Many laboratories, and physics departmants at really large universities still maintain a usable TEK tube scope. They do have their applications for use even today. Weather its a good investment or not for you is totally your own decision, but each one is certainly a work of art in its own right.
Mark
Mark
@apassgear:
Yep, it'sallways that we hear of guys who get so good things so cheap in ebay.
Well, we sometimes hear from people who got terribly s..cked do to a ebay rip off - but let's ignore this simply ;-)
So apass, go and try your luck ;-))
@ Mark:
the guys are right about the 4xx tube scopes:
The older 453 and 454 scopes have nuvistors input stage until a certain age. Later models (high serial 453/454 and of course 453A/454A) have total semiconductor inside (FET frontend).
The 454A are nice and reliable, sale here around 250 euros for a good one. Non-A is of course lower. The good news: Totally discrete circuitry, so you can repair these for the next decades, parts available easily.
To the 5xx ceramic: Well, you need the silver bearing solder if you solder often to the ceramic strips. For a few repairs, it does not cause problems to take the standard SnPb solder.
@ jackinny:
Well, garden work is so nice - show us a picture of your greens, if you like. We would like to see how strong your back is affected ;-)
hth,
Andreas
Yep, it'sallways that we hear of guys who get so good things so cheap in ebay.
Well, we sometimes hear from people who got terribly s..cked do to a ebay rip off - but let's ignore this simply ;-)
So apass, go and try your luck ;-))
@ Mark:
the guys are right about the 4xx tube scopes:
The older 453 and 454 scopes have nuvistors input stage until a certain age. Later models (high serial 453/454 and of course 453A/454A) have total semiconductor inside (FET frontend).
The 454A are nice and reliable, sale here around 250 euros for a good one. Non-A is of course lower. The good news: Totally discrete circuitry, so you can repair these for the next decades, parts available easily.
To the 5xx ceramic: Well, you need the silver bearing solder if you solder often to the ceramic strips. For a few repairs, it does not cause problems to take the standard SnPb solder.
@ jackinny:
Well, garden work is so nice - show us a picture of your greens, if you like. We would like to see how strong your back is affected ;-)
hth,
Andreas
Mark A. Gulbrandsen said:
I was already hooked when i saw this scope.
The owner had difficulty parting from it.
The scope is fully functional and well maintained, with CA and L plugin units, and all the manuals in as new condition.
Don't tell the girlfriend i am starting a Tek collection.
Attachments
jacco vermeulen said:
Don't tell my wife either:
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
for those who don't know of what SY speaks:
no, I do not own a W PlugIn -- i was limited to a CA when I had the ol' boatanchor.
An externally hosted image should be here but it was not working when we last tested it.
no, I do not own a W PlugIn -- i was limited to a CA when I had the ol' boatanchor.
The W had the single coolest cathode follower I've ever seen. Current source AND cascode, all wrapped around a Nuvistor.
is there a freeware oscilloscope that uses soundcard input and which gets better resolution than the demo of RTA?
I am a cheap A$$...
If there isnt, ill go back to using my tounge.
thanks!
I am a cheap A$$...
If there isnt, ill go back to using my tounge.
thanks!
Better resolution in which respect?? I think the limitations are more likely with the sound card than with the software, unless you are talking about the spectrum analysis part, which is useless in the free version....
For a while I thought that my measurements higher than t about 5Khz which start to triangulate on a sine wave, were looking wrong due to TrueRTA, but I have also tried audiotester, and done a record in Speaker Workshop, and they all give the same very triangular looking sine waves. There is a program called Oscilloscope too, which I breifly looked at once, but I can't remember why I chose to use true rta instead.
I'm using an Audigy II ZS with 96Khz sample rate for recording and can only get decent results (visually) up to about 5Khz.... I've only measured stuff which has been generated by the sound card... It would be interesting to see how the waveform looked if it was generated by something other than the sound card though.... maybe it's the output that is the problem.....
I downloaded a spectrum analysis program recently called spectran which was kinda interesting, but I didn't really have time to work out if it was usefull or not, it is supposed to be for ham radio use....
Tony.
For a while I thought that my measurements higher than t about 5Khz which start to triangulate on a sine wave, were looking wrong due to TrueRTA, but I have also tried audiotester, and done a record in Speaker Workshop, and they all give the same very triangular looking sine waves. There is a program called Oscilloscope too, which I breifly looked at once, but I can't remember why I chose to use true rta instead.
I'm using an Audigy II ZS with 96Khz sample rate for recording and can only get decent results (visually) up to about 5Khz.... I've only measured stuff which has been generated by the sound card... It would be interesting to see how the waveform looked if it was generated by something other than the sound card though.... maybe it's the output that is the problem.....
I downloaded a spectrum analysis program recently called spectran which was kinda interesting, but I didn't really have time to work out if it was usefull or not, it is supposed to be for ham radio use....
Tony.
the freeware RTA measures in whole octaves.if i were to spend some green, it would measure in thirty secondths or maybe even fiftieths?
much nicer.
ill check out that other program.
much nicer.
ill check out that other program.
Audiotester has much better resolution on the spectrum analysis, but the free version only runs for a certain time and then quits (can't remember how long). You can start it up again and run for the same time again, but it is a little anoying 🙂
Tony.
Tony.
@ jackinny:
You mean: Adaption can be made to make a 5000 series plug-in work in a TM500/TM5000 case.
The other way round (TM500 plugins in a 5000 scope base), that will be a though rewiring.
What I did: Using a non-working, cheap garage sale 5000 Scope and use the lower half to make the vertical scope plugins (preamps ) usuable for other projects.
Well, I did not see much sense to use the timebase plugins in a tm500 -- do you have an application?
@tade
Well, try alittle bit google: There are some russuin (?) AFAIR, freeware progs with nice resulution.
You mean: Adaption can be made to make a 5000 series plug-in work in a TM500/TM5000 case.
The other way round (TM500 plugins in a 5000 scope base), that will be a though rewiring.
What I did: Using a non-working, cheap garage sale 5000 Scope and use the lower half to make the vertical scope plugins (preamps ) usuable for other projects.
Well, I did not see much sense to use the timebase plugins in a tm500 -- do you have an application?
@tade
Well, try alittle bit google: There are some russuin (?) AFAIR, freeware progs with nice resulution.
I don't know how available they are in Oz, but the Hitachi scopes were pretty decent for the money, and go for a song now on Ebay. I used to use a Hitachi V-302B before I graduated up to a Tek 465. The trace was crisp, and the controls were simple and intuitive. It was also reasonably light and easy to handle. At the time, it was a choice between the Hitachi and a Hameg scope as the only two I could afford new - I'm glad I chose the Hitachi. The V302B goes up to 30MHz, which is sufficient for audio work. The onlly time it let me down was when I was tracking down an 80MHz parasitic oscillation. It actually displayed the oscillation, but as lower amplitude than it actually was due to the limited bandwidth. I also see the Kikusui scopes going for less than the Tek 465. They appear to have about the same functionality and similar layout to a 465, but I have no experience with how well thay actualy work.
Looks like we have a lot of Tektronix fans here. No wonder -the 465 is a nice portable, and since it was sold so often it is now still fairly easy to get spares (in case you need).
The Iwatsu are quite right too, often called "poor man's Tektronix". Well, Hitachi in the 3xx sereis are nice too, Avoid the 2xx, too early roll off in bandwitdh.
The Kenwood 70 and 100 MHz series are interesting too: Often overlooked in the flewmarkets, bat good data and reliable instruments.
well, just my 2cts. ;-)
hth,
Andreas
tekman said:
I noticed some Kenwood scopes that were branded as Trio, or is that a series name ?
Is there a general ranking for Japanese scopes ; build quality, functionality, price tag ?
@ jacco:
As a buy-out/joint, Trio and Kenwood T&M joined. So that's why you see Trio-Kenwood. Similar as you see in cars manufacturing Daimler-Chrysler ;-))
. Well, they did not go that far to write it on the cars...;-)
Hmm, of course there will be a general ranking in japanese scope like it is in all technical things worldwide. But I leave it to some dude more wise than I am to throw in the expertise.
Anybody willing to try?
cu,
Andreas
As a buy-out/joint, Trio and Kenwood T&M joined. So that's why you see Trio-Kenwood. Similar as you see in cars manufacturing Daimler-Chrysler ;-))
. Well, they did not go that far to write it on the cars...;-)
Hmm, of course there will be a general ranking in japanese scope like it is in all technical things worldwide. But I leave it to some dude more wise than I am to throw in the expertise.
Anybody willing to try?
cu,
Andreas
wrenchone said:
good to know 🙂 I saw a hitachi one on ebay a week or two ago, don't know how much it went for, I think it was up to about $65 last time I looked, but I got busy and forgot to check back before the auction ended.
Tony.
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