This post will describe the DIY build of a 1MHz, a 10MHz or a 100MHz differential probe with several power alternatives.
In 2017, my buddy in crime Bud and I (well, mostly Bud) build a DIY X10 100MHz probe that has been popular because so many other makers build it, or even changed it to their liking, We know of a 1x and a 100x design modification. Our earlier design was described here:
Unfortunately, that 2017 design has some hard to get and rather expensive parts, especially the Opamps, the voltage regulator and also some hard to get capacitors.
In early 2025, Bud has been looking into making the probe easier to build and make some needed improvements. He investigated the whole concept again and came-up with a main probe PCB that can be used to build a 10x 100MHz, a 10Mhz or a 1MHz version. The other constraint on the earlier design was the external power supply. Now that we have USB-C PD capabilities, Bud added a number of power options that can be added to the probe to your liking. Another main issue that he wanted to address was a 3D printable housing and making the probe slimmer so it's easier to hold while probing around with it.
There are some more improvements and refinements and if you're interested, you can follow along his design and test efforts here:
Bud is now in the final stages of verifying and testing everything, and when he's done, I will add the information here also and provide the BOM and Gerber information in a new Github project.
If you're looking to build a probe, all I can say at the moment is to stay tuned for a little while longer. It will most likely be finished in September of 2025, so if you can hold-off, I recommend you do so.
What I'm going to build
I already have the earlier 100MHz probe, but wanted to build another one so I can test it with my test gear that is a little bit different from what Bud has or uses. More specifically, my DSO is a 300MHz version, and while he has a much more improved and new DSO (12-bit, touch screen, etc, etc. I'm yelous!) it is a 100MHz version. He has a function generator, but that only goes to 60MHz. I have a fast edge (<1ns) generator, and most importantly a VNA.
So I just bit the bullet on a purchase order that is mixed between LCSC and DigiKey to get all the parts for the 100MHz version, the different parts for the 10MHz version, and then the USB-C based power supply.
I want to sort out a few issues with Bud and then also order the three PCB's.
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