After plugging it in and switching it on you will immediately hear the internal fan. It is certainly not noisy, but during use you are definitely conscious of the noise in the background. After a few seconds an image appears on the large screen. This is the most conspicuous characteristic of this instrument. The screen with a resolution of 800x480 pixels is very clear, has high contrast and has a wide view angle. The majority of the screen is occupied by the signal grid. At the top and on the right a few settings and values are displayed, and along the bottom are the current functions of the menu buttons. After pushing the blue Auto Setup button the scope quickly conjures up a usable (and stationary) image on its screen and which you can then fine-tune. Most buttons and functions are clear and require no additional explanation. The separate Y-buttons are really very handy, you therefore do not continually need to push a button to change the settings of the other channel.

The SDS1102X offers an abundance of features and in the beginning this results in a considerable amount of searching through the numerous menus. After pushing one of the menu buttons (top right), different functions appear above the soft keys. By repeatedly pressing a button or turning the universal rotary button next to the screen, one of the options for that button can be selected. After I had gone through all the menus once and trying out a few things I became reasonably familiar with its operation and in the end, despite the mountain of features, it can be managed quite well because of the design of the menu structure. My advice: don't give up too quickly, because this scope has many handy features and settings; certainly also read through the manual at least once.

The SDS1102X as a basic scope is certainly an excellent instrument for a small electronics lab, it does its job very well and even offers a number of great additional features. It is worth mentioning the triggering because of its versatile range of features. For example, you can trigger when an edge exceeds two voltage thresholds, or triggering off a second edge when its signal level deviates from the preceding one. In the trigger menu each option is accompanied by a clear explanation. In addition there is also an FFT window available that will show the spectrum of the measured signal. In contrast to many other mid-range scopes, this function is very usable and there are a wide range of settings for the X and Y scales and the measuring windows that can be selected (Hanning, Blackman).

For each signal on the screen a large number of measurement results can be displayed. The user can choose which information appears at the push of a button. Unfortunately a few buttons on the front panel have no function when the corresponding features have not been purchased (for example decoding serial signals such as I²C), but this is also true for many other measuring instruments. There is also PC software available that allows the scope to be operated from a PC via a USB connection and the scope is also provided with an Ethernet connection for inclusion in a network.

The SDS1102X is a terrific instrument and is certainly worth the money. It offers excellent specifications, has a great screen and is relatively easy to operate. The fan on the back may perhaps niggle those who prefer a very quiet environment, but it would not be a reason for me not to buy it. The instrument gives a very sturdy impression and when you are working on a circuit on the lab bench, an ordinary scope with its own screen and buttons is a great deal nicer to work with than a USB or network scope that is operated using a PC or tablet.