On Mon, Sep 24, 2018 at 06:03 PM, snapdiode wrote:
Oh, not the 547?
Well, never say never, I guess, but in the current state of things, the 547 does not appeal much to me. Sure it has more BW and Triggering features with its tunnel diode.. but... features and performance is only part of the "mix" that make this or that particular tube Tek scope appeal to me. Like most people I have newer scopes when features and performance is really needed. So, the look and feel is just as important, I am ashamed to admit !
And the 547 does not appeal to me because it looks too modern... it introduced a new style of controls for the Triggering options, these little levers, that look very much '70s not 50/60's... Also they introduced a new connector for the probe calibrator, the same style they would use in their '70's scopes. Have the same connector in my 5111A scope for example. I also don't like the BNC connectors, they looks skinny, a bit out of place surrounded by all these big knobs all over the face plate. And of course BNC is definitely very modern because still current...
No, I like tube scopes when they look really as old as the tube era they belong too. So for me : big rotating knobs all over the place, a round CRT rather than rectangular, and beefy UHF connectors :-)
I love the 535 because it has all of that, coupled with the "feature" side of the mix : the dual time base ! I just love this feature, I always found it magical for some reason... and seeing a '50's tube scope featuring such an advanced feature, when many '80 scopes still didn't have it, just blows my mind.
This mix of elegance and advance features/engineering, is what appeals to me in the 535.
Of course the 545 being basically the same scope but with twice the BW, 30MHz instead of 15 IIRC, makes it appeal to me as well ! :-)
The ultimate 500 scope for me I guess would be the 585 ! Uses a tunnel diode like they 547, so has all the same goodies that come with that.. but it retains the looks I like in the 535/545... and adds 100MHz of BW to boot, twice that of the 547, no less !
100MHz in the late '50's ! Even brand new entry level Tek scopes today, 60 years later, still don't offer 100MHz as standard ! Standard is still only 50 or 60MHz today. Need to pay extra to get 100MHz.
So yeah, I would much rather have a 585 than a 547. I guess they are as rare as hens teeth though, so I am not holding my breath ! LOL
Vincent Trouilliez
Vince