Vetronix builds a 5200 model scope I believe an MTS 5200 and 5100 series... How do they work as equipment Tom? I could find no literature referring to their record length. I liked what I saw in their analyzer software. My philosophy tells me it is good to own two different ubits. Would you use one?
   Some of the stuff I find online is very basic... some might call it garbage but, I know it has a place in a common wrecking yard toolbox, say, because if you break it in the field you are not out much in dollars. An expensive computer and module need to be secure.
So, the MTS struck me as sophisticated, how do you like that scope?
       I remember we discussed here and seemed to conclude if the OEM would not reveal the record length it was because it was nothing to brag about.

At a previous employer I had the opputunity to use a mts 5100.  Overall use is not too bad but spec wise I believe the pico superior.

It is a handheld touch screen format.  It has several tradional engine analyzer feature built in but of course requires additional hardware, vacuum probe, dis leads, trancducers etc.  

To me the overall most positive feature was its seccondary igntion it has parade, raster, superimposed

The most negative thing was battery life basicaly it needed to be plugged in to work even though it has a battery and the inconsistent triggering on dis vehicles with misfires

The record feature it has is called a snapshot and it records up to a certain amount of secconds

I am no expert on the tool, nor do I own one but if you have any other questions I can try to answer them

Sam

Hi Fisher,

The 5100/5200 record length is still a mystery.  Even after taunting them on iATN, there have still been no answers.  I think I know why.

I had an opportunity to play with a 5200 a while back....

The color display is nice but the true sample rate performance seems the same as the 5100. It aliased a 2KHz square wave at 50ms/div and could not reliably sample a 170us dropout at 10ms/div. This was without glitch detect so that the true real time sample rate could be shown. This is on par with a 10 year old Fluke 97 and I estimate the sample buffer (record length) to be similar at 512 samples.

This doesn't mean that you can't use it effectively.  You'll be fine as long as you are aware of the limitations.  

Thanks you two. I was looking over the new series of them.
              I liked the idea of ignition captures like what they provide.
I have a Genisys scope module. I tried hooking it up to a secondary adaptor for DIS. Had to resort to the labscope use as I believe the attenuation on its ignition scope function was wrong. It could capture the burn event but not the Firing KV. I mean it had no spark KV spike. So, it is not possible to parade DIS with it. That is lame. So much of that Genisys is incompetent- like that so called analog gauge. What a waste of money.
It is such a darned interesting thing though and has a lot of potential.
  OTC seems to rule the shop equipment tools on account of they build cheap but serviceable ALL KINDS of OEM stuff, dealing with engine , transmission ,brake and suspension tools.
Too bad they are so lame  in the electronics. I would like to see an engine analyzer module and improved scope software.
  I wonder about the Vision Premiere. That is very old school stuff, but it too probably has a slack jaw when it wonders about CAN and the serial data capture situation.

Hi Fisher

Just about anything is going to outperform the otc scope.  It does have one good quality the being able to use 4 channels for multimeter.

Did you see this

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1406375132810295372

I mentioned the battery issue with the mts but I think OTC electronic tools are just as bad if not worse on the battery life

Sam

 It is depressing to think that some money hungry shark, or an old rich fool have any say in how the employees at OTC  design diagnosis tools. My battery doesn't last long, When I use it I keep it plugged in. My scopes die at engine start less they are are plugged into a source other than the car's own battery. The Genisys is for sure a compendium of years of accumulating advice and software and trying to do something easy with it. Many user friendly things...right along side the fake analog gauge. That is the result of an old rich fool.
      I keep thinking I want to add a good dedicated DSO that will perform well, engine analyzer functions in that it will quickly and dependably uncover the obvious things. The newer Interro PDA might be a good thing for that. One of these days though, I will be playing with a PICO.