Informal survey: do you use 1960s test equipment - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 02:25:15 am
content: Either for hobby use or for work? Just curious. I have a collection of Tek 500 series stuff but it's more of a hoard to be admired. I used to use the 547 to tool around in my 8 bit computers but even I have to admit that a logic probe or a Rigol is easier and smaller and quieter to use.Is there an equivalent to Jim Williams today?

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:00:39 am
content: Every day, but not for work.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:13:40 am
content: 1960's is a bit old for most practical things and of course those scopes are HUGE. I have a few things from that era that are useful, but late 70s, 80's and 90's are more like it. There really was a lot of development in the period from say 1965 to 1975--for example ICs went from being rare, expensive curiosities to commonplace building blocks right in that era. Electronic digital multimeters appeared in that 10 year period as well.

author: med6753
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:17:23 am
content: Quote from: 0culus on August 25, 2021, 03:00:39 amDitto, but I'm retired.

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:19:31 am
content: I have a systron donner frequency counter from I think the 60s that I use. I also have a functioning 555 that I don't use but serves as shop art.

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:21:18 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on August 25, 2021, 03:13:40 amI would respectfully disagree if we are talking about 500 series Tek scopes. The 1960s was the golden age for them, and they areverygood oscilloscopes. My 547 is my daily driver. You definitely want a scope-mobile cart though! They are also invaluable for HV work. I know a guy who uses a 555 dual beam scope in his research for this purpose. You can do stuff to it that would blow up a modern scope in short order.

author: David Hess
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:28:49 am
content: I have a Tektronix 545A that I used as recently as 20 years ago, but only in winter. I have never used my more recently acquired Tektronix 547. I have several multimeters from the 1970s and oscilloscopes from the 1980s which I use. I have a pair of ESI DA250 impedance bridges from the 1960s which I used up until last year when I finally bought a DE-5000 LCR meter.

author: scuzzyTerminator
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:31:58 am
content: I have a 547. I use it to warm my room.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:32:38 am
content: Quote from: Ground_Loop on August 25, 2021, 03:19:31 amIs it a nixie tube display?

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:38:58 am
content: Quote from: 0culus on August 25, 2021, 03:21:18 amThe huge part or the practical part?Yes, they still have their occasional uses, but I don't have the room or the need for their unique characteristics. I suspect most would agree. But is your 547 actually from the 60's? Aren't most of those plug-ins later and solid-state, thus not as immune to HV damage like the all-tube models?

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 03:46:56 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on August 25, 2021, 03:38:58 amPracticality. Well, they stopped selling the 500 series around 1973 or so. So it could be early 70s. The 1 series plug ins that aren't samplers are usually rated for 600V combined dc+ac at the input BNC, so they are pretty damn robust. For optimum robustness, you do need to go a bit older, which is the part of my post you chose not to quote.

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 04:12:34 am
content: Quote from: 0culus on August 25, 2021, 03:46:56 amOh, I see. You were referring to the 555. Ok!

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 04:23:34 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on August 25, 2021, 04:12:34 amYeah. So, back to the original question. I use a range of equipment in my lab that dates from the early 1960s (some old -hp- stuff) through the late 1990s (my absolutely hulking 8664A RF sig gen) and everything in between. I'd say as a SWAG the median age is somewhere in the late 70s/early 80s.

author: Nusa
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 04:49:50 am
content: The most important piece of test equipment is your brain. Mine comes from the 1950's.

author: med6753
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 04:52:18 am
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on August 25, 2021, 03:38:58 amThe 547, along with the associated plug-in's, was introduced in 1964 and went out of production in 1975. It is a hybrid mix of vacuum tube and transistor, both germanium and silicon. The most common plug-in's, the 1A1 and 1A2, initially used nuvistors in the vertical pre-amp but later were upgraded to FET. So it kept up with rapid changes in technology during that era.

author: DaJMasta
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 04:59:33 am
content: My oldest regular use equipment is from the 90s, so no, and frankly unless you particularly like it or don't have another option, why would you?

author: 0culus
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 05:01:43 am
content: Quote from: DaJMasta on August 25, 2021, 04:59:33 amIf you aren't making money with your lab (I'm not, that's what the labs at work are for), older generally means lower cost of acquisition and an easier time finding service data to fix it.

author: gnavigator1007
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 05:07:35 am
content: I've got a fair number of things from the 60s, but to be honest, it just sits there looking pretty. I acquired most of it back when I could find stuff for really cheap and I was just starting out. I like the aesthetic and will occasionally use it if I'm working on something else from the era just for the novelty.

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 05:54:14 am
content: I love those old Tek scopes but they're just too big, I have multiple hobbies and space is a very valuable commodity. I do have a Keithley DVM with a nixie tube display that I use occasionally, I think it's mid 70s.

author: PartialDischarge
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 06:13:39 am
content: Sometimes I use an HP 410C meter. It has some advantages over any modern digital mm, even 6.5 digits ones

author: bd139
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 07:13:17 am
content: Nope. I’m happy to watch Martin.M, med6753, 0culus and factory doing itI would but I don’t have the time or space really. So it’s 70s+ here.

author: Andrew_Debbie
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 08:17:32 am
content: '70s and '80s yes. 60's no. I have a Beckman DMM I bought new in ~1981 and still use.Don't have the room for 1960's test gear. Our house is about 820sq ft.

author: shakalnokturn
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 11:46:02 am
content: No.

author: deafen
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 02:17:50 pm
content: I use a late 1960s Heathkit IP-17 power supply and a mid-1960s IM-11 VTVM from the mid-1960s on a regular basis.I've also got a 1957 HP 400AB rackmount AC VTVM and a 1959 HP 412A bench DC VTVM on the project list. The 400AB needs a pretty major rebuild, but the 412A just needs calibration and possibly replacement of a couple precision resistors. Both will be in regular use once rehabbed.Sadly, I missed my opportunity for a smokin' deal on 1960's Fluke 801BR/AG rackmount differential DC VTVM, but I'm keeping my eyes out ...(My day job involves enterprise data centers and cloud computing, so this is obviously all hobby stuff.)

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 04:48:16 pm
content: Oh I forgot, I do have a Heathkit IP-32, that's probably 60s, possibly even 50s, I don't actually know when it was produced.

author: med6753
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 05:33:06 pm
content: Quote from: james_s on August 25, 2021, 04:48:16 pmIt's not that early. Late 60's into the 70's. You can tell by the updated "Heathkit" logo.

author: thinkfat
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 05:52:31 pm
content: I have an AN/PRM-10 that I use occasionally to check resonance of antennas.

author: Gregg
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 06:14:06 pm
content: I have a 60’s vintage Variac that is built like a tank and some old analog volt and amp meters with old fashioned binding posts that require moving the test lead to change the input; none of that banana plug rubbish.I also have an old dim light bulb test I made in the 60’s.None of the above get much use except for one very nice analog volt meter I have connected to my alarm batteries. I like the analog for a quick glance assurance that all is well.

author: khutch004
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 07:00:01 pm
content: I will retire soon and have amassed a collection of old tube radios to restore. I also plan to get my amateur station on the HF bands again. So I have a "lab" in my basement and it uses a mixture of old and new equipment. I have a Simpson 260 and 303, a Heathkit V-7A, several tube testers, a couple of military RF signal generators, and a Tek 465 (which doesn't get used and which has a wonky channel). I also have a Siglent scope, spectrum analyzer, and function generator. My old stuff dates from the 70's, 60's and before but obviously I have an attraction to quite new gear too.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 07:04:23 pm
content: No '60s. Late 80s, 90s, 2000 (and some new) ...

author: james_s
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 07:28:39 pm
content: Quote from: med6753 on August 25, 2021, 05:33:06 pmInteresting, I guess I assumed it was older due to the fact that it's tube based, although now that I think about it there are some silicon diodes in it and back in the 50s those would have been selenium or tubes. Either way it's been very handy, it was given to me by my tech-ed teacher when I was in 8th grade as it was not useful for anything being done in that class. You don't see a lot of high voltage lab power supplies these days, it's perfect for playing with tubes.

author: KevinA
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 07:50:22 pm
content: Yes, up to retirement.Not by choice. The sales office, advertising department etc got anything they asked for, but service had to make do with a piece of wet string and anything tenth hand I managed to get for peanuts.

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 25, 2021, 11:56:03 pm
content: Quote from: bdunham7 on August 25, 2021, 03:32:38 amYep, I replaced the worn out orange filter with a red one. It looks fantastic in person.Also shown is my 555 with a bit of a hang over.

author: Hexley
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2021, 12:59:37 am
content: There are a few mid- to late-60s items here that get used from time to time:HP 6203B DC Power supply (from the Harrison era)HP331A Audio distortion analyzerHP 1103A "Trigger Countdown" (converted to a tunnel diode pulse generator with some simple mods)Tektronix Type 134 Current probe amplifier

author: bdunham7
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2021, 01:52:24 am
content: Quote from: Ground_Loop on August 25, 2021, 11:56:03 pmHoly prescaler!! Does it work?I have a nixie-display DMM from Fairchild but assembled by Systron-Donner (I think they were pretty close to Fairchild both geographically and otherwise) and those mid-to-late 60s instruments were showcases for brand new IC designs, many of which were quickly superseded so you only see them in a few years worth of stuff. And the original prices of that stuff would have been stupendous.

author: Ground_Loop
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2021, 11:06:02 am
content: Yea it works. If you're specifically asking about the prescaler, I think so. I don't have a signal source that goes high enough to adequately test it. If I feed it 3GHz (bottom of the input range) I can get the 1MHz indicator to illuminate and some stable numbers on the nixies. I also have another ACTO that is the lowest range of the three models produced. It appears not to work. I do very little RF work so repair will need to wait.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2021, 03:33:31 pm
content: Quote from: Hexley on August 26, 2021, 12:59:37 amOh yeah, I have one of those lying around, HP6284A, but I find it too big and hot even for me... It's got that huge ballast resistor in the back and it smells like a baseboard heater when it gets going!

author: PaulAm
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 26, 2021, 05:06:50 pm
content: I'm reorganizing my bench and picked up a Fluke 8100A nixie dmm for it. Most of my stuff is from the late 70's and 80's up through 2000 more or less. I do have a Tek 555 that I keep out in the shop; that's probably the oldest piece I have. This is all hobby though.

author: 1audio
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2021, 12:08:45 am
content: There are some items from the 1960's that really have not been supplanted. Sometimes not needed much but still not easily replaced by newer stuff. A short list from my collection:Both JRL and ESI Kelvin Varley dividersGertch and Dytronics ratiotransFluke 931A AC differential voltmeterGR 1346 MicrovolterESI SR1 reference resistors (similar for GR caps and GR inductors)I have others. The point being that these are pretty fundamental and do not have new improved tech versions that do the same or better for a lot less. Oscilloscopes, VNA's etc. are a much different story but some needs don't change and reference dividers and standard caps aren't evolving very fast (or getting cheaper).I also have become a fan of early Lambda power supplies. They really work well (low noise and good stability) and are quite sturdy even if they are 40-50 years old.

author: Alex Eisenhut
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2021, 01:24:55 am
content: Something even I have a hard time using are 1960s passive scope probes. At least the ones I have are too massive.They look like thisbut feel more like this on modern stuffExcept for >600V stuff, then my old P6007 is pretty cool.

author: bicycleguy
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: August 27, 2021, 01:35:57 am
content: I have a HeathKit 50KV High Voltage probe that I actually wanted to use last week to look at a ratZapper. Couldn't find it though