The new Siglent SDS1104X-E $499 4CH oscilloscope is a new contender for Rigol's DS1054Z dominance. What's it like inside?
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Hi yes, we've got another exclusive for you Siglent very kindly loaned me their brand spanking new beat to be released in a couple of days. STS 1104 XE Oscilloscope and we've seen the XE oscilloscope before. I Think back in April Earlier this year I did a teardown of the 1102 or the 1202 XE the 200 megahertz version. We'll look this is the new 4 channel version and check it out.

It's basically an identical platform to the existing 1102 and 1202 to Channel X-series oscilloscope which they released earlier in the year and that was exciting enough. but of course it was only two channels, but it just couldn't compete with the venerable ROI Gold ES 1054 said because it has, well, up until now perhaps was the pretty much the only game in town in low cost for channel scopes. It basically owned it, but everyone's playing catch-up and I We're starting to see a spate of these competitive entry level 4 channel scopes and this is fantastic. Now the retail price on this puppy is going to be four hundred and Ninety Nine dollar.

US dollars for the hundred megahertz version that we see here the 1104 XE And this is actually way below the six hundred and twenty dollars for the RAI Goldie S 1154 Z Which if you don't get the 1054 and you don't hack it, then if you're actually comparing apples and apples to the hundred megahertz bandwidth for channels, then this one actually undercuts the four channel. ROI Go! But of course the hacks available for the Rye goal and everyone just buys the 50 megahertz version and hacks it up 200 megahertz and gets all the goodness built in. But this segment is designed to be completely competitive with that although it is a higher price point. So the Rye Goal is currently available for like three hundred and fifty US dollars on sale or something like that which is absolutely crazy for a four channel scope.

So this one is more expensive. but it is a hundred megahertz base model unit. so yes it is more expensive. but when you compare apples and apples, it's actually cheaper.

So all the features are the same as the two channel version. It's got the 14 Meg sample memory as standard 100k waveform updates per second which is like three times the ROI goal 256 level intensity Gray's skated grayscale display 1 Meg FFT which is really are powerful and it includes the free serial decoders for the cost. no need to hack anything, they throw in all the serial decoders for free. Fantastic! It also does bode plot in which is a little little competitive head nod and to the Keysight 1000 X-series which of course includes that a cute little bode plot in their feature.

and whilst this doesn't include an arbitrary function generator, you can get one as an optional extra and will tear down to this as well. It is a separate USB dongle II type device which you plug in and gives you a 25 Meg bandwidth hundred 25 Meg's sample per second arbitrary function generator so do a quick tirion of that too. But and also it includes MSO capabilities. Well, but they said that's not ready yet.
but once again, that'll be an external USB thing to turn it into a mixed signal or scope as well. So this is pretty exciting for channel scopes are really there's more than just C : and RI goal. Now there's a GW in Stick One and other players coming on the market on this low cost for channel scopes, so a very exciting time to get to be buying an entry-level scope. So we're gonna do a quick teardown.

I Expect it be almost identical to the two channel version and just on the back. for those playing along at home, we've got our pass/fail trigger output LAN as standard and the requisite USB and another optional extra hour which you can buy they have included it. Arm is a little Wi-Fi dongle which plugs into the USB on the back there, so that's kind of neat and we have the requisite mental work. No signs of any trademark siglent rust by the looks of it.

But before we whip this thing open, if you are, compare it with the teardown video in photos of the previous saw unit. Actually had the board on the back here and the ethernet was like up here and so it had the vertical processor board. This one's different, of course it's got the aisle over here like This so the main board is going to be on the bottom with the power supply in there. So they've got two architecture a different because it is physically larger with the four channels and things like that.

So let's open a it's not bad and we are in like Flynn Errol That is and one of the first differences you notice apart from the main board been on the back instead of vertical like we got on the two channel is that the power supply is up in here and it is our shield. And unlike the two channel model which actually the vertical board was here and the power supply was just open stuck in here like this. So yeah, it's got more metal work. That's good if we take a look at the main board here.

I've taken the shield off the front ends here and the architecture looks to be basically identical to what we had before. We got our FPGA and process under here. we're still only got the one handling everything. We've got our wire sample memory tied onto that there.

I Don't know why they've only got three, they've got a fourth one unpopulated there. but basically you can see how they get the cost down on these things. It's basically a four channel 200 megahertz front end. because yes, guaranteed, the hundred megahertz model will have the 200 megahertz front end in it.

Just everyone does that these days, so you know it's very likely that you can hack this up to 200 Megahertz somehow. It you can see there's basically not much else. Oh, got our power supply stuff around here. Some looks like some you know, level translators and stuff like that.

Nothing much doing some stuff around here for your external signal generation and stuff like that, but it's basically the big Zinc processor under there. and Bob's your uncle. and if we have a look at the power supply, it looks quite nice. We've got our nice earth strap going down to the crimp terminal with the shape proof washer down onto the directly up sorry, directly down onto the stud down there.
Very nice. The board looks very nicely designed, got a high voltage isolation slot, it's got all the records of stuff. We've got our input filter in our common mode, choke and everything, and the isolation slots down near the bridge rectifier. We've got a lis liars that allele on that looks like Leland to me.

Yeah, whatever. Okay, mmm, but you know, par for the course in ones like this. Somebody really enjoys their celesta gun there and they like just following that around just to stop the capacitors flapping around in the beach breeze. Speaking of flapping around in the breeze, there's that one down there.

There's a bit of silastic under that and I thought hey, that's not good because that's close to the metal cage here. But I checked and that is actually electrically connected through to earth anyway. so it you know. Yeah, Anyway, just have it a flap around the breeze next to the middle there.

I could be a real trap for the young players. Um, it's got boys strapping over the transformer there. Everything looks fine and dandy. What are those capacitors in there? I don't know I can't read that on the screen.

tiny little kangaroo bit hey there Rubicon's not bad at all, so if that really is very nice Rubicon caps on the output. very nicely designed and manufactured by looking look of it I like the little lead sing down there on the little surface mount er - yo package there, but yeah, thumbs up to that. Alright so let's have a squeeze under the together microscope here. Nothing interesting now happening around all that sort of stuff.

There you go al VC translators or whatever. what have you? It's have a look down here and nothing interesting happening. Got a couple of linear rigs there and of course one of the big things is that we're gonna have two analog to digital converters which are, well, I'll show you in a second there and there because we've got one that shares the dual channel and you have to have the two IDC's in there to keep your sample rate up in this case. Therefore, it's one gig sample per second, but if you enable all four channels then it drops down to our 500 Meg samples per second, which is good enough.

400 megahertz bandwidth Not great at all, barely adequate with sine X on X interpolation for your 200 megahertz bandwidth model. so not great. So yeah, the 200 megahertz bandwidth of this sounds great, but when you don't have the sample rate to kind of match it, it's a bit disappointing. And of course we've got the head 15 living there.

If I block off the light a little bit, you can see. yep, standard one used in practically everything these days. Now if we have a look at the analog front end, it is practically identical layout to the previous one. So the only major difference I can see at first glance is it's got the extra capacitor populated on the footprint there.
so that's interesting. But apart from that, it looks near identical to what we had before. So yeah, I which is what exactly what you'd expect. Of course they're using exactly the same front end, so there you go anyway.

There will be high-res photos over on Eevblog blog.com for those playing along at home and then we under here we have our Fpg I can't take it off. It's got the thermal adhesive on there, but it's exactly it's going to be well over exactly the same or a slightly increased part, but it's siglent have said it's the Xilinx Zinc processor so which is a dual Arm Cortex A9 or whatever it is. plus the Artex Fpga architecture. So it's a combined process and Fpga and it's incredibly powerful beast.

I Don't know why them only populated the three parts there. they're all identical memory. are they anyway can decode the part numbers for those playing along at home. It has 14 mixed samples standard.

So yeah, why they've got three? Maybe they've got two to handle off all channels? Maybe. but there's some more on the bottom side. I Don't know. Not particularly fast.

It's basically exactly the same architecture as we had on the FPGA and the 2 channel version. What's that? NAND j1j tag? Um, next, what that one? And then that seems of three pins. That seems a bit weird anyway. Hmm, that's just for programming the NAND flash memory presumably.

but it's got a header as well. That one is for the Zinc, say Zed ynq. so that is the J pay I presume the JTAG header for the Zinc. Interestingly got a reset pin up there.

Hmm, maybe we can use that to reboot into some debug mode because on the previous RTD and we did actually hook up to the serial port and get the dump out of the thing. and that's where you're going to be getting the dump from the TX and Rx. No doubt it has the U-boot thing in it and we'll be able to get the boot code out of that. So this, the hack ability in this thing should be pretty decent and curiously, right over next to the power connector.

We've got another five pin header in there as well. What's going on? Who's it for that little puppy? What is that thing? Not quite sure why they felt the need to put some tape over that as they're a short in rest to something on the top of the case. I Didn't think so. Anyway, that's our front panel USB so don't know what's doing there.

Alright, let's have a look at the boot of this thing. I've got it hooked up a virus serial port USB serial port 115 K board here a 10-1 all the usual stuff I've just actually powered it off and there's the data when you actually pair it off. So here we go: Oh pair it up. There you go, you boot.
We get all the requisites stuff and all. Our copy this into a text format and Link it in down but down below for those who want it and we should eventually get to a prompt. come on, you can do it. And I think we're in like Flynn and we'll have a quick look inside the arbitrary waveform generator which is a option.

Of course we've got ourselves a got ourselves a Cypress a USB interface down here and a cyclone 4 FPGA. It's exactly what you'd expect. Simple Hates gotta have a 7, 4, HD 405 one in there, couple of NEC relay jobbies and what was that? An ell Mh-60 702 I Believe from memory that's an output driver. That's exactly what you'd expect given that its proximity to the output here.

Ah, what else we got. And at OPA Six Nine Five Y Ban current feedback. Op-amp Well, so we got no. our PR there's our 49 is our 50 ohm output resistance.

Not much else happening on here. is there? There we go? that's got. Is that our duck? What's that got? A negative. We got our negative rail generator down in there.

Not much here. Ellen Three Nine, Three Classic Joule Op-amp Let's have a look on the bottom here. Aha, now we're talking. There's our DAC it's a bird brown job Love beurre Brown DAC 904 This Dilber brown duck 904 Ah, gotta have at elo seven to danger.

another 50 ohm output resistant either drive I'm not sure that number is offhand. I Have to check that up and a three peak. Here's a three Who here? Who or what is three peak? That's interesting TP 1272 Sure enough, that's a single supply rail to rail. Op amp.

Go figure. Anyway, another 405 one, but that's about all she wrote on there. Nothing too interesting. So anyway, that is the optional whoops.

heat up when you're light pipe falls off. that's uh, that goes on there. There you go. It gets the leads out to the front panel.

That's quite neat. And of course they save costs by not building this into the scope. If you want the arbitrary waveform generator, you pay for it. Fair enough.

as long as the software integration is good. I Don't mind that concept at all. So there you have it. That's a look inside the new Siglent STS 1104 XC for Channel scope.

Yeah, it's hello. There we go. Well, that's our piezoelectric effect. It's actually not too shabby.

Let me. Ah, there we go. Hang on. Single shot.

Oh isn't it cute? look at that. We can put in Oh up Normal mode. There we go. Hey, why do we have jus waveforms like that? What's going on? Is that a bug wearing normal mode? I'd expect it to give me one update.

not - is that what - what? Why is it doing that? anyway? Um, yeah, that's our typical piezoelectric sharp response, which we get down almost every scope at. Cheese. That's Oh, there we go. Now you really need the high frequency metal-on-metal like that.

but I don't understand what's going on there. It shouldn't do that. in normal mode, you should just get normal mode is basically a single-shot caption. Hmm I Don't get that at all.
It's gone through and it's not disarming. sweep and you only ever get two of them I Don't get it. Don't get that with the RAI Go. No worries whatsoever, Normal mode gives you exactly what you'd expect.

Siglent and another competitor, the four channel Ygw in Stick GTS 1104 Be it's a very significantly different fronting response so it's mechanically coupled very Wow Very, very differently. But anyway, now this is interesting. if we try the yaki site one here, right? We've got a similar thing happening in normal mode of course, but look it. I see it popped up with the multiple one that won't multiple waveforms there, but it figured that you're in normal mode and you wanted that single-shot CAPTCHA right because it's the high update rate.

it's going to show the multiple things. So maybe the siglent one because it's a hundred thousand waveform updates per second. the siglent which is awesome, but it leaves the artifacts of the of the see um, whereas the keysight gets rid of them as I would expect it to if I'm in normal mode and I get a single-shot thing which triggers my scope I damn well want it to capture. so the the last one I mean you know because there's multiple trigger points there with this theme.

Maybe if I do it like that, it's going to be a bit more controlled. Yeah, right. But because I'm doing the high frequency one like that, there's a bit. Yeah, I'm getting multiple vibrations coming through a triggering that multiple times, but in the end, you just want one screen like that.

so I don't know what the heck's going on with the sigil and I said, is it a peb cake or just the way it operates so they think that's better I don't get it Oh check it out. no the signal. it did go away before I think I captured it there, but now it's not so. but I did actually see one go away.

so I'm not sure what the deal deal is. it's anyway. Anyway, that is the sigil and STS 1104 XD Thank you Siglent for loaning this one before it's released. There you go.

Look, it just magically was that me talking? Is that my my I'm talking I talk so loudly that it's coupling through to the input I don't know what's going on there that it's a bit quirky. more investigation required. Anyway, yes, I do plan on doing videos reviewing and maybe a like a shootout comparison or something like that, but it's interesting. 499 U.s.

bucks with all the serial decoders built-in By the way, there they are I squared see Spi uart, can and Lin buses all built in the 40 Meg sample memory the bode plot in which I haven't looked at yet, but yeah, you can't actually do a bode plot. There you go: 1 Meg FFT which is awesome, which you can do these days inside that does Inc FPGA and which you see on other scopes like the GW in Stick One does. If you just want the 1 Meg points, that's probably if that's important. The siglent other than G W in Stick One's a bit of a killer in that regards.
Anyway, this one's got 1 Meg FFT as well. and it has Wi-Fi dongles. and maybe it's supposed to have MSO capability, but that's not out yet. And the separate arbitrary waveform generator whatchamacallit is a bit pricey I believe for the option.

But anyway, this is not a review I Just wanted to show you this because it's very exciting. You can get a 4 channel scope for $499 serial decoders built in a crapload of a sample memory. You know they're the sample rates good enough I wouldn't be paying the extra for the 200 megahertz. One of this is just the sample rates not good enough, specially if you're utilizing all the four channels.

it's just. you know, it's not great at all. but hey, for the price, if you can hack this thing which I believe, it's going to be hackable, so there's probably gonna be a lot at this price point. it's probably going to be a lot of people working on this one.

It's pro, likely just like a software hack or something like that. So anyway, we'll see. I've already tried a few things. I've tried to redo the model number and stuff like that.

so I've tried to go in and where is it? Update: Yeah, I've tried no where is it system status anyway I've tried to go in there and change like the model number, the Sdsa and it's not sticking and stuff like that. That was a real old hog. I'll hack back in the day and that one's not working, but there's probably a way to hopefully hack this. There's no point getting the serial decoders because you get all that for free.

So yeah, here you go. It's pretty jazzy. We are the winners now. It's mmm nice.

eh I can't get it Anyway, the markets the winner on this one. that's us for Channel scopes for like, well you can get the right guy for 350. This one's $4.99 for a hundred Me: BAM with with all the decoder crazy when I was a boy anyway high res, tear down photos down below. Disgust down below that screamed up for the bias boot thing all linked in down below and videos at the end.

If you liked it, please give it a big thumbs up. Engagement always helps and you know there's a subscribe button and watch the theme videos or whatever. You know the deal. Catch you next time.


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By YTB

26 thoughts on “Eevblog #1042 – siglent’s $499 sds1104x-e 4ch oscilloscope teardown”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Kaletsugas says:

    Is this comparable with Rigol's DHO800/900?

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars JanicekTrnecka says:

    Anyone managed to hack it to unleash 200MHz capability? I dont expect perfect behaviour on the edge of 200MHz but just curious id it can be done…

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Light Science says:

    I just bought a 1204x-e as a hobbyist. This makes me feel like I should have just bought the 1104

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars billybbob18 says:

    I tried to think up why multiple waveforms were displayed when tapping the BNC. I think the signal is being displayed in different zoom scales at the same time. Failure to clear the screen before zooming out and reprinting the waveform would be my guess. Take a look at how similar the waveforms appear in the horizontal plane. I think we're looking at the same wave with different zoom levels with slightly different horizontal offset and resolution.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars David Browne says:

    Hi, does anyone know what frequency reference STD this scope uses ,
    Thanks Dave

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Moon Moon says:

    My partner just bought me one of these. I am so happy I linked him this instead of the Hantek toy I was looking at.

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Wil Mdrdo says:

    It's your squeeky voice coupling to the scope. Stupid Dave.

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Alan96 says:

    why its so bad the quality of your microscope? bad compression?

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Barret Privateer says:

    I could hack it if the people on your forum weren't gatekeeping assholes who don't answer people's questions and instead 'leave them homework' or say if you weren't on the forum on the right day to read a certain post and 'know things' "you aren't qualified to work on your own equipment".
    Bunch of goddamn wankers

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars nachosNapples says:

    oi

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Ferenc Tulics says:

    Amazingly detailed and in-depth review! Thank you for your time!

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars The Swartz says:

    Beats it with a screwdriver.
    Wonders why it bugs out.

  13. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mark Lowe says:

    microphonics

  14. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars SeersantLoom says:

    Thinking about getting this scope, it looks nice. Wondering if the empy memory chip U27 has any use (possible upgrade), why is it there at all?

  15. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars jwong19 says:

    Can be this scope compared to Micsig?

  16. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Thomas Manson says:

    What part number is that TO-220 pkg that you were poking around at on the edge of the power supply board?

  17. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars bernal jimenez says:

    Es usted un genio. Increible Presentación y análisis.!

  18. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mark Richards says:

    Just updated mine to the 6.1.35r2 firmware – finally finally fixed the Auto SetUp bug that has been plaguing me since day one (scope would brick if you used it – even power off didn't work).. I also no longer see the double trace with the PE effect Dave was showing.

  19. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars LALORTECH says:

    Hi Dave, can you do a comparison between the Siglent SDS1104X-E & Rigol 1054z for beginners?, seeing that they are good entry level scopes.

  20. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Argle Bargle says:

    500 MSa/s 🙁

  21. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars John Bullock says:

    ;

  22. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars alex green says:

    Hi Dave, question for you, is this still a good buy for 499, or is there any other model with 4 channels and 100 Mhz? I like the 4 ch but also considering a 2 ch 200 Mhz. thanks.

  23. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Владимир Гладких says:

    Да отстаньте вы от входов ! )) Все керамические конденсаторы " звенят " от удара . Даже старые – однослойные . В многослойный – этот эффект еще больше выражен .

  24. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Billblom says:

    PEBKAC used to be a term all over the MS knowledge base… They eliminated it as a politically incorrect acronym.

  25. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Mark Steven says:

    It not up to the tasks at hands.

  26. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Balázs Eszes says:

    Just a few notes if you're considering it:

    The Wi-Fi option is just a TP-Link TL-WN725N adapter, you can get one for 7-10$ and it's going to work the same. In the license menu you're going to see the temporary activations decrease, I believe with a full reset you can bypass it, worst case you need to telnet and delete the license file which is just a counter.

    You don't need to buy that particular Waveform Generator to use Bode Plotting, it works with any other Signal SDG series waveform generator which is good if the +-3V isn't enough for you. You need to connect the two devices via USB.

    So the only option maybe worth buying is the Logic Analyzer.

    A lot of the bugs have been fixed, mine came with the oldest firmware so make sure to check the version numbers on the Siglent USA website, the EU one seems to be outdated.

    Overall I think it's a better scope than a hacked DS1054Z, you get all the options, Wifi, Bode plotting, remote control, nice user interface, large screen, MSO capability for 100-150$ more.

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