EEVblog 1478 - Waveform Update Rate Shootout - Tek 2 Series vs Others

Testing the new Tektronix 2 series waveform update rate vs older Keysight, Siglent, and Rigol scopes, and a glitch signal demonstration on how it matters in the real world.
And also how to measure the waveform update rate on your scope.
This is not a review, and was going to be a 2nd channel video, but people voted to have it on the main channel so here it is.

00:00 - How to measure oscilloscope waveform update rate
04:00 - An annoying feature? Setting the memory depth...
06:03 - It actually tells you on the screen!
11:11 - Comparison with the Keysight 1000X series
15:37 - Real world glitch testing
18:08 - Comparison with the Siglent SDS1104X-E
18:54 - Comparison with the Rigol DS2202

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#ElectronicsCreators #oscilloscope #Tektronix

[KeysightLabs]

Great video, Dave. I (Daniel) am pretty surprised it's not specified in their data sheet. I won't speculate why. This is something we expressly design for - perks of a custom ASIC processor over that high end FPGA. There are benefits of the FPGA route, though! edit: I wouldn't be surprised to see them come back down the road with an update to improve here.

[derekloudon]

Tektronix Christmas Card Department: "Monica", "yes sir", "please remove Dave Jones name from our Christmas Card list", "yes sir".

[Doesntcomputek]

Great review Dave! I always enjoy your take on these new units. I've always been a user/fan of Siglent, Rigol, and (especially) Keysight. I feel I can trust Keysight units to get the measurements right. Even their lowest end meets specs, and just works and works.

[MrJohnBos]

I'll keep my 4 channel $400 Siglent scope over a $3, 400 Tek Series 2. I can buy a lot of good quality test gear with the $3, 000 savings. Considering the price difference, I think the Tek scope will have a steep uphill battle selling their product. Thanks for the mini review. I look forward to a full review later.

[victortitov]

Hi, Dave! This video reminded me how i'm still happy with my rigol DS2102 that i bought after your recommendation many years ago! Thanks for that!

[vytautasslenderis]

Engineer responsible for the update rate was on vacation :)

[xiankangwang]

Just wonder why such a portable oscilloscope does not provide differential or isolated inputs just like Tek's TPS series or Fluke's handheld oscilloscope. It would be very useful in fixing and debugging in an industrial enviroment.

[IanScottJohnston]

I am sure that an update will arrive at somepoint to mitigate these hmmmm, I was already put off by the buttons and look of this new scope. There's work to be done!

[qzorn]

the high end test equipment engineers try to make a budget scope plagued with the old ways 😲 the great quality budget equipment attack the project completely different 😎 thanks
nice to see the Siglent SDS1104X-E on the table... i have one 🥰

[Anthocyanina]

I measured 20k on the rigol 1104z, and at all timebases the dead time was 7.2ms. How is this in the best case scenario performing worse than such an old and cheap oscilloscope? the FPGA in this one has over 9 times the logic elements as the one in the rigol, and is much faster, has more memory, dsp slices, much much better everywhere than the one in the rigol, and at least when it comes to waveform update rate it does measurably worse? wow 🙈 i hope this is them intentionally crippling it, because really, wow

[Skyfox]

When it comes to those random anomaly pulses, you should also compare the new stuff to an older CRT oscilloscope.

[cpcfreak]

Thanks for this review, it highlights a major trap of newbies buying entry level scopes. Because the ability to detect those transients are just what a newbie maker needs, when hidden characteristics or tricks of design catch us out. I was half expecting to see postscript update where some bug or config error had hobbled the review, and it's all fixed now after a Tek response to the video.

At the end we saw what even perhaps just a 1/2 of an order in magnitude improvement in the Tek might deliver in terms of usability when you discussed the traps of record length using the Rigol. $ for $, you'd think in the inventor market this 2 Series device is dead in the water realtive to Keysight or R&S as a similar price point, surely they have to address this issue before anyone in the know will take them seriously. Ironically, I noted in the earlier release video the Tek staff discussed the use of the 2 Series for automotive techs and the like, and it's those very transients / runt pulses it can't easily find that the automotive industry need to capture, or esle we'll all be shuddering our way down the freeway or having the lane keeping swerve wildly at ghosts!

[artursmihelsons]

Looks like new Tektronix scope is full of disappointments.. 😂
Great video, as always! 👍

[literabbits]

Entry level scope for 3k, well done tektronix
Keysight edu series are almost better 😂

[simonbaxter]

Great video Dave. I'd like to see the Tek 2 Series up against the Siglent SDS2504X Plus. The latter is less than half the price but seems to be the same or better in terms of featured and spec.

[simon]

What's the update rate within one burst?

It's almost like it's supposed to be faster but they need to pause sometimes for unknown reasons. Sleep-based workaround for some kind of problem maybe?

And if/when they've fixed it they'll put the "real" rate in the datasheet.

Edit: OK that's actually answered in the video. Still, on the topic of those longer pauses...

[PhillipRhodes]

These things are interesting, especially the whole modular battery pack aspect. But honestly, I think I'll be sticking to my Rigol kit, and my few token Ebayed pieces of "boat anchor" HPAK gear.

[joelw]

The big gaps are a display update. All scopes have something like this, but the amount of time for the display refresh is scope dependent.

[erikhovdahl]

If you calculate the wasted time/cost of time, both fiddling with the scope, waiting for the runt, or not even waiting for it, becouse you can't see it and aren't able to find the signal that brings havoc to your circuit... Sum all that up and the resultat is easy to understand; Buy a Keysight scope, time saved add up the money to pay for that!

[phuang]

70Mhz 2CH @ $1800 and 4CH @ $2740. For 4CH 500Mhz upgrade, there is another $8000. I think I will pass.