i"m looking at getting a basic ocilloscope and have seen a few things in my price range around. current options are:
Kikusui COS5020 (20Mhz)
"HP 181A Oscilloscope, Storage, c/w HP 1801A, 50 Mhz Vert & HP 1821A 50 Mhz Horiz P/Ins, Status unknown"
Iwatsu DS-6121A (100mhz)
are any of these thinking seriously about for a first scope on a budget. Tek 465's (which seem to be a diyaudio.com fav) are a bit more $$ than I want to spend when they do turn up.
cheers
Paul
Kikusui COS5020 (20Mhz)
"HP 181A Oscilloscope, Storage, c/w HP 1801A, 50 Mhz Vert & HP 1821A 50 Mhz Horiz P/Ins, Status unknown"
Iwatsu DS-6121A (100mhz)
are any of these thinking seriously about for a first scope on a budget. Tek 465's (which seem to be a diyaudio.com fav) are a bit more $$ than I want to spend when they do turn up.
cheers
Paul
I have bought a new Iwatsu SS-5712, 4 CH, 200 MHz abt 20 years ago which is still OK.
Only fault during this time was a TO-5 transistor in the X-deflection which was easy to fix
because all circuit diagrams are in the user manual.
Other than switches and the tube no exotic parts. Very bright.
It was a good buy.
Gerhard
Only fault during this time was a TO-5 transistor in the X-deflection which was easy to fix
because all circuit diagrams are in the user manual.
Other than switches and the tube no exotic parts. Very bright.
It was a good buy.
Gerhard
A scope is an "enabling" technology. That means that once you have one, you find all sorts of uses for it that you didn't think of before you got a scope. This is especially true if it is a decent scope. 100 MHz BW is definitely decent and useful for many things.
Avoid "audio bandwidth" scopes. They are nearly useless because very little that is interesting happens at audio speeds/frequencies. On the other hand, if you want it for a prop that shows wiggly lines on the screen that bounce to the music, they are really great.
Make sure you get probes that match or exceed the BW of the scope. Switchable 10x probes are really useful. Be sure they are trimmable and the capacitance range matches the scope input capacitance, often marked on the front panel of the scope. Tektronix's web site has at least one good app note explaining how to choose scope probes. I suggest you read it before buying probes.
I_F
Avoid "audio bandwidth" scopes. They are nearly useless because very little that is interesting happens at audio speeds/frequencies. On the other hand, if you want it for a prop that shows wiggly lines on the screen that bounce to the music, they are really great.
Make sure you get probes that match or exceed the BW of the scope. Switchable 10x probes are really useful. Be sure they are trimmable and the capacitance range matches the scope input capacitance, often marked on the front panel of the scope. Tektronix's web site has at least one good app note explaining how to choose scope probes. I suggest you read it before buying probes.
I_F
I bought a Textronix 5110 off ebay a year or so ago for $40 with the hopes of using it on some amps - basic stuff...
I work with a group of older electrical engineers and technicians and none of them could show me how to use it...so its been sitting in my closet the whole time...
Anyone have a tutorial site they can refer me to? I have been able to do without, but wouldn't mind learning how to use it..
Also have a PC based Oscilloscope program some where too...
I work with a group of older electrical engineers and technicians and none of them could show me how to use it...so its been sitting in my closet the whole time...
Anyone have a tutorial site they can refer me to? I have been able to do without, but wouldn't mind learning how to use it..
Also have a PC based Oscilloscope program some where too...
Some engineers..? The 5110 is pretty straight forward.I would suggest getting a user/service manual..Tektronix does a real good job of explaining how to use the various functions..At least on my 2445's service manual they did...I used a 2445 or equivalent just about daily for 20 years as a stand alone scope in the EW Test station for F-15's
Dave
Attachments
A traditional oscilloscope uses a cathode ray tube (CRT) to draw a graph of voltage (Y axis) against time (X axis) by repeatedly tracing a beam of electrons onto the fluorescent phosphor screen to form a visible trace.
In order to produce a stationary trace, all oscilloscopes have three main blocks which need to be correctly adjusted.
The "Y" amplifier.
In its simplest form, the "Y" amplifier is merely responsible for controlling the deflection and positioning of the beam in the vertical direction of the display tube. Adjustment of the relative DC potentials on the "Y" plates shifts the beam, whilst adjustment of the input attenuator controls the sensitivity of the deflection - commonly labelled in volts/cm.
All oscilloscopes also have a choice of input coupling, marked AC, DC, or GND.
DC: All signals, including DC, are passed to the deflection plates; this is the preferred mode of operation as it does not cause distortion of low frequency signals. (Particularly important when investigating video signals.)
AC: DC is blocked by a capacitor, this is useful for investigating the AC conditions of a circuit separately from the DC conditions - such as faultfinding.
GND: This connects the input of the oscilloscope to ground; the trace can then be moved to a convenient reference point, and when returned to DC coupling, the movement of the trace from the reference allows the applied DC to be measured easily.
The timebase.
The timebase provides the horizontal, or "X", sweep, at variable speeds, ranging from seconds per cm to nanoseconds per cm. Often, there will be a control (fine, variable, or vernier) to allow the sweep speed to be finely adjusted such that a waveform conveniently fits on the screen; the horizontal sweep is now uncalibrated, and absolute measurements can no longer be made.
Triggering.
The purpose of the trigger is to synchronise the sweep of the timebase to the incoming signal and allow a stationary display of the correct part of the input signal.
Usually, you will derive the trigger internally from the "Y" amplifier, but when working on systems with synchronous signals, such as logic, or video, you will find it more convenient to use an external trigger signal.
Once the trigger source has been selected, the method of triggering can be decided. The simplest form of triggering is AC, which triggers the timebase each time the input waveform passes through zero volts. A more sophisticated method is to make the trigger voltage variable, and this is known as DC triggering; the trigger voltage is determined by the trigger level control. Additionally, whether in AC or DC mode, trigger slope can be chosen to be + or -, thus ensuring that the trigger only operates on complete cycles of the input waveform.
The ideal starting display has:
(a). 2/3 of the height of the screen occupied. (Y amplifiers)
(b). 1- 2 cycles of the waveform across the screen. (Timebase)
(c). A stationary display. (Trigger)
If you follow this sequence, you will find that you can quickly and easily make the oscilloscope work for you, rather than the other way around. Think about what you are doing. Identify the three blocks, read the labels on the controls, and carefully adjust them as necessary.
In order to produce a stationary trace, all oscilloscopes have three main blocks which need to be correctly adjusted.
The "Y" amplifier.
In its simplest form, the "Y" amplifier is merely responsible for controlling the deflection and positioning of the beam in the vertical direction of the display tube. Adjustment of the relative DC potentials on the "Y" plates shifts the beam, whilst adjustment of the input attenuator controls the sensitivity of the deflection - commonly labelled in volts/cm.
All oscilloscopes also have a choice of input coupling, marked AC, DC, or GND.
DC: All signals, including DC, are passed to the deflection plates; this is the preferred mode of operation as it does not cause distortion of low frequency signals. (Particularly important when investigating video signals.)
AC: DC is blocked by a capacitor, this is useful for investigating the AC conditions of a circuit separately from the DC conditions - such as faultfinding.
GND: This connects the input of the oscilloscope to ground; the trace can then be moved to a convenient reference point, and when returned to DC coupling, the movement of the trace from the reference allows the applied DC to be measured easily.
The timebase.
The timebase provides the horizontal, or "X", sweep, at variable speeds, ranging from seconds per cm to nanoseconds per cm. Often, there will be a control (fine, variable, or vernier) to allow the sweep speed to be finely adjusted such that a waveform conveniently fits on the screen; the horizontal sweep is now uncalibrated, and absolute measurements can no longer be made.
Triggering.
The purpose of the trigger is to synchronise the sweep of the timebase to the incoming signal and allow a stationary display of the correct part of the input signal.
Usually, you will derive the trigger internally from the "Y" amplifier, but when working on systems with synchronous signals, such as logic, or video, you will find it more convenient to use an external trigger signal.
Once the trigger source has been selected, the method of triggering can be decided. The simplest form of triggering is AC, which triggers the timebase each time the input waveform passes through zero volts. A more sophisticated method is to make the trigger voltage variable, and this is known as DC triggering; the trigger voltage is determined by the trigger level control. Additionally, whether in AC or DC mode, trigger slope can be chosen to be + or -, thus ensuring that the trigger only operates on complete cycles of the input waveform.
The ideal starting display has:
(a). 2/3 of the height of the screen occupied. (Y amplifiers)
(b). 1- 2 cycles of the waveform across the screen. (Timebase)
(c). A stationary display. (Trigger)
If you follow this sequence, you will find that you can quickly and easily make the oscilloscope work for you, rather than the other way around. Think about what you are doing. Identify the three blocks, read the labels on the controls, and carefully adjust them as necessary.
I bought one a few weeks ago. Had been looking on eBay, but figured they were too expensive for what I'd be doing. Eventually found a 60mhz 2213 for £26 with two adjustable 1-10x probes.
They are a very handy tool. It's good to be able to see just how smooth PSU output really is, and the difference various capacitors can make. It's also great for finding where the source of a problem lies.
They are great. A multimeter is essential for basic circuit debugging, but an oscilloscope will allow the user to trace problems to a far finer point in the circuit. A DMM is nigh-on useless for locating noise though...
--Rich
They are a very handy tool. It's good to be able to see just how smooth PSU output really is, and the difference various capacitors can make. It's also great for finding where the source of a problem lies.
They are great. A multimeter is essential for basic circuit debugging, but an oscilloscope will allow the user to trace problems to a far finer point in the circuit. A DMM is nigh-on useless for locating noise though...
--Rich
http://www.bcae1.com/
Scroll down the menu on the right hand side and find # 73. Click on the word "Oscilloscope".
Scroll down the menu on the right hand side and find # 73. Click on the word "Oscilloscope".
I also have a iwatsu scope and I like it very much.I don't have an operators manual but I am trying to figure it out.
SS-5712 Service
ManualSize : 17 MB
http://www.iti.iwatsu.co.jp/manual/pdf/ss5712-e-ServiceManual.pdf
Hi,
Keep an eye out for a Sencore SC61.. Great scope for the money.. After reading many recommendations on the forums, I just purchased one on the auction site for little cash.. Am doing my research now on using the scope but so far, scope seems straight forward and easy to use..
Regards,
ck
Keep an eye out for a Sencore SC61.. Great scope for the money.. After reading many recommendations on the forums, I just purchased one on the auction site for little cash.. Am doing my research now on using the scope but so far, scope seems straight forward and easy to use..
Regards,
ck
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