DIY Oscilloscope

Plan

I soldered a hand-held, digital oscilloscope.

Design

(Schematic from kit)

Materials

• Power Supply (9V battery and connector or plug)
• Kuman Digital Oscilloscope Kit (https://www.ebay.com/i/253789249229?chn=ps)
• Solder

Tools

• Soldering Iron
• Solder Sucker (optional)
• Microscope (optional)
• Wire Cutters

Safety Tools

• Hair band
• Goggles
• Gloves (optional)

Workflow

1. Gather materials.
2. Organize circuit components (ex. resistors, capacitors, etc.)
3. Put on safety gear.
4. Follow the user manual, when deciding what order to solder the components. (resistors>chokes>diodes>crystal>USB socket>tact switches>ceramic capacitors>LED>pin header-omit->transistors>regulators>capacitor trimmers>power inductor>electronic capacitors>power connector>pin headers>slide switches>BNC connector>signal ring>LCD board!)
5. To short the JP3 and JP4, make a solder bridge between the two solder dots.
6. Trim all the excess wire from the back of the board
7. Check the voltage of the 9V battery before attaching it to the circuit.
8. Check the voltage of the circuit (connected to a 9V battery) before attaching the LCD screen. It should be around 3V.
9. Attach screen and wait for device to turn on.
10. Watch this video to understand the functions of the oscilloscope. (https://youtu.be/rGYiJdSWL7w )

Problems/Troubleshooting

• Check power supply.
• Check solder conenctions with microscope.
• Check to see if LED will blink if you press the reset button.
• Use the solder sucker to remove bad solder connections and resolder.
• Check to see if JP3 and JP4 are shorted.
• Check for fake board (check model numbers, etc.)
• Email customer service.

Soldering with Microscope

Solder Sucker

Final Product

Conclusion

This oscilloscopes activity gave me a better understanding of oscilloscopes and the voltage, current, resistance capabilities it has. It also allowed me to work on my soldering skills. Especially with these smaller components, I had to be careful with my soldering job. I found a lot of my errors had to do with a lack of connection or a solder bridge. I'm happy we were able to make these oscilloscopes, because I used the technology when I was younger, but now I have progressed to making my own!