OWON SDS7102V 100MHz Oscilloscope with VGA Port

(TX) - 12/11/2013

Excellent value. Stable triggering, with good channel-to-channel timing coherence. The tact switches have a nice feel, and the UI makes sense. Plenty of on-screen info, without excessive clutter or distraction. Lots of built-in capabilities, and the PC connectivity enables you to extend the functionality with your own post-processing utilities. The huge sample memory and flexible segmentation is a real treat. There are a few quirks to watch out for: 1 - the persistence mode faithfully emulates an analog 'scope which I didn't quite expect, in a DSO. 2 - the visual feedback when using an external USB flash drive is sluggish, so you need to patient, when watching for the progress report. 3 - you can't view the normal and zoomed timebases simultaneously. 4 - be aware of the so-so noise floor. All in all, it's better than I expected; this is a lot of 'scope, especially at this price! :-] Good job by OWON, and thanks to Saelig for stocking it! cheers, - vic

(CA) - 05/22/2013

I have only had my Owon SDS7102 for about a week so a more in-depth review will come after a few months of use. I can however provide a first impression review of the product and Saelig. My need for a scope go beyond just hobby but I am limited by budget so $500 is about my max. Like most of you, I did a lot of research before finally deciding on the Owon SDS7102. In the price range there are a few competitors, most notably the Rigol DS Series 50/100 MHz line of scopes. Although the Rigol is a great scope with a proven track record, after reviewing the documentation for both scopes I decided to buy Owon. The deep memory, optional battery, large screen, and vga output, in my opinion, surpass the Rigol in terms of feature. To be honest, I expected to pay a lot more for those features but the Owon is comparable to the Rigol in price. I opted for the optional battery because part of why I need this scope is to preform field work. As far as field work, I have used the scope a few times on only battery power to debug an SPI bus for a and Bluetooth controller card. It worked a treat and not having to be tethered to a plug combined with the Owon’s small footprint, makes it a great field scope. Just be warned, it is not mechanically designed to be an industrial field scope so extra care must be taken when transporting. Still, the Owon is a lot cheaper than a Fluke scope-meter and offers a large color screen with about twice the bandwidth. Saelig includes a free soft carry case for the scope which is what originally attracted my attention away from Amazon. The bag is nothing special and the front probe compartment lacks a secure latch, but it’s free, decently padded.. and free! [I added Velcro to secure the front probe compartment.. works great now] As a bench scope I use the VGA output as a teaching aid. I tutor electronics at my University and teach at an Engineering Co-Op. Being able to display the scope output is priceless. I do wish for a higher resolution, HDMI would have been a better choice than the aging VGA output, but it works. I have not used the LAN option but I have tried the USB. Although a slow refresh rate, USB works and is easy to set-up. I hear that LAN works much better for this scope. Responding to the 30min youtube video “OWON SDS7102 Complete Review” by Mark Madel: The firmware has been criticized for “not being intuitive” however I did not find this to be true. Everything did what I expected and navigating features was easy enough. Either the people criticizing the firmware are too accustomed to a particular style, or a firmware upgrade has been performed to fix some of the issues. Either way.. Some things could be better but most of everything is good. Mark also shows how the scope slides because of stiff buttons. Although the buttons are still stiff, rubber has been added to the feet so I have not experienced any slipping. The stiffness of the buttons does not bother me, but I am 6’1’’ @225lbs.. a little push to me may be different then someone smaller. As for Saelig, they are great! I love that I got a free bag, free shipping, and 5% student discount. [did they even make money on this sale?] I had a small problem with the shipment, nothing major but the yellow ring that clips onto the scope was missing, instead I had two blue rings. This is a very minor error and only slightly upset me. I posted on their facebook and in the morning, without any questions, an email from Click-N-Ship with the note: “Your color rings are on the way” .. that’s just great service! So overall and to date I am happy with the Owon. I never expected a high end scope for $400 but Owon delivers more features than I anticipated. I will keep my Owon for use as a field scope even after I buy a higher end scope like the Rigol 2xxx/3xxx series. And when I buy more test equipment, I will defiantly be buying from Saelig!

(PA) - 01/16/2012

For the price this scope can not be beat. With it's true 100Mhz+ front end, 1GHz sampling, 10Mpt deep memory, large clear 800x600 display, support for an external monitor, connectivity through your network and advance measurement and math features, what more could you want. Ya the menus may be a bit non-intuitive on occasion, but nothing I can truly complain about. Add to it Saelig's generous extras and you increase the value of this amazing deal. For a budget entry level scope, it's anything but cheap. The build quality and finish from the exterior is quite nice. I will buy another when I need to add further to my lab equipment. Yes, I would buy again.