My GDS-2102A oscilloscope thoroughly inspected after 3 years in use

[Kiriakos GR]

This month my GW Instek GDS2102A oscilloscope which I purchased and received at 16 March 2013, this now becomes three years old.
Eventually product warranty plan of three years this ends too.
I have to admit that since the beginning of using my new oscilloscope I was always skeptical and a bit puzzled, as I was not aware at all, of how robust in time? My new Oscilloscope this will be shown.
According to my very own rule or better said mindset regarding my own tools, personally I do feel good and say the words as: Well spent money, only if any of my tools this seems robust for a decade of time.

Today instead been simply happy that my Oscilloscope this seems totally healthy, functional and ready so this starting it fourth year at serving over my workbench, I thought to perform to it one truly in-depth technical inspection in all parts of it.

I took this task very seriously and yes I borrowed the idea from pilots them making an airplane flight checklist before its one flight.

This is my very own airplane flight checklist & test results.

1) Rotary knobs (Rotary encoders) = PASS 

1) Rubber push buttons = PASS 

3) TFT screen (color contrast / dead pixels / luminosity) = PASS 

4) Power switch / contacts resistance measurement by LCR = PASS 

5) Cooling fan noise / lubrication inspection: The fan seemed to need few drops of fresh oil.  = PASS 

6) SMPS Power supply & capacitors inspection.
To be honest about this section of my oscilloscope I was more interested to discover it status.

7) SMPS Power supply parts thermal inspection.

This is a LP7351 made by lytec.com.tw, this SMPS primary this using a combination of RS2051 PWM control IC and as switching regulator one Toshiba 2SK3562.
All electrolytic capacitors them are KY series of Nippon Chemi-Con.
Them according to their dimensions their endurance could be 5,000 hours, or 7,000 or 10,000 hours.
KY series Nippon Chemi-Con datasheet this mentioning ESR at 100 KHz, and a second Tan-Delta measurement at 120Hz.
ESR section this has data from capacitors with capacity starting from 1uF up to 12000uF.
Even my own handheld LCR DE-5000 LCR at 100 kHz, it range this is limited to 10uF max, and therefore I ended performing only Tan-Delta (Dissipation Factor) check according to datasheet, and even this was partially possible because most capacitors in this PCB they are connected in parallel.
 
My measuring tests this shown no problems at all.
But I did notice that C2 (one 22uF 50V at RS2051 PWM IC) this measure double ESR than new at 100 kHz, and I thought as good idea this to be replaced by a new Nippon Chemi-Con FR series, and I did that not because this capacitor was actually bad, but because it pleases me the thought that even the weakest link in this chain this is now back to 100% of health.


My last testing this was thermal inspection of all parts, and I did that by using my 50:1 infrared temperature gun after leaving the oscilloscope this run for 30 minutes with out any active cooling and with it back cover removed.
At room temperature of 18 Celsius any component with attached heat-sink this never measured over 38 Celsius.
Capacitors temperature this is varying from 25 up to 27 Celsius.
With active cooling and the rear cover back on, I bet that this power supply will run another 10 Celsius cooler than what I measured.

In conclusion, my own in-depth components evaluation of the entire oscilloscope, this now gave to me a huge portion of inner peace, especially now that I am getting off warranty period.

GW Instek this worth most of credit and even my own complements, because they did select quality parts for their GDS-2000A series.
I was aware prior purchasing my GDS-2102A that this it is not a budget category product series.
And today that is three years later, I am glad that GW Instek slogan: Simply Reliable!! , this is something that I can verify too and even in the section of frequent firmware updates & free software application tools for this Oscilloscope.

[giorgos]

Good work!
I wish you to have good results too,on your next inspection.

[Kiriakos GR]

I will post an update at next March 2019     

Thanks mate! 

[Kiriakos GR]

At February 2026, I did remember again this article. 

24 hours ago my, GDS-2102A this succeed to scare me temporarily.
I was testing the scope with my AWG, at it lowest Volt/Div 1mV, and the waveform this was not standing at the center of the screen (single channel active).
At display graticule, the sine-wave appeared lower than it should.
At higher Volt/Div, and higher signal amplitude, everything looked normal.

Oh no, my scope when out of calibration. 
The problem shown with input of  3mV-PP / 1mV RMS 50Hz sine-wave. 

Today that I was calm, I did activate  and run Vertical calibration and SPC (Signal Path Compensation) calibration.
And this automated miracle, it did fix my scope. 

I did share the output of my AWG at both channels with BNC cables, both channels these was measuring identically down to the last digit.
Then added the probes, and tested the scope test source 1KHz (probes calibration).
Everything looked good but measurements was not that precisely identical. 

Then I did use my AWG again, this be the source of the signal directly at both oscilloscope inputs.
Aha moment, measuring precision this is restored. 

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GDS-2000A Series this hides a secret, GDS-2000A series this using as main processor the chip of Analogue Devices ADSP-BF531
Due this hardware, GW Instek succeed  DC gain accuracy: ±(3% × |Readout| + 0.1div + 1mV) when 2mV/div or greater is selected.
As soon GW Instek this adopted Xilinx’s Zynq-7000, this earned few added functions, improved FFT etc etc, but DC gain accuracy this downgraded to 5% at lowest input signal.

Tektronix marketing when mad at 2013, Christopher J Loberg - Tektronix, he wrote a hilarious Competitive Fact Sheet.
That Tektronix this measured the GDS-2000A and this had ±27% of error, with 12mV PP signal.
12mV PP signal this is 4mV RMS, Tektronix was scared to measure with their MSO/DPO2000B Series anything less than 4mV RMS. 

Nothing of all these they have a significant importance, if you never connect to your scope a high precision AC/DC current probe.
Such a probe this is a source mV/A, this translates that a scope with crippled sensitivity, and with out tight accuracy, this will sabotage your measurements of low current.

PICO TA-189, this is an excellent European probe 30A 100mV/A.
The ideal scope for it, this would be a GDS-2000A series, with additional V/Div of 0.5mV.

Even in 2026, GW Instek this failed to provide such an instrument.
While R&S Germany, they asking 15.000 Euros, for a scope with V/Div of 0.5mV. 
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Today I am overloaded with experiences, about what my scope can do at the bandwidth of 50/60Hz, that we electricians using.

Measuring of voltage, its easy (due active isolated voltage probe).
Measuring of low current, this is difficult but possible, due this PICO TA-189.

Measuring of power due waveforms phase-shift, this requires an far more advanced main processor.
Measuring of power with an oscilloscope, this has purely educational value, and I am not a school boy any more. 

My scope this is now 13 years old, and because the development of medium priced scopes with better accuracy this has stopped, I am currently do not feel the need so to buy a fresher one.
If a bit cleaner waveform at low current, this comes for a price of 15.000 Euros?  Then I prefer to never see it. 

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Attached screenshots of my latest tests. 
It does seems as weird to me, that voltage precision this can be that much influenced between of two identical probes.
GDS-2000A calibration source at the back, this uses BNC.
AWG as source, this also connects due BNC.

If there is a learning, from all of these tests, my pair of probes, they are not that perfectly matched, production issue or other (product aging ?)  of Pintek Taiwan.

[overvolt]

GDS-2000A Series this hides a secret

This might explain of why this stays in the market up to date.
No more 2CH availability, but neither GDS-2104A this comes cheaply.
EU pricing 1770 ~ 2000 Euros.   

[Kiriakos GR]

This last testing, it did somewhat alerted me, about my pair of probes condition.

After thoughtful cleaning with isopropyl alcohol, probe tips inspection along BNC connectors inspection, I did discover the cause and effect.
At x1 everything is perfect, by switching at x10 this small measuring difference appears.
Every single day, new experiences they get generated. 

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I have stop investigating or monitoring scopes pricing information's.

Yesterday I did an Google search, so to discover traces of other people who use or own GDS-2000A scopes.
I did find a few, from power supply manufacturing sector, along of engineers which making  technological studies.
I must be the only electrician worldwide that owns one.

I did also searched for the enemy, the DS2000A  (This article is no longer available) at 2021 this disappeared from the market.
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My goal of having an easy to use scope, with nice GUI, and stable performance, this is still served.
So far GW Instek, this supports all GDS-2000A about spares, and they are easy to talk to.

Thanks God, I did not become a customer of Agilent, or Tektronix and or R&S, otherwise I would facing today blockages at customer support.
Additionally thanks to my intelligence, I did not demonstrated any faith at poorly demonstrated footage at YouTube product reviews.
From wannabe product reviewers, and from some one a hobbyist of model railroading.
Never seen before someone performing performance tests, at one oscilloscope with cursor measuring system active.

[overvolt]

99% or YouTube footage this is a cheap show.
Us professional electricians, we have our own code of honor, along technical training.

We find pleasure when our tools these deliver to us the reinsurance, that they are in top shape, and ready for our next mission.
As we say in Greece, this oscilloscope it is made by a successful recipe, this is of why its a pleasure to use. 

Any tool at unworthy hands this will fail, even if it was made by titanium.

This scope survived for 13 years so far, at your hands, because you are both simply reliable partners.