Tektronix 2467b single-shot slow sweep - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: don
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 04:38:29 pm
content: Hi,I'm looking to purchase a 2467b in hopes of making use of the MCP / Brighteye display for single-shot slow speed acquisitions. I understand it's usefulness for single-shot high speed events, but am wondering how it handles slow non-repetitive events. For example, I would like to be able to probe system power up sequences at 1s/div of regulators. I'm hoping it will trace out the start-up sequence from left to right in real time, and image will be retained until I clear it. Preferably with an auto triggers so I can just monitor events without touching the scope. I'm essentially looking for something like roll-mode. Does anyone know if the 2467b can do this ?Thanks!Don

author: casinada
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 06:28:18 pm
content: Don,I don't know if I understand correctly what you need but the 2467B scope is not a Storage scope, you cannot freeze images or capture or print. Only with a camera. If you want to capture signals and analyze later on you need a Digital Storage Oscilloscope. There are some DSOs from that era but you would be better of with a modern DSO.

author: Frost
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 07:09:33 pm
content: Quote from: don on March 03, 2014, 04:38:29 pmNo, it can't.The 2467b is a great scope, but even a analog Tekcan't do the impossible, it's not a storage scope.But the microchannel plate display of the 2467bis able to increase the intensity of the waveform,this is useful to identify short pulses within a signal,for example.

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 08:51:55 pm
content: You want a digital scope with roll mode. Analog scopes can't do rolling displays like you're talking.Is a scope even what you're after, really? Sounds like you want long-term logging. A logging multimeter might be more what you're after, really. If you definitely want to see a real-time graph of the voltage, then get a digital scope that does roll mode. Nearly all digital scopes, even the cheap $300 ones can do this.what's your budget, and what else do you need the scope to be able to do?

author: don
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 10:20:36 pm
content: Okay, so it's claim to fame is really for signals with low repetition but true single shot is stretch. I found tektronix literature that said a 1ns event that happens one out of a million times is visible. But that must be because there were hundreds of sweeps capturing the event given the high sweep rate.There was also another piece of tektronix literature that said "MCP technology makes it possible to see a single sweep even at 500ps/div without a viewing hood" But being possible to see a single sweep at 500ps/div really doesn't speak to the persistence time and brightnes. Given the replies it sounds like the signal is still pretty dim and decays quite rapidly (<1s?).Thanks for info everyone

author: w2aew
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 10:40:15 pm
content: Quote from: don on March 03, 2014, 10:20:36 pmThe MCP CRT has an extremely fast writing rate - thus making infrequent, short duration events visible because this CRT doesn't require the same trace to be written thousands of times to be seen. Great for catching glitches. But, it is in no way a storage scope, so performs no different than any other analog scope in slow, single shot mode.

author: don
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 11:22:40 pm
content: Actually I don't *need* roll mode, I just like it for certain types of debug. My first scope at work was a tek tds744. It was a great scope and I can still run off of muscle memory today. It was 500MHz and had a 130k of memory. That's okay for looking at slower events over time and I could make do today if I had to. It also had fastframe (segmented memory) which was great for looking at slower speed data like SPI and got around memory limit. Today I'm set at work. We have plenty of new tektronix, agilent and lecroy scopes. But I'm looking for something for home hobby and occasional work-from-home debug. Tds7xxx is fine, but I really wish it had a roll mode for eyeballing things to set trigger, etc. All without having to wait for the acquisition to complete. Its laziness really. The scope has a force trig button on the front panel that goes a long way. There are other options but trying to stay around $1k, definitely under $2k. I really need a good source to buy equipment. I could also get away with a 100MHz scope for longer acquisitions but then still need something with higher BW like 2465/2467 or a tds5xx. Higher BW needs do not require deep memory so simplifies. So in summary a 500MHz 4 channel with reasonable memory like TDS7xx would definitely work but am looking at other options to make life easier. By easier, I mean roll mode, deeper memory, responsiveness.

author: Rigby
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 03, 2014, 11:50:10 pm
content: 4-channel, 500MHz per channel, digital storage, lots of memory, roll mode as inexpensive as possible, and definitely not more than $2k.The only place I know for this would be eBay.If this link works, it should show you the 500MHz scopes with 4 channels that are digital. That'll narrow it down for ya.http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_sacat=0&_from=R40&Type=Digital&Bandwidth=500MHz%2520%252D%2520699%2520MHz&_nkw=oscilloscope&_dcat=104247&rt=nc&_pppn=r1&Channels=4&_udlo&_udhi=1999

author: don
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 04, 2014, 06:15:02 pm
content: Thanks. I have been keeping an eye on ebay and will continue to do so.