$200 oscilloscope DSO Quad

[SavannahLion]

It's not yet out of "beta" and the first run is already sold out, but this thing only costs $200 bones and is open source. What do you engineering types think? Is it something worth getting if you're still figuring things out and is it worth getting for fixing cabinets?

http://www.seeedstudio.com/depot/preorder-dso-quad-beta-test-p-736.html?cPath=174

[Samstag]

I think I'd wait until they have a finished product, especially if you're not sure if you need a scope.

I'd recommend a scope of some sort if you're doing work on analog video hardware (like actual arcade stuff) or for power supply repair but for most cabinet work a meter will do everything you need.

But it sure does look cool.

[MonMotha]

Pretty weak specs compared to a "real" scope, but it's pretty decent as far as pocket scopes go even at prices several times that.  Looks useful if you just need "a scope", and the price is hard to beat.

I'd have liked to see a multi-channel (16 or 32) logic analyzer input, too.  That's usually pretty doable if you're willing to disable the analog ports while using the logic inputs.  But again, $200 is cheap for this kind of thing.

Looks like a Chinese "hey we make stuff" type outfit (note the Engrish).  I've had mixed luck with such places.  Sometimes you get something very good for the price.  Other times, you get something that goes straight into the garbage can.  Dunno what to say.  I do appreciate the open-source nod, though I don't see any actual source or docs.

[SavannahLion]

Yeah, I browsed around a bit and the FPGA dev board and the small AVR board caught my eye. The AVR board has only two reviews and neither are very positive. Didn't look too closely to the FPGA. They also have this weird pig-looking XBee clone that isn't compatible to the XBee.    Can't see why anyone would pay $8 more for something that's not compatible.  

I am eyeing that $50 FPGA board though.