list of heritage oscillospcopes with specs

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I am trying to buy a nice analog or a+d oscilloscope through e-bay. Usually, the people selling those things don't know a thing about them but sometimes they are able to put brand and type number in their offer.

Does anybody know good lists of heritage scope specs for Tek, Gould, HP, Hameg, Philips, ....? I have tried a search but was left with thousands of useless hits.

Thanks in advance,

Eric
 
Oscilloscope

Without a doubt, I would recommend the Tektronix 465 100 MHz Oscilloscope. A rugged industry standard with lots of them on the used market. Mine has appreciated in value since I bought it. An oldie but goody that I would never part with.

H.H.
 

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Trust Harry for an answer. I 've been using a 750 MHz Tek digital phosphor oscilloscope from work which is probably better than an anlog scope (unlike the TDS 210/220 junk) but the last reserve unit is being integrated into a permanent setup. I like tek! In my previos job I had a Tek DSO for fast stuff and an incredibly versatile Hameg for analog. Anybody know Hameg outside of Germany?

Greets,

Eric
 
I can't believe my luck. It seems I got a fully functional HP1707A dual channel 100 MHz scope without probes or documentation for 152 Euros. Apparently, German bidders go for Tek or Hameg, a 60 MHz Hameg selling for typically 250 Euro. The Hameg has an incredible dynamic range and linearity of the y-amp but a 100 MHz HP is at least as good. Wish me luck that everything works out fine!

Eric
 
Gould K-100 D logic analyzer

There is a logic analyzer due in 3 days with burn marks on PCB and transformer and rectifier missing. Nobody has dared place a bid yet, and the minimum bid is ok (but not great) for the risk. Any chance to lay my hands on docs and service manuals for Gould?

I had a super-fast (at the time) Gould DSO in my previous job. Performance was
excellent, but handling was a bear...

Cheers,

Eric
 
HP1707A

Oh....Oh... I have heard that the HP 1700 series aren't as good as the Tektronics. There is good reason the TEK465s go for what they do. For other used scope shoppers, there are plenty of companies selling reconditioned used test equipment. A search on the web should find a few. I'm lucky since almost as many people have scopes as have guns here around Dallas. 50 or 60Mhz is good enough for audio and digital audio work.

H.H.
 
HP 1741A

Eric and all,

the Tek 465 is a very good choice, not a cheap one however. I had one and a 468 in use when i was a working student, so i know to appreciate both instruments. as a A buddy of mine bought a 465 and is very happy with it. Me, i found something even better, a HP 1741A. The thing had more than the promised 100MHz of bandwidth, the screen image was atleast as sharp and focused as my buddy's Tek 465 and, well, it is an analogue storage scope.
(Sometimes essential, particularly for a TT designer. I can mount a cheap phono cartridge on a stand and let the stylus touch platter, plinth, tonearm base, whatever and let it record step responses.)

I always loved the Teks, but AFA triggering tricky, noisy signals is concerned, i always preferred the German cheapo brand Hameg. And found my HP to be even better in that respect. In fact, my thing's triggering is the best i have ever experienced with an analogue scope.
So i cannot second the bad rep of HP 1700 series (maybe i had luck atleast once in my life :) .... getting that particular device).
 
Go Mainframe!

I would like to humbly suggest you get a Tek 7000 series mainframe. Why? Because they are beautiful, rugged, and flexible. The only problem is that they are big. My 7704A takes up a lot of bench space. Look for the 7603 for audio work.

But the REAL benefit here is that you can buy a 7A22 plug-in. Oops, maybe I shouldn't have let the secret out. This front-end will kill ANYTHING else out there for audio work. Not only is it differential, but it goes down to 10uV/div. You can see and measure things easily where NO other scope would even have a clue.

I would also suggest the 7A13 for higher bandwidth work.

jh
 
hagtech,

I also saw your other post on the regulator problem. Shouldn't it be possible to build a decent differential probe with the nice superfast in-amps and diff amps available nowadays?

Another question: any opinion on 7623A mainframe, 7A18 dual trace (?) amps and 7B53A dual time bases?

Greetings,

Eric
 
diff probe

Sure, you can roll your own differential probe for specialty applications. I did one for measuring speaker cables (telephone wire post). The issue is how much bandwidth you need. Are you looking at just audio or also the RF interference (regulator post)?

Personally I like the AD830. LT has a similar part.

Not familiar with the 7623. Is that the one with a storage CRT? The 7a18 and 7b53a are fine for audio work. I think they're all good out to 60MHz or so. Most importantly, you can plug in a 7a22.

jh
 
help on trigger modes needed

After many fruitless exploits with the parcel service, my HP 1707B from ebay arrived today. Damn, it was supposed to be ok and there are problems. While waiting for the parcel, I let a Tek 475 slip last night.

Anyway, the biggest problem is that in all trigger modes and with all input frequencies the signal looks fine, but overlayed is a signal of the same intensity and amplitude that seems to be mirrored in x-direction (time) and is time stretched by about a factor of four. When I use the vernier (variable x-magnification), the stretching factor becomes bigger, maybe 10). I suspect that this the cathode ray is not switched off when it is returning. Is this diagnosis correct or may I have overlooked a button? Also, the ray seems to sit at the left side of the image for some time before the scan begins, which makes for a very bright spot there. I cannot influence this with the trigger and time base settings, I can just shift it so far to the left that it disappears off the tube.

Also, could somebody explain to me what the trigger holdoff does? It's been a long time since I worked with an analog scope...


Thanks,

Eric
 
CRT

You're probably right about the CRT blanking. There may be an adjustment inside. It sounds like what you are seeing the the retrace. Maybe you can adjust a G2 or "screen" pot, or perhaps there is a failed transistor which drives the blanking. In that case, you'll need to get ahold of a manual.

Holdoff is a one-shot time delay that is used to prevent early re-triggering. Basically, once you get a trigger, this control sets a delay that holds off all other triggers until the time expires.

These older scopes use tunnel diodes for triggers instead of a comparator. But the final effect is the same. It sounds like yours is working fine. Keep digging into the blanking circuit.

jh
 
TEK 7XXX Series

The TEK 7XXX series scopes (I have a 7704a) are not expensive and plug-ins are dirt cheap. If you want, you can add a frequency counter, spectrum analyzer (7L5 for audio), etc. I purchased mine on EBay for under $100 and parted out the 7M11 which came with it bringing my cost down to zero. Manuals are also easy to come by. Here's a good link to Tek Scope prices: http://www.vaxxine.com/phil/scopes/test.htm

I concur with the recommendation of the 465's, in addition, the 2465 is a really excellent scope. I would not recommend the 2215 since CRT has a somewhat delicate foil which is easily damaged if the scope is dropped or bumped. Avoid the temptation of buying this inexpensive item.
 
Thanks for the comments on the various Tek series. I guess there is nothing to be said against a 466 (465 with analog storage)?

There are indeed various 22xx offered cheaply. Thanks also for the warning.

There are various 24xx around, but they are VERY expensive. Was there a 23xx series? I think I saw some but the offers are gone now.

Eric
 
HP 1707B bandwidth

I am in a serious fight with the ebay-seller if those defects were there when he shipped the scope.

He also claimed the scope had 100 MHz bandwidth which I doubt. If this statement was wrong, this might be the easiest way to force him to take it back. Does anybody have a list of old HP specs?

Also found a Tek 454 A at 150 MHz bandwidth offered. Is this the predecessor to the 465, 475 series?

Thanks,

Eric
 
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