FNIRSI 1013D Tablet Oscilloscope Review

FNIRSI 1013D Tablet Oscilloscope Review

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In this video we have a look at the FNIRISI 1013D 2 Channel Tablet oscilloscope. It claims to be 100MHZ 1Gs/S. It is not. But it is a fantastic starter scope @ about 30Mhz.

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Here is all the gear I currently use:

[gerardregnier]

Use the high-frequency grounding attachment for the scope probe. Use decoupling capacitors on Vcc of each oscillator.

[mauromauro]

A 100mhz oscilloscope has a passband at -3db, so 70mhz on a sine signal, a square wave is rich in harmonics, so suppose we see up to the 5th harmonic, it will be 14mhz, to see a square wave well from 100mhz, it takes a 500mhz oscilloscope.

[mauromauro]

In all oscilloscopes the passband is declared at -3dB, so at 100 MHz a signal of 1 volt becomes about 0.7 volts, the important thing is that it does not distort the waveform.

[MarcelJurec]

I have found the recommendation "Because the cable has a rather high capacity, the bandwidth in the 1/1 position is specified as only 5 MHz. If you need to measure signals with higher frequencies, you must use the probe in the 1/10 position." Have you switched the probe switch to 1/10 position before measuring the 100 MHz signal? Thanks.

[JohnUsp]

In fact, this is not an issue, there is a rule of thumb that says: if you need to measure xHz in the DUT, you need a scope (and probes) with at least 5xHz capacity.

[mauromauro]

To see a 100 MHz square wave well, the oscilloscope must have a bandwidth of at least 1 GHz, because they will have to pass all the main harmonics, this applies to all cases, even expensive oscilloscopes !!!

[pyromen]

I just got the new version of the 1013d, and they made it a lot cleaner on the outside! The connectors and button are recessed so they don’t get snagged or bump into things, and the display cover seems much cleaner. There’s no massive bezel, it’s perfectly flat against the touchscreen

[IscleGaming]

To everyone saying this is junk, let me tell you it's not. Not everyone needs 100MHz bandwidth. For example, I bought one because I only need it to debug some MCU outputs and low frequency signals (500KHz MAX). This is fine, I don't want to spend 300$ in a baseline Rigol that I will never use up to it's full potential.

Also, this scope is hackable, it runs Linux, which means anyone can write their own UI and software. That's what I'm planning to do. This will serve me both as a scope and as a learning tool.

Sure I could get a Hantek, but the screen is smaller and it's not a touchscreen either.

[gerardregnier]

If you want to evaluate high-frequency performance, you need to use high-frequency breadboarding techniques. Otherwise, you get 20Mhz performance like you are observing.

[MrFrazierNation]

Thanks Uncle Paul. You and Dave have pushed me to get a proper "budget" oscilloscope, the Loto scope you did a while back.

[kingfisherblues]

I have never owned a scope, so I may be misunderstanding something here. So feel free to educate me if I am. The thing is, I read that with all scopes, to get an accurate MHz reading, the scope's upper MHz limit should be five times higher than the output of what you are sampling. That would suggest that to measure a 100MHz device, you would need a scope rated to at least 500MHz. In your demo of this scope it read close to 30MHz with no issue. That actually exceeds the five times rule of thumb. Am I missing something?

[antibrevity]

Very good review and excellent counterpoint to Dave's as he pretty much hates any scope that's less than $5000 ;). He sees no real justification for cheap lab equipment. I still wouldn't pay over $100 for this scope, but it does appear to be a good value; I'm just impossible to please.

It sounds in this video like you might been having some serious dental pain or recovery, so I hope that things are okay and that you're feeling well!

I like Dave's reviews as he's a true critic and doesn't pretend that products are wonderful, but he also lacks the patience to learn how a UI works before condemning the product ;). Yes, it's fair to expect an intuitive interface, but he has a tendency to rant about a broken or missing feature for 10 minutes only to later realize that he'd been using it wrong.

But your reviews are just as valuable as you offer a different perspective and don't expect a bargain, Chinese tablet scope to behave like a Rohde & Schwarz <g>.

[laurentd]

Hi Paul and many thanks for this comprehensive review that well complements "Kangaroo" Dave's one. I just discovered your channel a couple of weeks ago, and as a beginner in electronics (even though I'm the same age as you!), it is a goldmine of knowledge for me, I really like the way you explain things, giving both enough background theory and sharing all practical tips you gained from years of experience!
Anyway, as a 'noob would-be maker' guy tinkering with breadboards, Arduinos, ESPs, etc, and also being a fan of retrocomputing, I think I'm reaching a point where I need to get myself a scope, for experimenting and also for checking digital electronics components and some basic fault diagnogsis on old computers. I'm not really limited by budget but I'm trying to stay under the 200 mark and closer to the 150 mark if possible, and what limits me the most is actual lack of space in my home for this hobby, so I couldn't buy a full-size Siglent scope for instance without risking a divorce :-) Which is why I'm only looking at handheld/compact devices and try to stay away from 'blind' USB units that require a computer to operate.
Apologies for this overly long comment and hoping you'll be able to give me some advice, and thanks again for your tutorials and reviews!

[tenlittleindians]

A perfect hobby scope for Arduino project builders like me!

[danielmaclean]

Saved me with this one man, have been stuck at a budget crossroads trying to decide whether or not to pickup one of these. Thanks!

[sliderulelover]

I would have liked to see you superimpose channel A with Channel B on the same horizontal line (X axis) to observe phase differences like you do with a typical oscope. For example, have a simple RC filter on a circuit board and observe the phase difference from sine wave input to output. For me, this is a very important feature of an oscope.

[friedmule]

4:54 I have a strong suspicion that Dave never reads a manual before he starts his reviews. I had a unit he did a review on and complained about a 5th button that was unusable and properly from another version or design. On page 4 in the manual where there a clear explanation on this button and it covered most of the functions, Dave had hoped they would add in a later update:-)

[healthDOTorg]

Best review of this scope I've seen, thanks! I got one for looking at the waveforms of the 12 VDC to 120 VAC inverters in my RV, but while the freq is accurate, the PP voltage is not... it's saying it's in the KV range! Not sure what I'm doing wrong. But no worries, I didn't get it for measuring voltage.

[nicoxxl]

I like the fact that you measure in both systems metric and imperial

[philippejoigny]

It does what it's supposed to do, especially given the cheap price. The bandwidth of 100 MHz is obtained by compensating the cable of the probe x10 and for that it is not sure that it can be reached without the right instruments to correctly perform the compensation of the cable (even assuming that the response in frequency of the probe x10 and its cable was a single pole low pass filter).