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I've seen these XY oscilloscope clocks out there before and wanted to pick one up. Unfortunately, the Dutchtronix website shows "out of stock." Does anyone know if these kits are still being made, and if so, where I can pick one up? I sent an email to the address on the website but got no response so I thought I'd see if anyone here knows anything about them or where I could get one.

Thanks,
John

Hello Tek fanatics!

I have an MSO 3012 and I lent it to a friend. That was the last time it leaves the house!
It came back with the message: something is wrong... Well you can say that again!

I've done some tests and I've put the story on the "official" (and completely dead?) Tek forum:

I don't know how he did it. But somehow two resistors, which are in series with the
incoming signal, were burned out. I've put in two 47 Ohm resistors for test in parallel
and the scope seems to work well then. The input impedance was nicely 1Meg again instead of oc.

In the meanwhile I've checked and confirmed that these resistors need to be 50.0 Ohm.
(At my work was a 4 channel version, and I've checked it there) I've replaced the
resistors with thin film 50.0 Ohm resistors. All ranges are working normal again.

But I have some questions left...

What happened here? I think it had a huge over voltage/HF power. Probably
some crowbar construction with the 50 Ohm resistors protected the scope?
If there is a protection circuit, I would like to know if that is still working well.

Are there any schematics available on these MSO 3012 scopes?

Thanks in advance!

Thanks for the advice :-)
Dave

Do you have the specific message from the error log?
--Eric
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.

I got a good "new" Dallas DS1742W-150 from NAC in St. Petersburg, Florida.

I had ordered some low profile pin carrier matching sockets, guaranteed to
be here by today, but the Post Office lost track of them after they hit the
PO in Dallas, TX. I had also bought two ZIF sockets, but those will NOT
fit on the TDS3032 board.

So, I used individual, old fashion, lead carrier pins that I had on-hand.
I had to sacrifice two 16 pin lead carrier "sockets" to make on 24 pin
socket. When the carriers are removed, it all individual pins sticking out
of the board, so it takes careful work to keep them all straight and
aligned.

The scope booted up the first time with no errors!!! ...except the
background color was red instead of blue. It was rather stunning actually,
but I knew that wasn't right. I re-booted holding in the "B-TRIG" key to
perform a cold boot. That worked. The scope is looking good again.

It appears to be holding its GPIB address, the time and date, and the SPC
calibration.

Now that it works, I can dremmel in to the old Dallas chip and find the
battery and try to create an external battery for this chip. That way when
this "new" chip dies, or the one in my backup TDS3032 dies, I will have a
better solution.

Thanks to everyone that had suggestions on here on in the EEVBlog Forum,
that helped to eventually lead me to this fix. it's great to have my old
buddy back in the test setup again! Happy days are here again!

Dave

I have the same problem too.

Do you have any clue to solve this 320 error ?


Thanks
Simon

hi Bruce,

I just acquired a Ballantine 6126M Oscilloscope Calibrator and its associated Time/Div. module in a browns Ballantine mainframe.

My unit has some issues, and I would really appreciate having the .pdf manuals so that i can repair it.

-- if you have the manuals, would you be able to email (off-line, Private ) them to me ?

thank you,
rick
Tekscopes

Recent arrival:
old Ballantine 6126M Oscilloscope Calibrator + a Ballantine Time/Div. module (model # ??),
+ a Tek DM 501 + an empty slot (?) in a brown (6-slot) Ballantine mainframe.

a) Looking for the Ballantine 6126M + the Time/Div. manuals in .pdf form !
-- If anyone has these .pdf manuals would they email them to me, off-line (Private) ?

b) The Time/Div. module has problems with the 1 uS selection.
--Any ideas what the problem might be (dried up capacitor or transistors ) ?

Also:
c) -- What might have been in the single empty slot in the Ballantine mainframe ?
- another Tektronix module ?

d) -- Is the brown Ballantine 6-slot mainframe the same as a Tek TM-506 mainframe ??

thank you,
rick

Older version of the PG 506 arrived with an ~ 1/2" dented-in front panel at the LED - Variable Amplitude knob juncture.
Looks like it took a nose-dive to a concrete floor !

a) The Grey/Black-Red Amplitude knob is shattered and incomplete.
That switch itself seems to turn correctly when gently grasped with cardboard stock held in a vice grips.
-- Does anyone have a plastic knob that would suitably work ?
-- Please contact me via Private e-mail.

b) Question:
Have not tried to power up the PG 506 yet, due to the bent-in front panel + broken bezel.
Any hints:
-- Is there anything right behind that area that could be shorted or physically broken ?
-- What is a procedure to open-up/bend-back the front panel without damage ?

thank you,
rick

If you have to turn it CCW to see anything, but it is sweeping then the problem is obviously DC offset. First of all, how does it act in XY mode ?

In the XY more if it is still offset to the right then look to the output amps. My copy of the print doesn't have it, it is in the one labelled "missing pages". If it is centered with the position pretty much in the middle of range then look to the sweep generators or switching.

After a certain point in the chain everything is differential so center the position control and try to see where the voltage imbalance starts.

Sounds like one side of the Horiz amp has a bad transistor.Is the horiz position knob skewed all the way to one side or the other ?If so, swap corresponding transistors until you see the trace skew to the other side of the screen.You could also short the case of corresponding transistors to each other to see if the display centers up.
HankC, Boston, WA1HOS

Hello,
Thanks Brad, Craig, Tim and Rogers for your heads up and sorry for the long delay in answering. Past was a busy and crazy week.

In the end, I only wasted the bandwidth and your time because it wasn't the mains fuse what was blowing.
I only assumed it, because even the power pilot light wouldn't turn on, but I realized only later that the power light on this scope is powered from the +5V.

The net result however, was almost like if the mains fuse had blown, because the scope ***almost*** didn't have any power... Only the -50V was there... all the others were collapsed.

I found a blown 150mA fuse on the 130V P.S.
I found the resistance of the +130V to ground to be only about 20 Ohms, something that couldn't be right for a 130V rail that's limited to 150mA (tops).
After some chasing, I foundthree 2N5551 short-circuited, all three of them belonging to the +50V supply and all were being either fed by the +130V or referenced to it and, being shorted, they were blowing the +130V fuse.
After a thorough check of all components around those three trannies, to rule-out they could have been blown by something else, and having found nothing else blown or even drifted, I simply replaced the three trannies and the fuse and scope is now back on track.

Curious fact is that, although almost all LVPS of this scope are over-current protected, the +130V is the only one that is protected by a fuse (I don't count the H.V. power supply fuse, because that is on the unregulated side), and almost all the other supplies rely directly or indirectly on the +130V rail to operate so, a +130V rail fuse blown brings the whole scope down.

That's the closing for this topic.
Thanks again for those who took the time to answer... This report goes for you.

Rgrds,

Fabio

Don't forget Alan's freebie down in Brighton, if you fancy a repair:

"I have a Tektronix Model 2215 to give away. It’s a 60MHz dual trace ‘scope, but it has a PSU fault, so it doesn’t power-up correctly. Probably an easy fix, but I just haven’t had time to look at it and in the meantime I bought a Rigol, which suits my purposes better.

Sorry it’s collection only, first come first served. I’m in the Brighton area of the UK.

Email direct to g4gnx AT g4gnx.com

Regards,

Alan. "

I'm in Camberley, Surrey

By the way, my storage 577 has similar "quirks" to yours. I tried adjusting it according to the
manual
and I found the directions very confusing. I finally gave up. Now I am happy that it works well
enough
that I can use it when I need to and if I get a small cloud when I first turn it on pressing the
erase
button always makes it go away so it is not a problem.

Oddly enough storage was/is perfect on my 577. That isn't the problem. A couple of years ago I had a
tant go short. To locate which board was the problem, I unplugged the power supply. Finding the
problem was then obvious and said capacitor was replaced.

Then I plugged one of the darned cluster of harmonica connectors one pin out, and the magic smoke came
out. I was so angry, disappointed with myself, and discouraged I parked it for a year. Then I set
about replacing everything that was clearly ex-silicon and a new clutch of ex-tants. Logic chips had
had some horrid voltage and most were dead. Op-amps were dead. There are two dual JFETS in there, that
were clearly dead - and much to my delight they are still currently available parts.

This saga was behind my word of caution to Wolfgang to check the connectors were plugged in correctly.

Now everything works apart from a remaining gremlin in the step generator or amplifier, so at least
I've put the magic smoke back in at last. It is again parked waiting for another burst of fixit
enthusiasm.

Craig

Hi Dave
Approximately where in the UK are you, I may be able to help you.
George ?G6HIG

Hi Wolfgang,

Excellent!
By the way, my storage 577 has similar "quirks" to yours. I tried adjusting it according to the manual and I found the directions very confusing. I finally gave up. Now I am happy that it works well enough that I can use it when I need to and if I get a small cloud when I first turn it on pressing the erase button always makes it go away so it is not a problem.

There are several valuable things you can do with the storage 577 that the 576 cannot do so that is one reason I prefer the 577. One odd advantage I discovered to the storage is that since the 577 graticule is not illuminated it can sometimes be hard to capture it in a photograph, but if you turn the storage gun up a bit it creates a uniform green fog effect that back lights the graticule just enough that you can see it and your transistor curves together making it easy to get both in the photo.

Dennis

Thank you Dennis.
I did accept that this fine instrument is working as specified. My last comment was regarding the storage option which I am not really worried about.

I apologize if I gave you the impression that I am not trusting the very helpful advice I received in the last couple of days. I truly appreciate all the help I received.

Thank you again,
Wolfgang

Hi Wolfgang,

Please forgive the capital letters. I am not shouting but I do hope to get your attention to what the other TekScopes experts (Craig Sawyer, Chuck Harris, Tom Jobe) are telling you:
* THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH YOUR CURVE TRACER!!!!
* YOUR FINE PHOTOGRAPHS SHOW A PERFECTLY NORMAL SET OF 2N3055 CURVES ON A 577.
No matter how much you think your photos show your curve tracer is not working it is working perfectly.

Just in case that was not clear let me say it a little differently:
* YOUR 577 IS WORKING EXACTLY LIKE ALL OF THE 575s, 576s, AND 577s I HAVE EVER USED (I OWN 5 AND I HAVE USED MORE THAN 20).

There are several things that are causing this misunderstanding on your part:
* Several of the curve tracer controls interact with each other and/or with the transistor's actual parameters to create misleading (or annoying at best) visual artifacts that you are pointing out as performance defects of the curve tracer such the loops on the left side of each curve. Those are characteristics of the transistor itself. Others have pointed out how to prove this by substituting a small value capacitor for the transistor to see that it creates loops too.
* Your expectation of what ideal transistor curves look like conflicts with 1) how real transistors (with stray capacitances and other ugly details) actually perform; and 2) how real world instruments such as a 577 operate due to limitations of real world circuit designs, or constraints like costs, weight, size, heat, etc.
* Your incorrect expectations of what transistor curves SHOULD look like on a curve tracer are confusing you further and further.
* You don't have enough experience with Tek Curve Tracers to realize that yours is operating perfectly.
* You do not have enough hands-on experience with curve tracers to realize the subtleties of how they operate. For example I have 50+ years of experience with the 575/576/577 and I still haven’t used every capability of these sophisticated instruments.
* The designers of the 576/577 knew it would have to test devices that weren't invented yet. As a result these curve tracers have many more controls and capabilities that they would seem to need. Until you need these capabilities those controls only create more confusion if you set them wrong. This is part of your problem.
* There is no blanking on the 575/576/577 so you see the unusual traces between steps at the right side of each step in your photos. This is because you were using the FAST Step Rate. I could explain why this is so but it would be better if you learned why yourself (from the Theory of Operation" section in the Service Manual) so you would realize it is not a sign that there is something wrong.

Regardless of what "wrong" curves you get on your 577, if you provide a photo, we can explain why the curves look that way. It will either be due to:
1) The settings of the curve tracer (such as using the FAST Step Rate),
2) The way the curve tracer circuitry works (it doesn't use blanking),
3) A real world transistor is not the same as an ideal transistor (Miller Effect, leakage, etc).

If I succeeded in reassuring you that your curve tracer is working properly, CONGRATULATIONS!
On the other hand, if Craig, Chuck, Tom, and I haven't convinced you, then I suggest you sell the curve tracer. You will never be happy with it and you are going to waste a lot of time and money chasing a chimera.

My only request is that you think about how much time we have spent so far explaining to you that there is nothing wrong before you ask us for further reassurance. It won't be a good use of our time.

I hope you are able to stop worrying and begin to enjoy the remarkable instrument you have. You can download a copy of the Tek book "Semiconductor Device Measurements" (link below) to learn how to use your curve tracer to make all sorts of device measurements. If you look carefully you will see the steps have loops in some of the photographs in this book.


Dennis Tillman W7PF