Oscilloscopes - what specs to look for?


Hi,

I'm gonna get me an oscilloscope. I'm going to use it to mainly fiddle with home audio equipment, like hifi amps, and perhaps try to fix this and that other electrical appliance. 

What should I make sure I've got covered?

Some say 50Mhz is good, others 100Mhz. I've also realized memory depth is important, but what is enough? I see oscilloscopes can easily top the overall price of my hifi system if I'd really want to. 
128x128eyrepm

Showing 2 responses by eyrepm

To specify the why and what better: 

I'm in general intrinsically motivated by the field.

For audio, I want to both fix, repair, improve and maybe build gear. I can't afford most stuff on the market, and I find I much more enjoy working with gear rather than just buying new and selling old gear, which often has led to letdowns and frustration. Improving things via knowledge and parts has been much more rewarding.

I'm considering doing a kit amp (First Watt F5 (might be too high level as of now)), and I'm also wanting a tube preamp. I might venture into design some day, who knows. That is the audio part of it.

I also see basic electronics as a very useful skill, for example repairs. I'm  learning basic electronics now. I haven't gotten very far, but I'm learning through Khan Academy and Coursera. I also got recommended getting a scope via an electronics repair book by Michael Jay Geier, saying it was the most used tool when it comes to repairs. 

I run a restaurant on a day to day basis, and restaurant gear is not cheap. Fridges, control panels, coffee makers, etc. But they also seem quite simple in construction. I'm hoping to repair a large espresso machine, for example, and also some ventilation stuff. I might not pull that off, but this is how I defend buying a scope, soldering iron, et cetera. 

So, I'm wanting to balance both cost and usefulness when I'm getting my first scope. Spend enough to get to a decent scope that fits the areas I want to use it on. I also want to get one right now so that I can actually DO, not just read and read and read. I know learning goes way quicker if you actually practice, which is the point, anyway. 


In general I'll now say thank you to all of you; this helps a lot! 

Stuff I can get here in Norway from stores, and which kinda match my budget: 
Siglent SDS1202X-E
Uni-T UTD2102CEX
Rigol ds1054z

As of now, that is what I can get + afford. I could also consider going up a wee bit if it gets me to a whole other level for not too much more money.

Thank you all for the help! I ended up getting a lightly used Rigol 1054z. And yes. You can hack it to unlock 100Mhz, increasing from 50Mhz, more memory (24M) and some advanced features.