Do you collect oscilloscopes? - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: slburris
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2010, 04:19:51 am
content: Thinking about the DMM collections people have talked about, I was wonderingif anyone else collects oscilloscopes? If so, what do you have?I had to think a moment about my count, but I think it's 7:Velleman HPS5 - 5mbit/sec sampling DSOWittig Oszifox penscope - 20mbit/sec sampling DSOBitscope BS50 - 40mbit/sec sampling DSO with 8 bit logic analyzerRigol DS1052E (thanks to Dave) - 1gbit/sec sampling DSOTektronix 2236A - 100Mhz analogTektronix 2246A - 100Mhz analogTektronix 2465 - 300Mhz analogOf these, I use the Tek 2236A and Rigol scopes the most. OccasionallyI use the Bitscope, but oddly more as a quick and dirty logic analyzerthan a scope.The Velleman and Oszifox scopes are pretty useless to me.The Tek 2246A has a noisy trace problem, presumably I need to at leasttear it apart and replace all the tantalum capacitors with modern ones, butI haven't found the time to do that yet.The Tek 2465 sits on its little shrine (scope stand), and is used onlywhen no other scope will work. Since the 24XX series has some custom Tekparts that are unobtainium, I'm trying to keep the hours on this scope ata minimum.Scott

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: June 24, 2010, 06:15:21 am
content: I don't collect them, as I don't have the room, but have acquired and bought/sold quite few over the years.Same with multimeters. But now with the blog I have multimeters coming out my bodily orifices!Dave.

author: slburris
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2010, 01:50:46 pm
content: Some people collect cars, some collect dolls, some collect antique radios.I ended up collecting test equipment from Ebay about 3-4 years ago.Unfortunately (or fortunately if you ask my wife!) you just don'tsee the kind of bargains now that you used to, so I rarely find anything now.And since I'm a natural packrat, I can't seem to get rid of this stuff.Who would want a 5m/s Velleman these days anyway? Althoughpeople are buying the DSO nano, so who knows. Yes, the nanois much cuter than the HPS5.Of course I'm also the guy with 4 Fluke multimeters too. But now I canpoint to one of the multimeter episodes and say I need 4 so I can measurevoltage and current simultaneously at two points. Yeah, that'sthe explanation!And Dave needs so many multimeters for "testing" :-)Scott

author: Rhythmtech
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2010, 03:09:00 pm
content: I wish I collected Oscilloscopes. Haven't had the resources or space to and always had one available at work or school.

author: saturation
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2010, 07:47:49 pm
content: Wow. Collect oscilloscopes, I can barely imagine. But if you stack them up against a wall and turn them all on, it will look like a set for a sci-fi movie.I too have a Velleman [ and a dead Trio-Kenwood], the HPS-40, which is near top of the line hand held. I use it were I wouldn't take the Rigol and where the risk of loss or damage was high, like on the field. Its easier to lug around, its not meant to be accurate but good enough to show its not DC and roughly what the waveforms are.Quote from: slburris on June 24, 2010, 01:50:46 pm

author: slburris
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2010, 08:30:26 pm
content: The 2465 was given to me for free by a friend, and the other Tektronix scopeswere picked up on Ebay in working condition for about $100 each.Sad to say that the Fluke 87-V costs more than all the Tek scopes combined.Hard to find any 100Mhz Tek stuff now for $100 that aren't the usualuntested, wouldn't know how to test, can't find the power switch, blah blah blah,i.e. parts units.Scott

author: DJPhil
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: June 24, 2010, 11:27:26 pm
content: Quote from: slburris on June 24, 2010, 08:30:26 pmThat was my experience on ebay. I spent the better part of the last four months looking at sub-$200US scopes and the vast majority seemed very risky. There were a few regulars selling refurbished units who managed to inspire confidence, but their prices for 400 and 2200-ish series Tek scopes was closer to $250US. If I wasn't on a shoestring budget I wouldn't have agonized over it much, but shelling out $100US and hoping not to get a lemon seemed like a bad idea, and the Rigol seemed within reach.Here's my advice. If you are in the US and want an older analog Tek from ebay, plan on spending $180US minimum to someone who buys parts scopes and tunes them up. Look for a good reputation in past sale comments. Don't be surprised if the shipping is over $50US, these older scopes (particularly the 400 series Teks) are fairly heavy and some of these folks take pains to ship them properly in a larger box. The guys who know what they're doing know what you want to see to feel good about buying over ebay, they'll have half a dozen or more pictures demonstrating traces and trigger functions. If it's your first scope and your budget is tight, fight the urge to jump on an 'untested, powers up' $80US gamble, just keep saving.I wound up lucking out (I think) and picking up a 465B from a guy on craigslist for $150US. Around here you'll only see a scope on craigslist about once every couple of months. It needed some minor repair and the trace is slightly blurry but it sure beats having nothing at all. It was last calibrated in 1994 and seems to be fine with the very rudimentary tests I can devise. Now I'm half wishing I'd saved up longer for a Rigol or perhaps the sexy Instek that just became affordable. Given the slightest financial opportunity I'd flip old scopes just like those guys do. That would suit my personality and interests perfectly, and I'd consider it a life well lived to do that for twenty years. I couldn't bear to collect more instruments than I'd have use for, I'd hate to see them go unused and I'd find them a home eventually. That's just my weirdness though.I know I've got a reasonably reliable analog scope either way. At least now my workbench feels more like a lab and less like a soldering station.

author: tekfan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 14, 2011, 11:22:50 pm
content: Ebay is probably the best thing that happened to me. Most of the scopes I bought were defective and in need of repair.Thankfully there is a nice firm in Canada which has most of the custom ASICs for the older tek scopes.Here's my list of things that are oscilloscopes or remotely resemble them:Tek 7905 (500Mhz mainframe)Tek 7603 (100Mhz mainframe)Tek 7613 (100Mhz analog storage mainframe)Tek 561 (tube 10Mhz, sadly missing HV transformer)Tek 2236 (probably the most useful oscilloscope I have ever used)Tek DSA602A (digital 1Ghz, 2GS/s mainframe)Tek 1502 TDR (sady doesn't work, tunnel diodes shorted)HP 1980b (100Mhz mainframe)Multimeters:Datron 1072 (7.5 digit)A good analog russian taut band multimeterSolartron 7150Signal sources:Tek FG504 (40Mhz function generator)Tek 106 pulse generator (<1ns risetime)Tek 191 sig gen (50kHz-100MHz)Plugins:7A24 (400MHz vertical amp)7A26 (200MHz vertical amp)7A18 (80MHz vertical amp)7A13 (100MHz differential amp)7B50 (100Mhz time base if anyone knows where to get tunnel diodes please say something)7B53 (100Mhz time base)7B10 (1GHz time base)7D01 (logic analyzer and display formatter)7D15 (250MHz counter)11A32 (400MHz vertical amp)11A71 (1GHz vertical amp)Power supplies:couple of DIY ones4x Lambda 40V 1ALCR meters:ESI 2160 LCR videobridgeOther:Tek TM501Tek TM504Tek AM501 (current probe amp)

author: lowimpedance
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2011, 12:45:28 am
content: tekfan, thats a nice line up of gear. You have any space left?.The odd bit of gear I have aqquired over the years is;1 Tek 7834 with 7A26 verticals and 7B80/7B85 time bases.2 Tek 7403 with 7A18n verticals and 7B53a time base (love the big screen)3 Tek 2235 (actually purchased new!!)4 Tek 22155 TDS 3206 Tek 2430 (found on a pile of junk in a council clean up near home, only problem was bad power supply electrolytics!)7 HP 54504aand last but not likely the last a Rigol 1052E (just because its small and a lot more portable than the lot above).All the oldies above are still in good working order. (and kept that way when needed!!).Now what else have I poked into the last remaining crevice hmmm oh yes almost forgot the very first CRO I owned,a Solartron Schlumberger CD1740 with a CX1741 vertical and CX1744 dual time base.I have lost count of the number of times I had to revive that one. (now fully retired).that will do for CRO's for now.cheersJohnPS dont get me started on counters.

author: tecman
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2011, 01:18:24 am
content: I guess I have to list mine as well:Tek 547 w/1A1, 1A4, 1L5, 1L10 and 1L20 plug-insTek T202 - First LCD from TekTek SC504Tek SC502Tek SC501 - four of theseTek 214Tek 224HP 54100DRigol 1052Fluke 97 ScopeMeterDSO NanoPlus not quite scopes, but:Advantest R9211C FFT analyzerTek 3560A portable FFT analyzerTek 2714 Spectrum AnalyzerTek 1503B TDRMostly I use the SC504, Rigol and Advantest and 2714 spectrum analyzersPaul

author: the_raptor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2011, 04:46:11 am
content: I am insanely jealous of all your oscilloscope collectorsI have to agree with DJPhil about eBay. You really have to troll it for months to get a good deal. It has taken me three months to get a good deal on a amateur radio and I still haven't seen any real good and cheap o-scopes.

author: david77
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2011, 10:56:18 am
content: I wouldn't say I collect them but a few have found their way to me:50MHz 2-channel Hitachi analog scope25MHz 2-channel Philips analog scopeHameg 107 1-channel analog scopeIf I ever come across a Tek 222, 221, 214 etc. handheld scope that'd be something I'd love to have,they're kind of cute and no doubt much more useful than the Velleman HPS5, wich is crap.

author: Psi
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2011, 12:13:43 pm
content: Quote from: tekfan on March 14, 2011, 11:22:50 pmYeah, got to love old Lambda power supplys, i have one that has 4 isolated and adjustable modules installed.Can wire them up in series to get any voltage from like 2V to 35V at 12A or 2V to 6V at 25ASo very useful when you need high current for things.

author: tekfan
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2011, 01:24:42 pm
content: I actually fried the MC1466 chip in one of the Lambdas with a flyback transformer (bad idea). I made a replacement with discrete components and mounted it inside, so now it's fully functional again. It is a very nice chip for building power supplies. I built a few of my own with it. There are some app notes in the datasheet.

author: Fryguy
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 15, 2011, 05:06:34 pm
content: I've got only one scope here and i love itA Tek 7603 Mainframe with 2x 7A16A vertical amp and 1x 7B53A timebase . An additional 7A13LED differential amp module (latest version with LED display) is sitting right next to the scope .I only had to replace the 3 screengrid illumination lamps when i bought it . It has been in perfect working condition ever since .The 7A13LED was a nice bargain - a local surplus dealer had it listed at 398,- - i bought it on ebay from a military depot (1A condition with manual) for 28 bucksThis Tek scope is about 40 years old and it's still a serious piece of equipment .P.S. Nice homemade chip tekfan !

author: Ernie Milko
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 18, 2011, 12:13:53 pm
content: I *LOVE* scopes, real, analogue scopes from the 1970s.I'm down to a couple of Teks and a couple of Gould/Advances.

author: Oldradioguy2
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 02, 2011, 02:50:15 pm
content: I have the same disease you guys seem to have. I had 4 scopes at one time, including my gorgeous Model 547 with its 6 plug-ins. (including the 1A4) Selling it on eBay is out of the question since it weights 63 lbs. I sold a Johnson Viking ranger transmitter there once, and I got a hernia packing it for shipping. My 547 works perfectly so I hate to part with it.

author: Computeruser
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2011, 04:20:32 pm
content: I have a TEK7104, a TEK7704a (both eBay purchases and very inexpensive), a TEK455A2B2 that I purchased new in 1978 and that still works well, and a TEK TDS2024C that is new. ... C

author: FreeThinker
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2011, 05:01:45 pm
content: Still got my first scope a Crotech 10Mhz single channel. Got it second hand from a Tech college for cheap and repaired it. Still gets a trot out now and then for old times sake and is still a useful tool. Don't have a DSO yet but keeping a lookout for something good and cheap.

author: Semantics
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2011, 05:19:01 pm
content: Quote from: tekfan on March 15, 2011, 01:24:42 pmThat's beautiful! Reminds me of Doc building the time circuits out of 1955 parts on the hood of the Delorian.

author: Lawsen
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2011, 07:15:40 pm
content: No, I do not collect oscilloscopes intentionally. Even as low end, on call HP giant Eagle Jet plotter care taker and geologist I am, that I have three to four oscilloscopes, not high end, but middle to low end types.Rigol 1052e, very commonly on this blogAtten ADS 1102CAL, 100 MHz 500 MSamples/second with 7 inches diagonal LCDAgilent low priced DSOX2002a, 70 MHzold analog Tektronix 465, antiqueI use mostly the Atten and Tektronix. I rarely use the Agilent, but when I travel, I usually take the Rigol, that is is compact and light weight. Sometimes, I would bring and Rigol and an Agilent as the standard to view on the screen along with an analog Philips multimeter 2205 and DMM like a Fluke, screw drivers, and small microscope and flash light. The Agilent DSOX2002A and Tektronix 465 analog are used to check for proper real time signal display. The Rigol and Atten display the signals faithfully. I find the Agilent waste of money and caused my debt. I did not trust the Tektronix 465, even though it is analog, but it is second hand. The Rigol and Atten are not brand names. I felt more comfortable with a brand name Agilent DSOX2002A, not debt and forced to travel far for low end service. I do not have room for more stuff.I use an Atten signal generator.I do like to use the HP vintage 3569 audio frequency spectrum analyzer and battery powered convenience and extremely light weight. I do not collect oscilloscopes, no desire for the bread box giant vacuum tube and components mounted on ceramic frame oscilloscopes.

author: vk6zgo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2011, 08:12:46 am
content: Not intentionally,but I do have 3:-1x BWD509--faulty triggering,like most other 509s I've come across---I've found the fault,but the thing is a nightmare to work on,so haven't fixed it!1x little 10MHz Jaycar Chinese single-channel thingy--bought it new to help fix the BWD,found it was extremely useful for a lot of general work.The EHT generator blew up on this one--- faulty transistor.Unidentifiable transistor type,but I had a similar packaged transistor salvaged from a switchmode power supply,stuck it in,& the beast lived again!1x Tektronix 7613 mainframe,with7A18,7A12,& 7B535A plugins. I got it at a Hamfest for $A135,which was the same as the little Jaycar cost!!At the last Hamfest I went to,there was another dead BWD509 very cheap,& an unknown make of handheld digital for $A90,but I put temptation behind me,& bought a little mobile ham radio for $A40--I've a bigger collection of those!That handheld appeared in next weeks local Classifieds ,so they mustn't have sold it.The week after,another one appeared for $A95.I was again sorely tempted! I know they are fairly useless,but it would be interesting to have one!VK6ZGO

author: dfnr2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2011, 09:33:04 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on June 24, 2010, 06:15:21 amIIRC, some twisted people will pay extra for that on Ebay.Dave

author: dfnr2
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2011, 10:02:52 am
content: I have several scopes, partly due to my method of acquiring them. When my main scope broke, I started trolling Ebay and other auctions sites; I bought a few scopes at really low prices, listed as "parts" or "untested", etc. One Scope I got on DoveBid was listed as "bad display", but I knew it had a VGA output. The idea was to repair my original scope with a parts scope, or repair one of the other "deals", get a good working scope, and a cheaper second scope, and sell the rest on Ebay. The final count is:HP 1725A - (275 MHz) first scope. These gems are generally undervalued. Lots of scope for the money. High quality and great performance; some really nice features for an analog scope. In storage now; can't bear to put it on Ebay just yet.Tek 2465A - (400 MHz). Got it to replace the 1725A because the Tek is what I used in grad school, and it's the analog scope I really wanted. Won't part with it.Tek 7834 - (400 MHz storage) - got this, the 7854, and tons of plugins for really cheap in a bulk purchase from a liquidation company's online auction site, back in the early days of Ebay, before those companies competed with ebay, instead of just using it. Both the 7384 and 7354 are in storage at the moment.Tek 7854 - (400 MHz analog with digital storage and processing features). Interesting. This is kind of a transitional scope between analog and digital scopes. I used it as an analog scope, but truthfully, a 7904A would be preferable. In storage now. Even though I don't really use these scopes, it's hard to get motivated to sell them. I have too many plugins, including the audio spec-analyzer and 7CT1N curve tracer.Lecroy 9384L - (1GHz) this was my main scope, but lost the video. Bought a parts scope on Ebay with a working CPU (and less burn-in on the CRT), and combined to make a single better scope. Now will probably sell on Ebay.Lecroy DDA-125 (1.5 GHz) Got this recently on Dove-bid. It was listed as "Bad Display" However, not only was the scope in pristine condition, it was actually still in calibration. I recently had it recalibrated. Can't decide to keep or sell.LeCroy Wavepro 7200A (2GHz) Similar story to above. Really great scope with all kinds of advanced math features. Had the CPU and memory upgraded at the factory, so I put an extra $2000 into this one; I plan to keep it. Only hassle is that it boots Windows XP, and takes 1.5-2 minutes to boot(!).Twintex TSO1152 - This is a re-branded Atten ADS1152CM scope. Currently up for sale on this board, but am re-thinking if I should just keep this as a portable scope on my assembly bench.Pretty much all these scopes are the result of trolling Ebay and other sites (some of which are only historical footnotes by now). However, once the scope is working, I spend some time cleaning it up, replacing questionable parts, etc. If I'm going to use it, I also get NIST calibration.Dave

author: elliott
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 08, 2011, 11:11:24 pm
content: I seem to be starting, last week picked up my first, a B&K Precision 2120 20Mhz, full analog. I brought it home after as thorough of a check as I could without anything but a constant power supply and a digital multimeter with a frequency counter. I started using it that night and noticed something weird, the traces would drift down the screen as I was trying to use it. I downloaded the service manual and looked around, I found the vertical calibration circuit diagram and started poking around, but everything seemed to be fine. I asked here and someone pointed me to the vertical preamp circuit, I found some flaky capacitors and a few bad diodes, tested more with a hair dryer pointed at the board, more of the capacitors started breaking down. So I ordered some parts from Mouser to fix it, all new capacitors and some diodes. I decided I needed a working oscilloscope in the mean time until the parts came, it can be hard to fix an oscilloscope without a working oscilloscope.I went back to Craigslist, I knew there were some Tektronix scopes on there for a reasonable price, but the guy was unresponsive before. Those turned out to be duds, he contacted me and sent me pictures, one wasn't a 100Mhz Tektronix at all, it was a Temna 60Mhz, so I decided it wasn't worth the drive.I saw a new one listed, a Tektronix 2221A, an old CRT digital storage scope. He had good pictures, showing that it at least displayed something, he wanted $120. I setup a meeting for this afternoon to look at it, it was 10 minutes from my house. He had no probes, so I grabbed my B&K's probes and went over. I get there and he had it ready, so I plug it in and let it warm up for at least 10 minutes. I play with the controls and get the probe calibration waves going. I started messing with the digital storage stuff and it was immediately clear there was a problem. The text is all smeared around for some reason. Though, I noticed if I leave all of that stuff turned off, it works quite well as a full analog scope and the traces were stable for at least an hour. It also had some flaky knobs, which if you hold them right, they will work fine and I could live with it. I talked him down to $40 and took it home, I figure I could sell it for parts for at least that if something major did pop up.The parts to fix the B&K are here and the scope is warmed up, going to get out the soldering and desoldering irons and get that running again.Oh, and the Rigol is still on the list to get soon.So yeah, I think it is starting.

author: bullet308
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 12, 2011, 02:17:51 pm
content: Whe i first got started, I bought a good-looking Tek 454A from a vendor in an adjoining state for cheap. Turns out it had been dropped and the tube was shattered. :-/ I then bought another won that looked good, again for cheap. Upon arrival, it appeared to have suffered a fan failure and burned up internally (lots of badly discolored boards, molten cap covers, etc. :-/ I transplanted the intact tube out of the burned up one (the tube looked good) into the other unit. It powers up but I cant get anything to display on the tube, so that is another project for another day. The eBay learning curve on o'scopes can be pretty steep. I now set the minimum bar for auctions as a scope being able to display a straight line on the tube if it is a reasonably easy to work on model. The 454A is known as being pretty easy to work on and as having no Tek proprietary ICs in it, so I may end up buying a third one that at least does not have a dead tube so I can swapo-changeo and end up with at least one good 454A for my trouble.I then found a supplier of industrial and military surplus electronics out of California on eBay that sold things cheap, and when they said something was untested, they really meant untested. I ended up ordering most of the stuff to set up my lab from them, including bench power supplies and multimeters...awesome stuff, DIRT cheap, and only a few clinkers in the mix. I ended up getting a pair of 7000 series Teks from them, a 7704 200mHz unit and 7834 400mHz storage scope. Both worked quite well, though the phosphor in the 7834's tube was too burned up to be of much use in storage mode. However, and as many of you I am sure already know, for home use those things are incredibly bulky and the first time money got tight, I sent them on to another home via eBay. I jsut didnt have room for either of them, much less both. Its funny...you depict an o'scope with any old squiggly line on the screen on eBay, and people want to give you more money for it...All I have up and running at the moment is a Tek 5110, which is WONDERFUL, with a big, clear display and a real joy to use...if all you need is 2mHz. I figure if I can get a 454A up and running and perhaps add a Rigol at some point, I will be pretty much set for life. :-)