New equipment opinions

[TinMan]

Well it's time to build my new lap,and get serious with the reserch-experimenting side of things.To do this i will need some reasonable test equipment.So i have picked a scope,and rather than buy seperate pieces of equipment-i have found this all in one box of goodie's.I would like you guys to let me know what you think about the two items below.The 4 in 1 looks like i's quite good for what i need.
Cheers.

http://www.google.com.au/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=web&cd=2&sqi=2&ved=0CDgQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftriosmartcal.com.au%2Fattachment.php%3Fid_attachment%3D58&ei=K7x_UfGLD62WiQevs4DwAg&usg=AFQjCNFR64CjlyPfV3oEJiU6W5iV-oklMg&sig2=E6b-MvYR8w6TVVMFVKCYcg

http://www.triosmartcal.com.au/2195-siglent-digital-storage-oscilloscope-100-mhz-bandwith-2-channel.html

[Peterae]

I dont have experience with that 4 in 1, but as an ex tv & video engineer personally i would buy individual items, the reason is that if 1 item goes faulty you could potentially end up with the whole 4 in 1 not working, if each device is separate then worst case is you replace or repair that broken device.

I have seen expensive TV's with built in DVD players cost a lot to fix just because the laser went faulty, and if spares are hard to come by then the whole lot gets dumped, when they could have gone out and just bought a newer DVD player which has the latest features.

[Chet K]

perhaps some "math"
the job this unit does for you,if you were to buy the components separately [at the same resolution levels]
what would the cost be?

Maybe a "stop gap" measure until............................?

thx
Chet

[BEP]

tinman,

I've had a TENMA 72-7290 universal combo on my home bench for several years. It is an excellent workhorse.

The counter, function generator and power supply all have a common AC power transformer each fed from different transformer secondaries. The DMM section has a separate wall-wart.
Each section is completely stand-alone except for the common power transformer.

Looking at your pic I would say that device is a copy of my TENMA 

The only problem I've had was a blown power transistor on the variable PS output and that was my fault.

It is at the center of my bench for good reason.

I suggest you look at the specs for each section of the device to make sure all sections will fit you needs.

[BEP]

I just remembered...

The production 72-7290s had a common control supply for all sections other than the DMM.

In our line of work it is a great idea to isolate equipment from one another or know the implications of a wiring mistake.

Mine was originally part of a bulk lot order with control power and electrostatic isolation. I don't believe that was a standard option.