#122102

Howdy friends, I have a pair of 54503A scopes. Both had the dreaded Dallas semi Battery ram chip go bad.
I purchased a new Dallas unit and pulled the bad installed a socket and the new unit. Now The system will not boot I have garbage on the screen.
Pretty sure I must have broken an interconnect via while removing the old unit. (it did not come out as easy as I had hoped)
I have discovered the schematics for this unit are some kind of top secret as I simply can't find them. I read somewhere there is a former HP tech who works on these. Does anyone have contact information? I would like to send the main board for repair to this person if it can be done for a reasonable fee.
One unit has a bad PSU which is a poor design with the caps up against heatsinks. I replaced the puffed up caps but it looks like the bad caps took out a FET. Thanks to the member who did some reverse engineering? and provided notes I should be able to repair. In the long run I hope to simply get one to the point where I don't have to do the entire cal procedure every time I want to use it.
Thanks, Bill N5ZTW .

#122104

Hi Bill,

see attached PSU schematic I got from a guy back in 2009 when I was trying to repair my HP 54501. I also have the 54501 schematic in PDF ( from 90903 service manual supplement)? if anybody ever? needs it.

Thanks,

Konstantinos SV1GSI

Στι? Δευτ?ρα 31 Ιανουαρ?ου 2022, 07:28:12 μ.μ. EET, ο χρ?στη? N5ZTW via groups.io <n5ztw@...> ?γραψε:

Howdy friends, I have a pair of 54503A scopes. Both had the dreaded Dallas semi Battery ram chip go bad.
I purchased a new Dallas unit and pulled the bad installed a socket and the new unit. Now The system will not boot I have garbage on the screen.
Pretty sure I must have broken an interconnect via while removing the old unit. (it did not come out as easy as I had hoped)
I have discovered the schematics for this unit are some kind of top secret as I simply can't find them. I read somewhere there is a former HP tech who works on these. Does anyone have contact information? I would like to send the main board for repair to this person if it can be done for a reasonable fee.
One unit has a bad PSU which is a poor design with the caps up against heatsinks. I replaced the puffed up caps but it looks like the bad caps took out a FET. Thanks to the member who did some reverse engineering? and provided notes I should be able to repair. In the long run I hope to simply get one to the point where I don't have to do the entire cal procedure every time I want to use it.
Thanks, Bill N5ZTW .

supplyHP54503.pdf

#122124

Could you please upload the schematics to the files section here. I need them to troubleshoot this issue.
Bill N5ZTW

#122125

Off OP, but along the same lines - is anyone aware of schematics and/or replaceable parts list for the 54522A?

Thank you,

Radu.?

Show quoted text

On Tue, Feb 1, 2022 at 8:59 AM N5ZTW via <n5ztw=[email protected]> wrote:

Could you please upload the schematics to the files section here. I need them to troubleshoot this issue.
Bill N5ZTW

#122250

Thank you and yes I would like a copy of the service manual schematic please

Bill

Show quoted text

On Jan 31, 2022, at 1:21 PM, sv1aku via groups.io <sv1aku@...> wrote:

Hi Bill,
see attached PSU schematic I got from a guy back in 2009 when I was trying to repair my HP 54501. I also have the 54501 schematic in PDF ( from 90903 service manual supplement)? if anybody ever? needs it.

Thanks,
Konstantinos SV1GSI

Στι? Δευτ?ρα 31 Ιανουαρ?ου 2022, 07:28:12 μ.μ. EET, ο χρ?στη? N5ZTW via groups.io <n5ztw@...> ?γραψε:

Howdy friends, I have a pair of 54503A scopes. Both had the dreaded Dallas semi Battery ram chip go bad.
I purchased a new Dallas unit and pulled the bad installed a socket and the new unit. Now The system will not boot I have garbage on the screen.
Pretty sure I must have broken an interconnect via while removing the old unit. (it did not come out as easy as I had hoped)
I have discovered the schematics for this unit are some kind of top secret as I simply can't find them. I read somewhere there is a former HP tech who works on these. Does anyone have contact information? I would like to send the main board for repair to this person if it can be done for a reasonable fee.
One unit has a bad PSU which is a poor design with the caps up against heatsinks. I replaced the puffed up caps but it looks like the bad caps took out a FET. Thanks to the member who did some reverse engineering? and provided notes I should be able to repair. In the long run I hope to simply get one to the point where I don't have to do the entire cal procedure every time I want to use it.
Thanks, Bill N5ZTW .
<supplyHP54503.pdf>

Bob Albert

#122251

I would like a copy also, please.

Bob K6DDX

On Saturday, February 5, 2022, 12:53:04 PM PST, N5ZTW via groups.io <n5ztw@...> wrote:

Thank you and yes I would like a copy of the service manual schematic please

Bill

Show quoted text

On Jan 31, 2022, at 1:21 PM, sv1aku via groups.io <sv1aku@...> wrote:

Hi Bill,
see attached PSU schematic I got from a guy back in 2009 when I was trying to repair my HP 54501. I also have the 54501 schematic in PDF ( from 90903 service manual supplement)? if anybody ever? needs it.

Thanks,
Konstantinos SV1GSI

Στι? Δευτ?ρα 31 Ιανουαρ?ου 2022, 07:28:12 μ.μ. EET, ο χρ?στη? N5ZTW via groups.io <n5ztw@...> ?γραψε:

Howdy friends, I have a pair of 54503A scopes. Both had the dreaded Dallas semi Battery ram chip go bad.
I purchased a new Dallas unit and pulled the bad installed a socket and the new unit. Now The system will not boot I have garbage on the screen.
Pretty sure I must have broken an interconnect via while removing the old unit. (it did not come out as easy as I had hoped)
I have discovered the schematics for this unit are some kind of top secret as I simply can't find them. I read somewhere there is a former HP tech who works on these. Does anyone have contact information? I would like to send the main board for repair to this person if it can be done for a reasonable fee.
One unit has a bad PSU which is a poor design with the caps up against heatsinks. I replaced the puffed up caps but it looks like the bad caps took out a FET. Thanks to the member who did some reverse engineering? and provided notes I should be able to repair. In the long run I hope to simply get one to the point where I don't have to do the entire cal procedure every time I want to use it.
Thanks, Bill N5ZTW .
<supplyHP54503.pdf>

#122261

开云体育

Hi we currently have the

HP 54503A Service Manual? NO CCt? Jul 1989 .pdf? in the file section on this site

?

Could I ask if anyone has the circuit diagrams / CLIP could they please up load to the Files

?

On the same line if any one has any CLIPS for any Equipment in PDF format that are not from ARTEK ?could I ask that they please upload them to The CLIPS folder on this site

?

Regards Paul B

?

Show quoted text

From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of sv1aku via groups.io
Sent: 31 January 2022 19:22
To: [email protected]; [email protected]
Subject: Re: [HP-Agilent-Keysight-equipment] 54503A

?

Hi Bill,

see attached PSU schematic I got from a guy back in 2009 when I was trying to repair my HP 54501. I also have the 54501 schematic in PDF ( from 90903 service manual supplement)? if anybody ever? needs it.

?

Thanks,

Konstantinos SV1GSI

?

Στι? Δευτ?ρα 31 Ιανουαρ?ου 2022, 07:28:12 μ.μ. EET, ο χρ?στη? N5ZTW via groups.io <n5ztw@...> ?γραψε:

?

Howdy friends, I have a pair of 54503A scopes. Both had the dreaded Dallas semi Battery ram chip go bad.
I purchased a new Dallas unit and pulled the bad installed a socket and the new unit. Now The system will not boot I have garbage on the screen.
Pretty sure I must have broken an interconnect via while removing the old unit. (it did not come out as easy as I had hoped)
I have discovered the schematics for this unit are some kind of top secret as I simply can't find them. I read somewhere there is a former HP tech who works on these. Does anyone have contact information? I would like to send the main board for repair to this person if it can be done for a reasonable fee.
One unit has a bad PSU which is a poor design with the caps up against heatsinks. I replaced the puffed up caps but it looks like the bad caps took out a FET. Thanks to the member who did some reverse engineering? and provided notes I should be able to repair. In the long run I hope to simply get one to the point where I don't have to do the entire cal procedure every time I want to use it.
Thanks, Bill N5ZTW .

#122266

I’ll throw my hat in the ring and also suggest a 54504A CLIP if anyone has it available.? I have the service manual that is basically oriented towards use by chimpanzees to do go-no-go testing during a failure.

?

It’s a shame that around this time HP was starting to “dumb down” their product documentation.? Aside from paying less people to do technical documentation (to some extent) I do understand the profit motive to push assembly level replacement instead of repair but the end user also faces a considerable increase in trying to keep their equipment alive.

?

Thanks,

?

Greg

Bob Albert

#122267

In the old days, HP did a commendable job.? As the years went by they became more profit oriented.? The decision to go public is often a big mistake when it comes to product value.? No longer do managers attempt to create products; they now attempt to make money.? Not that money wasn't always the ultimate goal, but some outfits carry the banner a bit too much.? A lot too much.

I recently looked at Keysight's offerrings regarding the present successor to the original HP200.? They no longer seem to offer a reasonably priced audio oscillator.

Very few analog scopes are available from anyone these days.? A digital scope is basically a computer with a screen readout, not an oscilloscope.

Pardon me if I am too far off topic.? I own a 54542A scope and would love to have a schematic diagram of it or, failing that, a similar unit.? If anyone can help, please do.

Bob

On Sunday, February 6, 2022, 10:03:16 AM PST, Greg Muir via groups.io <big_sky_explorer@...> wrote:

I’ll throw my hat in the ring and also suggest a 54504A CLIP if anyone has it available.? I have the service manual that is basically oriented towards use by chimpanzees to do go-no-go testing during a failure.

?

It’s a shame that around this time HP was starting to “dumb down” their product documentation.? Aside from paying less people to do technical documentation (to some extent) I do understand the profit motive to push assembly level replacement instead of repair but the end user also faces a considerable increase in trying to keep their equipment alive.

?

Thanks,

?

Greg

#122274

On 2/6/22 13:18, Bob Albert via groups.io wrote:
In the old days, HP did a commendable job.? As the years went by they became more profit oriented.  Correction: "Short-term profit oriented".  These suits can't see past the end of the quarter.  Bill Hewlett and Dave Packard were looking a lot farther down the line than that.

The decision to go public is often a big mistake when it comes to product value.  It's common knowledge that being publicly-traded is generally bad for a company's customers and encourages self-destructive corporate behavior, when viewed in the long term.  If you think about it, it makes sense, as the company's true customers are no longer those who purchase its products, but its stockholders.  Everything boils down to "shareholder value".

  Disgusting.

No longer do managers attempt to create products; they now attempt to make money.? Not that money wasn't always the ultimate goal, but some outfits carry the banner a bit too much.? A lot too much.  Yes.  And since suits typically have outsized egos, each successive generation of suits thinks they can "push things a little bit farther" than their predecessors, because of course they're better businessmen. So things deteriorate over time.

I recently looked at Keysight's offerrings regarding the present successor to the original HP200.? They no longer seem to offer a reasonably priced audio oscillator.
Very few analog scopes are available from anyone these days.? A digital scope is basically a computer with a screen readout, not an oscilloscope.  Analog oscilloscopes take real talent to design, digital oscilloscopes much less so.  The former cannot easily be farmed out to India or China, while the latter can.  Again, there's that short-term profit.

  Further, the current crop of tech guys, while I think they're generally doing great things, seem to lack any real knowledge of oscilloscopes.  They think that an oscilloscope can be made by slapping a display on a microcontroller and connecting a wire to an A/D input. Sure, you can generally display a waveform that way, but it's going to be garbage.  And the market is FLOODED with finished products labeled "oscilloscope" that are little more than that.

  These kids don't understand the difference, and they formulate assumptions based on incomplete knowledge, and then they vehemently defend those positions without being willing to learn about what they've missed.

            -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA

#122276

On 2/6/22 13:03, Greg Muir via groups.io wrote:
It’s a shame that around this time HP was starting to “dumb down” their product documentation.Aside from paying less people to do technical documentation (to some extent) I do understand the profit motive to push assembly level replacement instead of repair but the end user also faces a considerable increase in trying to keep their equipment alive.  Well, yeah, they "got suits".  Their logic (if you can call it that) is "if it breaks, we'd be happy to sell them another one", and "we can't have people opening things up, they might do something stupid and sue us!"

  Screw high-minded civic thinking, respecting your customer, and trying to be the best.  Surely THAT won't get you a good quarterly bonus.

  I love it when I see "NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS INSIDE" on a piece of *test equipment*.  "Wanna bet, bitch?"

             -Dave

-- 
Dave McGuire, AK4HZ
New Kensington, PA

#122279

Dave, Bob,

?

Not only does the HP/Agilent/Keysight product line these days reflect the increased costs to design and produce a product given today’s higher wages and other huge operating expenses but I feel that there could be a little cost savings going on somewhere in there to minimize any residual cost impact to the customer from nonsense spending.

?

The week before last I received a Keysight 2022 calendar that was shipped UPS ** overnight** from their promotions department.? I had already hung a calendar last month from another manufacturer that came to me via US mail.

?

My watch and cell phone does a pretty good job of telling me the day and date without sinking the money barge.

?

Greg

#122283

Amen Dave! I junked a 400MHz version of one of these scopes and gave away a 100MHz version (54501A?) to?one of?my interns. Service manual was?a joke, although I fixed a few of them. They have the worst UI of any scope I have ever used. I don't know what HP was thinking when they came out with these scopes. Obviously none of the engineers that designed that scope ever used an analog scope. It surprised me that HP went through with that project. The LeCroy scopes at the time were far beyond the performance of any of the HP or Tek scopes for that matter.

Sam Reaves

ARS W3OHM

Owner / Moderator of:

LeCroy Owners Group on Groups.io

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Sprint Layout Group on Groups.io??

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Electronics and Mechanical Hardware Design Engineering Manager

Staff Scientist Andritz Rolls Global Research Center (RETIRED)