Could be, I don’t buy much of anything off Ebay these days.
Just checked on that ebay scope Tim.
You can get a brand new version for $399 on Amazon so I don’t think it is a good deal.
http://a.co/50ru0rM
I like the 4 channels but we would want at least 100MHz bandwidth, that one is 50MHz.
You usually get what you pay for so if you want to look for something:
Bandwidth: 100MHz
Channels: 4
Sample rate: 1 Gsa/sec
The latest Rigol that does that is DS1104B (The model number breaks down to: DS- digital scope, 1-1000 series,10-100MHz, 4-4 channels)
Thanks,
Brad
awesome way to go even better price.
but has anyone considered getting this one?
That would be awesome.
There is one on eBay for only:
Yes, the used version of that scope costs more than my house. 
And their willing to do it via pay pal. WTF? Also can somebody explain to me a electronic device that costs nearly a half million dollars? This doesn’t seem to be joke on their part, but boy does it scream diamond crusted iPhone case.
This thing shows where the magic smoke is. The electronics do not work without the magic smoke. A cheap magic smoke detector is not good for finding leaking magic smoke. If I want the gurus to find why my magic smoke leaked out… then they need the supermabob magic smoke detector… cause all I know is the darn thing does not work. No matter how I look at the squiggles on the supermabob… it makes no sense to me. Hertzes, ohmzez, wattzez, curses… I just want my broken electronic thing to work again 
Basically… it’s needed to do the high end work that is beyond me… and is something most can grow into, and not a tool that can be outgrown because it is the bom-diggty high end model. And given what electronics are expected at a makerspace, it is essential equipment that is reasonably expected to be on hand.
I don’t see a reason not get one… although it might make sense for these capital purchases to be slowly repaid back to the budget through fees or fundraisers. So I’d say need and get/not get is a seperate issue from pay/repay and finances. If the finaces are indeed an obstacle… how about a run of hive 13 sweatshirts?? Maker faire is coming up… maybe the crowd will snap them up
we are a hackerspace, i think encouranging hacking of equipment is A-ok 
I don’t have a moral issue with it, but it is illegal. Not sure if there’s a place where people can report us for failing to pay Rigol to upgrade our scope, but it’s definitely something a disgruntled member could do to raise a stink.
I dug into this Rigol hack a bit.
Basically you get a new key from a website that enables the new function.
This website is a key generator from a hack on the encryption for the keys.
It seems that Rigol is not enforcing this violation or actively engineering a solution.
It feels “icky” to me. Going to a hack website is way different from removing a resistor or tapping into a test mode buried in a BIOS.
I’ll do some more research but I am leaning away from this option.
Brad
As far as I am aware hacking firmware is totally legal, however pirating firmware is now.
now = not legal*
No idea where that idea came from… you simply use a text editor and a serial connection to edit the serial number and replace the D with a B in it.
I’ve done it to both of mine. There is no software to download, nothing to install… simply editing the serial number is all it takes. That’s the perfect example of hacking. We’re not pirating or stealing anything… we’re taking a piece of equipment we own and flipping a single bit in it… unlocking additional functionality that was shipped with the printer, period.
Bill
So if we got the DS1054z would we be OK for our work at 50MHz? Much cheaper ($400).
We could debate about the “upgrade” at a later time.
I found a generic function generator for $50 on Amazon. I’ll look into some other options (eBay, used) for this.
The Saleae analyzer Logic 8 is ~$219
So we could get back on track for less than $1000 (just like my original proposal) 
I am really leaning toward this setup.
Brad
Bill, sounds interesting.
When I searched for the upgrade it was pretty sketchy.
I don’t have a problem using existing capability.
The 1054 can’t be upgraded, but it is a 4 channel unit. It also has a much nicer screen. 50mhz is kind of slow… especially for a modern micro controller… but we can live with it. We can also get one of each… so we have 4 chan 50mhz and 2 chan 100mhz.
Bill
That may be what I found.
I think some people have cracked the encryption on the 1054z. That feels a bit more “dark side”.
I don’t think the method really matters, and you’re correct the functionality is built in, and just locked down with a simple software switch. If I was doing this at home, I’d do it in a heartbeat. I’m concerned that we potentially open the Hive up to legal action by making this change. As stupid as it seems, I believe that we would not prevail in a court of law.
Andrew,
Have you ever played contra?
Yes, several versions, including the arcade cabinet. This isn’t an unlock code.