DHO5108 Rigol Digital Oscilloscope

In summary, the Rigol DHO5108 is a 1 GHz, 8-channel digital oscilloscope built on Rigol's Centaurus platform with 12-bit vertical resolution standard, 4 GSa/s real-time sample rate, and 500 Mpts maximum memory depth. At 1 GHz analog bandwidth (50 Ω, -3 dB), the DHO5108 crosses into high-performance territory — the tier required for higher-speed digital interfaces, faster switching power semiconductors (SiC and GaN), and any signal where the 3–5× bandwidth rule pushes the requirement above 500 MHz. The calculated rising time of ≤440 ps means edges as fast as a few hundred picoseconds reproduce faithfully on screen.

What is the Rigol DHO5108 used for?

The DHO5108 is used by design engineers, embedded systems developers, and production test teams to visualize, measure, and characterize electrical signals as waveforms in the time domain. Its 8 analog channels cover analog, power electronics, and general digital design workflows where digital bus debug is not the primary requirement.

Why does 12-bit resolution matter on this oscilloscope?

12-bit vertical resolution gives 4,096 quantization levels — sixteen times finer than the 256 levels of a conventional 8-bit oscilloscope. On a 400 V full-scale measurement, that means 97.6 mV per count instead of 1.56 V per count. For engineers measuring switching ripple on a high-voltage rail, characterizing GaN HEMTs and SiC MOSFETs, or doing precision analog work, the 12-bit floor is the difference between resolving the signal and not seeing it. With 8 analog channels on a 12-bit, 4 GSa/s acquisition system, the DHO5108 covers analog and power-electronics workflows where digital bus debug is not the primary need. Note that DHO-family models do not include the 16 digital channels found on MHO models; if mixed-signal debug becomes a requirement, the MHO equivalents (MHO5104 or MHO5106) offer the digital channel capability.

Factual Grounding — Specifications & Industry Context

The Rigol DHO5108 delivers 1 GHz (50 Ω, -3 dB) analog bandwidth with a calculated rising time of ≤400 ps (single-channel & half-channel) / ≤440 ps (full-channel), 4 GSa/s real-time sample rate (4 GSa/s (single-channel & half-channel), 2 GSa/s (full-channel)), 500 Mpts maximum memory depth, a vertical sensitivity range of 100 µV/div to 10 V/div on 1 MΩ input, and ENOB of 7.7 (typical) at full bandwidth. The platform sustains a maximum waveform capture rate of 1,000,000 wfms/s in Record mode and 200,000 wfms/s in Vector mode, with peak detection that captures 500 ps glitches. Noise floor figures published in the datasheet reach as low as 31.2 µV_rms at 100 µV/div on the 50 Ω input with the 20 MHz bandwidth limit engaged.

Entity Authority — Rigol & the Centaurus Platform

Rigol Technologies, founded in 1998, is a recognized value-tier manufacturer of oscilloscopes, signal generators, spectrum analyzers, and power supplies, with growing share in mid-range professional bench instrumentation. The MHO/DHO5000 Series is Rigol's first Centaurus-platform release for the mainstream digital oscilloscope market, designed to deliver 12-bit resolution and 1 GHz bandwidth at price points historically associated with 8-bit instruments. The platform conforms to IEC 61326-1:2013 / EN 61326-1:2013 Group 1 Class A electromagnetic compatibility requirements, EN 61010-1:2019 and UL 61010-1:2012 R7 safety standards, MIL-PRF-28800F class 3 random vibration testing, and IEC 60068-2-27 class 3 mechanical shock testing.

How does the DHO5108 compare to baseline 8-bit oscilloscopes?

• Vertical resolution: 12-bit standard (4,096 levels) vs. 8-bit on most competing mid-range scopes — 16× finer quantization for ripple, noise floor, and precision analog measurement.
• Memory depth: 500 Mpts standard — supports long capture windows at full sample rate without forcing tradeoffs between memory depth and sample rate.
• Capture rate: 1,000,000 wfms/s in Record mode for high probability of capturing rare and intermittent events.
• Bandwidth scalability: 500 MHz models can be field-upgraded to 1 GHz via the appropriate BWU05T10 option license — eliminating the need to repurchase the instrument when application bandwidth grows.
• Channel count: 8 analog channels allow simultaneous view of three-phase power signals plus control and feedback paths with full 4 GSa/s sample rate on single-channel and half-channel operation.
• Battery-pack option: Convenient charging for on-site, field, and in-vehicle measurement scenarios where mains power is not practical.

Typical Applications & Workflows

• Motor controllers & three-phase power analysis — eight analog channels enable simultaneous capture of three voltage and three current phases plus control and feedback.
• Power semiconductor testing — GaN and SiC device characterization, where the 12-bit floor and 500 MHz/1 GHz bandwidth resolve switching edges and dynamic on-resistance behavior.
• Power supply design — ripple, noise floor, transient response, switching loss analysis (with optional PWRA power analysis option).
• Standard serial decode — Parallel, RS232/UART, I2C, and SPI included; CAN, CAN-FD, LIN, FlexRay, I2S, and MIL-STD-1553 available as software options.
• Embedded systems development — Bode plot for control loop frequency response (standard only on MHO5054/MHO5104), pass/fail mask test for signal validation, and the search-and-navigation function for locating signal anomalies in long captures.

Accessories Supplied with the DHO5108

Recommended & Optional Accessories for the DHO5108

Building the Measurement: The 12-bit Centaurus Floor

The DHO5108 sits on Rigol's self-developed Centaurus technical platform. The first specification to understand is the 12-bit ADC: with 4,096 vertical quantization levels instead of the 256 levels of a conventional 8-bit oscilloscope, the platform resolves signals 16× finer at any given vertical scale. For a 400 V full-scale measurement, that is the difference between 1.56 V per count (8-bit) and 97.6 mV per count (12-bit) — and in high-resolution mode, the DHO5108 extends to 16-bit, bringing per-count resolution to 24.4 mV at the same full scale. This is the resolution required to resolve switching ripple on a high-voltage rail, to characterize the gate behavior of GaN and SiC power transistors, and to do precision analog measurement work that 8-bit instruments cannot support.

Vertical System — Analog Channel

Horizontal System

Acquisition System

Trigger System

Waveform Measurement & Analysis

Serial Decoding

Four protocol types can be decoded and enabled at the same time. Standard decoding includes Parallel, RS232/UART, I2C, and SPI. Optional decoding adds LIN, CAN, CAN-FD (MHO/DHO5000-AUTOA), FlexRay (MHO/DHO5000-FLEXA), I2S (MHO/DHO5000-AUDIOA), and MIL-STD-1553 (MHO/DHO5000-AEROA).

Built-in Measurement Tools

Display, Processor & I/O

Power, Environment & Mechanical

Regulations & Compliance

• EMC: Compliant with EMC DIRECTIVE 2014/30/EU; meets or exceeds IEC 61326-1:2013 / EN 61326-1:2013 Group 1 Class A; CISPR 11 / EN 55011
• Safety: EN 61010-1:2019; EN 61010-031:2015; IEC 61010-1:2016; IEC 61010-2-030:2017; UL 61010-1:2012 R7; UL 61010-2-31:2017 R2; CAN/CSA-22.2 No. 61010-1-12:2017, 61010-2-30:2018, 61010-031-07:2012
• Vibration: Meets GB/T 6587 class 2 random; meets MIL-PRF-28800F and IEC 60068-2-6 class 3 random
• Shock: Meets GB/T 6587-2012 class 2 random; meets MIL-PRF-28800F and IEC 60068-2-27 class 3 random; non-operating: 30 g half-sine, 11 ms duration, 18 shocks

Warranty & Calibration Interval

This webpage was written by a human with an A.I. "Intern", which may contain errors. Please review the Manufacturers Data Sheet to verify published specifications. Feedback on this webpage is always welcome, please reach out to your Test Architect at any time for questions or concerns. Thank you, we truly appreciate you being our customer.