How I use a 10 MHz handheld oscilloscope for quick checks

probeo — Tue, 13 Oct 2026 09:54:14 +0000

I look after a small handheld oscilloscope here in the UK. It's the one I pick up for quick checks when setting up a bench scope isn't worth it. These are my notes on using it.

What it is

The BSIDE OT3: a 10 MHz handheld digital oscilloscope with a 3.2" TFT screen and 48 MSa/s sampling, on one analogue channel. It runs on a built-in 3.7 V 1200 mAh battery and charges over USB Type-C.

Getting a trace up

Long-press the power key to turn it on.
Connect the BNC probe or the alligator-clip lead to the right-hand input.
Clip ground to the circuit's ground, then put the probe tip on the signal.
Press AUTO to scale the waveform.
Use the direction keys to adjust timebase and volts per division by hand if AUTO isn't quite right.

What I use it for

Slower signals sit comfortably inside 10 MHz: audio paths, PWM, and on cars things like injectors and crank or cam sensors. It isn't a 50 or 100 MHz bench scope, and fast digital edges above its rating won't look right, so I don't use it for those.

Saving a screen

Holding start/pause saves a screen image. The images come off over USB Type-C, and firmware updates use the same port.

Small things

The menus are in Chinese and English.
The probe uses a standard BNC connector, so a longer lead can be swapped in.
It goes back on charge after a day of use rather than being left flat in the drawer.