Another cheap scope: $18, shipped! (FNIRSI DSO152)

Рет қаралды 191,714

Ай бұрын

I picked up this $18 oscilloscope the other day because I was curious how good something this cheap can actually be. For me, the ultimate test to see if something is useful is to try to fix a broken 8-bit computer with it... so let's do exactly that!
-- Links
FNIRSI DSO152: (Currently $24 as of making of this video, price will fluctuate, was $18 a couple weeks ago)
www.aliexpress.us/item/325680...
Zoyi ZT-703S (2 channel model seen in my video, currently $75 shipped)
www.aliexpress.us/item/325680...
Zoyi ZT-702S (1 channel model, currently $56 shipped)
www.aliexpress.us/item/325680...
Hantek 2C42 (currently $98 shipped, the model I use and have reviewed)
www.aliexpress.us/item/325680...
My previous review of the Hantek 2C42:
• Testing a $125 2-chann...
Adrian's Digital Basement Merch store:
my-store-c82bd2-2.creator-spr...
Adrian's Digital Basement ][ (Second Channel)
/ @adriansdigitalbasement2
Support the channel on Patreon:
/ adriansdigitalbasement
My GitHub repository:
github.com/misterblack1?tab=r...
-- Tools
Deoxit D5:
amzn.to/2VvOKy1
store.caig.com/s.nl/it.A/id.16...
O-Ring Pick Set: (I use these to lift chips off boards)
amzn.to/3a9x54J
Elenco Electronics LP-560 Logic Probe:
amzn.to/2VrT5lW
Hakko FR301 Desoldering Iron:
amzn.to/2ye6xC0
Rigol DS1054Z Four Channel Oscilloscope:
www.rigolna.com/products/digi...
Head Worn Magnifying Goggles / Dual Lens Flip-In Head Magnifier:
amzn.to/3adRbuy
TL866II Plus Chip Tester and EPROM programmer: (The MiniPro)
amzn.to/2wG4tlP
www.aliexpress.com/item/33000...
TS100 Soldering Iron:
amzn.to/2K36dJ5
www.ebay.com/itm/TS100-65W-MI...
EEVBlog 121GW Multimeter:
www.eevblog.com/product/121gw/
DSLogic Basic Logic Analyzer:
amzn.to/2RDSDQw
www.ebay.com/itm/USB-Logic-DS...
Magnetic Screw Holder:
amzn.to/3b8LOhG
www.harborfreight.com/4-inch-...
Universal ZIP sockets: (clones, used on my ZIF-64 test machine)
www.ebay.com/itm/14-16-18-20-...
RetroTink 2X Upconverter: (to hook up something like a C64 to HDMI)
www.retrotink.com/
Plato (Clone) Side Cutters: (order five)
www.ebay.com/itm/1-2-5-10PCS-...
Heat Sinks:
www.aliexpress.com/item/32537...
Little squeezy bottles: (available elsewhere too)
amzn.to/3b8LOOI
--- Instructional videos
My video on damage-free chip removal:
• How to remove chips wi...
--- Music
Intro music and other tracks by:
Nathan Divino
@itsnathandivino

Пікірлер: 451

@cannabiscomet4410 Ай бұрын

Dear Adrian, I really appreciate you taking the time to test equipment and repair tools on your channel. I’ve made a couple of purchases based on what I’ve seen here over the years sincerest thanks.

@LeftoverBeefcake Ай бұрын

Yep, I bought the Pinecil soldering iron thanks to the review of it on this channel, and that definitely was a worthy purchase, it's a great little iron.

@geofflamon9348 Ай бұрын

ya also got LCR meter after seeing adrian using his. Keep up the good work!!

@annieworroll4373 Ай бұрын

Same. I didn't get the exact one he reviewed, but that Hantek video got them a purchase. I went with the 70mhz version, if I had a decent desktop unit for higher frequencies I might have gotten the one he reviewed but this is my only scope and is likely to be for quite a while. Works pretty well.

@jorgensigvardsson9749 Ай бұрын

Adrian, just wanted to let you know that your videos have inspired me to learn electronics again. I started some 15 years ago, but then I got children and family responsibilities. Now the children have grown up, and I have spare time. I've committed to learn electronics again, and I'm awaiting a shipment of analog and digital components to get going. Many thanks for your videos! You make electronics look fun, easy and approachable. Keep up the good work!

@wesley00042 Ай бұрын

Andre LaMothe has a great electronics video series on Udemy for under $20.

@Agnarian Ай бұрын

You are the Bob Ross of computer repair!

@shimarlie1 24 күн бұрын

He looks more like Richard Dreyfuss to me.

@RetroDawn 21 күн бұрын

Totally! With the looks of Richard Dreyfuss.

@Eng_Simoes 16 күн бұрын

However, there are mistakes.

@spookytoes1333 24 күн бұрын

Absolutely awesome. Not just for testing the cheap scope, but to see your methodical diagnostic technique. Bravo.

@WowplayerMe 2 күн бұрын

This video has much more value than just a simple review of a cheap oscilloscope. In just under an hour, this is a master class on C64 troubleshooting.

@Snowsea-gs4wu Ай бұрын

Love this “toy testing” adventures Adrian! Thanks for the video!

@LambdaTechnology 21 күн бұрын

I just purchased the DSO-152 for about 35$, but it came with an upgraded (and useful) hook probe with a bunch of adapters (having the upgraded probe justified the cost for me). I have to say, for the job I'm using this for, it really is very handy. I'm working down at the TTL logic level and this thing just works. It's not perfect, but it does its job and pretty decently at that. I watched about 3 review videos on this little guy after I'd purchased it and I have to say, your video is the best review by miles! Easy to follow, the format is fantastic, and I really like the way you implement your screen splits. Many other content creators could learn a thing or two from you. Subscribed and following! Keep up the awesome work, and thanks for the time, effort, and great explanations you put into this video. (I REALLY liked the explanation of validation of the video signal...there was so much information packed into that bit; anyone would benefit from watching this!)

@boardsort Ай бұрын

Thank you for this review. I have been looking to get a starter scope and at this price I figured now was the time so I following your link and ordered one. It was $21 plus tax at the time. I appreciate your channel very much!

@L1Q 25 күн бұрын

thank you so much for this showcase and explanation. it's invaluable for a novice. this is my first scope purachase ever, bigger ones were scary buy at tight budget so I went for it even knowing it would be of limited functionality. I had to go through the entire documentation booklet to learn the basics. now I know know what kind of projects it wold be most useful for.

@jamesraymond1158 26 күн бұрын

Fascinating. Adrian is really talented and he speaks well, too.

@beatlessteve1010 15 күн бұрын

Sir, you belong to the 'Digital/Analog/ASCII Fundamentals Brotherhood of Troubleshooting and Love" The bad Capacitor is the ..culprit for a noisy supply which damaged the CPU...in my experience shorts usually show as ground unless the outpost are floating and being drive high. AWESOME video thanks !❤❤💯

@betafoofoo270 29 күн бұрын

I'm not really that skilled in electronics but I found your diagnostic approach fascinating and you put it across in such an easy way to follow. I could follow what you were saying and understand the logic of your approach. You would be a great instructor Adrian. That oscilloscope is obviously basic but it was so refreshing to see somebody of your skill level not simply dismiss it out of hand in favour of something more expensive; you definitely showed, that if you know what you are doing, how it could be used effectively within its ability. Great video.

@JamesMack-lt1ux 13 күн бұрын

Very informative and interesting will be watching more of your videos and thank you for making them available keep up the great work

@TerryLawrence001 Ай бұрын

Thee videos bring me back to my early days of computing. I had access to a Commodore warranty depot and got hold of many "Binned" VIC20s and C64s. I used am AM radio to listen for signs of life to do a quick triag on my haul of rejected units. Just bring the AM pocket radio near the clock circuit and the harmonics will make noise in the speaker that sounds cool and shows some signs of life. I use the test on all sorts of calculators and mini games.

@Chaos89P Ай бұрын

Will that AM test work on any more modern devices?

@TerryLawrence001 Ай бұрын

@@Chaos89P Most digital devices will show up as some kind of interference in the AM band. Cheap pocket AM radios with the manual tuner will pick it up.

@Chaos89P Ай бұрын

@@TerryLawrence001 Got an AM/FM radio or two in my house. Maybe I should try with my phone as a starting point?

@TerryLawrence001 Ай бұрын

@@Chaos89P Explore away. :-) you will be surprised how many things make the radio buzz and pop.

@TerryLawrence001 Ай бұрын

@@Chaos89P Even the static spark from carpet static when you touch a door knob will be heard.

@fabio-franco 22 күн бұрын

First time I enjoy a real world usage, uncut, of an oscilloscope for repairs. Congratulations, this is real good content. I own another oscilloscope from the same brand and have been quite pleased with it, but I'd really like to see you put it to the test. It's a dual channel 20MHz and 500MSPS,.with built-in function generator. It's the FNIRSI-DPOX180H

@FranksRetroLab Ай бұрын

Great video. The eraser you used on the edge connectors was the same type we used when I was learning typing to erase mistakes. Thanks again for the video. Love the C64 repairs.

@geekfreak618 20 күн бұрын

Problem being, it's too easy to ruin those fingers using erasers. You can buy a fluid in a small bottle that applies with a small brush at electronic supply vendors that will clean and recondition them and remove oxidation. Erasers may be something you'd risk on your own equipment, but not on a client's equipment.

@k4qdex 26 күн бұрын

i learned so much in this single video. incredible

@broganmcintyre8594 24 күн бұрын

I've purchased a few items from that brand on AliExpress. So far I've been only blown away by the quality for the price. The last thing I purchased was the FNB58. Very impressed.

@MichielBeijen Ай бұрын

Thanks for your video! I just bought the Hantek

@antonnym214 3 күн бұрын

You are an excellent troubleshooter! I enjoy your videos. All good wishes.

@reiisthebestgirl Ай бұрын

I got one of these to quickly check analog sensor outputs for automotive use. Got one with BNC adapter and hooked it up to test leads that cost almost as much as the whole scope alone. It is quirky and quite janky to use, but if you know what you are doing it does give good enough readings for anything that isn't data bus. Of course you need to stay away from high voltage stuff too. I have computer based scope, but that is really cumbersome to setup to get a quick read or two and for those situations this is just golden! I wouldn't get this as my first and definitely as only scope, but for 2nd quick deploy option this is very much worth it. I have used mine approx. 7 months almost weekly basis and it has held up just fine.

@mattsword41 Ай бұрын

really love these tests of low (and in this case very low!) cost equipment. For those of us getting into the hobby it's really good. Got a hantek bl6022e usb scope (actually just before your review!) and never looked back.

@TheRepeatloader Ай бұрын

I never thought of this before-- but if you solder a piece of Solder Wick to a wire and attach that wire to ground, its great for clipping your alligator clip onto (just a real tiny piece and you can pull it into the rubber of the clip to protect it from short) and the Hanmatek brand is fair for a low price table scope incase anyone is looking.

@edwardfletcher7790 29 күн бұрын

That's a great old hack from the TV repair days 👍

@restfulplace3273 7 күн бұрын

Just found this channel. Happy times. I’m really needing some understanding of when & how to use oscilloscopes. At moment I just want to test a 12v to 240v inverter.

@ouch1011 Ай бұрын

I used to work as an automotive tech and specialized in diagnostic work. I honestly don’t know how some “mechanics” do accurate diagnostic work without an oscilloscope. I suspect that they aren’t doing accurate diagnostics and just guessing based off of prior experience, trouble codes or automotive forums. I used my DSO for everything from intermittent bad starters and fuel pumps, failed diodes in alternators, glitches in high speed sensors (like crankshaft position sensors), network diagnostics, and even compression waveform analysis to check cam/ignition timing and pinpoint the cause of mechanical misfires without having to disassemble anything (except for a spark plug). I have a similar tiny oscope like this that I used for parking lot diagnostics. Seriously an absolutely invaluable tool for working on electronics, or even mechanical systems with the appropriate transducers/sensors. It’s awesome that scopes are getting this cheap, but I’d say this one is too slow for a lot of uses. It will work for extremely basic stuff, but even on this old, slow computer, there are many signals that are too fast for it to capture, and many more that it can’t capture with any reasonable resolution. I’d also say the 40V limit is probably not ideal, because if accidentally probed something connected to mains, it would probably be dangerous, but as you said, this is better than nothing.

@JAYZILLA Ай бұрын

If you don't mind...what do you do now that you're not an automotive tech anymore?

@andymouse Ай бұрын

Your only a kid ?

@deang5622 Ай бұрын

We don't talk about scopes being slow. That is not the correct lexicon. We talk about _scope bandwidth_ .

@NoSpam1891 29 күн бұрын

An adapter lets you use a regular x1/x10 scope probe and this has a button for x10 so no mental arithmetic.

@geekfreak618 20 күн бұрын

@@deang5622 The guy is using a damned eraser on those fingers. I doubt the viewers of this channel give a hoot what word salad you use.

@kwcdata Ай бұрын

Great test and video. Good job 🎉

@TheJobieadobe 21 күн бұрын

This was fun to watch!

@MarianoLu Ай бұрын

This looks like a great scope for the (car) shop. The size and specs (200khz) looks right for car troubleshooting. I can see how it can help to fix some old retro computers but not being able to check the clock (1Mhz) limits the usefulness. But the price point is good (less than a cheap multimeter) and In a pinch you can make a TTL clock divider if you’re on a tight budget. But I will recommend saving some extra lunch money and getting one that can do the whole thing

@Peter-rt3tu Ай бұрын

Had the same impression. For just another lunch you can get something with a few 10 Msp/s and a few MHz bandwidth that gets you further, like the DSO Pro, DSO154Pro or things like this

@ouch1011 Ай бұрын

Former mechanic here. This scope would work ok for a lot of stuff on cars but the speed limitation means that you wouldn’t have the _resolution_ needed for some of the higher speed sensors or actuators (like crankshaft position sensors or CAN network). Also, not having any storage function would be a major limitation. Most automotive diagnostics is waiting for problems to happen and essentially catching glitches. I’ve done that with a standard oscilloscope before and it is much more difficult without a DSO.

@keithkneeland6849 Ай бұрын

@@ouch1011Current mechanic here, agree on everything you said!

@Tom-ru9ds 28 күн бұрын

if you are just looking to verify the requency ...to check the clock is simple enough. I use a cheap crystal oscillator and a TTL decade counter (74LS390) / but by that time, the next more expensive DSO might be in budget. (put the computer's 1MHz clock into the 390 and the 390 will divide by 100, check the frequency against 10KHz - well within the 200 KHz of (this) DSO )... it won't give "dirty" signal indications that I use my analog scope for, but can do the frequency calculation for these lower clock speeds.

@tombeauchamp806 Ай бұрын

I got a $2 something scope from temu that came with the standard probe jack. for $2 i was blown away that it even worked. definitely worth the money lol

@RetroJack Ай бұрын

I got one of these with the BNC adapter and 10x probe about 6 months ago and it's been great for the basic stuff I use it for.

@wayneswonderarium 27 күн бұрын

FWIW Elenco Snap circuits are a great intro to electronics!

@trooperj9152 Ай бұрын

Appreciate the perspective, ended up getting the budget $45 (154pro) 18mhz oscilloscope as was thinking 200khz would be too low for my vintage PCs. I'm a newbie to electronics repair so couldnt justify spending more than what I need. Likely not going to use an $80-300 scope enought to justify its cost. Thanks for thinking of us casual hobbists!

@ChairmanMeow1 Ай бұрын

Gotta start somewhere!

@LeinaDZiur Ай бұрын

I got a very similar one (same brand, model FNIRSI-138 pro) and I love it because I don't reeeeally know how to use it so if I end up ruining it somehow, it's less of a loss. Thank you for covering it!

@littlegoobie 25 күн бұрын

like me with my multimeter. basic functions and a very important tool for those who understand more... ive used one my entire life for about 3 general tests.

@votaws 27 күн бұрын

I like your review on the scope

@typxxilps Ай бұрын

this is a review that deserves the word review even though it is not mentioned in the title. I have one, but one for my phone / tablet / laptop and the app from martin loren called hscope and finally got a LOTO oscilloscope after a Hantek what so ever over specced like hell, same for the hantek I have had before and finally sold all just to get the LOTO which is working quite well. Not the best setup compared to an integrated Osci, but I get the best display this way, a tablet, a phone or Laptop - each far better than the cheap displays on chinese overspecced toys. great video and repair explaning a lot of details how to work around

@ChessIsJustAGame 23 күн бұрын

In the late 1970's, I made my own "logic probe" using LED's, resistors and other cheap parts. I couldn't afford a logic probe at the time. Since then, I've used much test equipment over my 44 year tech career and bought that tiny scope to carry in my laptop bag. I can see levels, frequency and wave shape. Don't need much more to determine if something is alive. Checking power rails, etc. Very portable, if I can't figure out what's wrong with it, then I go fetch a higher end instrument.

@dividion8102 Ай бұрын

I enjoyed the video. Always good to see an old Commodore getting back into the action. And I think for future use, you'd be better off extending the red wire rather than the black, so you won't have to drag the Y-split around so much when you go to probe things.

@vincentpinckard2243 Ай бұрын

Ive used that same pocket oscilloscope to set the amplifier gains on my car audio amp and it work perfectly for that job!

@Wormetti Ай бұрын

Love how cheap working test equipment is today.

@uni-byte Ай бұрын

Down in the $30 price range there is the Zeeweii 154Pro that will do an honest 18Mhz. It would certainly be fine for working on retro computers. I did a review on it (as well as the DSO152 and 2 others) on my channel (video 0106). The 154Pro was hands down the best of them in many ways. The $30 version comes with a real probe too.

@andymouse Ай бұрын

I remember that review, mainly because I bought one just because of the looks and price and I'm realy glad I did as it's an awesome little guy ! nice to have around !! Cheers Mr byte

@uni-byte Ай бұрын

@@andymouse Cheers Mr. Mouse.

@anonymoususer3099 Ай бұрын

On sale for 22 bucks now shipped!

@uni-byte Ай бұрын

@@anonymoususer3099 If I did not have one already I'd be tripping over myself to get in on that deal. IS that the one with the battery and probe?

@apollolux 26 күн бұрын

Amazon is showing Zeeweii 154Pro 18MHz for $42 right now, and 1MHz for $33, with free delivery from China. I assume the prices y'all are talking about are on AliExpress?

@Dukefazon Ай бұрын

I got a huge chuckle when you said you can see border and text just by looking at the scope, it feels like when in The Matrix the operators were looking at the Matrix code and they said they only see blondes and brunettes or something :D 44:20 it looks like the device is reacting to your voice in this part :D

@jameshanna5865 24 күн бұрын

I just bought my scope from Amazon. It was $36.00 and came with the adapter and a 1x / 10x BNC probe. Been happy with it so far. It beats lugging my full size Techtronics around.

@tedsteppe255 26 күн бұрын

I also ordered a ZEEWEII DSO1511G from China. And it was worth every penny! Does a great job in T/Sing.

@baronvonschnellenstein2811 Ай бұрын

Thanks Adrian for demonstrating the use of that "budget" oscilloscope and showing that you _can_ - with limitations, of course - fix a C64 with it. It was a fair and objective test and shows that if you have a DMM and are on a very tight budget and/or _very_ infrequently going to need a CRO, it will do a job. Thanks too for the other recommendations there (the Zoyi might be a better choice for ppl with no DMM and no CRO and will be infrequent users of such tools) - I might just get hold of the Hantek device for when I want to quickly check a signal without having to drag out my old skool 19" CRO :joy:

@barrybogart5436 Ай бұрын

The Zoyi is a killer deal. Go for the 703 and not the 702. (Or wait for a '704'!)

@cuevob Ай бұрын

I like the real world approach to instrument review.

@treadmillrepair754 Ай бұрын

One good option is the Owon HDS-242S for Us$140 dollars.

@donaldwiller9238 Ай бұрын

Great information man .thanks

@gbresaleking 24 күн бұрын

So cool how you can tell whats on screen by reading the signal out

@-kBSplnp 22 күн бұрын

15 year old 80s me wants this video so bad

@gillbates999 8 күн бұрын

"It's really small" - yeah, I expected something much larger to come out of that box. Thanks for the review though!

@imranahmad2733 Ай бұрын

There's never been a better time than in the last 7 years for test equipment, test equipment was so expensive pre mid 2000s, and having the knowledge to use them was another thing till the internet came about, before that you either a mentor, library or college, now you can watch a how to video or follow a guide on the internet to get you primed on how to use the equipment and repair equipment.

@0x0fffff 26 күн бұрын

Seeing Veronica Explains in the Patreon section is gold, going to join Patreon now

@garylcamp 25 күн бұрын

Very nice review and troubleshooting tutorial. I might add that you can use this cheap scope for a dedicated monitor of signals on equipment. $18 for a super read out meter is dirt cheap, better than a digital read out meter at nearly the same price.

@jimsteele9261 2 күн бұрын

Back in the Elder Days, when I was building my homebrew z80, I didn't have a scope either... To test the clock, I clipped a lead to the signal and tuned in the 4mHz on my shortwave radio.

@Runco990 Ай бұрын

That tiny scope is better with audio. Yes, it's amazing what we can get today in tiny technology. My first TUBE oscilloscope was a Hewlett Packard 122A. A glorious 500KHZ bandwidth and weighed a TON. We live in amazing AND scary times. You pick!

@dru6809 Ай бұрын

Mr Black - You might consider doing a quick second channel teardown of that $18 scope. Just hacking a device like that for other uses could also be interesting.

@bewilderbeestie Ай бұрын

Yeah, it's got a built-in battery, adequate screen, and a decent CPU all integrated together; if it's reprogrammable it'd make a nice UI head-end for a project. I'd be really interested to see inside. If the USB-C data pins are wired up that'd be awesome. If there are spare GPIOs, that'd be even more awesome. I see that FNIRSI make a bunch of different devices, including a hybrid oscilloscope/component tester/signal generator that looks _really_ useful, and a even more cut-down oscilloscope that looks like the same thing as this in a kit-case. I might need to do some browsing.

@bewilderbeestie Ай бұрын

I found a teardown --- it's based around a CH32F103 ARM-M3 chip, with 20kB RAM / 64kB flash, which is well understood, and there's a SWD header on the board, meaning it should be reflashable. I didn't see an SPI flash chip. The teardown didn't look at the back of the board, so I don't know if there's a video controller there or if the CPU is doing it all. No idea about GPIOs, either, but it's certainly worth investigating.

@tonysofla Ай бұрын

@@bewilderbeestie WCH makes some CH32 where the two ADC can be interleaved, they should had used that, as I don't see F103 supporting it.

@vjcodec 16 күн бұрын

The product is a real legit product? Wow Usually those kind of things are scammy in nature! They should really be happy with such a honest and great review! :)

@pengiswe Ай бұрын

It looks like the board is prepared to also take non-axial capacitors, since it looks like there is a negative pad just beside the positive that should be possible to use for much nicer capacitor mounting

@paulspencer153 Ай бұрын

Hi When you first use the little oscilloscope you are suppose to calibrate it using the 1K square wave. There is a factory reset above the power charging red/green led. I found once it was reset and calibrated it was really accurate up to 200K using my signal generator Great video on repairing old computers

@pappaflammyboi5799 20 күн бұрын

Better yet, get this for smidgen more: FNIRSI-1013D, 100 MHz tablet oscilloscope, 1 GS sample rate. $46

@shaolin95 4 күн бұрын

Where is it $46??? More like 140

@dongray3050 Күн бұрын

@@shaolin95y😊

@squidysquid7586 Ай бұрын

Just bought it I think it will be perfect for small automotive work.

@tstephens128 24 күн бұрын

sweet, seeing the C64 brings back memories. Use to write my own code to make images on the screen. Those old computers are basically the stone chisel of todays computers, still fun to see people getting joy out of them!

@waltschannel7465 Ай бұрын

Finrisi has a DSO with one of those transistor/component testers AND a signal generator for $45! The main drawbacks are bandwidth (500KHz ) and the fact that you can't use the scope to measure the output of the sig gen.

@suzakule Ай бұрын

ERROR! ERROR! the 12 volt regulator is a LM7812 for positive 12v ( you said 6812, this is incorrect :/ ) and the counterpart for negative 12v LM7912. I have used these parts many times. so I caught the error right away! :P

@JoeCdaYT Ай бұрын

On that particular board you can put both axial and radial caps. There are foot prints for them. On the scopes I got a Hantek to work on my car and it worked out to let me know that when I was not able to start the car I had a failed sensor on the crank. It does help to have something very portable.

@notyoung 12 күн бұрын

The right tool for the job is ideal, but a good fixer can make use of almost anything when needed. I deal with some mobile and backup/standby AC power sources where I'm mostly interested in low voltage DC and 120 volts AC so I have the great-grandfather of that 'scope - the DSO138 - which was about $20 for the semi-kit. Semi-kit = SMD chips & display socket mounted on the board and the switches and the probe connector were to be installed. The DSO138 runs on 9 volts so I have a 5 volt to 9 volt boost converter that plugs into a 5000mAh VAAS power bank which can run it for hours. A battery powered 'scope means there are no hassles of trying to isolate a line-powered scope so I can check AC waveforms. I've even included pictures of the 'scope screen in my evaluations of various DC=>AC power inverters from 40 to 2000 watts. I can say that some of the better pure sine wave inverters deliver a cleaner AC waveform than our local power co-op. And that some of the cheapest inverters just deliver a PWM square wave. I also have a dual channel Tektronix 2247 "solid state" 'scope - everything but the CRT itself - which I found on the local Craig's List a few years ago for $100 so I have 'scope capabilities up to 100MHz.

@nps2512 29 күн бұрын

Just found you great channel not a tech person but inspired by you

@til2003 28 күн бұрын

Great video. Thank you very much!

@Eversor86 Ай бұрын

My dad got it for like 25 Dollars, shipped, but with a adapter to BNC, and a proper BNC probe, that alone was being sold for like 20. For just main AC, low frequency stuff, its a really good deal.

@duroxkilo 23 күн бұрын

kind of amazing the level of troubleshooting w/ that literal toy... fantastic outcome! i'm not in the hobby of old school computers but i'd definitely use a variable power source to power up those awesome machines, even just a 'little light bulb current limiter' to limit/monitor the current drawn in the first minutes... ------------------- w/ devices so old it may help the capacitors to slowly bring up the input voltages on the initial power-up... 1000uF is a relatively large capacitance for 12-15V, it may need a while to rebuild the oxide layer after years of no usage. the initial leakage current of the larger caps may damage other sensible components. (the ESR and temp of the old cap indicated to me that it was trying to reform in an accelerated manner. a dried out cap would show a larger ESR w/ a tendency to become an open circuit)

@ElectroBidouilleur Ай бұрын

Hi Adrian. A leaky (DC conductive) electrolytic capacitor may have a good ESR. ESR is the series résistance (a quality factor measured in AC). A leaky capacitor develops a DC parallel resistance. So two unrelated resistances (up to a point, of course). Thanks for the video.

@Elastane Ай бұрын

Nice repair, hot caps! Can't really see the point of a 200KHz scope though when you can get soooooo much more for a tiny bit more. Also love your use of a screwdriver as a makeshift probe :D

@Elastane Ай бұрын

23:13 my gut reaction is that 1.4 ohms was atrocious, and after checking it indeed is...that cap is long gone.

@deang5622 Ай бұрын

200KH is way too slow. Very restricted in what you can do with it. The objective is not to go out and buy a new scope for each project. It's meant to be a general purpose piece of test equipment you can apply to many different things.

@Elastane Ай бұрын

@@deang5622 aye, it might be useful in the same sense having lots of cheap multimeters is, for really 'basic' tech wise audio-level stuff, see lots of things all at once, but for a main scope it's just silly, not even toy level...200khz, there's probably apps for mobile phones to do that :D

@aga5897 17 сағат бұрын

Sold ! I just bought one. 30 euros from Amazon. If that C64 came from the UK, there's a good chance that a younger me socketed those chips. The sound chip was always a real PITA. 3 channels and i'm tone deaf ! Compared to an Oscilloscope, logic probes are almost useless unless you need to poke turds.

@jjock3239 27 күн бұрын

Excellent video for learning how to troubleshoot a dead computer with a minimum of equipment.

@1stage Ай бұрын

Another easy "hot chip" test (lacking a thermal imager or the touch approach) is to turn a can of canned air upside down and spray the refrigerant on the circuitry to create a frost. Excessively warm components will thaw the frost very quickly. Note that the refrigerant contains a bittering agent (to keep folks from huffing the contents), so wash your hands after using to avoid getting the bitter taste in your mouth, etc. This is also a great way to rapidly cool hot glue so you can continue working, or cool off a skin burn from a soldering iron, heat gun, or got glue.

@texastyrannyresponseteam794 Ай бұрын

Somewhere along the line i've accumulated around 115 oscilloscopes... from old mainframe scopes with crazy plugins to fancy new digital scopes.. from Analog Tek scopes to Rhode & Schwartz digital.. from handhelds to rack mount... i've enjoyed having them and collecting them.. but.. it's time to let them go.. i've been selling them off here and there.. you still can't beat a good analog scope.. crisp CRT.. easy manual controls.. something like this is great for a quick down and dirty "is the signal there and does it look right" without needing do drag it to the bench or drag the bench to it.. i have a couple of the earlier ones that were assembled form ebay kits.. think i'll get one of these and keep it in the console of my truck..

@jeromekaidor7254 23 күн бұрын

I have the Hantek. A marvelous piece of equipment. Literally an electronics lab in a somewhat clunky box. I have far fancier scopes, but the Hantek is what I usually wind up using. BTW, real probes *are* available for your little DSO.

@BloodAsp Ай бұрын

I've 100% been eyeballing these. I don't do very complicated electronics, and have definitely been curius if these would skate me by without having to break out a Benjamin.

@buzzsah 4 күн бұрын

Things have changed, I remember back in 1989, buying a Marconi Spectrum Analyzer at 21k, sold the store 2 years later. Everything went with it. :(

@dbell95008 18 күн бұрын

Nice find, Adrian! I did locate it on Aliexpress, now up to a staggering $22... And for $29, there is a lter(?) version, that includes a proper 'scope probe and the BNC to whatever that input jack is; maybe a threadless SMA?

@toddlyons Ай бұрын

It was nice to see @VeronicaExplains as a new sponsor. I love her channel too!

@jandjrandr Ай бұрын

I'm sure lots of people are screaming NO not an $18 scope, you can't test a C64 with that! Still, it has its merits for some use cases where it can be useful. Especially with analog audio, radio and TV signals that are often in the lower frequencies. So if you want to test the AC/DC power input and A/V signal output stages this scope is perfectly fine. Anything in between and yeah you really need something better.

@agentmith Ай бұрын

I got a DSO150 a few years ago to use almost exclusively with testing and figuring out eurorack signals. It’s been pretty handy, and works fine. I’d like to get a nicer one one day, but kind of want an analog one or is latency not an issue with nicer digital scopes?

@c1ph3rpunk Ай бұрын

It’d work for things like guitar pedals, especially AC signal side at those lower freqs, the ones in the MHz range.

@Spongman Ай бұрын

a few $ more will get you a DSO154Pro which goes up to 18MHz, has proper probe, and a built-in signal generator.

@agentmith Ай бұрын

@@Spongman at the time this was the best available. What I would like is an improvement on how fast the screen updates, which had put me off from using a digital oscilloscope in general honestly.

@frankowalker4662 Ай бұрын

I'm a big fan of FNIRSI test gear. I've got the 1013d dual trace bigger brother to yours, it's a great bit of kit. I got it about 4-5 years ago for £75.

@vitale6633 4 күн бұрын

Just found your channel - very informative - new sub :)

@Sailingon 28 күн бұрын

Sometimes all i want to do is see a signal and an idea of time or shape. Im a hobbiest and have something like this is great. Used mine to diagnose an issue with my cars abs sensor. Found the one with low output and replced it. They all showed the same resistance so a vu meter wouldn't help.

@AnEverydayGamer Ай бұрын

I was actually considering this when I had my Kaypro but it was too low to read what I needed. Still cool to see a proper review on one. Was interested to see if it was the real deal.

@dodgydruid 6 күн бұрын

If you went up a notch to about 35 the difference is night and day, getting a much more functional and robust device level. I have considered an osci for my watch quartz circuit boards because you need one to read the old glass IC's in operation to work out if the IC is dead as they are fragile as heck, or if its a track problem elsewhere and the sine wave from the motor is always a good indicator for strength of the motor itself.

@californiakayaker 27 күн бұрын

I have a somewhat more expensive at least 100mhz scope from frsi and I love it, completely battery powered, can use the bigger screen, just a little over 100 from Alie. What a tool ! 1013D I paid 112 what an instrument. Dual trace comes with great probes. BUT, I have friends who need to start somewhere and that's a great starter scope. Who knows, that machine might have been one of the ones I had to repair because one of the things I always did was put sockets in for everything.

@googleboy7 18 күн бұрын

The company I worked for would often upgrade their equipment. They would give away the older stuff, and also "broken gear". I have around ten grand of perfectly functional equipment, like Tektronix and Lambda, etc. But after forty years of designing, building, and testing PC boards, I seldom use it. I think a great test tool is an IR camera. It will show problems as a function of heat signature. Thanks for your reviews.

@rb8049 25 күн бұрын

Would have loved to have any of these beck in the 1980’s in high school.

@jasonj4337 Ай бұрын

What knackers this for me is that I was able to buy a better competitor to this from Ali for $40, which is able to resolve much higher frequencies - I was diagnosing a Plus/4 a couple of weeks back and it was correctly reading the clock at 1.77MHz (OK it's actually 1.76 for a PAL machine but close enough!). It takes standard BNC and has AV out as well which is handy.

@Breakfast_of_Champions Ай бұрын

It's called Adrian's Digital Junkyard for a reason😋

@FishDS9 Ай бұрын

thanks Adrian!

@Coderjo. Ай бұрын

I decided to pick up the Hantek 2C42 a couple of weeks ago for when I don't want to drag my rigol to wherever I'm doing some troubleshooting, since the price wasn't too bad. Unfortunately, when it arrived, it didn't have batteries included (which I suppose does make shipping easier). I initially just thought that it had batteries and they were just too empty to power on, so I plugged it in to charge. But it never seemed to charge up, which is when I decided to check the battery compartment. So I had to drop a little more for a couple of 18650s for it.

@alskidan Ай бұрын

Where I live, $18 is too expensive for a lunch 😆Here you can have a decent lunch for as low as $5.

@andymouse Ай бұрын

You in prison ? Lol !

@alskidan Ай бұрын

@@andymouse LOL man, you need to watch EuroTrip

@iainmcculloch5807 5 күн бұрын

I just found your video. From a bit of searching, it looks like the "pro" version - which costs a couple of bucks more - comes with an adaptor that lets you use a BNC probe (together with a BNC probe for anyone who doesn't have one yet).

@fjdarling Ай бұрын

Thanks!

@horusfalcon Ай бұрын

This was an interesting bit of kit. I'll probably hold out for something a bit better unless I can find a kit to bash together on the cheap. What I'd love to do is find a higher end scope at a hamfest that needs repair and try to fix it.

@cranegantry868 Ай бұрын

I've used all kinds of oscilloscopes for digital repair. For fast work a logic probe and pulser (2 items) is fast and reliable and in MANY cases better than an oscilloscope. A pulser exercises the gate, the logic probe shows that the gate is capable of working. A pulser can exercise a pin on any chip and it is easy to see if the interior of some massive chip is working by viewing outputs. Also, you can leave a pulser (I have several) in circuit with memory mode on and wait for pulses to occur if there's anything intermittent. I have 4 oscilloscopes. 3 pulsers, 3 logic probes.

@Canthus13 Ай бұрын

This actually seems ideal for someone new. It forces you to hone your troubleshooting skills from the ground up. You can't concern yourself with the fine details with it, so there's no distraction from the basics. Just with real probes instead of those clips.

@tenlittleindians 15 күн бұрын

I'm tempted to take my SX64 apart to see if it has similar components inside. It's also got just a black screen when I turn it on now.

@mirag3304 23 күн бұрын

I just ordered one of the pocket o-scopes with o-scope probe since I do not have an o-scope yet. It was currently $25 with standard o-scope probe and $24 without it.