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.
The scope I'm describing is the one on probeo.co.uk.
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