (74LS390) / but by that time, the next more expensive DSO might be in budget. (put the computer's 1MHz clock into the 390 and the 390 will divide by 100, check the frequency against 10KHz - well within the 200 KHz of (this) DSO )... it won't give "dirty" signal indications that I use my analog scope for, but can do the frequency calculation for these lower clock speeds.

[@tenlittleindians]

I'm tempted to take my SX64 apart to see if it has similar components inside. It's also got just a black screen when I turn it on now.

[@Blazer02LS]

Sort of looks like a version of the UScope that a lot of us use to look at bus data in auto repair. Real handy to tell if you have an actual signal at the correct levels to help diagnose failures. There is a LOT of aftermarket support for that unit though, from cases to add-ons.

[@benjefferies7123]

You are to computers and all things digital what "Mend it Mark" is to analogue electronics. Excellent stuff.

[@tombeauchamp806]

I got a $2 something scope from temu that came with the standard probe jack. for $2 i was blown away that it even worked. definitely worth the money lol

[@garylcamp]

Very nice review and troubleshooting tutorial. I might add that you can use this cheap scope for a dedicated monitor of signals on equipment. $18 for a super read out meter is dirt cheap, better than a digital read out meter at nearly the same price.

[@treeoflifeenterprises]

thanks for the run down on the mini oscilloscope. you've highlit the main problem with these devices including cheap multimeters, the cost of replacement probes is significant cost of the whole device. It would be nice if they standardised on a particular size, and used silicon leads insulation which lasts so much longer than the usual plastic used. still great little item. just have to wait for the 2 or 4mhz rated version now :-)

[@murpheyslaw]

for anyone interested in using a proper oscilloscope probe the adapter is mcx male to bnc female

[@vincentpinckard2243]

Ive used that same pocket oscilloscope to set the amplifier gains on my car audio amp and it work perfectly for that job!

[@jdub48]

I was wondering how well it would work for that! Thanks for the comment and info!

[@rubenmejia942]

This was an AMAZING review video. I don't do electronics repair regularly, but I am tempted to buy one of those suckers.

[@waltertoki1]

I am a retired senior and had a HealthKit scope when I was in high school. So I just ordered this $18 scope to check out my old radios.

[@ehnonymouse]

@25:30 I've never heard of a 6812 Voltage regulator. Likely it's a 7812.

[@typxxilps]

this is a review that deserves the word review even though it is not mentioned in the title. I have one, but one for my phone / tablet / laptop and the app from martin loren called hscope and finally got a LOTO oscilloscope after a Hantek what so ever over specced like hell, same for the hantek I have had before and finally sold all just to get the LOTO which is working quite well. Not the best setup compared to an integrated Osci, but I get the best display this way, a tablet, a phone or Laptop - each far better than the cheap displays on chinese overspecced toys. great video and repair explaning a lot of details how to work around

[@antonnym214]

You are an excellent troubleshooter! I enjoy your videos. All good wishes.

[@vjcodec]

The product is a real legit product? Wow Usually those kind of things are scammy in nature! They should really be happy with such a honest and great review! :)

[@JoeCdaYT]

On that particular board you can put both axial and radial caps. There are foot prints for them. On the scopes I got a Hantek to work on my car and it worked out to let me know that when I was not able to start the car I had a failed sensor on the crank. It does help to have something very portable.

[@tstephens128]

sweet, seeing the C64 brings back memories. Use to write my own code to make images on the screen. Those old computers are basically the stone chisel of todays computers, still fun to see people getting joy out of them!

[@cranegantry868]

I've used all kinds of oscilloscopes for digital repair. For fast work a logic probe and pulser (2 items) is fast and reliable and in MANY cases better than an oscilloscope. A pulser exercises the gate, the logic probe shows that the gate is capable of working. A pulser can exercise a pin on any chip and it is easy to see if the interior of some massive chip is working by viewing outputs. Also, you can leave a pulser (I have several) in circuit with memory mode on and wait for pulses to occur if there's anything intermittent. I have 4 oscilloscopes. 3 pulsers, 3 logic probes.

[@Coderjo.]

I decided to pick up the Hantek 2C42 a couple of weeks ago for when I don't want to drag my rigol to wherever I'm doing some troubleshooting, since the price wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, when it arrived, it didn't have batteries included (which I suppose does make shipping easier). I initially just thought that it had batteries and they were just too empty to power on, so I plugged it in to charge. But it never seemed to charge up, which is when I decided to check the battery compartment. So I had to drop a little more for a couple of 18650s for it.

[@frugalprepper]

That Harbor Freight test probe is working pretty good!

[@Dukefazon]

I got a huge chuckle when you said you can see border and text just by looking at the scope, it feels like when in The Matrix the operators were looking at the Matrix code and they said they only see blondes and brunettes or something :D 44:20 it looks like the device is reacting to your voice in this part :D

[@ebayscopeman]

Adrian, never use an eraser on gold contacts. HP had an entire article on this in one of Bench Briefs. It causes failure of the gold plating as you will erode it to the underlying nickle plating. I am sure that the C64 is not plated even close to HP's standards. I'd use Caig Gold wipes or regular Caig DeOxit with a lint free cloth.

[@k80theshade]

New game: You must drink every time he says, "this thing."

[@MichielBeijen]

Thanks for your video! I just bought the Hantek

[@dodgydruid]

If you went up a notch to about 35 the difference is night and day, getting a much more functional and robust device level. I have considered an osci for my watch quartz circuit boards because you need one to read the old glass IC's in operation to work out if the IC is dead as they are fragile as heck, or if its a track problem elsewhere and the sine wave from the motor is always a good indicator for strength of the motor itself.

[@restfulplace3273]

Just found this channel. Happy times. I’m really needing some understanding of when & how to use oscilloscopes. At moment I just want to test a 12v to 240v inverter.

[@ve2um]

Use a X10 scope probe.... Measuring 240 volt signals will toast many scope inputs. A X10 probe will attenuate 10 times input voltages to much safer values.

[@cuevob]

I like the real world approach to instrument review.

[@treadmillrepair754]

One good option is the Owon HDS-242S for Us$140 dollars.

[@wayneswonderarium]

FWIW Elenco Snap circuits are a great intro to electronics!

[@goupigoupi6953]

During the pandemic I built an oscilloscope from a $23 kit at Amazon, very satisfying experience (because it worked).

[@gbresaleking]

So cool how you can tell whats on screen by reading the signal out