Oscilloscopes...

[The Chairman]

Who uses one in their equipment diagnosis and/or repair?

I just bought a Hantek TO1254 Tablet Oscilloscope for automotive, shop, as well as ag use and am wondering if anyone has used one on Scuba? I've gotten several probes for amps, ignition coils and so forth, and while I'm not hopeful of a positive response here, there's always hope.

 

[BoltSnap]

Interesting. What do you think one would use it for in scuba?

 

[The Chairman]

Interesting. What do you think one would use it for in scuba?

Obviously, electronics. They would be invaluable on a scooter, and even in sussing out battery problems on some lights. Other than that, I have no idea, which is why I asked. I do have the tool, so if I'm missing an opportunity to use it, please clue me in.

 

[BoltSnap]

Thank you for asking the question. I'd like to know too

 

[The Chairman]

Thank you for asking the question. I'd like to know too

The first oscilloscope I used back in the early 70s was this globe looking thing 20ish inches across with a small screen and a few automotive probes attached. It was a cathode ray device that sat on a pole with a 5 leg wheeled base. It was as hot as hell, but I loved it and was able to diagnose car ignitions with it. This is so, so much lighter, has so many more possibilities, and I have hardly any clue on how to use it, much less all the possibilities that it presents. Now, I'll be able to test any sensor straight up rather than guessing. I'll be able to move wires around and detect those micro breaks that will leave you guessing for days. No, I'm not in automotive anymore, but I did spend 30 years in that field, and so many friends and family come to me to help suss their electro-mechanical issues out. Cooler weather is just around the corner too, so I'll be spending more time in the shop now that my back is mostly healed.

 

[landphil]

As part of replacing big old stuff with small new stuff, this is my current oscilloscope. Oscilloscope - I don’t think I own any scuba gear that I’d use it on, though.
So, mainly posting a thinly veiled non-contribution to the discussion, that’s actually meant to show off my sweet Bluetooth multimeter/oscope.

 

[BoltSnap]

I used them while I was in engineering school and grad. school and then in the big name research center in NY in early 80's through late 90's. I used some that cost over 1/2 million $ then. I don't remember much know. I am sure this one you bought has more capabilities than some of the ones I used that cost $$$$$$$$$$$$$$ then.

 

[rhwestfall]

As a Civil Engineer, nope....

And with that, I don't have a clue how one could apply to SCUBA. A basic V-O Meter seems to be my most likely implemented device, but even that has limited application.

Curious if this thread shows me something new. Always learning...

 

[iointerrupt]

Recently I was using one (Rigol DHO814) to do some data logging when playing around with some oxygen sensors. Not really true "oscilloscope" usage, but the new models do all kinds of things, and data logging is one of them, so why not.

 

[TNEngineer]

I use lots of scopes and other test equipment daily. You wouldn't normally think of electronic test equipment having application in diving, but as we use more sensor-based equipment it may become more commonplace. That said, most of our diving electronics is so highly integrated that homebrew fixes and/or modifications aren't really practical.

More likely than hardware related things might be open source firmware, where you could change the behavior of equipment by modifying its code to suit your needs. Lots of risk there for everyone involved, including the underlying hardware manufacturer. Who is responsible if your firmware mod yields inaccurate deco data that someone relies on with ill effects?