I have dealt professionally with the Fluke corp. They are the dirtiest scum suckers I have done business with. They were reselling a product we made and owned the design of. They were making a 278% markup on our work. Then had the balls to step to us and tell us that we needed to cut our price because they were not making the margin that they do with the rest of their catalog. We were selling the units and making $100 per unit, they were selling them for a gross profit of $2100. To make it better, we were responsible for warranty. I have dealt with Fluke and heard stories from others. 300% margin is their standard. So, to see a Chinese made Fluke meter is not suprosing to me. From my experience with them, I they don't think they care where it is made as long as they can stuff their fat corporate pockets.
Nice end to the story though. We told Fluke to stuff it and yanked our product from their catalog and rebranded under a competitors name. We worked out a deal where everyone was making a fair and reasonable markup. In the end Fluke lost millions in government contracts because they could no longer fill 100% of the order. Take that you big yellow gorrilla.
Sorry for the rant, but they are everything that is wrong with the world economy. The people making tangible things struggle to make a living, while those who shuffle paper take home all the profits.
Nice end to the story though. We told Fluke to stuff it and yanked our product from their catalog and rebranded under a competitors name. We worked out a deal where everyone was making a fair and reasonable markup. In the end Fluke lost millions in government contracts because they could no longer fill 100% of the order. Take that you big yellow gorrilla.
Sorry for the rant, but they are everything that is wrong with the world economy. The people making tangible things struggle to make a living, while those who shuffle paper take home all the profits.
Well, I thought this was about how good a meter might be ....
Everyone here is responsible for outsourcing and overseas manufacturing. It's all about greed, 100% gimme. If we didn't buy these items, we bought other things cheaper for a "deal". Always remember that "in an avalanche, no one single snow flake ever feels responsible". And so it goes. Even the person who wastes time at work is guilty for pushing the work elsewhere. The act is in the many things people do every single day while living. Don't get me started on unions and how many jobs they have driven off-shore.
To be honest, Chinese industrial output will at some point become too expensive to take the work. Never mind the fact that the shipping should really have priced the items out of sight to sell here. What's up with that?? Anyway, the Chinese already have the world's best two loudspeaker manufacturing plants. They are perfectly capable of producing excellent quality goods of every description. The problems begin and end with our fellow citizens who insist on taking short sighted, quick return type business deals. You're all feeling it right now. Nations who have picked up the work that should be done here wouldn't have been able to do anything if the greedy among us hadn't sold the North American economy to them - cheap! Don't blame the countries that accepted the deal, we would have done the same if the positions were reversed.
-Chris
Everyone here is responsible for outsourcing and overseas manufacturing. It's all about greed, 100% gimme. If we didn't buy these items, we bought other things cheaper for a "deal". Always remember that "in an avalanche, no one single snow flake ever feels responsible". And so it goes. Even the person who wastes time at work is guilty for pushing the work elsewhere. The act is in the many things people do every single day while living. Don't get me started on unions and how many jobs they have driven off-shore.
To be honest, Chinese industrial output will at some point become too expensive to take the work. Never mind the fact that the shipping should really have priced the items out of sight to sell here. What's up with that?? Anyway, the Chinese already have the world's best two loudspeaker manufacturing plants. They are perfectly capable of producing excellent quality goods of every description. The problems begin and end with our fellow citizens who insist on taking short sighted, quick return type business deals. You're all feeling it right now. Nations who have picked up the work that should be done here wouldn't have been able to do anything if the greedy among us hadn't sold the North American economy to them - cheap! Don't blame the countries that accepted the deal, we would have done the same if the positions were reversed.
-Chris
Hi DaveM,
I've dealt directly with Fluke Canada as well. Not entirely impressed simply due to poor quality workmanship in their calibration department from time to time. I have caught several out of tolerance conditions and one complete failure of a calibrator (because they didn't ever blow the dust out of the chassis!!). No excuse for that. I caught HP with an out of tolerance cert once on an old power supply meter section. I'd go with Agilent any day compared to Fluke for certifications.
You know who owns Fluke (and Tektronix + many others) today? Danaher, and they own several other businesses in various market segments on top of the test gear you'll see in that link. Danaher is a nice American company, and so was International Telephone and Telegraph (who played both sides of the fence in WWII) along with many other businesses that place profit well ahead of the well being of the United States and it's people. Those dogs need control in a serious way.
Anyway, at that price point, this Fluke is probably everything you've come to expect from a world leader like Fluke. It should work as advertised, but it might be prudent to check it out first. Consider this standard practice in calibration labs everywhere. Whenever a piece of equipment leaves for calibration somewhere, it is crosschecked (or calibrated if the capabilities exist) before it leaves, and then again when it returns with it's brand new certification in tow. If the equipment leaves to go out on an on-site calibration, it is crosschecked on arrival at the site, then again when it returns. Nothing is left to chance. The reason this is standard practice can be found in history. Quality control problems in primary and secondary calibration labs force the need for protective self checks. Shipping damage may occur, even when assets have been in continuous custody. Same goes for random failures. It doesn't take long to check equipment out, so if it's proper operation is at all important (why else do you have the item?), it pays to check it occasionally.
-Chris
I've dealt directly with Fluke Canada as well. Not entirely impressed simply due to poor quality workmanship in their calibration department from time to time. I have caught several out of tolerance conditions and one complete failure of a calibrator (because they didn't ever blow the dust out of the chassis!!). No excuse for that. I caught HP with an out of tolerance cert once on an old power supply meter section. I'd go with Agilent any day compared to Fluke for certifications.
You know who owns Fluke (and Tektronix + many others) today? Danaher, and they own several other businesses in various market segments on top of the test gear you'll see in that link. Danaher is a nice American company, and so was International Telephone and Telegraph (who played both sides of the fence in WWII) along with many other businesses that place profit well ahead of the well being of the United States and it's people. Those dogs need control in a serious way.
Anyway, at that price point, this Fluke is probably everything you've come to expect from a world leader like Fluke. It should work as advertised, but it might be prudent to check it out first. Consider this standard practice in calibration labs everywhere. Whenever a piece of equipment leaves for calibration somewhere, it is crosschecked (or calibrated if the capabilities exist) before it leaves, and then again when it returns with it's brand new certification in tow. If the equipment leaves to go out on an on-site calibration, it is crosschecked on arrival at the site, then again when it returns. Nothing is left to chance. The reason this is standard practice can be found in history. Quality control problems in primary and secondary calibration labs force the need for protective self checks. Shipping damage may occur, even when assets have been in continuous custody. Same goes for random failures. It doesn't take long to check equipment out, so if it's proper operation is at all important (why else do you have the item?), it pays to check it occasionally.
-Chris
Greed is not the problem. Greed is what makes the world engine run. The problem we are addressing is knock-off and down right fraud. It is a shortsighted and bad business tactic. Fluke, HP, Tek, Lambda, and a host of others have remained in business and can get away with charging higher markups because they are trusted in the marketplace for the long term. Even when they outsource, the brand is held accountable in the market.
If you don't like how a business is run, start your own. We pay a high cost for freedom, so might as well take advantage of it.
If you don't like how a business is run, start your own. We pay a high cost for freedom, so might as well take advantage of it.
I have to disagree TVRgeek. Greed is indeed the problem. How else can a one justify putting a small business under while a CEO is taking home millions? That is greed, pure and simple. Decisions made by the overpaid CEO for the benefit of the stock holders rarely are for the greater good. They will outsource to save half a penny on a product, even though it puts local workers out of jobs, cuts the tax base and drops the property value. Funny thing that our global economy is in a $hit storm.
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
-- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
(letter to Col. William F. Elkins)
"I see in the near future a crisis approaching that unnerves me and causes me to tremble for the safety of my country. . . . corporations have been enthroned and an era of corruption in high places will follow, and the money power of the country will endeavor to prolong its reign by working upon the prejudices of the people until all wealth is aggregated in a few hands and the Republic is destroyed."
-- U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, Nov. 21, 1864
(letter to Col. William F. Elkins)
Dave,
Greed is good. Greed without some ground rules and oversight is the problem. Greed is part of human nature. This is why people take risks and try harder. It is only when totally unchecked that we get the issues. If we had no greed, communism would work. Well, it doesn't. We just plain are not that noble. I was a bit more idealistic 40 years ago, but I studied sociology, history, economics, and watched the world go by. We can slightly bend human nature. We can't change it. So best to make a system that works with human nature. I would agree we have let the system get a bit askew. So start a company and run it with respect. Here, you have that right.
I would gladly debate these issues on a more appropriate forum, the point of this one was that we have the responsibly not to reward makers of knockoff unlicensed fraudulent garbage out of any origin, not just the one in question. I like my Fluke. A real one. PM me is you wish.
A free market and capitalism does not mean anything goes. If you are a big fan of total equality and nobility, you might read Atlas Shrugged? I also recommend Peopleware.
Greed is good. Greed without some ground rules and oversight is the problem. Greed is part of human nature. This is why people take risks and try harder. It is only when totally unchecked that we get the issues. If we had no greed, communism would work. Well, it doesn't. We just plain are not that noble. I was a bit more idealistic 40 years ago, but I studied sociology, history, economics, and watched the world go by. We can slightly bend human nature. We can't change it. So best to make a system that works with human nature. I would agree we have let the system get a bit askew. So start a company and run it with respect. Here, you have that right.
I would gladly debate these issues on a more appropriate forum, the point of this one was that we have the responsibly not to reward makers of knockoff unlicensed fraudulent garbage out of any origin, not just the one in question. I like my Fluke. A real one. PM me is you wish.
A free market and capitalism does not mean anything goes. If you are a big fan of total equality and nobility, you might read Atlas Shrugged? I also recommend Peopleware.
Hi tvrgeek,
I did. I ran a successful service business that did business internationally for 16 years. We serviced audio equipment, mostly the better middle market, true high end and recording studio gear. I started that business from nothing, no contacts even. I sold it because it became clear that distributors had changed to a repair by replacement business model. They did not want old equipment fixed, that was pretty clear as well. I sold it to someone who had far fewer moral balances and checks than I do. The business is still in operation today, close to 15 years after I left. I hear about "what they did" fairly often.
Greed is not good, nor is it a positive driver for any economy. Greed is an excessive desire to accumulate wealth beyond what can be accomplished through accepted means. Greed advances short term gains without any regard to what happens in the long term. Greed represents the bad in Ebay, the dishonesty in business. I've seen greed close up many times - it ain't pretty. It certainly isn't fair or honest.
In contrast, I have also seen honour and decency work extremely well in business. That is what allowed me to grow and prosper beyond my expectations. That is how many respected business people live their lives. The more you can give back (within reason - everything has bounds rooted in what is reasonable), the more you get back. I had a bad accident years ago now, and I was helped by scores of people I had helped previously. I hadn't expected this.
Remember one thing if you can't remember anything else. This is critically important, well beyond what some younger adults might think.
At the end of the day, you only have one thing, and one thing only. You have your word. Lose that, and you will not do well in the future.
To be honest, helping someone out doesn't really cost you much if anything. Allowing another business to have customers you can't handle will not hurt you at all. In fact, if you work with your "competition", everyone makes far more money. Being a gentleman (gentlewoman?) will always work in your favour in the long term and when it counts. Sure, greedy people will take nicks out of you now and again. Cost of living, try to avoid them. I had lost customers to the odd greedy business. I got back the customers that were worth having. Never lost sleep over it for the simple reason that in a healthy market, there is more than enough work for everyone. Do what you are good at, not everything you can (you'll lose money for one).
I lived this life, and I'm still living it. I can't work anymore, and I'm only 52 now. Thank god I can help out here - for free. It puts value in my life, it helps people out. I have, and still do, receive the kindness back from some of you close enough to me. i fully intend to continue helping where I can for as long as I can. I was doing this before I was injured, and the greatest gift is that my fellow moderators allow me to continue. That's even though I can't keep up as well as I used to do. This makes me happy.
-Chris
I did. I ran a successful service business that did business internationally for 16 years. We serviced audio equipment, mostly the better middle market, true high end and recording studio gear. I started that business from nothing, no contacts even. I sold it because it became clear that distributors had changed to a repair by replacement business model. They did not want old equipment fixed, that was pretty clear as well. I sold it to someone who had far fewer moral balances and checks than I do. The business is still in operation today, close to 15 years after I left. I hear about "what they did" fairly often.
Greed is not good, nor is it a positive driver for any economy. Greed is an excessive desire to accumulate wealth beyond what can be accomplished through accepted means. Greed advances short term gains without any regard to what happens in the long term. Greed represents the bad in Ebay, the dishonesty in business. I've seen greed close up many times - it ain't pretty. It certainly isn't fair or honest.
In contrast, I have also seen honour and decency work extremely well in business. That is what allowed me to grow and prosper beyond my expectations. That is how many respected business people live their lives. The more you can give back (within reason - everything has bounds rooted in what is reasonable), the more you get back. I had a bad accident years ago now, and I was helped by scores of people I had helped previously. I hadn't expected this.
Remember one thing if you can't remember anything else. This is critically important, well beyond what some younger adults might think.
At the end of the day, you only have one thing, and one thing only. You have your word. Lose that, and you will not do well in the future.
To be honest, helping someone out doesn't really cost you much if anything. Allowing another business to have customers you can't handle will not hurt you at all. In fact, if you work with your "competition", everyone makes far more money. Being a gentleman (gentlewoman?) will always work in your favour in the long term and when it counts. Sure, greedy people will take nicks out of you now and again. Cost of living, try to avoid them. I had lost customers to the odd greedy business. I got back the customers that were worth having. Never lost sleep over it for the simple reason that in a healthy market, there is more than enough work for everyone. Do what you are good at, not everything you can (you'll lose money for one).
I lived this life, and I'm still living it. I can't work anymore, and I'm only 52 now. Thank god I can help out here - for free. It puts value in my life, it helps people out. I have, and still do, receive the kindness back from some of you close enough to me. i fully intend to continue helping where I can for as long as I can. I was doing this before I was injured, and the greatest gift is that my fellow moderators allow me to continue. That's even though I can't keep up as well as I used to do. This makes me happy.
-Chris
That is a funny definition of greed because is based on samething that is not relevant - "accepted means". In comunism that can mean something different from what means in a free society.
Greed, as part of human nature, is what took us from animals to what we are today.
Hi SoNic_real_one,
I guess we could talk semantics if you want. I was referring to the accepted way to conduct business in the Canadian business world. The way "old money" might deal with each other while keeping their good name intact. I managed to do this for 16 years without compromising my values, and I didn't suffer for it.
A desire to provide for one's self and family is not greed. Not until it becomes harmful to the people you deal with and your community. Once the desire to succeed while harming others sets in, that is greed. Greed is not a nice quality to be accused of having.
Wikipedia
I took English, did you?
I guess we could talk semantics if you want. I was referring to the accepted way to conduct business in the Canadian business world. The way "old money" might deal with each other while keeping their good name intact. I managed to do this for 16 years without compromising my values, and I didn't suffer for it.
A desire to provide for one's self and family is not greed. Not until it becomes harmful to the people you deal with and your community. Once the desire to succeed while harming others sets in, that is greed. Greed is not a nice quality to be accused of having.
Wikipedia
Wikipedia - The 7 Deadly Sins (I'm not religious)
Dictionary.com
I took English, did you?
I think Chris and I do agree on one really major point: At the end of the day, it is your word that counts. We can agree to disagree on our understanding on the macro driving force of greed, and to the degree of how human nature drives a society vs the more common use or excessive short sighted greed. Excessive greed lets you eat well today. Your word lets you eat tomorrow.
Short term returns at the expense of building a reputation for long term returns is not greed, it is bad business. This is the lesson that has been forgotten by quarterly returns and by some emerging markets. We have rules, some written, some still by a gentleman's handshake, the help bend our basic nature. These rules were developed because we need a little help. The good news is we have the choice, to reward those who do "good business" and to shun those who do not. Unfortunately that little greed in all of us causes a shift to front end price before total cost of ownership. We need a little nudge every now and again.
The best definition I ever heard of "good business", is when both parties can walk away happy.
Short term returns at the expense of building a reputation for long term returns is not greed, it is bad business. This is the lesson that has been forgotten by quarterly returns and by some emerging markets. We have rules, some written, some still by a gentleman's handshake, the help bend our basic nature. These rules were developed because we need a little help. The good news is we have the choice, to reward those who do "good business" and to shun those who do not. Unfortunately that little greed in all of us causes a shift to front end price before total cost of ownership. We need a little nudge every now and again.
The best definition I ever heard of "good business", is when both parties can walk away happy.
Microsoft may make us mad occasionally, but they don't commit fraud.
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hm... obviously you are not in that part of corporate ladders to know. every company i know american, european, asisan etc will and do doeverything they can to maximize their profit as long as they can get away with it.
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hm... obviously you are not in that part of corporate ladders to know. every company i know american, european, asisan etc will and do doeverything they can to maximize their profit as long as they can get away with it.
Funny , both DaveM and Anatech are correct, it's excessive greed that is killing us, buying crappy chinese products too...
When greed is left unchecked , we get subpar chinese products, I can't begin to tell you how sad this is, there was once a time you had to search high and low to buy a bad product, Corporations cared , they had customer service , armed with reps who actually cared about doing their job, now it's all crap from top to bottom ....
I'm tired of buying crappy ***t , you buy up and it's still crappy ***t , call to complain and it gets worse, youngsters today have such low standards and morals it's frightning.
30 yrs ago i could walk in buy a FLUKE and that was it , if it broke or was off, it was not a problem , it was resolved, when we lose the standard bearers we lose everything .
When greed is left unchecked , we get subpar chinese products, I can't begin to tell you how sad this is, there was once a time you had to search high and low to buy a bad product, Corporations cared , they had customer service , armed with reps who actually cared about doing their job, now it's all crap from top to bottom ....
I'm tired of buying crappy ***t , you buy up and it's still crappy ***t , call to complain and it gets worse, youngsters today have such low standards and morals it's frightning.
30 yrs ago i could walk in buy a FLUKE and that was it , if it broke or was off, it was not a problem , it was resolved, when we lose the standard bearers we lose everything .
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I know many businesses run with integrity and long term goals. Like good news, they do not make it into the papers. I am sorry that drwkng believes this is the norm. It does not speak well of our future. There is a really big difference between tough competition and fraud. One can be both tough and honest. If they are, they will be here tomorrow to sell a product again.
Hi tvrgeek,
I'll agree. We basically do agree with each other, just the definitions are the problem. Being motivated is not greed, it's the desire to do a good job and help others (by doing your job). Having a social conscience I think precludes the tag, "greed" though.
I think our problems are with the "business" schools and "accounting" professions. Business ethics really ought to be strongly enforced at every level in the education systems. Accountants need to understand that they took accounting, not business. Intangibles have very real and strong value. An accountant is about the most destructive thing to have in the driver's seat in a business. They need to go back to what they do well, and that is to give advice to be considered. Being a businessman is another entirely different skill.
I did a lot of business on a handshake, or just simply an agreement over the phone. Sure, we signed contracts and non-disclosure agreements (that I take very seriously BTW). If you have the reputation that you can be trusted without question, I think you're a pretty good human being. Besides, keeping your word and making decisions ethically is a simple way of life. Not lying means I don't have to remember anything. That's good, because my short term memory was a casualty in an accident.
Back to the Fluke meter.
As long as Fluke still uses a stable thick film divider and stable voltage reference, the meter will excel. The RMS features went long ago to an IC solution. I'll bet that function is included on the main IC now. Personally, I wouldn't care for the 80x0 series with the push-buttons along the side (20 years ago). They were amazing when they came out, but the newer 70 and 80 series left them in the dust for performance and reliability. I know, I had to repair both. If you do have an older meter that's working, keep it until it breaks. I would not recommend repairing it, in preference for any model newer. I still have a 73 and 85 that work fine. I also have a sick 87 that my goal is to repair one day. If I get a newer meter, the 87 will be abandoned. Actually, I have some HP 974A's that I like even more. So the future for that 87 in unsure.
Nope, check the meter and don't worry about it. Don;t worry about things you can't change.
-Chris
I'll agree. We basically do agree with each other, just the definitions are the problem. Being motivated is not greed, it's the desire to do a good job and help others (by doing your job). Having a social conscience I think precludes the tag, "greed" though.
I think our problems are with the "business" schools and "accounting" professions. Business ethics really ought to be strongly enforced at every level in the education systems. Accountants need to understand that they took accounting, not business. Intangibles have very real and strong value. An accountant is about the most destructive thing to have in the driver's seat in a business. They need to go back to what they do well, and that is to give advice to be considered. Being a businessman is another entirely different skill.
I did a lot of business on a handshake, or just simply an agreement over the phone. Sure, we signed contracts and non-disclosure agreements (that I take very seriously BTW). If you have the reputation that you can be trusted without question, I think you're a pretty good human being. Besides, keeping your word and making decisions ethically is a simple way of life. Not lying means I don't have to remember anything. That's good, because my short term memory was a casualty in an accident.
Back to the Fluke meter.
I don't think you need to worry about the new meter you bought. Just confirm it's in tolerance as you would any new equipment. The type 87 and next generation I know are excellent products. Closed case calibration solved the HF calibration issues that I had to resolve on my bench. My method worked much better than the normal cal procedure, but closed case (software) calibration solves this issue completely.
As long as Fluke still uses a stable thick film divider and stable voltage reference, the meter will excel. The RMS features went long ago to an IC solution. I'll bet that function is included on the main IC now. Personally, I wouldn't care for the 80x0 series with the push-buttons along the side (20 years ago). They were amazing when they came out, but the newer 70 and 80 series left them in the dust for performance and reliability. I know, I had to repair both. If you do have an older meter that's working, keep it until it breaks. I would not recommend repairing it, in preference for any model newer. I still have a 73 and 85 that work fine. I also have a sick 87 that my goal is to repair one day. If I get a newer meter, the 87 will be abandoned. Actually, I have some HP 974A's that I like even more. So the future for that 87 in unsure.
Nope, check the meter and don't worry about it. Don;t worry about things you can't change.
-Chris
Progress is great. We had the push button Fluke's in the lab back when. I think we actually had an original NLS. We got them when I was complaining to the HP rep how their bench meter injected HF pulses into a high Z circuit. ( The old red LED ones). His answer was " Why are you buying an HP DVM? We only have one because some companies buy from one catalog!" So, HP logic analyzers, Tek scopes, Fluke meters, Lambda supplies, Wavetec........ Test equipment has come a long way. A cheap new one may be better than the best of the old. As Chris says, so much of it is now in the chip. True of all chips. Heck, a $3 Op-Amp is about 100 times more accurate than I can measure at home. My e-mu sound card and TrueRta spectrum analyzer out-preforms a $100K plus Scientific Altantic from a few years ago. What we don't have on a PC is a really good delayed sweep single shot scope. Remember when a TDR was only a lab unit? Now it is a handheld. IR cameras used to be liquid nitrogen cooled, now handheld. I still prefer my HP 209a generator. Sometimes big knobs just do the job.
Hi tvrgeek,
I had a NLS meter way back as well! Also still have a trio of Fluke 8000a DVMs, nixie tube displays. Then there are a pair of Heath early DVMs that converted voltage into frequency and counted that. I restored them - just 'cause.
I love the old gear and enjoy restoring them. I have an RCA 1" tube 'scope and an ancient HP Square Wave Generator (Tubes). It's wonderful seeing old gear running again. Also, Tek 465, 468 and an HP 1722A to repair. I'm excited about the 1722.
Ever hear of a Norland Prowler? I have one with an 8 bit channel and a slower 12 bit channel. Still works fine. Now that is a bit of history. Big, loud and proud.
You know what the new gear is missing? The shielded compartments and extremely good power supplies of the older stuff. Sometimes you really do need to build in a chunk of metal. Another lamented loss are the robust input circuits. It's pretty easy to kill modern stuff without input protection (like Agilent still uses).
-Chris
I had a NLS meter way back as well! Also still have a trio of Fluke 8000a DVMs, nixie tube displays. Then there are a pair of Heath early DVMs that converted voltage into frequency and counted that. I restored them - just 'cause.
I love the old gear and enjoy restoring them. I have an RCA 1" tube 'scope and an ancient HP Square Wave Generator (Tubes). It's wonderful seeing old gear running again. Also, Tek 465, 468 and an HP 1722A to repair. I'm excited about the 1722.
Ever hear of a Norland Prowler? I have one with an 8 bit channel and a slower 12 bit channel. Still works fine. Now that is a bit of history. Big, loud and proud.
You know what the new gear is missing? The shielded compartments and extremely good power supplies of the older stuff. Sometimes you really do need to build in a chunk of metal. Another lamented loss are the robust input circuits. It's pretty easy to kill modern stuff without input protection (like Agilent still uses).
-Chris
Funny you should mention shielded boxes. I am building a little test jig with an active buffer as my interface between probes and my e-mu feeding SoundEasy. Dicast Hammond box with three smaller ones inside. $10 worth of electronics, $200 worth of aluminium from Canada.
I sold tube my mainframe Tek as I did not have the space or the power. But gad what a beautiful trace. Twin gun, 60Mhz. I forgot about the Heath nixie tube DVM I had. Actually, it was garbage but really easy to read. I wish I could afford a 465. Used them for years when I was a tech for STK. I guess the insane used price reflects their quality. 35 years on, still rock solid. We were masters of building cardboard hoods. Never liked HP scopes. The filters in the trigger were different. Just preference. THe other side of the coin is to look at what Fluke will sell you in a handled anything. Things we never dreamed of being able to afford back in the day.
I sold tube my mainframe Tek as I did not have the space or the power. But gad what a beautiful trace. Twin gun, 60Mhz. I forgot about the Heath nixie tube DVM I had. Actually, it was garbage but really easy to read. I wish I could afford a 465. Used them for years when I was a tech for STK. I guess the insane used price reflects their quality. 35 years on, still rock solid. We were masters of building cardboard hoods. Never liked HP scopes. The filters in the trigger were different. Just preference. THe other side of the coin is to look at what Fluke will sell you in a handled anything. Things we never dreamed of being able to afford back in the day.
Hi Gaetan,
Thank you! Nice to hear from you as well.
Hi tvrgeek,
I'm just researching the same thing. Gary Pimm came up with something nice. It's even good looking. For stuff like that, I prefer die cast or an old instrument case.
On 'scope U.I.. I prefer the new Agilent models. I have the same troubles you do in reverse. I just don't 'get' the Tek front panels on the new stuff. The Philips PM3xxx series is nice, but different. The older Tek stuff is easy too. The new DSO product from Tek - I think they messed up big time.
You know, gear 35 years old is still gear 35 years old. Plus, they need new tantalum caps throughout. Look at local auctions, not Ebay! I'm sure you'll find something at sane pricing.
-Chris
Thank you! Nice to hear from you as well.
Hi tvrgeek,
I'm just researching the same thing. Gary Pimm came up with something nice. It's even good looking. For stuff like that, I prefer die cast or an old instrument case.
On 'scope U.I.. I prefer the new Agilent models. I have the same troubles you do in reverse. I just don't 'get' the Tek front panels on the new stuff. The Philips PM3xxx series is nice, but different. The older Tek stuff is easy too. The new DSO product from Tek - I think they messed up big time.
You know, gear 35 years old is still gear 35 years old. Plus, they need new tantalum caps throughout. Look at local auctions, not Ebay! I'm sure you'll find something at sane pricing.
-Chris
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