¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Date

HP 3580A lifespan 1973 to 1990

 

>Anyone having a clue to the last date of manufacture of the HP 3580A ?

After checking some HP Catalogues I think the last time the 3580A is shown is 1990.

And I knew that it all started in 1973.

So 1973 to 1990.

17 years for sale...

Very nice spectrum analyzer...bought mine in 1975.

Only problem so far... the knobs cracks and look not so nice.


-------------



Best regards,

Goran Finnberg
The Mastering Room AB
Goteborg
Sweden

E-mail: mastering@...

Learn from the mistakes of others, you can never live long enough to
make them all yourself.??? -?? John Luther

(\__/)
(='.'=)
(")_(") Pyret, Ranglet, Aron, VovVov, Nero, Smurfen & Pussin:RIP


Re: HP8757C CORRUPTED EEPROM

 

That's great!

Have fun :)

On 03/04/2024 23:35, YO4HFU via groups.io wrote:
Your files welcome received and successfully tested. Both EEPROMs (U4 &
U26) were required to be written. Actual level accuracy was -1dB for all
channels. Investigating your files I understood that I need to modify
both EEPROMs using the good calibrations values from my channel A.

The result is more than satisfactory, less than 0.4dB error (B & R) and
good linearity. Machine recovered and ready to use.

73, Noroc!

Robert


Caution: No IF Found

 

Hi All,

Thank you for adding me to the group. I have HP 8510C which is given me ¡°Caution: No IF found¡± and when it tries to measure higher frequency (say above 5 GHz) then the signal gets acquisition becomes slow and distorted.?

From a service manual i saw that it occurs when power is very low about -20dB but in my case i had set to -5dBm. I tried increasing the power but all in vain.?

I suspected that there might be issue with source. It comes with 8360 swept series synthesiser which i have one going upto 20GHz and other going upto 50 GHz.?

I connected spectrum analyzer at the output of the source synthesizer (50GHz option) and saw really less power of about -39dBm @5GHz with a 10db attenuator.

I did the same steps with source synthesizer (20GHz option) but saw a higher power at @5GHz. Thus, i knew something was wrong with source synth (50GHz option).

After that, i disassembled the source top panel to see if i can detect a faulty connection/ component. I noticed the last component in the chain is a component named 5086-7603. I believe its an amplifier that also provides power levelling (need anyone of you to confirm that).?

I then proceeded to disconnect the input of this component and connected it directly to spectrum analyser and saw power was -34dbm which was 5dbm better than what i measured before (39dbm).?

I have so far established that this component might be faulty. I would like to know from your experience if you can guide me further on this with any suggestions. Share any block diagram of the swept series synthesiser.?

Any suggestions to fix this issue are most welcome.

Thanks


Re: HP8757C CORRUPTED EEPROM

 

Your files welcome received and successfully tested. Both EEPROMs (U4 & U26) were required to be written. Actual level accuracy was -1dB for all channels. Investigating your files I understood that I need to modify both EEPROMs using the good calibrations values from my channel A.

The result is more than satisfactory, less than 0.4dB error (B & R) and good linearity. Machine recovered and ready to use.

73, Noroc!

Robert

?


Re: HP8757C CORRUPTED EEPROM

 

Hello Robert,

I desoldered my EEPROMs and made the backup.
You can find the EEPROM dump attached to this email.
As a note my 8757C has 3 channels only.

I hope it helps to recover your machine.
Let me know if you need anything else.

73!
Razvan

On 03/04/2024 14:22, YO4HFU via groups.io wrote:
Hello Razvan,
Thanks for reply. I will wait for your EEPROM files, if is possible.?I
don't expect to get the initial accuracy, but could find a compromise.
In meantime I identified the memory areas for each channel and "fixed"
by copy/paste from channel A (which is good) to B and R. I cleared the
warning for channel R but channel B has still active error.
So the problem is confirmed, corrupted EEPROM... No more ideas, I don't
know exactly bit functions, even here on group there are some vague
references about (ID, Checksum, etc)
HP8757E EEPROMs file found on KO4BB website already tested,
unfortunately are not compatible with C version.
73, Robert


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

I figured at least part of it was humor but I wasn't sure about the option number. I actually thought might have been a real option on some piece of equipment that could cause the strangling hamster sound.

Barry - N4BUQ

Apparently not. I assumed that the hamster reference would be the
giveaway, but alas... :)

--
Prof. Thomas H. Lee
Allen Ctr., Rm. 205
420 Via Palou Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-4070


On 4/3/2024 9:26 AM, Roy J. Tellason, Sr. wrote:
On Tuesday 02 April 2024 05:03:32 pm n4buq wrote:
I don't know what that option is.

You must have an Opt 101X (aka "strangling hamster").
Humor?


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Yep, like a lawnmower I used to have.? Before I found out I have a grass allergy and hired a crew to mow my lawns.? ?FWIW.? ? ? ? ?Jim Ford?



Sent from my T-Mobile 4G LTE Device


-------- Original message --------
From: "Roy J. Tellason, Sr." <roy@...>
Date: 4/3/24 9:59 AM (GMT-08:00)
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] HP 140 Series Fan Noise

On Wednesday 03 April 2024 11:56:31 am Harvey White wrote:
> It used to be that for the older tek equipment (500 series scopes), you
> washed the filter then sprayed it with something that acted like a dust
> magnet.

This is probably why a lot of outdoor power equipment that uses a foam-type of filter calls for adding oil to that filter,? to catch the dust...

--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin






Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

Apparently not. I assumed that the hamster reference would be the giveaway, but alas... :)

--
Prof. Thomas H. Lee
Allen Ctr., Rm. 205
420 Via Palou Mall
Stanford University
Stanford, CA 94305-4070

On 4/3/2024 9:26 AM, Roy J. Tellason, Sr. wrote:
On Tuesday 02 April 2024 05:03:32 pm n4buq wrote:
I don't know what that option is.

You must have an Opt 101X (aka "strangling hamster").
Humor?


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

I think that the idea is that the rushing air is used to create an electrostatic charge.? There are furnace filters like that.? No idea if it works.? I think what Tek used just made it sticky.

Harvey

On 4/3/2024 12:56 PM, Dave McGuire wrote:
On 4/3/24 11:56, Harvey White wrote:
It used to be that for the older tek equipment (500 series scopes), you washed the filter then sprayed it with something that acted like a dust magnet.
? At LSSM we've been using this product:



? Of course the "Turns an Ordinary Filter into an ELECTROSTATIC Filter!" claim is complete BS; a good trick with no power source. But I have to say, it is very effective.? The next time I clean the filters on my fleet of Tek 500-series scopes, I'll definitely use some.

?(no affiliation, etc)

?????????? -Dave


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

On Wednesday 03 April 2024 11:56:31 am Harvey White wrote:
It used to be that for the older tek equipment (500 series scopes), you
washed the filter then sprayed it with something that acted like a dust
magnet.
This is probably why a lot of outdoor power equipment that uses a foam-type of filter calls for adding oil to that filter, to catch the dust...

--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

On 4/3/24 11:56, Harvey White wrote:
It used to be that for the older tek equipment (500 series scopes), you washed the filter then sprayed it with something that acted like a dust magnet.
At LSSM we've been using this product:



Of course the "Turns an Ordinary Filter into an ELECTROSTATIC Filter!" claim is complete BS; a good trick with no power source. But I have to say, it is very effective. The next time I clean the filters on my fleet of Tek 500-series scopes, I'll definitely use some.

(no affiliation, etc)

-Dave

--
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA


Re: HP 427A no DC offset adj. pot

 

The later manual does exist, here are a couple of the changes including the A2 board without R7 and A1 board with Si regulator.

David


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

The 140As usually have the first filter, but the military C52 spec 140B here has the second type of filter shown below.



The top/bottom covers are solid, side covers are perforated, fan has to cool the pass transistors and any choobs in the plug-ins, worst case might be a pair of 1401A for X/Y mode, these have 9 heater bottles in each, with Ge transistors mixed in too.

HP used Handi Koter (or is it Handi-Coater ??) No. 3 filter coat from Research Products (from 175A manual), this is still made for those in the US; https://www.researchproducts.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/super-filter-coat-filter-adhesive-spec-sheet-1666.pdf

David


On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 03:47 PM, n4buq wrote:
Is there supposed to be a dust filter in addition to the metal screen "filter"?? The screen is good for keeping fingers and larger animals out but for dust, not so much.? The manual states to wash and allow the filter to dry which makes me think there might have been something else behind the mesh.
?
Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

On Tuesday 02 April 2024 09:14:50 pm Greg Muir via groups.io wrote:
There are basically fans with two types of bearings out there ¨C ball bearing & bronze bushing. Ball bearing fans start out with more noise and will simply get noisier over time as they wear. End-of-life ball bearing fans can drive you out of the room with their noise.

Bronze bushing fans stay relatively silent over time. They will get noisy if they lose their lubrication and the wear on the bushing gets excessive. Then there is the other side of the coin where a fan will freeze up if the lubrication dries out and gets hard or gummy.
I've seen that second type referred to as "sleeve bearings". I think it was in an older edition of "Upgrading and Repairing PCs" that they talked about this, and they also pointed out that alleged ball bearing fans tend to have one on one side and a sleeve bearing on the other.

Whatever the mfr. uses for lubrication seems to have various fractions, of different weights. The lighter stuff goes away over time, leaving something with the consistency of bubble gum. Typically adding some light oil (I use sewing machine oil here) and letting it soak in to the remnants of the factory stuff over time will take care of the problem, unless the wear is excessive.

--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

On Tuesday 02 April 2024 05:03:32 pm n4buq wrote:
I don't know what that option is.

You must have an Opt 101X (aka "strangling hamster").
Humor?

--
Member of the toughest, meanest, deadliest, most unrelenting -- and
ablest -- form of life in this section of space, ?a critter that can
be killed but can't be tamed. ?--Robert A. Heinlein, "The Puppet Masters"
-
Information is more dangerous than cannon to a society ruled by lies. --James
M Dakin


Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

After washing and rinsing the filter with soap and hot water, several people have told me they coat it with PAM non-stick cooking spray.

?? Bruce Gentry, KA2IVY

On 4/3/24 11:56, Harvey White wrote:

It used to be that for the older tek equipment (500 series scopes), you washed the filter then sprayed it with something that acted like a dust magnet.

Harvey


------------------------------------------------------------------------


On 4/3/2024 11:47 AM, n4buq wrote:
Is there supposed to be a dust filter in addition to the metal screen "filter"?? The screen is good for keeping fingers and larger animals out but for dust, not so much.? The manual states to wash and allow the filter to dry which makes me think there might have been something else behind the mesh.

Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ

??? Pulling air out of an instrument means sucking air and dirt into
??? the instrument, all around the edges. Not a good thing.

??? Jeremy


??? On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 7:38?AM n4buq <n4buq@...> wrote:

??????? Thank you so much for this.? Lots of very good information.

??????? Interesting that you mention airflow direction. That's one
??????? thing that has puzzled me about this scope.? There has been a
??????? lot of discussion lately on other lists regarding whether fans
??????? should should push air into the instrument or pull it out and
??????? the consensus is that pulling it out is best but now I find
??????? that this scope pushes air in.? I presume part of that is to
??????? maximize the air flow directly across the pass transistors but
??????? that's just a guess. I had considered reversing the airflow
??????? but now I don't think I will.

??????? Thanks again,
??????? Barry - N4BUQ

??????? > Hi.
??????? >
??????? > There are now three bearing types available:-
??????? > Ball bearing.
??????? > Sleeve bearing (often sintered bronze* sometimes a plastic
??????? material.)
??????? > And Magnetic.
??????? >
??????? > (* With care, these can last a very long time. Some are
??????? possible to
??????? > extract and "refill" with lubrication, in a similar way to
??????? how we used
??????? > to re-lubricate motorcycle chain's!)
??????? >
??????? > The last type (magnetic) are (mechanically) virtually
??????? silent, but stray
??????? > DC magnetic fields may be an issue in some cases.? Often
??????? found on
??????? > smaller higher speed fans, at a price.? They can still fail,
??????? if dirt
??????? > gets into the bearing area though, or they overheat.
??????? >
??????? > The other source of "whine" or "turbine like" noise, is
??????? caused by
??????? > something being too close to the rotating blades, often on
??????? the "air
??????? > outlet" side.? That can be the motor strut's themselves
??????? (later types are
??????? > profiled to reduce such noise) or a nearby cable, coax, or
??????? even other
??????? > metalwork.
??????? >
??????? > (Large items too close to the inlet side can also cause
??????? noise level to
??????? > increase, as well as restricting airflow, depending on how the
??????? > obstruction allows air to pass into the fan itself...)
??????? >
??????? > Sometimes, changing the fan for one with very similar airflow
??????? > characteristics, but with the inlet over the struts rather
??????? than the
??????? > outlet (if that is the case) can help with the noise level.
??????? >
??????? > Take care not to reverse the airflow through the
??????? instrument.? Many "wont
??????? > like it" over the long term!? Most fans are marked showing
??????? the rotation
??????? > and airflow direction, but it is not difficult to tell just
??????? by looking
??????? > at the blade shape.? (The concave side is "usually" facing
??????? the outlet.)
??????? >
??????? > Instruments in a rack, can have conflicting airflow
??????? requirements too.
??????? > It's not that uncommon to find issues caused by two or more
??????? exchanging
??????? > each others warm air within a rack, rather than working
??????? together to pull
??????? > ambient air "through" the rack.? In such cases, the rack is
??????? likely to
??????? > need it's own fans too!
??????? >
??????? > It is sadly too, not uncommon for a rack to be "over
??????? populated", so that
??????? > instruments that pull air in from the underside, have little
??????? to no space
??????? > for that as the unit below it is too close. There is a
??????? reason for those
??????? > 1 or 2'U' blank panels often seen, not just to make the
??????? front look
??????? > neat.? And again, the type of support for the instrument.?
??????? Shelves and
??????? > "L" shaped supports front to back, can sometimes obstruct
??????? airflow
??????? > to/from the sides as well.
??????? >
??????? > Over the years since many older instruments and equipments were
??????? > developed, there have been vast improvements in fan
??????? technology, in
??????? > particular blade and other airflow profile design aspects.?
??????? Some to
??????? > benefit the ability to push or pull air through a
??????? restrictive passage,
??????? > others to greatly reduce fan noise, without compromising
??????? (too much) on
??????? > the airflow characteristics.? Most will use less electrical
??????? power for
??????? > the same "duty" these days than the older designs, as motor
??????? tech' too
??????? > has advanced.
??????? >
??????? > The last thing you want, is for a fan to run, with the blades
??????? > aerodynamically "stalled", often a hint is a "fluttering"
??????? sound to the
??????? > airflow, and/or air exiting a fan being spat out radially,
??????? more than
??????? > axially.? The resulting overall airflow is usually very low
??????? in those
??????? > cases, regardless to if the fan is pushing air in, or
??????? pulling it out of
??????? > a casing.
??????? >
??????? > Old catalogues to identify the original fan type and performance
??????? > (assuming you have the "originally fitted at manufacture"
??????? fan, and also
??????? > new catalogues (web pages) so as to choose a modern unit
??????? with the needed
??????? > airflow, and possibly reduced noise is what you need.? It
??????? does take more
??????? > time than you might expect though, as often the choices are
??????? either vast,
??????? > or limited.? :-(
??????? >
??????? > Keeping air filters clean too, can help with noise levels,
??????? as well as
??????? > keeping the instrument internals cooled correctly.
??????? >
??????? > Hope something helps.? I hate to see otherwise great instruments
??????? > compromised (or even damaged as a result of overheating)
??????? just because
??????? > someone didn't like the noise, so put a "quieter" fan in.
??????? >
??????? > HP (and other manufacturers) designers will have done the
??????? math, and
??????? > specified the part used originally for a good reason.? Not
??????? just to
??????? > prevent overheating, but also to produce a sensible warm up
??????? time, that
??????? > results in relatively stable operating temperatures, for a
??????? given range
??????? > of ambient temperatures.?? Compare the air outlet(s)
??????? temperatures once
??????? > they have stabilised, for the same ambient and operating
??????? conditions,
??????? > before and after replacing the fan, to be sure. Much higher
??????? with the
??????? > new fan, and it's probably not doing the job needed of it.?
??????? "How Much"
??????? > is a moot point though.
??????? >
??????? > Cheers All.
??????? >
??????? > Dave 'KBV
??????? >
??????? > (Who's populated and retrofitted customer racks with various
??????? "high
??????? > dissipation things" in the past than I care to think about.?
??????? Not unusual
??????? > to end up either fitting large fans to the top to pull air
??????? out, install
??????? > ducting if a unit has the outlet hardware for it, or just
??????? remove back
??????? > and sides, to allow free airflow, when in use.)
??????? >
??????? > Noise?? You haven't lived until you work near a host of
??????? things with
??????? > 400Hz fans in!? Some units we worked with had no less than
??????? three of
??????? > those noisy things!? They do move heck of a lot of air for
??????? the size
??????? > though...
??????? >
??????? > ><
??????? >
??????? >
??????? > --
??????? > Sent from a Micro$oft free zone:
??????? >
??????? >
??????? >
??????? >














Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

It used to be that for the older tek equipment (500 series scopes), you washed the filter then sprayed it with something that acted like a dust magnet.

Harvey


------------------------------------------------------------------------

On 4/3/2024 11:47 AM, n4buq wrote:
Is there supposed to be a dust filter in addition to the metal screen "filter"?? The screen is good for keeping fingers and larger animals out but for dust, not so much.? The manual states to wash and allow the filter to dry which makes me think there might have been something else behind the mesh.

Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ

Pulling air out of an instrument means sucking air and dirt into
the instrument, all around the edges. Not a good thing.

Jeremy


On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 7:38?AM n4buq <n4buq@...> wrote:

Thank you so much for this.? Lots of very good information.

Interesting that you mention airflow direction. That's one
thing that has puzzled me about this scope.? There has been a
lot of discussion lately on other lists regarding whether fans
should should push air into the instrument or pull it out and
the consensus is that pulling it out is best but now I find
that this scope pushes air in.? I presume part of that is to
maximize the air flow directly across the pass transistors but
that's just a guess. I had considered reversing the airflow
but now I don't think I will.

Thanks again,
Barry - N4BUQ

> Hi.
>
> There are now three bearing types available:-
> Ball bearing.
> Sleeve bearing (often sintered bronze* sometimes a plastic
material.)
> And Magnetic.
>
> (* With care, these can last a very long time. Some are
possible to
> extract and "refill" with lubrication, in a similar way to
how we used
> to re-lubricate motorcycle chain's!)
>
> The last type (magnetic) are (mechanically) virtually
silent, but stray
> DC magnetic fields may be an issue in some cases.? Often
found on
> smaller higher speed fans, at a price.? They can still fail,
if dirt
> gets into the bearing area though, or they overheat.
>
> The other source of "whine" or "turbine like" noise, is
caused by
> something being too close to the rotating blades, often on
the "air
> outlet" side.? That can be the motor strut's themselves
(later types are
> profiled to reduce such noise) or a nearby cable, coax, or
even other
> metalwork.
>
> (Large items too close to the inlet side can also cause
noise level to
> increase, as well as restricting airflow, depending on how the
> obstruction allows air to pass into the fan itself...)
>
> Sometimes, changing the fan for one with very similar airflow
> characteristics, but with the inlet over the struts rather
than the
> outlet (if that is the case) can help with the noise level.
>
> Take care not to reverse the airflow through the
instrument.? Many "wont
> like it" over the long term!? Most fans are marked showing
the rotation
> and airflow direction, but it is not difficult to tell just
by looking
> at the blade shape.? (The concave side is "usually" facing
the outlet.)
>
> Instruments in a rack, can have conflicting airflow
requirements too.
> It's not that uncommon to find issues caused by two or more
exchanging
> each others warm air within a rack, rather than working
together to pull
> ambient air "through" the rack.? In such cases, the rack is
likely to
> need it's own fans too!
>
> It is sadly too, not uncommon for a rack to be "over
populated", so that
> instruments that pull air in from the underside, have little
to no space
> for that as the unit below it is too close. There is a
reason for those
> 1 or 2'U' blank panels often seen, not just to make the
front look
> neat.? And again, the type of support for the instrument.?
Shelves and
> "L" shaped supports front to back, can sometimes obstruct
airflow
> to/from the sides as well.
>
> Over the years since many older instruments and equipments were
> developed, there have been vast improvements in fan
technology, in
> particular blade and other airflow profile design aspects.?
Some to
> benefit the ability to push or pull air through a
restrictive passage,
> others to greatly reduce fan noise, without compromising
(too much) on
> the airflow characteristics.? Most will use less electrical
power for
> the same "duty" these days than the older designs, as motor
tech' too
> has advanced.
>
> The last thing you want, is for a fan to run, with the blades
> aerodynamically "stalled", often a hint is a "fluttering"
sound to the
> airflow, and/or air exiting a fan being spat out radially,
more than
> axially.? The resulting overall airflow is usually very low
in those
> cases, regardless to if the fan is pushing air in, or
pulling it out of
> a casing.
>
> Old catalogues to identify the original fan type and performance
> (assuming you have the "originally fitted at manufacture"
fan, and also
> new catalogues (web pages) so as to choose a modern unit
with the needed
> airflow, and possibly reduced noise is what you need.? It
does take more
> time than you might expect though, as often the choices are
either vast,
> or limited.? :-(
>
> Keeping air filters clean too, can help with noise levels,
as well as
> keeping the instrument internals cooled correctly.
>
> Hope something helps.? I hate to see otherwise great instruments
> compromised (or even damaged as a result of overheating)
just because
> someone didn't like the noise, so put a "quieter" fan in.
>
> HP (and other manufacturers) designers will have done the
math, and
> specified the part used originally for a good reason.? Not
just to
> prevent overheating, but also to produce a sensible warm up
time, that
> results in relatively stable operating temperatures, for a
given range
> of ambient temperatures.?? Compare the air outlet(s)
temperatures once
> they have stabilised, for the same ambient and operating
conditions,
> before and after replacing the fan, to be sure. Much higher
with the
> new fan, and it's probably not doing the job needed of it.?
"How Much"
> is a moot point though.
>
> Cheers All.
>
> Dave 'KBV
>
> (Who's populated and retrofitted customer racks with various
"high
> dissipation things" in the past than I care to think about.?
Not unusual
> to end up either fitting large fans to the top to pull air
out, install
> ducting if a unit has the outlet hardware for it, or just
remove back
> and sides, to allow free airflow, when in use.)
>
> Noise?? You haven't lived until you work near a host of
things with
> 400Hz fans in!? Some units we worked with had no less than
three of
> those noisy things!? They do move heck of a lot of air for
the size
> though...
>
> ><
>
>
> --
> Sent from a Micro$oft free zone:
>
>
>
>







Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

Is there supposed to be a dust filter in addition to the metal screen "filter"?? The screen is good for keeping fingers and larger animals out but for dust, not so much.? The manual states to wash and allow the filter to dry which makes me think there might have been something else behind the mesh.

Thanks,
Barry - N4BUQ

Pulling air out of an instrument means sucking air and dirt into the instrument, all around the edges. Not a good thing.?

Jeremy?


On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 7:38?AM n4buq <n4buq@...> wrote:
Thank you so much for this.? Lots of very good information.

Interesting that you mention airflow direction.? That's one thing that has puzzled me about this scope.? There has been a lot of discussion lately on other lists regarding whether fans should should push air into the instrument or pull it out and the consensus is that pulling it out is best but now I find that this scope pushes air in.? I presume part of that is to maximize the air flow directly across the pass transistors but that's just a guess. I had considered reversing the airflow but now I don't think I will.

Thanks again,
Barry - N4BUQ

> Hi.
>
> There are now three bearing types available:-
> Ball bearing.
> Sleeve bearing (often sintered bronze* sometimes a plastic material.)
> And Magnetic.
>
> (* With care, these can last a very long time.? Some are possible to
> extract and "refill" with lubrication, in a similar way to how we used
> to re-lubricate motorcycle chain's!)
>
> The last type (magnetic) are (mechanically) virtually silent, but stray
> DC magnetic fields may be an issue in some cases.? Often found on
> smaller higher speed fans, at a price.? They can still fail, if dirt
> gets into the bearing area though, or they overheat.
>
> The other source of "whine" or "turbine like" noise, is caused by
> something being too close to the rotating blades, often on the "air
> outlet" side.? That can be the motor strut's themselves (later types are
> profiled to reduce such noise) or a nearby cable, coax, or even other
> metalwork.
>
> (Large items too close to the inlet side can also cause noise level to
> increase, as well as restricting airflow, depending on how the
> obstruction allows air to pass into the fan itself...)
>
> Sometimes, changing the fan for one with very similar airflow
> characteristics, but with the inlet over the struts rather than the
> outlet (if that is the case) can help with the noise level.
>
> Take care not to reverse the airflow through the instrument.? Many "wont
> like it" over the long term!? Most fans are marked showing the rotation
> and airflow direction, but it is not difficult to tell just by looking
> at the blade shape.? (The concave side is "usually" facing the outlet.)
>
> Instruments in a rack, can have conflicting airflow requirements too.
> It's not that uncommon to find issues caused by two or more exchanging
> each others warm air within a rack, rather than working together to pull
> ambient air "through" the rack.? In such cases, the rack is likely to
> need it's own fans too!
>
> It is sadly too, not uncommon for a rack to be "over populated", so that
> instruments that pull air in from the underside, have little to no space
> for that as the unit below it is too close.? There is a reason for those
> 1 or 2'U' blank panels often seen, not just to make the front look
> neat.? And again, the type of support for the instrument.? Shelves and
> "L" shaped supports front to back, can sometimes obstruct airflow
> to/from the sides as well.
>
> Over the years since many older instruments and equipments were
> developed, there have been vast improvements in fan technology, in
> particular blade and other airflow profile design aspects.? Some to
> benefit the ability to push or pull air through a restrictive passage,
> others to greatly reduce fan noise, without compromising (too much) on
> the airflow characteristics.? Most will use less electrical power for
> the same "duty" these days than the older designs, as motor tech' too
> has advanced.
>
> The last thing you want, is for a fan to run, with the blades
> aerodynamically "stalled", often a hint is a "fluttering" sound to the
> airflow, and/or air exiting a fan being spat out radially, more than
> axially.? The resulting overall airflow is usually very low in those
> cases, regardless to if the fan is pushing air in, or pulling it out of
> a casing.
>
> Old catalogues to identify the original fan type and performance
> (assuming you have the "originally fitted at manufacture" fan, and also
> new catalogues (web pages) so as to choose a modern unit with the needed
> airflow, and possibly reduced noise is what you need.? It does take more
> time than you might expect though, as often the choices are either vast,
> or limited.? :-(
>
> Keeping air filters clean too, can help with noise levels, as well as
> keeping the instrument internals cooled correctly.
>
> Hope something helps.? I hate to see otherwise great instruments
> compromised (or even damaged as a result of overheating) just because
> someone didn't like the noise, so put a "quieter" fan in.
>
> HP (and other manufacturers) designers will have done the math, and
> specified the part used originally for a good reason.? Not just to
> prevent overheating, but also to produce a sensible warm up time, that
> results in relatively stable operating temperatures, for a given range
> of ambient temperatures.?? Compare the air outlet(s) temperatures once
> they have stabilised, for the same ambient and operating conditions,
> before and after replacing the fan, to be sure.? Much higher with the
> new fan, and it's probably not doing the job needed of it.? "How Much"
> is a moot point though.
>
> Cheers All.
>
> Dave 'KBV
>
> (Who's populated and retrofitted customer racks with various "high
> dissipation things" in the past than I care to think about.? Not unusual
> to end up either fitting large fans to the top to pull air out, install
> ducting if a unit has the outlet hardware for it, or just remove back
> and sides, to allow free airflow, when in use.)
>
> Noise?? You haven't lived until you work near a host of things with
> 400Hz fans in!? Some units we worked with had no less than three of
> those noisy things!? They do move heck of a lot of air for the size
> though...
>
> ><
>
>
> --
> Sent from a Micro$oft free zone:
>
>
>
>







Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

Pulling air out of an instrument means sucking air and dirt into the instrument, all around the edges. Not a good thing.?

Jeremy?


On Wed, Apr 3, 2024 at 7:38?AM n4buq <n4buq@...> wrote:
Thank you so much for this.? Lots of very good information.

Interesting that you mention airflow direction.? That's one thing that has puzzled me about this scope.? There has been a lot of discussion lately on other lists regarding whether fans should should push air into the instrument or pull it out and the consensus is that pulling it out is best but now I find that this scope pushes air in.? I presume part of that is to maximize the air flow directly across the pass transistors but that's just a guess. I had considered reversing the airflow but now I don't think I will.

Thanks again,
Barry - N4BUQ

> Hi.
>
> There are now three bearing types available:-
> Ball bearing.
> Sleeve bearing (often sintered bronze* sometimes a plastic material.)
> And Magnetic.
>
> (* With care, these can last a very long time.? Some are possible to
> extract and "refill" with lubrication, in a similar way to how we used
> to re-lubricate motorcycle chain's!)
>
> The last type (magnetic) are (mechanically) virtually silent, but stray
> DC magnetic fields may be an issue in some cases.? Often found on
> smaller higher speed fans, at a price.? They can still fail, if dirt
> gets into the bearing area though, or they overheat.
>
> The other source of "whine" or "turbine like" noise, is caused by
> something being too close to the rotating blades, often on the "air
> outlet" side.? That can be the motor strut's themselves (later types are
> profiled to reduce such noise) or a nearby cable, coax, or even other
> metalwork.
>
> (Large items too close to the inlet side can also cause noise level to
> increase, as well as restricting airflow, depending on how the
> obstruction allows air to pass into the fan itself...)
>
> Sometimes, changing the fan for one with very similar airflow
> characteristics, but with the inlet over the struts rather than the
> outlet (if that is the case) can help with the noise level.
>
> Take care not to reverse the airflow through the instrument.? Many "wont
> like it" over the long term!? Most fans are marked showing the rotation
> and airflow direction, but it is not difficult to tell just by looking
> at the blade shape.? (The concave side is "usually" facing the outlet.)
>
> Instruments in a rack, can have conflicting airflow requirements too.
> It's not that uncommon to find issues caused by two or more exchanging
> each others warm air within a rack, rather than working together to pull
> ambient air "through" the rack.? In such cases, the rack is likely to
> need it's own fans too!
>
> It is sadly too, not uncommon for a rack to be "over populated", so that
> instruments that pull air in from the underside, have little to no space
> for that as the unit below it is too close.? There is a reason for those
> 1 or 2'U' blank panels often seen, not just to make the front look
> neat.? And again, the type of support for the instrument.? Shelves and
> "L" shaped supports front to back, can sometimes obstruct airflow
> to/from the sides as well.
>
> Over the years since many older instruments and equipments were
> developed, there have been vast improvements in fan technology, in
> particular blade and other airflow profile design aspects.? Some to
> benefit the ability to push or pull air through a restrictive passage,
> others to greatly reduce fan noise, without compromising (too much) on
> the airflow characteristics.? Most will use less electrical power for
> the same "duty" these days than the older designs, as motor tech' too
> has advanced.
>
> The last thing you want, is for a fan to run, with the blades
> aerodynamically "stalled", often a hint is a "fluttering" sound to the
> airflow, and/or air exiting a fan being spat out radially, more than
> axially.? The resulting overall airflow is usually very low in those
> cases, regardless to if the fan is pushing air in, or pulling it out of
> a casing.
>
> Old catalogues to identify the original fan type and performance
> (assuming you have the "originally fitted at manufacture" fan, and also
> new catalogues (web pages) so as to choose a modern unit with the needed
> airflow, and possibly reduced noise is what you need.? It does take more
> time than you might expect though, as often the choices are either vast,
> or limited.? :-(
>
> Keeping air filters clean too, can help with noise levels, as well as
> keeping the instrument internals cooled correctly.
>
> Hope something helps.? I hate to see otherwise great instruments
> compromised (or even damaged as a result of overheating) just because
> someone didn't like the noise, so put a "quieter" fan in.
>
> HP (and other manufacturers) designers will have done the math, and
> specified the part used originally for a good reason.? Not just to
> prevent overheating, but also to produce a sensible warm up time, that
> results in relatively stable operating temperatures, for a given range
> of ambient temperatures.?? Compare the air outlet(s) temperatures once
> they have stabilised, for the same ambient and operating conditions,
> before and after replacing the fan, to be sure.? Much higher with the
> new fan, and it's probably not doing the job needed of it.? "How Much"
> is a moot point though.
>
> Cheers All.
>
> Dave 'KBV
>
> (Who's populated and retrofitted customer racks with various "high
> dissipation things" in the past than I care to think about.? Not unusual
> to end up either fitting large fans to the top to pull air out, install
> ducting if a unit has the outlet hardware for it, or just remove back
> and sides, to allow free airflow, when in use.)
>
> Noise?? You haven't lived until you work near a host of things with
> 400Hz fans in!? Some units we worked with had no less than three of
> those noisy things!? They do move heck of a lot of air for the size
> though...
>
> ><
>
>
> --
> Sent from a Micro$oft free zone:
>
>
>
>






Re: HP 140 Series Fan Noise

 

It is easy to think that since HP equipment is designed for worst case environments such as overcrowded racks, high ambient temperatures and infrequent filter cleaning that it would be no problem to downsize the specifications of a replacement fan in the unit on your nice, clean workbench.? In fact, this is quite often the case - but, of course, it is the exceptions that will leave you with a very nice doorstop.? IMO the most overlooked of these exceptions is to think solely in terms of the fan's CFM and neglect the possibly critical static pressure requirements - often equipment, especially RF gear, requires a minimum static pressure from it's fan to get the air not just through the easy paths but also through the fine mesh air paths in it's heavily shielded cards.? This is not to say that a fan can't be replaced with a less noisy version but do your research first; if a piece of gear has what is effectively a small jet turbine hanging on back, there is probably a reason...

Hal