EEVblog 1450- $99 Fluke Combiscope Ebay SCORE - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 23, 2022, 10:28:50 pm
content: A $99 Fluke PM3370B Combiscope score from Ebay!Will it work?

author: BreakingOhmsLaw
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 10:02:34 am
content: I used to work for Philips back in the 90s in a factory for CRTs.We made absolutely *everything* when it came to parts. Open any parts drawer in the workshop, Philips, Philips, Philips, Philips ,Philips. You could source practically everything you wanted from within the company. Good times.All the Test Equipment: Philips, Philips, Philips, Philips ,Philips. If any test equipment would fail, you'd go to an office where a guy would pull out a microfiche of the circuit diagram and service manual of any Philips device in existence. Pure madness to keep it up-to-date, but hey, this was before the internets. You could then take it and view it on these ridiculously large microfiche viewers.Philips was an absolute behemoth. Then they started selling everything and it now is only shadow of itself. Fond memories.By the way, you are lucky: The analog counterpart - PM3070 - still uses the old power supply board with RIFA timebombs. I have one here in my lab that I got to take home when the factory was dismantled. It's cost a fortune back then. Still use it now and then, the trigger section in these units is absolutely brilliant. You can tell that these were designed by engineers that used them themselves.

author: Teo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 10:57:43 am
content: Hi Dave! I got a fully functional PM3380A as gift some time ago and the seller was so kind to also send in all of its resources, so I have every kind of manual (compatible with your 3370B), including the service manual and even several programs that unfortunately I cannot run on win10, but whatever...If you want I can send you these, just let me know how to send you all that stuff 'cause it's quite heavy in terms of memory (the sevice manual it's 50MB alone)

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 11:34:08 am
content: Welcome to the forums. Upload manuals and software to these websites, just check first it's not already uploaded and compress the software in a rar or zip and make it clear with an additional uploaded .txt file what the software is for and does. Same for firmware images etc (include the versions and models). Alternatively throw it in an open access google share and link to it.Most companies don't have a problem with it being uploaded, I only recall Apple and Toshiba whinging about distribution of laptop service manual and training material. Fluke/Phillips would probably encourage you to upload it.http://www.ko4bb.com/getsimple/index.php?id=manualshttps://xdevs.com/contact/

author: Teo
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 01:31:49 pm
content: Thank you! I'll post the link down below ASAP, it will take some time though. Thanks for your suggestion

author: free_electron
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 25, 2022, 05:52:04 pm
content: Philips had a penchant to make everything in their test equipment custom. all those oQ parts are unobtainium. They rarely break though.Many of these scopes are plagued by the EHT cascade (high voltage generator for the tube) flashing over. ( which is most likely what is happening here. the cascade arcs , causing the power supply to go in overload and shutting down. )My first 'digital' scope was a philips PM3050 with the LCD display next to the picture tube. The entire control is ran over an i2c bus. every single chip was wired into that and the entire scope was run from an 8031 microcontroller. it had 2k of acquisition memory per channel.The nice thing about these machines is that they are true analog scopes. the 'digital ' portion is simply a recorder in front of the analog shebang. it digitizes the signal and keeps playing it back. by turning off the block you have the analog machine.They are also dual beam scopes. in analog mode the traces have individual beams. once you switch to digital one beam is used for waveform playback , the other for text and menus ( hence the individual intensity control for text and trace. )I have fond memories of that machine. traded it for a hp54645d , never looked back.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 04:44:34 am
content: Quote from: Teo on January 25, 2022, 10:57:43 amThanks. I've got the service manaul PDF already.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 04:46:04 am
content: Quote from: free_electron on January 25, 2022, 05:52:04 pmSomeone else mentioned this as well, supposedly RIFA caps inside?. If it is the trippler then I don't like my chances of getting a direct replacement

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 06:12:51 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 27, 2022, 04:46:04 amThere is a bunch of parts units out there, you just need to put the word out. I have two PM3065 and a parts PM3350 playing a crucial life support role, so unfortunately no donors. But here is a sexy PM3055 pic instead.

author: lowimpedance
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 27, 2022, 09:47:56 am
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 27, 2022, 04:46:04 amI my early days of learning to fix electronic gadgets TV'S from curbside cleanups were a popular target, and in particular Philips was a favourite. So the mention of tripplers tripped a memory cell that those were a common failure point in those sets and spares were available from Wagner electronics in AshfieldA quick look at the combiscope manual gives a part BG2000 for the trippler which also turns up in an old Wagner pdf search. No idea what if any stock of old TV parts they still have but I suspect this part may be easier to get than it first seems.One other possible thought is the power supply has an overtemp thermistor to monitor the PS temp and will shut down the supply if detected, perhaps that is the suspect cct and not the trippler!.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 10:04:29 am
content: Quote from: Shock on January 27, 2022, 06:12:51 amI lusted after that scope when I was a kid!

author: HighVoltage
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 11:07:46 am
content: Even today these scopes are wonderful and have a place in the lab.I still have about 20 of these scopes around.If you need the original Software to control the scope from a PC over RS232 let me know.You can even take screen shots over the software, which was very special in those days.

author: Shock
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: January 28, 2022, 12:44:22 pm
content: Quote from: EEVblog on January 28, 2022, 10:04:29 amI know, you told me 9 years ago hehe. I used to lust after Dick Smiths Multiband Receiver due to aesthetics (until I looked inside and saw chinesium). That Philips model is classy though, you could sell a clean design like that (but cut down, with an led screen) even today.

author: Old Fart Analog Engineer
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: February 02, 2022, 07:33:46 pm
content: REPAIR PM3370B:Its the Over Voltage / Over Current protection SCR circuit in the "mains" power supply. There is a trimpot to adjust it which works as a voltage divider to set the trip point. It is likely corroded and increases or opens which triggers the SCR to to latch and shut it all down. Clean that with some contact cleaning spray, maybe also "rock" it back and forth a little bit. It is likely to have silver plated contacts, which are tarnished. If it is a "Piher" brand (used throughout European electronics) it is junk. Philips also made some which were marginally better. Also the link to the Forum is wrong.

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 03, 2022, 04:31:18 am
content: Quote from: Old Fart Analog Engineer on February 02, 2022, 07:33:46 pmThere is no trimpot on the board.