Sometimes when building robots, especially with custom electronics, it’s useful to have an oscilloscope.
Major companies such as Rigol, Keysight etc, will happily sell you an oscilloscope for prices over £200 for entry level. This seems a bit excessive for someone who only wants to check a few waveforms. Of course you could try to buy a used one on ebay, but they go for surprisingly high prices.
The Fnirsi 1013D is a 2-channel digital storage scope with internal battery and carrying handle.
I can honestly say, it doesn’t not work.
Pros:
- Actually measures waveforms
- Small and portable
- Internal battery means it is fully electrically isolated from the mains
- Touch screen is relatively good
- Time measurements seem accurate
- Comes with decent probes
Cons:
- Significantly exaggerated capabilities (bandwidth)
- Voltage measurement calibration seems to be all over the place
- UI in firmware is a bit janky e.g. triggering modes are not obvious
- Handle is a bit plasticy and falls off easily
- USB-C charger doesn’t do PD so a phone charger won’t work (a dumb charger is included which does work)
In general, I would recommend it if you just want to check a few waveforms. However, if you want to make proper measurements, a proper oscilloscope would be better.
It’s great for me, as I’m a member of Reading Hackspace where we have real scopes and other test gear, so I can go there if I need to measure something accurately.
There are other options, such as oscilloscope modules which connect to a PC, which might be as cost effective but more useful in some cases. I think having a standalone unit is useful though (connecting robot gubbins to a computer always seems like a risk for the computer, especially if you have a lipo in the circuit).