Siglent Review SDS 1104X-E Review

This is a (almost) complete review of the SDS 1104X-E oscilloscope. The topics can ate listed here (click to jump)
0:00 Intro
1:00 Equipment
1:55 Build quality & design
3:52 UI
5:18 Vertical system
6:03 Math functions
6:45 Frequency analysis
8:06 Reference waveforms
8:28 Horizontal system
9:12 Search function
9:39 Triggers
11:25 I2C/SPI/UART/CAN/LIN triggers and decoders
13:23 Cursors
14:01 Mesurements
15:05 Acquisition modes
15:56 XY mode
16:20 Display settings
16:53 Save/recall (BIN, CSV, Matlab export)
17:10 History function
17:34 Utilities
17:45 Pass/fail test
18:36 Conclusion
Link to scope (affiliate):
amzn.to/2uN6Hf0
plz share :-)
Consider supporting our work on Patreon for some extras:
/ bitluni
We are also thankful for any donation on PayPal:
paypal.me/bitluni
Twitter: @bitluni

[@Skeptic2006]

I learn by trial and error and I would love to press those soft sexy illuminated buttons. Bitluni can you make a cat litterbox project? Maybe with Wemos and some nema23 motors? Weight sensors and mp3 shield to play sound effects :D The self cleaning part would be helpful

[@bitluni]

You won the scope! I need your shipping address... Please contact me on google+ (I added you to my contacts) or any other way I see that it is actually you.

[@Skeptic2006]

I won? I have never won anything this great! What are the odds? Whatever the case, lucky me and thank you so much! I'm speechless and a little bit intimidated. The oscilloscope seems pretty next level.Thank you again I'll contact you asap.

[@bitluni]

Is your first name Tuomas? need to check if it's you that posted on Google+

[@Skeptic2006]

Yes that's me.

[@Skeptic2006]

Bazinga!!!1 :)

[@TruckerRollie]

Fantastic review!!! Had me sold in the first 30 seconds. I love that you got right to the point and didn't waste 10 minutes introducing yourself and explaining how and what you are going to do in your video. Other people that waste my time doing that , lose me in 2 seconds. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. :)

[@raindropsrising7662]

Thanks for the review! It was really helpful and got me to decide what I need versus what I want. Just ordered from Amazon. Can't wait to get it. Appreciate your time putting this video together.

[@UnexpectedMaker]

Great review!!! I just got the 1204X-E and you taught me more about my scope in 19mins than I’ve learnt in the last week! Thanks :)

[@wesleykrause5795]

Hi unexpected maker, I'm from Brazil and I would like to get a 1204X-E as well. How is it after 2 years? Is it working well? Have you noticed some bug or something like that?

[@blaharadek666]

@@wesleykrause5795 just bought it yesterday, so iam leaving coment here :) Want to know too

[@onezerodigits]

Thanks for this product review. As a beginner, I haven’t used one of these before, but I anticipate getting my projects sophisticated enough to benefit from such a tool, eventually. I have much to learn.

[@lordsebastian4136]

Finally a good review on this scope. Bummer I missed the giveaway, as I had never heard of this channel before. I'm an instant fan. Subscribed!

[@philipdonovan5127]

Thank you for this well done video. I'm getting one of these for Christmas and I see that beyond the things I would normally use on a scope, I have my work cut out for me in getting to the more refined and complex analyzing that this scope will offer. Thank you - Phil Donovan

[@TakeoffForFun]

Thanks for the detailed review! I love your videos and I‘m learning alot from you. I never had an osciloscope and would die for winning this great device!!!

[@TheDefpom]

Awesome that you got to keep it, when I do reviews for Siglent I have to give the items back 😞, I reviewed this scope when they first came out.

[@StuartCGadgetRev]

Brilliant review! You're always so easy to understand. I'm new to electronics (only just got hold of a proper soldering iron) and have been looking around for a scope. I'm a software engineer but I have caught the IOT maker bug. Started with a simple module that's easy to code for and is drawing me into building my own sensor and actuation circuits! I'd immediately use it for debugging I2C and also helping with a low power radar sensor (need the FFT).

[@BenVonHandorf]

This was a great review that covered a ton of scope features and gave a great sense of what they're used for! This looks like a great scope for both digital stuff and low end RF stuff... I'd love to get this for HAM work as I'm starting to get into building my own transceivers and I'll need some way to debug things when they (inevitably) don't work quite right.

[@Sk1tch3r]

Great review and awesome addition to your lab! I'm an EE student and I'm currently working on designing and building a multi channel, programmable SMPS-based Lab supply and it would be great to see the transient response and overshoot of the voltage and current limiting with a scope. Btw, good luck to everybody else :)

[@jeanjacques9462]

Great review. I am learning more about my new scppe every time I watch this review

[@AgimRamqaj]

Thumbs up for the review.. keep those videos coming :) It could become my first scope and could extend my knowledge and speed up the learning curve in electronics...

[@3dgussner958]

Really detailed review of the functions. It would be a great addition to our maker space.

[@ke4est]

This scope would be an upgrade to the one I have. I would use it on my many ham radio and micro-controller projects. You did awesome job on reviewing this scope!

[@jpindter]

Excellent review, thanks a lot! Definitely I would like to use it for debugging I2C communications. Moreover, this device looks very promising for helping me experimenting around vlf wireless analysis. Greetings from Mexico!

[@pascalfo]

Great and thorough review thank you! I need this scope because i don't have one and can't afford to get one, even the cheapest ones. Budget is not easy when you try and go further into electronic projects.

[@littleraki]

Nice review. I really like the decode feature with 4 probes with the support for all the protocols. Very cool

[@istvanzilizi6194]

Great review! The scope has more feature than a beginner is required. For me the protocol decoding is the most interesting feature.

[@judgeguilty]

Thank you for the detailed review. I need this DSO to complete my DeathStar.

[@gregclare]

Wow, what an excellently concise review. You covered a lot of functionality in just 19 mins! An ideal scope for any electronics maker. It’s quite amazing the power and functionality you get these days, in a scope described as “entry level”. I suspect most owners will only just scratch the surface of it’s full set of capabilities! I think a couple of the stand-out features are the built in serial decoding, and the lower frequency spectrum analyser capability. Other than that, I have 4 channel envy! :-)

[@secraiskille]

bough it and just arrived. As a EE student, im verry pleased with it, thanks!

[@HoustonEuph]

Amazed by the protocol decoding. When I had a scope, it was a cheap, portable, single channel type without much more than a trigger! Would love to have a scope, especially one as great as this, as I'm currently scraping by without one. Anyways, love your videos, and keep up the great work!

[@peterthefoxx]

Nice one!. I have started putting together many more ESP based projects and been inspired by your channel to take this further. I have usually used modules but started experimenting with making custom circuit designs with many more devices and custom circuitry so this scope would be great for debugging the various digital coms and trying out new circuit patterns and theories. I have a old low end siglent scope but it’s two channel and doesn’t have any features over the basics so this scope would get past the limitations I hit with my current one.

[@shinevisionsv]

Wow, thats a pretty handy scope! i personally would use it for serial Debugging and Power Supply noise checking, and much more.

[@ThomasDwyer187]

I love the topic list in the description!

[@drawingforall6735]

Great review and very accurate information regarding the capabilities of the device. Thanks

[@ilicz]

Trying to supply basic equipment to my small "mancave corner" this scope would be definitelly great addition allowing me to do the "one step further". Thanks for the review.

[@herrgeozeichen2344]

Awesome! Thanks for the great review! The SDS would be a perfect upgrade for my analog Hameg from the 80s!

[@youngji273]

As an EECS student this would really come in handy as our school doesn't allow us to check out any oscilloscopes or logic analyzers, and I've been looking at getting my own. Really great looking scope!

[@wi_zeus6798]

Really good review, I'm waiting for the second part. Would love to own this scope ;)

[@fleshTH]

This is an excellent honest review. I would love to have a scope like this. I'm new to electronics and trying to dive in as much as possible. I've been a programmer for many years, but I never got into the electronics side of things until recently. An Oscilloscope would really help me visualize what is happening. My goal is robotics.

[@davidpatry4195]

I'm working on a spectrum analyser that will display on LEDs columns the frequencies my audio signal has. Currently an electrical engineer student. I can't work from home so this oscilloscope would be great :) in any case, Thank you so much for you videos, it inspired me greatly to do what I do today. Love the humour in your videos :)

[@william_von_baskerville6541]

That’s a great detailed review! I would use the oscilloscope for my general study in electrical engineering, and also it would be a great help for debugging my IoT projects with the logic analyzer.

[@suomynona4607]

Nice features. Thanks for the detailed review. I don't have a scope with a logic analyzer and this one would help with my power generator project.

[@davidc9441]

Great review. detailed but straight to the point. Thank you.

[@ThisNameWasAvaliblle]

I've been watching your last bundle of uploads like clockwork. Somehow you always upload a video related to what I'm working on! This time is NO EXCEPTION! I'd really love this amazing SDS 1104X-E scope to fine tune my circuits connected to my multiplexed RGB LED matrix. I'm attaching it to a set of FPV goggles, but shhhh for now ;). I promise to send you a Google drive link when it's up and running! ( If I get it up and running that is... Dang LiPo discharge *fist shake*)

[@spiritcore1]

Thanks for the review! I always wanted an oscilloscope :) I had some projects that I couldn't solve some issues and scope would really help debugging those issues.

[@gatisozols]

Very detailed review! I would love to have one of these. I'm a software developer and like to tinker with mcus. But without an oscilloscope it is very hard to debug my projects, tons of guesswork :D

[@iNans04]

I would need this for my (still buggy) connected coffee maker project ! With this, no more failed coffee at the morning !

[@cyrilc4858]

Hey. Thanks for the review. I am an InfoSec engineer and I am interested in the logic analyzer. It can come handy to reverse engineer some embedded hardware devices. Anyhow, thanks for what you do and please continue the good work! Your ESP32 composite output videos are awesome.

[@ofsanjay]

Thanks for this video. You having great knowledge. I mostly like your wemos videos.

[@lindsay.newman]

thank you for a very good and thorough review

[@3rdbrain]

As always to the point review and no bias. I am myself work with android and rassberry pi, and specially need this scope for detail analysis of real time clock and timer functions. It will also help me to get the timing of RF signal from rf remotes .

[@SamuelCarreira]

That scope will be a nice addition to my poor mans electronic lab (the only equipment that I have near an oscilloscope it’s a cheap logic analyzer). Keep the good work and I will waiting for the part 2

[@TMITLT]

thanks for the review - the 100MHz bandwidth, the 4 channels, protocol decoders and additional logic probes would be a great improvement over my Rigol 1052; but I see from the comments that some people need it more than I do

[@BillySugger1965]

Thank you, that was a very useful review indeed!

[@yougottobekidding1]

Just getting started in playing with stereo/mono tube/transistor amps along with arduino sensors. Have also pickup up a few old tube radios, this would be a great help in getting them back to running condition, hint hint. Been looking for a digital scope and this would fit the bill. Thanks for bringing this to the attention of your subs. Also it was a nice detail overview which you don't find on youtube very often.

[@mannhansen9337]

I purchased the same scope after watching this video. Picked it up at the Post office today. Looking forward to test it for my hobby projects. Will retire my old Tektronix 465 from ca 1980.

[@legionaire4017]

Great Video! I'd use this to test my audio circuits. Keep up the great work!

[@joshwyse1761]

Great review! I'd love to have one of these for microcontroller projects.

[@jlobeiras]

Nice review. This oscilloscope would be a great improvement over my DSO150, which was very cheap (price edited because KZbin thinks my post is an advertisement) but only offers single channel and very basic functionality. I would use it mainly for Arduino and other microcontroller projects. By the way, I am really impressed about your ESP32 project to generate composite video signals, looking forward to a VGA version.

[@additudeobx]

Thanks for the nice review. One of the features that I think is missing is to be able to save a short video of a dynamic waveform(s). A 5 or 10 second video would be nice that I or colleagues could review later.

[@GeorgiKrystev]

Great review! I'd love to have such scope for my projects

[@PhG1961]

Excellent video tutorial ! Really great stuff ! Since I was genetically modified to be an computer/electronics nerd this scope would suit me very well. Why I need it ? Well.... I need to analyse signals coming from an older PMR radio programmer (Philips/Simoco) which uses a special dedicated programming cable. That cable looks like a RS-232 and RJ45 combination and is custom made. So no standards here. The software runs on MS-DOS 6.2 and I would like to create an app. that makes it accesible from Windows. Impossible to do without this equipment. Futher more, as a sign of my respect and gratitude when I get this scope, I'll offer you a basket of the best beers in the world. You already knew we have the best beer in the world... ! Well now you're getting close to actually taste a few of them !

[@nils2698]

Very useful review! I don't have a Scope in my lab yet so I would use it for all arduino and ESP32 related projects - especially IoT related things :)

[@danielroibert5631]

Thank you. This oscilloscope look great :-)

[@espenbgh2540]

A very fine overall review

[@avejst]

Thanks for sharing :-) decoding I2c and Xbee-data test

[@robertc7682]

Very helpful, I believe I will purchase this scope for my inventions lab.

[@ivanzahariev4448]

Great review. It will be nice to have such device in my home lab.

[@ianboard544]

Nice review. Adding my $0.10 ... I'm a firmware engineer and bought one for working at home - partly because I wanted one, also didn't want to lug my employers equipment back and forth during covid. I got this one to be able to add the digital probe later. Out of all my equipment, along with the DMM I probably get the most usage out of a logic analyzer. Being able to set up triggers based on digital patterns is really nice. The bandwidth of the scope fits well with the kind of stuff I work on. I also like being able to put it on the LAN to view the screen on my PC - really convenient to just use clipping tool to paste scope traces into emails. So far, I've been very happy with it. One of my personal tests is how easy something is to figure out without resorting to the manual. It has been excellent that way. The controls seem intuitive (perhaps its from having used many Tek and Keysight scopes, who knows?). I can't really complain about anything. BTW - Siglent makes excellent 'value for money' benchtop DMMs too.

[@ivory9334]

Thanks for the review. As a maker it could be useful for several projects. thanks for the givaway

[@jloup35]

Great review. It will be nice to have such device.

[@TonySesek]

Dang, makes me wish I had the cash for one! I just graduated high school and have been slowly getting little bits and pieces of tech from my robotics lab but nothing more complex than a multi-meter. A scope such as this would be a huge boon to what I, and probably my robotics lab as a whole, could make! The logic analyzer seems great for debugging our robots that use a combo of I2C and UART and even CAN sometimes. Especially when noobies forget to send the commands. Thank you for the video!

[@josiahmarsh2051]

Well informed review! I would love to get this oscilloscope because currently I do not own one. I am a student so I cannot afford to spend that much on a scope. I would use it for a home automation system I am currently developing. This would aid me in being able to turn regular devices into smart devices without major modification.

[@iBildermacher]

Very interesting review! Way better than the most other oscilloscope reviews I have seen so far! Thank you :) I would love to use the scope to figure out my problems with my student research (Studienarbeit, ich hoffe das ist die richtige englische Übersetzung). My prototype has a few problems I can not solve, because I don't know if the DAC etc. Is working correctly. I would be really nice to win the scope:)

[@andrzejlitwin1484]

really nice oscilloscope. I'm actually in need of one, for my plan to conquer the world. Nice review btw.

[@steiniapproved]

Thanks for the review! I'm just an electronics hobbyist to counterbalance my IT related work. I'm interested in the oscilloscope to support retro computing repairs, my microcontroller projects and so on. I really like the possibility to decode the protocols and the logic analyzer.

[@richardperritt9680]

I'm a lone developer working on Assistive Devices for children with special needs. As a lone, self-funded developer such devices are drastically out of my affordability. I am currently completing assembly of a DSO138 but it does not have the specs required. It will help but not in most instances. Thanks for the videos. Very interesting and useful

[@darkundergroundorg]

I need a scope for my elektronic hobby, at the moment i dont have the money. Thanks for the video, i like your projects!

[@ArnoudvanLeijden]

This scope would indeed be good value for my ATMEL projects!

[@tenlittleindians]

Wow! That scope has functions that are light years ahead of the JYE Tech DSO Shell scope I built and the cheap digital logic probe that plugs into the USB port on my computer! I'm no where near experienced enough to say what it's best feature is but for me it would be nice to have it's multiple inputs to capture timed events both digital and analog and see the events on the screen at the same time! It really cleans up the work bench to have so much packed into one device. Circuits I design with the EveryCircuit app and others don't always work the same built on a bread board and it would be nice to monitor multiple points during part value substitutions to view the effects on the circuits. This scope has a huge market in the growing hobby electronics community.

[@keefebaby]

Great review

[@Ringer1982]

Glad you asked - I want to know: 1. How to set a trigger on some signal transmission? 2. Why I even need the math functions? 3. Why these set of math functions presented in the menue and not something else? 4. Suppose I have a LCD from an old tablet (which I do) with a SPI buss, can the oscilloscope be useful to set up the connection and display a picture? 5. How to measure the noise of a power supply? 6. Can I measure high voltage sources?

[@kavsebenhar8654]

Good review and nice scope. I need such a scope for debugging and logic analysing of signals and protocols to be included in my home automation.

[@mate31032000]

Great Video. I would use the scope to further expand my DIY Smart Home System and to analyze devices I take apart.

[@bitrax644]

I'm currently working on dual microwave 5.8 GHz and laser radar with STM32 uC with CAN interface with UDS and XCP capabilities - debug would go faster with 2ch oscilloscope. Keep up the good work!

[@kluehusky1463]

I'm 19 and i'm planning on becoming an electronic engineer. An oscilloscope would definitely be a great addition :)

[@joetke]

Great job! Siglent guys would not have made such a great review of their device.

[@richardnelson1684]

I love my 1104X-E. I use it mostly for audio and was disappointed with the usability of the FFT. Guess I need a considerably more expensive audio analyzer. That was a great overview video. Would like more details on some functions. But your video has inspired me to investigate more. I also do BODE PLOTS with a Siglent waveform generator connected to the 1104X-E. THANK YOU!

[@chrisdejonge611]

This scope is so nice. Best thing I've ever bought (together with a Siglent Arbitrary Waveform Generator). Just the scope features are really nice, but then what really makes it killer are the awesome FFT and the bode-plot functions

[@embeddedbastler6406]

My oscilloscope is a 1979 one from eBay for 20 bucks. It's capable of 30Mhz and is good enough for most of all applications. But since I'm into digital electronics, there is no way around a digital oscilloscope. It would be an honor to receive such a device :)

[@cardre]

Looks like a great scope and very good value for money with all the decoders etc. built in. I'd like to use it for watching my low power (coin cell) ATtiny projects as they wake from sleep, read some sensors and then go back to sleep. This way I can check the timing and current draw as well as energy used (math integral function) for each wake up event.

[@KrisCochrane]

I'd love to use this on my little channel. It would certainly be an upgrade from my DSO128 kit scope! Serial decoding would be the best feature...for me anyway. Good luck to all who enter!

[@vitormhenrique]

Nice scope! Would be well received on my workbench, specially with the serial decoders and fft functionality. My latest project is building a custom RC control with support to multiple wireless protocols... esp32 will be the main brain and a lot of different ic’s on spi, i2c and serial talking to it. Debugging on a scope instead of print statements is always appreciated!

[@zolatanaffa87]

Too many things for an entry level :-)) This is not an oscilloscope but a complete center of analysis of the waveforms ... what else to add, if not: wonderful! In the lucky case I was extracted, I promise to use it with all the respect it deserves :-))) Hi

[@MitjaSkuver]

This would be a great update from my Soundcard Scope :)

[@hellmann72]

Hier! Hier! ;) Great review! Compact and showed all the interesting bits (I2C and UART Decoder, Triggers, X-Y Mode...). I would donate my trusty Rigol to the attraktor Makerspace to make some space for this nice scope. :D

[@tjagusz]

Hi again :) I'm watching Your channel almost from the beginning. Because of You I'm using Wemos at daily basics and with every day I'm more and more fascinated with what I can doby my own! I'm thinking about using RF to build data loggers for my bee hives (measure temperature, humidity etc). Besides that oscilloscope is a must have for more advanced projects (for example to build single remote for multiple devices). Best of luck with future projects! P.S. maybe they will be with ESP32 and Bluetooth devices (for example how to pair iTag with ESP32)? :)

[@aalaidi]

Thanks for the review, I'm studying electronics and I don't have one yet 😊

[@ArsenioDev]

Whoah that's a gorgeous scope. I'd probably use it for doing IF radar measurements

[@DrexProjects]

Nice review. If I had one of those I could get stuff done. The one I have is from the 60's with a CRT screen. And it weighs a freekin' ton dude.

[@ferviron97]

I would love to have one of them since i just started going into deeper detail regarding analog and digital motor control, it would be greatly appreciated :D

[@everythingquads]

Its a great scope for a hobbyist as I am, I don't use half of the functions, but nice to have as I may one day need them.

[@cqfd]

I really need this great tool to work on differents electronic projects AND keep my wife happy 😀

[@afcruzb]

I'm working now on some projects with LoRa and weather stations so it would be very useful with its four channels. BTW Great videos!

[@adamdufton4525]

If I was to get the oscilloscope I would use it to extend my learning of micro electronics and expand already on my customised home automation software which I have built with help from you. All the best :)

[@fredhayes145]

Thank you. I have a long interest in electronics; my present area is exploration of signal analysis using FFT. I propose to use an oscilloscope to examine basic signal characteristics of generated waveforms.