The DSO Nano v2 from Seeed Studio is a pocket sized oscilloscope that can actually fit in a hobbyist/student budget. More information from Seeed Studio can be found here.
This video shows the unboxing and some initial testing. The testing was not very rigorous however the initial impressions are generally positive. Testing of the calibration was not considered, if you need a calibrated scope you probably need a more expensive one.
Pros
- Affordable
- Portable
- Awesome
- Open Source
- Hackable
Cons
- Manufacturing defect with lowest button
- Buttons have poor clickyness
- Screen does not always clear properly
- Unshielded probe
- No filtering for 60Hz noise
Notes
- Comes with a stand
- Does not come with strap
- BNC adapter is not included
At 2:40 in the video you can see the redraw bug and the noise issues. The screen clearing bug should be easily fixed with a firmware update. Using shielded probes with a BNC connector should help with the noise. The only major issues are that the lowest button sticks up an extra 0.3mm probably due to poor soldering, and the buttons in general could be clickier but that is somewhat subjective. It looks like the buttons need to be moved left or right a few millimeters to maximize the effect to the cantilevers cut in the outer case. The GUI on the other hand is somewhat awkward just like most other scopes, but unlike other scopes it can be improved since we have source code.
From initial testing the DSO Nano v2 looks like a good value and I can recommend buying one if you need a portable and affordable scope. Agilent does not have any products that can be compared to this, and they may want to consider developing a hobbyist brand to compete, otherwise they may find Seeed Studio eating their lunch in the future.
Currently in stock (29Sept2010).
Note: Others who like bulky heavy things without storage disagree.
3 comments:
Huh... a voiceover would be very helpful.
Having the video more in focus would also be helpful, but things are a little busy over here. I'll see if I can at least caption it tonight.
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