Interesting to read everyone's comments regarding your purchasing quandary.
Just to add my "two penny worth",
I have a TinySA ULTRA that was purchased just over 1 year ago from the UK official distributor and cost ?159 and I expected it to be the 'genuine' article.
I bought it to check that my CMT2110 micro transmitter design's output filter was supressing RF spurii to the required levels. (which it was).
This week I started to use it to align a Local Oscillator multiplier strip when the screen froze.
My TinySA ULTRA has probably only 25hours running time in the last year and the rest of the time being stored in t's protective sleeve and in its original box.?
It still looks like 'brand new' and yet appears to have irrecoverably failed.
?It's clearly a known issue as it's right at the top of the Wiki fault finding page
However it's a "try this or try that" response NOT actually a description of the exact engineering issue or how to permanently fix it!
So...
Whether you go for Aliexpress or the 3x more expensive 'Genuine' distributor, you cannot be guaranteed that your purchase will last any longer :-(
So now I share your quandary.........
Dave
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I agree 100% Igor.? I would certainly choose to reward the designer who takes the time and effort to produce products to support our hobby.? My hat is off to Erik.? I didn't do any research before placing my order on AliExpress.? I just went with the numbers and assumed it was the genuine product and best vendor. As you said, it's hard to know what you are buying on AliExpress but I must say that overall my experiences have been good.? Pricing and shipping is hard to beat and deliveries have been faster than expected and in most cases the item is of acceptable quality. Jim WB4ILP?
I have found AliExpress a bit difficult to judge to be honest. Have only bought one product so far from them. I did overpay for some products on other platforms as exactly the same one costs third from AliExpress but I rarely buy no-name products. The Chinese did save me lots of money, for example a decent Microscope for 1/10th of the price of a real one, but otherwise I would never own one.
?Also, when paying for products developed by honest people that do honest work, I don't mind paying a bit more. I live a modest life and can't really afford that much but a couple of bucks extra from many people thinking in the same direction could help us keep Chinese off the markets they don't belong to and good engineers going.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 10:30?PM Jim WB4ILP via <outbackerwb4ilp= [email protected]> wrote: Actually the Zeenho TinySA was only a couple of dollars more and only showed 9 pieces sold.? I'm not sure how accurate AliExpress sales numbers and ratings are?? I made the purchase based on the information I had at the time.?? If the sales numbers and ratings are at least somewhat accurate then ToolTop has sold a bunch of TinySA to many, apparently satisfied customers but I would certainly choose to buy a genuine product from the designer's designated vendor. I have personal experience with Chinese knockoffs.? I have an amateur radio product that I designed in 1994 and it sells in good quantities still to this day.? My tooling cost in 1994 was $30,000.00 and there are at least two and maybe more Chinese companies who copied my design.? I was somewhat flattered but I'm sure it has cost me many sales of my genuine U.S. made product. Jim WB4ILP?
Checking beyond basic info, going as deep as possible, ESPECIALLY when the price is low is 100% must. As a rule you will walk away 99.99% of the time after checking (yes that is an exactly calculated number :) ).
If sellers are honest, and you find two same products but one is significantly cheaper seemingly without a reason, it will either be scratched, or bent or something, but in perfect working condition. That is the most you can hope for. If something costs 500$ and it is not a cheat product (designer clothes, cheap trash with fancy labels like fashion items from known companies) it costs that much because it can't be made any cheaper without compromises. Sometimes it can, but it is a copy by someone who does not support the product (costs money) , had to develop it (costs so much you need tons sold before payoff) , setup manufacturing (well done product costs much more) etc. and other reasons. In other words, price is set for a reason, keep that in mind, it is not some big fat company trying to rip you off. Unless of course they sell you a trash bag for 1000$ (actual true product) or a cheap piece of cloth with a stamp on it. Even big companies like Microsoft or Apple have relatively thin margins when they operate properly (don't all the time) and if you account for ALL the expenses. That is why one bad product can bring a whole large company down. There are second hand markets but those have a different set of rules.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 8:55?PM Jim WB4ILP via <outbackerwb4ilp= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks Erik/Clyde for your prompt replies.? Unfortunately I placed the order without knowing there was an approved vendor.? I made the decision based on the price of $43.32, free shipping and 900+ sold with 227 reviews and a 4.9 star rating.? The vendor stated that it is a genuine Hugen original version. The TinySA is already on its way to me.?? I'll let the group know how it goes and if I order one of the other models I will definitely go with an approved vendor. Thanks again ! Jim WB4ILP?
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025, 2:41 PM Clyde Lambert via <clyde.lambert= [email protected]> wrote: Hello,
They are not on the approved WiKi list
It is cheaper for a reason.
It has been reported that seller has been known to sell knock-offs of other products.
Be very careful. Only buy from approved vendors on the WiKi list.
Clyde KC7BJE?
|
I have found AliExpress a bit difficult to judge to be honest. Have only bought one product so far from them. I did overpay for some products on other platforms as exactly the same one costs third from AliExpress but I rarely buy no-name products. The Chinese did save me lots of money, for example a decent Microscope for 1/10th of the price of a real one, but otherwise I would never own one.
?Also, when paying for products developed by honest people that do honest work, I don't mind paying a bit more. I live a modest life and can't really afford that much but a couple of bucks extra from many people thinking in the same direction could help us keep Chinese off the markets they don't belong to and good engineers going.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 10:30?PM Jim WB4ILP via <outbackerwb4ilp= [email protected]> wrote: Actually the Zeenho TinySA was only a couple of dollars more and only showed 9 pieces sold.? I'm not sure how accurate AliExpress sales numbers and ratings are?? I made the purchase based on the information I had at the time.?? If the sales numbers and ratings are at least somewhat accurate then ToolTop has sold a bunch of TinySA to many, apparently satisfied customers but I would certainly choose to buy a genuine product from the designer's designated vendor. I have personal experience with Chinese knockoffs.? I have an amateur radio product that I designed in 1994 and it sells in good quantities still to this day.? My tooling cost in 1994 was $30,000.00 and there are at least two and maybe more Chinese companies who copied my design.? I was somewhat flattered but I'm sure it has cost me many sales of my genuine U.S. made product. Jim WB4ILP?
Checking beyond basic info, going as deep as possible, ESPECIALLY when the price is low is 100% must. As a rule you will walk away 99.99% of the time after checking (yes that is an exactly calculated number :) ).
If sellers are honest, and you find two same products but one is significantly cheaper seemingly without a reason, it will either be scratched, or bent or something, but in perfect working condition. That is the most you can hope for. If something costs 500$ and it is not a cheat product (designer clothes, cheap trash with fancy labels like fashion items from known companies) it costs that much because it can't be made any cheaper without compromises. Sometimes it can, but it is a copy by someone who does not support the product (costs money) , had to develop it (costs so much you need tons sold before payoff) , setup manufacturing (well done product costs much more) etc. and other reasons. In other words, price is set for a reason, keep that in mind, it is not some big fat company trying to rip you off. Unless of course they sell you a trash bag for 1000$ (actual true product) or a cheap piece of cloth with a stamp on it. Even big companies like Microsoft or Apple have relatively thin margins when they operate properly (don't all the time) and if you account for ALL the expenses. That is why one bad product can bring a whole large company down. There are second hand markets but those have a different set of rules.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 8:55?PM Jim WB4ILP via <outbackerwb4ilp= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks Erik/Clyde for your prompt replies.? Unfortunately I placed the order without knowing there was an approved vendor.? I made the decision based on the price of $43.32, free shipping and 900+ sold with 227 reviews and a 4.9 star rating.? The vendor stated that it is a genuine Hugen original version. The TinySA is already on its way to me.?? I'll let the group know how it goes and if I order one of the other models I will definitely go with an approved vendor. Thanks again ! Jim WB4ILP?
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025, 2:41 PM Clyde Lambert via <clyde.lambert= [email protected]> wrote: Hello,
They are not on the approved WiKi list
It is cheaper for a reason.
It has been reported that seller has been known to sell knock-offs of other products.
Be very careful. Only buy from approved vendors on the WiKi list.
Clyde KC7BJE?
|
Actually the Zeenho TinySA was only a couple of dollars more and only showed 9 pieces sold.? I'm not sure how accurate AliExpress sales numbers and ratings are?? I made the purchase based on the information I had at the time.?? If the sales numbers and ratings are at least somewhat accurate then ToolTop has sold a bunch of TinySA to many, apparently satisfied customers but I would certainly choose to buy a genuine product from the designer's designated vendor. I have personal experience with Chinese knockoffs.? I have an amateur radio product that I designed in 1994 and it sells in good quantities still to this day.? My tooling cost in 1994 was $30,000.00 and there are at least two and maybe more Chinese companies who copied my design.? I was somewhat flattered but I'm sure it has cost me many sales of my genuine U.S. made product. Jim WB4ILP?
Checking beyond basic info, going as deep as possible, ESPECIALLY when the price is low is 100% must. As a rule you will walk away 99.99% of the time after checking (yes that is an exactly calculated number :) ).
If sellers are honest, and you find two same products but one is significantly cheaper seemingly without a reason, it will either be scratched, or bent or something, but in perfect working condition. That is the most you can hope for. If something costs 500$ and it is not a cheat product (designer clothes, cheap trash with fancy labels like fashion items from known companies) it costs that much because it can't be made any cheaper without compromises. Sometimes it can, but it is a copy by someone who does not support the product (costs money) , had to develop it (costs so much you need tons sold before payoff) , setup manufacturing (well done product costs much more) etc. and other reasons. In other words, price is set for a reason, keep that in mind, it is not some big fat company trying to rip you off. Unless of course they sell you a trash bag for 1000$ (actual true product) or a cheap piece of cloth with a stamp on it. Even big companies like Microsoft or Apple have relatively thin margins when they operate properly (don't all the time) and if you account for ALL the expenses. That is why one bad product can bring a whole large company down. There are second hand markets but those have a different set of rules.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 8:55?PM Jim WB4ILP via <outbackerwb4ilp= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks Erik/Clyde for your prompt replies.? Unfortunately I placed the order without knowing there was an approved vendor.? I made the decision based on the price of $43.32, free shipping and 900+ sold with 227 reviews and a 4.9 star rating.? The vendor stated that it is a genuine Hugen original version. The TinySA is already on its way to me.?? I'll let the group know how it goes and if I order one of the other models I will definitely go with an approved vendor. Thanks again ! Jim WB4ILP?
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025, 2:41 PM Clyde Lambert via <clyde.lambert= [email protected]> wrote: Hello,
They are not on the approved WiKi list
It is cheaper for a reason.
It has been reported that seller has been known to sell knock-offs of other products.
Be very careful. Only buy from approved vendors on the WiKi list.
Clyde KC7BJE?
|
Checking beyond basic info, going as deep as possible, ESPECIALLY when the price is low is 100% must. As a rule you will walk away 99.99% of the time after checking (yes that is an exactly calculated number :) ).
If sellers are honest, and you find two same products but one is significantly cheaper seemingly without a reason, it will either be scratched, or bent or something, but in perfect working condition. That is the most you can hope for. If something costs 500$ and it is not a cheat product (designer clothes, cheap trash with fancy labels like fashion items from known companies) it costs that much because it can't be made any cheaper without compromises. Sometimes it can, but it is a copy by someone who does not support the product (costs money) , had to develop it (costs so much you need tons sold before payoff) , setup manufacturing (well done product costs much more) etc. and other reasons. In other words, price is set for a reason, keep that in mind, it is not some big fat company trying to rip you off. Unless of course they sell you a trash bag for 1000$ (actual true product) or a cheap piece of cloth with a stamp on it. Even big companies like Microsoft or Apple have relatively thin margins when they operate properly (don't all the time) and if you account for ALL the expenses. That is why one bad product can bring a whole large company down. There are second hand markets but those have a different set of rules.
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025 at 8:55?PM Jim WB4ILP via <outbackerwb4ilp= [email protected]> wrote: Thanks Erik/Clyde for your prompt replies.? Unfortunately I placed the order without knowing there was an approved vendor.? I made the decision based on the price of $43.32, free shipping and 900+ sold with 227 reviews and a 4.9 star rating.? The vendor stated that it is a genuine Hugen original version. The TinySA is already on its way to me.?? I'll let the group know how it goes and if I order one of the other models I will definitely go with an approved vendor. Thanks again ! Jim WB4ILP?
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025, 2:41 PM Clyde Lambert via <clyde.lambert= [email protected]> wrote: Hello,
They are not on the approved WiKi list
It is cheaper for a reason.
It has been reported that seller has been known to sell knock-offs of other products.
Be very careful. Only buy from approved vendors on the WiKi list.
Clyde KC7BJE?
|
Thanks Erik/Clyde for your prompt replies.? Unfortunately I placed the order without knowing there was an approved vendor.? I made the decision based on the price of $43.32, free shipping and 900+ sold with 227 reviews and a 4.9 star rating.? The vendor stated that it is a genuine Hugen original version. The TinySA is already on its way to me.?? I'll let the group know how it goes and if I order one of the other models I will definitely go with an approved vendor. Thanks again ! Jim WB4ILP?
On Fri, Apr 18, 2025, 2:41 PM Clyde Lambert via <clyde.lambert= [email protected]> wrote: Hello,
They are not on the approved WiKi list
It is cheaper for a reason.
It has been reported that seller has been known to sell knock-offs of other products.
Be very careful. Only buy from approved vendors on the WiKi list.
Clyde KC7BJE?
|
Hello,
They are not on the approved WiKi list
It is cheaper for a reason.
It has been reported that seller has been known to sell knock-offs of other products.
Be very careful. Only buy from approved vendors on the WiKi list.
Clyde KC7BJE?
|
Why not buy from Zeenko, just to be sure?
--
Designer of the tinySA
For more info go to
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Hi to the group ! Is the vendor "ToolTop" on AliExpress a good source for the TinySA?? They show more than 900 sold with more than 200 mostly positive reviews and state that it is genuine. The price is just over $43.00 USD with free shipping. Jim WB4ILP?
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Re: Tiny SA Ultra - Has my unit frozen for the last time?
Hi Erik,
Thanks for your suggestion, well I suspected something like that but sadly this last (5th) time I managed to get it to come back to life, I just left the PCB with the battery compartment at the side and the SA lasted about 5 minutes and then failed again.
I am really annoyed that this is happening as I have handled the SA extremely carefully, always storing in it's original box as soon as I have used it, it looks like new!
It has never been outside of my room where it has always been used in a clear space on the bench with no chance of bumps or knocks, spills or 'zaaps'.
I am beginning to suspect that it's the LCD touch screen that has failed in just over a year, so disappointing as I have had a Nano VNA for years which has been used in all manner of environments and is still working fine.
So....
I tried updating the firmware (in case it was a latent 'bug') but whilst it was still possible to update successfully, this did not fix this problem.
I don't suppose there is a repair service as the cost would probably be more than my device is worth, so it looks like it's scrap :-(
I am loathe now of course to invest in a replacement as I can't trust the same thing will not happen again next year?
Finally......
I see there is a TinySA ULTRA+ (plus) which allegedly has a different display?
Does anyone know if this was changed due to the occurrence of this failing display issue on the SA ULTRA?
Where do I go from here?
All suggestions gratefully received.
Dave
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Re: Tiny SA Ultra - Has my unit frozen for the last time?
The battery is probably pressing the LCD cable when closing the case
You may try a slightly different position of the cable.
--
Designer of the tinySA
For more info go to
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Re: Tiny SA Ultra - Has my unit frozen for the last time?
HI,
Just found this page.
My TinySA ULTRA just stopped during use with the screen "freezing", refusing to run a trace across the screen or respond to ant 'screen taps'.
However the device (processor?) is still running as it generates the axes, the graticule and text around the periphery of the screen.
If I? remove the SD card and switch the SA on, it notices that the SD is missing and doesn't display the SD icon.
So the unit isn't dead yet there is no trace.
After reading these responses:-
I tried loosening the case, (didn't work) I tried disconnecting the battery (didn't work), I tried disconnecting the Flexi-pcb (cable) from the motherboard, cleaning it and fitting it back...didn't work.
Undeterred, I removed the ribbon cable again and refitted it and powered the SA up out of it's case.
Hurrah back to life.
However as soon as I reassembled the TinySA ULTRA the fault is back.
I have only had the SA for a year and bought it from the UK official distributor (not a cheap clone) and the unit is still like new, so very disappointing that it has failed :-(
What is the issue with this device and what is the permanent fix please?
Thanks in anticipation,
Dave
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Re: My tinySA has 10MHz internal interference
At nearly -113dBm on my Ultra+ but had to reduce the?span to 100Khz to see it.? I don't see it as a prob?as the level is really low and I don't have the cal on when in normal use.?
Dave
The tinySA does have some internal spurs, all should be below -95dBm without LNA and 0 dB internal attenuation
--
Designer of the tinySA
For more info go to
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Re: My tinySA has 10MHz internal interference
Erik, Hello author, I bought the basic version of tinySA a long time ago. It is your first generation work. I occasionally found this problem. Thank you for your answers.
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Re: My tinySA has 10MHz internal interference
The tinySA does have some internal spurs, all should be below -95dBm without LNA and 0 dB internal attenuation
--
Designer of the tinySA
For more info go to
|
Re: zero span unit conversion error?
That is ! a quick response ..?
?
Tnx
?
Henk
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Re: zero span unit conversion error?
Yes
--
Designer of the tinySA
For more info go to
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zero span unit conversion error?
setup: zero span , unit as dBmV.
Now when I set a trigger level the correct level is shown on the left side of the display.
But the trigger menu shows the value in dBm (appr dBmV minus 47), although the unit is shown as dBmV.?
Is this a bug?
?
regards, Henk
?
?
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Re: My tinySA has 10MHz internal interference
Thank you for your answers. I also tried to detect the RF interference in my environment. I used SDR to test it and found no interference.
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Re: My tinySA has 10MHz internal interference
I retested my TinySA purchased from R&L Electronics (HW version: V0.3.1_E) using the following settings:
3 KHz RBW , setting a scale of 2 dB / Div and fixing the measurement with a TRACE / CALC / AVER16
?
Tested non terminated with and without port savers (port extenders), and no evidence of a signal at 10 MHz in both cases.
?
Just FYI, Don
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Clyde Lambert
dianzi