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Is this oscilloscope any good?

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I14R10

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I didn't know where to put this. There isn't a separate forum for measuring instruments. Maybe it should be.

I need an oscilloscope. I currently have one DIY chinese digital oscilloscope. But it's quite bad. It works and I can see what I need - waveform, but the switches that switch voltage and time subdivisions have stopped working. All in all, I need something better.

I don't plan to do anything above 20MHz. I doubt I will even go above 10MHz. At some time I plan to play with 80m (3.5MHz) ham receiver and transmitter, but that's about it. I came across this USB oscilloscope on ebay

**broken link removed**

Is this worth getting? If you have a recommendation on what to get for around $100 please recommend.
 

I feel your pain, because I have also suffered with bad instrumentation. They work fine for a while, then start having issues.

About USB scopes------I've also had painful experiences with them. The most common problem is quirky or unstable software that freezes the computer or simply does not respond. Also the analog front ends leave a lot to be desired. If you overload them it may take eons to recover.

Another quirk with USB based scopes is that some computers inject a lot of noise from the USB port.

My recommendation:
If you want to go the USB scope route, stick with the better brands. A lot of people like Pico scopes, for instance.
 

I14R10 said:
the switches that switch voltage and time subdivisions have stopped working.
Click to expand...

Is it a membrane panel of switches? Can you remove the membrane and look beneath the buttons where they touch a pcb? A cleaning might restore operation. I have had to do the same with membrane switches. Sometimes a deposit of oily substance appears. As far as I can see, it comes from a chemical breakdown (outgassing, etc.) of rubber or plastic. The stuff prevents electrical contacts from touching as they should.

It's a lot of bother to clean under the membrane. As for what cleaner to use, avoid a 'hot' solvent that melts plastic. Do not use acetone, lacquer thinner, fingernail polish remover. Alcohol seems to be good enough. Especially clean where a button touches pcb traces. Rub a clean eraser across metal traces. Leave no residue.
 

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