Oscilloscope question

[Joe R.]

At 03:56 PM 4/8/05 +0200, you wrote:
>
>Well, if you want the original 'Dec Fieldservice Oscilloscope', you
>need to get the Tektronix 645B. They are widely available 2nd hand,
>look at your favourite auction website for one. Proces vary between
>$100 and $200.

   I think you mean Tek 465 not 645.  The Tek 465s are ^H^H^H WERE great
scopes. An all time classic IMO. BUT now they all seem to be developing the
"bad capacitor" syndrome and that can be a real pain to repair. The last
one that I bought used a plastic push rod to operate one of the plastic
switches located well inside the unit. It was ok when I bought it but as
soon as I tried to use it the plastic crumbled so that's another problem
due to aging. If you're considering a 465 I'd suggest that you check it out
thoroughly before buying.

   I recently bought a Tek 2445* and I'm pleased with it. It's series has a
bad reputation because they use hybrid parts in them that are failur eprone
and impossible to obtain. As a result scopes in the series sell cheap.
However the 2445 doesn't use the hybrids so it's cheap, reliable and
repairable (I hope!)

  * 4 channels, automatic setup, on screen readouts, 150 MHz. 

   Joe


>
>No idea though where to find a website teaching scope usage, but maybe
>Tony Duell know a few????

   I don't know about websites but In the 60's they published a number of
small cheap "how to use a scope" type books that were quite good. You
should be able to find some of them in used book stores, E-bay, libraries,
etc. Howard Sams Co seemed to also have good books in those days.

    Joe


>
>Ed
>
>
>> I'm rapidly approaching the point where I will
>> need to learn how to use an oscilloscope as part
>> of my quest to learn more about debugging the
>> old DEC hardware.  What kind of advice can folks
>> offer to me about a decent scope and some info on
>> how to use one?  I think I used one 30 years ago
>> in school, but it's been so long that I remember
>> little-to-nothing about it.
>>
>> One of my first exercises might be to attempt
>> a head alignment on an RK05 drive using an
>> alignment pack.  I have all the documentation
>> for the drive maintenance, etc.
>>
>> What kind of scope would I need and how much does
>> one cost?  Are there any good web sites that
>> would give some basic info on "scopes for dummies"
>> or "scopes for beginners"?
>>
>> Thanks in advance for your advice.  This is
>> a never-ending learning experience.
>>
>> Ashley
>>
>>
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