[Kerry Wong] Is Really Into Scope Meters

If a combination multimeter and oscilloscope is on your holiday shopping list this year, you might want to have a look at some of [Kerry Wong’s] recent videos on the subject. Over several videos he looks at — inside and out — an OWON HDS272S and a Hantek 2D72, both reasonably inexpensive entries in the field. Both instruments are similar and have a few variants depending on the frequency capability and the addition of a waveform generator.

There are several videos on the Hantek device that are a few months old, then some recent videos — like the one below — on the OWON device along with some comparison videos.

In general, it seemed like [Kerry] had a slight preference for the Hantek in some areas like the user interface and software options but concluded that the OWON has better performance both in the oscilloscope and signal generator. As meters, the OWN is a 20,000 count true RMS meter, but the Hantek is only a 4,000 count and does not have true RMS. We really enjoyed seeing both devices looking at the same signal side-by-side.

We had looked at [Kerry’s] take on the Hantek awhile back, as you may recall. Cheap portable scopes have come a long way since 2016, you have to admit.

13 thoughts on “[Kerry Wong] Is Really Into Scope Meters

  1. back in 2004 i got a protek s2401, which was comparable physical format to these devices…though it had a much lower bandwidth and the screen was also lower resolution (and black and white). in hindsight, having used a 100MHz bench scope for a few years now, both those factors were seriously limiting. but i didn’t mind them…what i minded was the UI!

    i’m sure these have got to be a little better to touch but i just *hate* those rubber membrane keys. it takes a good amount of force to push them, and throughout the entire “keystroke”, they are just pure mush…you don’t know when/if you finally pushed it hard enough. and since it’s a portable device, it’s just another thing you’ve gotta think about when deciding where to set it each time…you have to orient it so you can see the screen, so your probes don’t get too tangled, and so that you can push it hard without sliding it around too much.

    and on top of that, they’re all multiplexed…trying to make the most use out of a few buttons, you have to know what mode it’s in before you can get anything done…and with it so hard to know if you’ve even pushed the button, you have to keep moving your focus back and forth between the button and the screen to know if you even changed into the mode where you can change what you want to change.

    i happened to see a video, probably linked from on here, where someone was using a bench scope and they were turning its knobs without even looking at them. oh my god! now i’ve got a siglent sds1102 and it does have those rubber buttons (though they’re relatively inoffensive and probably benefit a lot from being on a bench scope that doesn’t move around), but mostly it has these knobs…they aren’t perfect or anything, they’re just something i can use immediately without hardly paying attention to them. scopes need knobs.

    i mean, i understand, some people have a different scope for each purpose…they really need to go out in the field or so on. it’s just such a loss to give up those knobs!

    1. Thanks for the comment.
      I have a Horror Fraught DVM (not the freebie) that has a push button to power up.
      I often carry it in my backpack, but not as much as I used to, because sometimes the power button would get pushed while carrying the backpack, and it had a dead battery when I needed to use it. I had tried various ways to protect it from activation, such as a bottle cap or a blister from a blister pack (both secured with hook and loop straps) but they weren’t reliable either.

    1. Pretty much any time varying signal you need to understand/measure details of.

      One example is that I’m working on creating a heater controller using a Arduino and want to make sure the pulse width I program is what I get. With an oscilloscope I can see the pulse width modulation and measure the on and off times.

      Another example is that I have a circuit that is acting funny, but all measurements I make with my voltmeter look ok. By looking at the signals with an oscilloscope I can determine if power bus is unstable or if there is ringing on a signal line or a signal takes an excessive time to reach stead-state in a signal.

  2. I purchased one of those Hantek scopemeters, and in a one-word sum-up: disappointed.
    Ended up buying a micsig STO1104, and haven’t touched the hantek since.

    The ONLY thing the hantek had over the micsig was the signal generator – but it was so limited I would say it was an afterthought rather than a feature designed in from the start.

  3. About 10 years ago I bought a Hantek DSO8060 scope-o-meter.
    2ch 20MHZ(?)
    Function generator
    and of course DMM
    and frequency counter

    Two or three years ago the lipo died and this year I accidentally used the wrong wall wort and blew an input cap and diode. I’ve also messed up the low end on one channel but still some what useful until I can get the 4ch I’ve wanted for years. Nothings checked enough boxes at the right price point.

  4. Ive had one of the TPI 440 handheld scope for over 20 years now. The scope is… not the best. The meter is fine though. I think I might get the OWON HD242S to replace it. I dont need 70mhz in a handheld, I have much, much better scopes for anything outside of handheld needs.

  5. If you opt for hantek, take the bigger 2d82 “automotive” model. the automotive functions are more or less just presets, but its proven to handle up to 100MHz, and you get some nice accessoires with it. for a handheld, im perfectly fine with that one.

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