Hey everyone, I was pointed in the direction of this group from the Tektronix subreddit.
Like the title says I don't have a formal background in EE or repairs, just some modest restorations of tape machines and other audio equipment. Apologies if I say something glaringly incorrect lol
So basically, I frequent a lot of e-waste recycling type places here in the Bay Area and today I spotted this vintage Tektronix unit next to the dumpster at one of these spots. I asked the cashier if I could take it instead, which apparently required a small transaction for their records. So $5 later I'm driving home with a TU-50 in the back seat
Now what I was expecting was that the internals would already have been more or less parted out already and that I'd reuse the chassis for a project, but when I took a look inside I was floored. The entire 70+ tube complement, original selenium rectifiers, coils, ect were untouched. The only thing missing seemingly was the accessory that plugs into the sine wave gen section, a single knob in square wave section that I replaced in the meantime, and also the cage that's supposed to hold up the fan has an issue I haven't looked at. I'm by no means set up or experienced enough to test complicated tube equipment like this so I can't report on that front unfortunately.
From what I've gathered, this was a low production one-stop shop for calibrating oscilloscopes that was only used internally by Tektronix during production in the 60s-70s? This one's no. 248
I really don't have the heart to tear down a well preserved piece of tech history like this. I mean even among the other pre-IC Tek equipment I've opened up, the point-to-point layout and construction is just artful. The row of 50 tubes upside down in the frequency division(?) section kept bringing to mind a flock of bats hanging from the ceiling of a cave or something similar
So then, what's the deal with these units? Are they well known among Tek fanatics? Are they still relevant for current day technicians who restore vintage scopes? Are there many collectors interested in test equipment like this that never had a public production run? I wouldn't even know where to start in terms of price, as there's seemingly no record of one being listed on ebay. Would it be better to hold on to for when I inevitably make the descent into building a proper amateur bench setup?
Very curious to hear from y'all, thanks!
Also, is there a good way to attach photos? My first post came back saying no attachments
