Owon SDS5032E-V Digital Storage Oscilloscope with VGA Port, 2 Channels, 30MHz, 250MS/s Sample Rate

Was a good scope. But had some bugs that I didn't want to deal with. When you turnned the trigger knob fast. Istead of moving up fast. It would sparatically jump all over the place.

Love this oscilloscope, especially the large 800x600 screen.Agilent / HP etc. scopes that cost ten times as much have tiny low-res screens.

Does everything I need and more. Great display, easy to use functions. No, it's no Tek, or other pro ones.. but it's not in that class, price or otherwise. For the basic hobbyist it is more than enough.

Used for audio testing and troubleshooting

It is a exelent tool ...!

Great osci for hobbyist!Does the job perfectly

I bought one of these in 2016, I still have it, I made a custom wood box and lined it with foam and bought extra probes. I have not used it much but it does work great. I needed a case for another project so bought the large Pelican style case from Harbor freight (about $65) to use with this scope, Fits great and is much better than the wood one I made. I wondered what the newer scope model had and found this one still for sell and $100 more than what I paid. in 2016 it was $245 now it like $345 in 2023, I figured they would have retired this model but I guess it still a good design. I recommend as a good hobby scope. if your a Ham Radio tech or a pro, spend a bit more and get the 100Mhz one or higher if you can in your budget. This review is for Owon SDS5032E-V Digital Storage Oscilloscope with VGA Port, 2 Channels, 30MHz

This is a review of the Owon SDS5032E(V) Smart Digital Storage Oscilloscope The (V) indicates the presence of a VGA port according to the manufacturer. My unit is marked DS5032E, but has the VGA port.Who it's suitable for: Hobbyists both advanced or beginner, Light to moderate lab or commercial bench use.Who it's not suited for: Field technicians, heavy lab or commercial bench use. This is a lightweight unit.Short take: This is an excellent scope for the serious hobbyist, or for use by a professional in a controlled indoor environment. The display is stunning, and superior to a CRT in all respects. any gripes are at the nitpicking level. Well worth the cost, and appears to be best in class.Having said that, this unit is nowhere near as rugged as a Tektronix or HP scope, and is not suited orintended for field or outdoor use. This unit would not survive long in a technician's van unless he wereunusually cautious in the way the unit was handled and stored. The face is white plastic, and thus may beexpected to yellow with long-term exposure to sun or fluorescent light, cigarette smoke, Etc. The lightweight construction suggests that the controls would not tolerate heavy-handed use for long. I doubt it wouldsurvive intact if dropped on hard surface. There is, after all, a reason why the "Industrial Strength" Products cost so much more. My previous comments take nothing away from The SDS5032EV as an oscilloscope for use by those who don't put it to such severe service. One can also take the view that three SDS5032EV's can be had for the cost of an industrial strength unit, so if you destroy two of them, you are still ahead of the game.As stated, this is a light weight unit. The case is all plastic. The fit and finish, or build quality is very good, everything fits together well with no rough edges or finish faults, although the knobs feel flimsy. This doesn't affect operation, and is just being picky.Perhaps few things are as satisfying to an electronics enthusiast or technician than purchasing their first oscilloscope. I bought my first one, a used RCA compact model WO-33a, in early 1968, and my current one, a used Tektronix 2213,(which recently went belly-up) about ten years ago. I'm pleased to say that purchasing the OWON oscilloscope brought similar joy and satisfaction...The OWON SDS5032EV sells for around three hundred dollars, and its performance rivals high-end products from long-time industry giants Tektronix and Hewlett Packard. The entire experience is a dramatic improvement in every way. I didn't feel that anything was inferior or a trade-off. There was no "This, this, and that are great, BUT..." I could not find ANY shortcoming, except the aforementioned lack of ruggedness, which is irrelevant to my personal situation.First impressions: The form factor (Size and shape) Of the unit is opposite from traditional scopes. They are heavy, deep and won't fit on a typical shelf or they need a deep bench top. The SDS5032EV is only a 4 to 5 inches deep, depending upon whether upright or tilted. and weighs just a shade over three pounds. And with an eight inch display no less. The display is superior to a CRT in every way, and more information is displayed. An example: The frequency of the waveform on the screen is displayed numerically in the lower right-hand corner. There is a nice folding handle that folds down so as to be completely out of the way, thus allowing the scope to fit within a vertical space of just under eight inches.For those making the transition from a conventional CRT scope, the SDS5032EV makes it easy: The display and basic controls are laid out as one would find on a Tektronix 2213. Setup and calibration is a snap, and the SDS5032EV even has a built in 1Khz sine wave generator to make setting the probe compensation easy. The SDS5032EV has many additional features, but they do not get in the way of using the scope in the traditional manner. For the basic functions, there is no learning curve to speak of.For someone used to a CRT, I had trepidations. I need not have worried. The SDS5032EV's display is nothing short of incredible. It's sharper, clearer and brighter than a conventional scope, and displays signal noise or narrow pulses such as generated by a Geiger-Muller tube discharge with a clarity and brightness that a CRT just can't match; in fact can't even come near. No more squinting to see them, and no need to adjust the intensity and focus controls: There are none! From 1 to 30Mhz, the brightness and focus never changes. When using the scope in dual-trace mode, one is immediately struck by how nice it is to have each trace a different color. Trace one is red, trace two is yellow. (The trace colors correspond to the colors marked on the control areas) When adjusting the trigger level, a line appears on the screen to show at what point along the trace the trigger point is set.There are a multitude of additional features; the prospective buyer should study the specifications and download the manual from the Amazon SDS5032E page in order to see the range of functions and determine which might be of interest. (I haven't had time to experience them all, but since there are nothing more than two brief reviews on Amazon, I wanted to get this one up.)The SDS5032EV comes with a nicely printed and bound manual. (Many products don't even come with printed manuals anymore.) As is typical with such manuals from Asia, it is written in somewhat broken English; an adjustable foot being described as a "foot stool," For example. Despite lapses in grammar and usage, this manual is far better than most in terms of print quality and quality of contents. I found the manual easy to understand, logical, and well laid out. There are numerous images and examples. The manual is divided into a "Junior User Guidebook" and an "Advanced User Guidebook." Physically, it's compact enough to fit in the supplied carrying case, along with the DS5032E. As mentioned, a .PDF manual is also included and available for download from OWON's or Amazon's website. I would suggest that it be downloaded and read through by those considering making a purchase. For those who are not yet experienced in using an oscilloscope, I would suggest the purchase of an inexpensive "How-to-use-an-Oscilloscope" Type of book. Alternatively, one can search the web for tutorials on using an oscilloscope.As with all lower cost scopes, the two included probes are only suitable for light duty and will wear out or break over time with even moderate use. A pair of comparable replacements can be had for $13 delivered from Amazon, so this isn't really an issue. I'd keep a couple of spares on hand. Even expensive probes become damaged with use over time, and sometimes it's actually better to use inexpensive ones so that one can freely toss them when they become damaged. The cheap ones are physically lighter in weight, with lighter cords, and thus easier to secure to components.Nitpicking:The power cord supplied is too thick, stiff and heavy-duty for such a small, light weight device. If you're like me, you have a drawer full of old power cords from discarded computer monitors, CPUs and the like. Find a flexible one, preferably with a right-angle connector, and substitute it.The face and knobs are matte white plastic. They will yellow with time, and will pickup and show dirt easily. I wish OWON had chosen a gray or beige color scheme for practicality.The knobs could be somewhat larger for those with larger fingers, and again, they should not be white.Tilting the unit requires one to extend the two plastic "foot stools." It took enough force that I feared breaking them. They are locked in the vertical position by a plastic tab. I resorted to depressing said tab with a small screwdriver rather than risk breaking anything.In Summary, the OWON DS5032E(V) is a terrific oscilloscope for hobby or light professional use. I've not found anything in the same price range with the features and particularly the excellent 8" display that are incorporated into this product. Having used it for nearly a month, I can say unequivocally that I would purchase it again without reservation.

Needed it right away and it arrived within a couple of days. Works great right out of the box and did exactly what I needed.