I just received this oscilloscope today and have been very impressed with it so far. The instruction manual isn't great, but if you search youtube for "DSO Quad" or "DSO203" there are some good introductions to the device/reviews. The firmware has been updated, so while there are a few changes from what you see on youtube, the updates have made it more intuitive.
A couple of tips for after you've watched some youtube tutorials: in the latest firmware the triangle button toggles between the top menu and the menu on the right. The circle button toggles a popup menu that gives a lot of useful data like peak-to-peak voltage, equivalent dc voltage, frequency, High and low voltage, duty cycles etc. The popup is pretty useless initially as the values (which are colour coded to match channels A through D), are spread out across the 4 channels at random. Press and hold the circle button and you'll find that you can edit the menu using the left most jog dial (left and right to change value being measured, select to change the channel). Use the right most jog dial to move to the next value in the menu and select on the right most jog dial to save your settings.
I have really been impressed with the build quality, quality of the probes etc. The LCD screen is surprisingly good for a device at this price point, but the viewing angle isn't as good as high end devices like my smartphone. Again this was to be expected.
Compared with my (fairly decent) Maplin Precison Gold multimeter there seems to be quite a large margin for error when reading voltages. Right now I'm assuming that voltages can be read +/- 10% from the oscilloscope, although it may be better than that. Various other reviews/forums suggest there may be similar inaccuracies with the time/frequency. As long as you are aware of these limitations this is a great device for viewing and analysing waveforms.
For me any limitations of this device are completely outweighed by the price, features, build quality, and the fact that I can put it in my pocket and take it with me rather than having a CRO that requires half the available workbench space!
One small niggle: the USB cable that came with it was defective, it would allow the device to connect to a computer, but would not charge it. Initially I thought it was a problem with the device, but then I noticed the led near the top right corner of the screen wasn't lighting up, so that made me think to try another cable. Thankfully the device is working perfectly with the substitute USB cable.
| Manufacturer | SainSmart |
|---|---|
| Part number | dso203 |
| Item Weight | 360 g |
| Package Dimensions | 18.4 x 10.4 x 5.4 cm; 359.99 g |
| Manufacturer reference | dso203 |
| Item Package Quantity | 1 |
| Batteries included? | No |
| Batteries Required? | No |
