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Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

I've listed a fully-operational and calibrated 2467 on eBay for $499 and have not seen any
interest. That's the lowest price listed for a working unit of that model - others are trying to
get close to $1K or more.

=========================================

Pat,

During March and April of 2012, I purchased three working 2467's at nothing over $300.

($220, $290 and $296)

From my perspective the other prices are too high.

Look at some of the listings, some are almost a year or more old. They list them hoping someone
will fall prey.


RP
Re: Sphere Research storage building clearout update

 

On 2/17/2013 11:14 AM, wshawlee2 wrote:
Many thanks to all that have contacted us, many items are now gone, and many
more were discovered digging through the shelves.
...

please remember, we are Kelowna, BC, Canada, easy drive from BC, alberta, oregon
and washington,.

For those of us in the US, what amount of red tape could we expect at the border if we return with a load of test equipment? Is a border broker required?


Tom
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

Jim Popwell Jr
 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

where are you located,
i'm in Silverton, oregon
jim


On Feb 17, 2013, at 11:22 AM, Chuck Harris <cfharris@...> wrote:

?

Ah yes, there is that: If I fire up the forklift,
and take these scopes down from the pallet racks,
unwrap their protective shrink wrap from the pallet,
stand them up individually, and shoot pictures, and
then re stack them and re wrap them with shrink wrap,
start up the forklift, and put them back up on the
pallet racks, I will have spent about 4 hours more
and made my back sore, all on the promise that one
or two of these scopes will receive more than a
scrap value offer.

In the world of historical "treasures", there are
always two groups: Those that value the "treasure"
for some purpose, buy it, and do what they will with
their stuff, and those that cast scorn on the owners
of the "treasure" for desecrating the treasure, but
then put up none of their own money.

Those of us who are invested in military vehicles
and warplanes have seen this play out time and again...

I really can't afford to be the museum for these very
valuable pieces of art. I have all I need in my own
shop.

These are going to have to be scrapped unless we can
come up with a better plan than my giving them away,
or owning them for the future generations.

Thus far, the prices on Tektronix scopes have followed
a precipitous decline from their factory new prices.
I have seen none, regardless of condition, that trade
for more than the inflation adjusted factory price,
and none that trade for more than the original factory
price, save for the occasional 570 vacuum tube curve
tracer.

Perhaps there are too many examples of these scopes?

-Chuck Harris

Chin Siang Lim wrote:
> Hi chuck,
> I love the 475, 475a, 485 and the 24xx series. The 7000 would be great but
> too heavy to ship to Singapore.
> If you could put up a list, and some pictures, we will help to consume them
> over time.
> I disagree that you scrapped those scopes. That is depriving future
> generations from the benefits of
> Using those scopes, especially when someone said you do not need the money.
> Gold price is ever rising; future prices may still be higher.
>
> Scrapping is final; the scopes are gone for ever.
>
> Cslim
Tek DSA602A still avaialble at sphere

wshawlee2
 

This touchscreen, color CRT heavyweight wide-band beauty is sitting here, clogging up a bench, with a 4 trace plug in, good working condition. if any interest, let me know! will sell or trade (really would like an AM700), and since it looks like one or more people will drive up this way shortly, there's potentially a cheap way for you to get it down to the US.

I also found a box of spare 11K stuff for the 114xxs series and one for the 113xx series. will toss them in with a frame purchase. three's even a CRT in there.

there's still a lot of generic (3BP1, 3RP1A, etc.), HP and Tek CRTs left, too. Even filling Dennis's van right to the roof didn't seem to make a real dent there.

all the best,
walter (walter2 -at- sphere.bc.ca)
sphere research corp.
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

Chuck Harris
 

Ah yes, there is that: If I fire up the forklift,
and take these scopes down from the pallet racks,
unwrap their protective shrink wrap from the pallet,
stand them up individually, and shoot pictures, and
then re stack them and re wrap them with shrink wrap,
start up the forklift, and put them back up on the
pallet racks, I will have spent about 4 hours more
and made my back sore, all on the promise that one
or two of these scopes will receive more than a
scrap value offer.

In the world of historical "treasures", there are
always two groups: Those that value the "treasure"
for some purpose, buy it, and do what they will with
their stuff, and those that cast scorn on the owners
of the "treasure" for desecrating the treasure, but
then put up none of their own money.

Those of us who are invested in military vehicles
and warplanes have seen this play out time and again...

I really can't afford to be the museum for these very
valuable pieces of art. I have all I need in my own
shop.

These are going to have to be scrapped unless we can
come up with a better plan than my giving them away,
or owning them for the future generations.

Thus far, the prices on Tektronix scopes have followed
a precipitous decline from their factory new prices.
I have seen none, regardless of condition, that trade
for more than the inflation adjusted factory price,
and none that trade for more than the original factory
price, save for the occasional 570 vacuum tube curve
tracer.

Perhaps there are too many examples of these scopes?

-Chuck Harris



Chin Siang Lim wrote:

Hi chuck,
I love the 475, 475a, 485 and the 24xx series. The 7000 would be great but
too heavy to ship to Singapore.
If you could put up a list, and some pictures, we will help to consume them
over time.
I disagree that you scrapped those scopes. That is depriving future
generations from the benefits of
Using those scopes, especially when someone said you do not need the money.
Gold price is ever rising; future prices may still be higher.

Scrapping is final; the scopes are gone for ever.

Cslim
Sphere Research storage building clearout update

wshawlee2
 

Many thanks to all that have contacted us, many items are now gone, and many more were discovered digging through the shelves.

all the 22xx and 24xx scopes are now gone, as is the 11302, all over the weekend, along with a huge pile of hp gear, and my left over 11K plug ins. thanks to those that drove over to collect, so I didn't have to ship. I may find a few more portable scopes as we keep emptying out areas, will advise. I did find working Tek 2230 and 2430 digital scopes, seem to be Ok during a cursory test, clean digital traces, and look good, $150 each, as-is.

I still have 3 ea. 11402 frames (working) for $250 each, OBO. Stan may drive up in the next week or so, so there's a chance he can bring it back to the Tek museum in OR for you if you are close by. There's a couple of 7K frames too, I haven't dug down to them yet.

I also found a couple of Tek 1240 color logic analyzers and a ton of pods, cables and accessories, let me know if any interest. I'd prefer to have them go as a complete system so somebody will get real value from it. there's also some bigger analyzer from tek, DAS9200 or something, with accessories. also a few HP analyzers, and once cute little Tek 308 LA complete with pods and top carry pouch, $100. worked when I used it last. Also 3 ea. Working Tek DA series distortion analyzers in TM5003 frames, $225 each.

there are some gang EPROM programmers, various kinds, for $20-40.

Lots of HP 8660 plus ins, good and bad, also a ton of Boonton 92/93 green series power meters, wideband ac voltmeters, etc.

Bad power sensors, for parts or repair, Boonton, HP 478 and 84xx series. $5-10 each.

Many HP 5328A partial or 53xx series needs repair counters. some very nice units, your choice for $20.

if you want something brought down to you by stan griffiths, please contact him directly to arrange it. I have many bankers boxes filled with 400, 7000, 11K and similar Tek boards, displays, controls, etc., I expect all of those to head back with stan to the museum. I have similar boxes with hp boards if any interest.

if you need something let me know. I NEED to find some tunnel diodes for a bad 475 sweep, and TM500/5000 plug ins in good shape, as well as scrap/mechanical salvage for experimenting.

please remember, we are Kelowna, BC, Canada, easy drive from BC, alberta, oregon and washington,.

all the best,
walter (walter2 -at- sphere.bc.ca)
sphere research corp.
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

If you (the list population) has not read Jim Williams (as editor) book "The Art and Science of Analog Circuit Design", it is pretty much a mandatory read, IMO. I suspect most people on this have read it. The story that Craig relates is Jim's chapter in that book (Chapter 17, "There's No Place Like Home"), and was the basis for my decision to buy older, broken instruments and repair them for my own use. I don't have anything close to Jim's experience with analog engineering, but I have learned a heck of a lot figuring out how to fix these things. And some of the design that went into the older 'scopes (I can't remark about the newer stuff) was darn elegant.

DaveD
?
On 2/17/2013 12:00 PM, Cliff White wrote:

?

Now that's funny!!! I'm not letting him near any of my test gear... :) That would be a very good way to learn how to fix these.

On 02/17/2013 12:53 PM, Craig Sawyers wrote:
==========================
As a 17 year-old Extra class ham, I've been the victim/recipient of some
things like that. I know that I personally have a learned a LOT from fixing
stuff people have given me because they didn't want to throw it away. 
==========================

Read the late great Jim Williams perspective on fixing stuff.  His college
supervisor told him that anything that broke, he had to fix.  OK - that was
a decent enough challenge.  But then he got into the next level, where he
and a friend would subtly break each other's test gear - then the challenge
was who could fix their stuff the quickest.  Hell of a good education on how
to resurrect broken gear.  And Jim was a classic era Tek fan - everything in
his test lab was from earlier than the mid 70's.

Craig



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Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 


As a youth, I would bet that you pay more in fees for
one month's use of your iphone or android phone, than
the scrap prices for these scopes.
There might be some truth in that for a lot of today's youth! But still, it's not quite the same as learning to use and maintain this old gear, which could lead to a good education in the electronics (or ancient electronics) industry.

-Chuck Harris

Cliff White wrote:

I would highly recommend finding some young people like me in your area that are
interested in learning about our kind of electronics, and not only giving them some
of the equipment, but teaching them to use and maintain it as well.


Respectfully,
Cliff White, W5CNW
w5cnw@... <mailto:w5cnw@...>
------------------------------------

Yahoo! Groups Links
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

Now that's funny!!! I'm not letting him near any of my test gear... :) That would be a very good way to learn how to fix these.

On 02/17/2013 12:53 PM, Craig Sawyers wrote:

==========================
As a 17 year-old Extra class ham, I've been the victim/recipient of some
things like that. I know that I personally have a learned a LOT from fixing
stuff people have given me because they didn't want to throw it away. 
==========================

Read the late great Jim Williams perspective on fixing stuff.  His college
supervisor told him that anything that broke, he had to fix.  OK - that was
a decent enough challenge.  But then he got into the next level, where he
and a friend would subtly break each other's test gear - then the challenge
was who could fix their stuff the quickest.  Hell of a good education on how
to resurrect broken gear.  And Jim was a classic era Tek fan - everything in
his test lab was from earlier than the mid 70's.

Craig



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

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<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
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    TekScopes-fullfeatured@...

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<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:

Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

Chuck Harris
 

Charity is a noble deed, and I already give heavily of
my time to a very needy local youth orchestra. I also
give heavily of my purse to several organizations that
I deem worthy... and being a US citizen I also give
heavily of my taxes to a very very needy 47%.

If these scopes are really a loved treasure, they must
be worth something more than their scrap value... Right?

As a youth, I would bet that you pay more in fees for
one month's use of your iphone or android phone, than
the scrap prices for these scopes.

-Chuck Harris

Cliff White wrote:

I would highly recommend finding some young people like me in your area that are
interested in learning about our kind of electronics, and not only giving them some
of the equipment, but teaching them to use and maintain it as well.


Respectfully,
Cliff White, W5CNW
w5cnw@... <mailto:w5cnw@...>
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

Craig Sawyers
 

==========================
As a 17 year-old Extra class ham, I've been the victim/recipient of some
things like that. I know that I personally have a learned a LOT from fixing
stuff people have given me because they didn't want to throw it away.
==========================

Read the late great Jim Williams perspective on fixing stuff. His college
supervisor told him that anything that broke, he had to fix. OK - that was
a decent enough challenge. But then he got into the next level, where he
and a friend would subtly break each other's test gear - then the challenge
was who could fix their stuff the quickest. Hell of a good education on how
to resurrect broken gear. And Jim was a classic era Tek fan - everything in
his test lab was from earlier than the mid 70's.

Craig
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

Good for you Chuck.
The Good ole US has given up so much over the years
Fight backi.
Wish I was closer would be interested in some of what you have.
Jim
in Ireland

On 17 February 2013 18:49, Chuck Harris <cfharris@...> wrote:

?

I'm not sure where you got the idea I don't _need_ money.
I'm a native born electrical engineer in the USA, a country
that is hell bent on destroying the profession, so by
definition I don't just _need_ money, I *need* money.

-Chuck Harris



keithostertag wrote:
> Oh boy, this is gonna be a fun thread!
>
> My suggestion: find worthy/interesting persons/causes and start giving them away a
> few pieces at a time. You don't _need_ the money, and think about all the good
> will you will be spreading and interesting people you will meet (and possibly
> help/teach). Random acts of kindness- can't get better than that.
>
> Keith Ostertag
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

Chuck Harris
 

I'm not sure where you got the idea I don't _need_ money.
I'm a native born electrical engineer in the USA, a country
that is hell bent on destroying the profession, so by
definition I don't just _need_ money, I *need* money.

-Chuck Harris

keithostertag wrote:

Oh boy, this is gonna be a fun thread!

My suggestion: find worthy/interesting persons/causes and start giving them away a
few pieces at a time. You don't _need_ the money, and think about all the good
will you will be spreading and interesting people you will meet (and possibly
help/teach). Random acts of kindness- can't get better than that.

Keith Ostertag
An improvised knob puller (was: Re: Re: A Way to (Sometimes) Repair Broken 22xx Knobs)

Brad Thompson
 

Hello--

Dunno whether it's applicable to a 22xx series oscilloscope's
knobs, but I've used the following to remove stubbornly-stuck
knobs without damage.

Attempting to pry off a stuck knob using a screwdriver often
damages the knob or the front panel. Instead, locate a scrap
length of multiconductor ribbon cable (commonly used as
disk-drive cables in PCs).

Using a hobby knife, cut a small slit in the middle of the
cable. Make the slit just wide enough to fit over the knob.

Arrange the ribbon cable such that the conductors contact
each side of the knob's underside. Grasp the ends of the
ribbon cable and pull gently.

The ribbon cable distributes the pulling force more or less
evenly to the knob, minimizing the stresses that would
be applied by prying with a screwdriver.

Hope this helps, and 73--

Brad AA1IP
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

Hi chuck,?
I love the 475, 475a, 485 and the 24xx series. The 7000 would be great but too heavy to ship to Singapore.?
If you could put up a list, and some pictures, we will help to consume them over time.?
I disagree that you scrapped those scopes. That is depriving future generations from the benefits of?
Using those scopes, especially when someone said you do not need the money.?
Gold price is ever rising; future prices may still be higher.?

Scrapping is final; the scopes are gone for ever.?

Cslim


On Monday, February 18, 2013, Patrick Wong wrote:
?

Hi Chuck,

The answer is obvious if your decision is driven by economics: scrap.

Not too many people feel the need to spend a three-digit amount or more, on an obsolete analog scope.

I've listed a fully-operational and calibrated 2467 on eBay for $499 and have not seen any interest. That's the lowest price listed for a working unit of that model - others are trying to get close to $1K or more.

Patrick Wong AK6C

--- In TekScopes@..., Chuck Harris wrote:
>
> ...What's it to be? Do I fix them, or Do I scrap them?
>
> What shall I do with these scopes?
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

I suspect there are a lot of folks 'afflicted' with this desire to restore and maintain vintage equipment.? I know I am certainly one.? However, I don't have a 'specific addiction' to Tektronix.? I can get a 'high' from pretty much any vintage equipment.
?
I would suggest that there are?several possibilities:
?
1.? Sell 'parts mules' to folks in need of some 'spares' for their future needs.
2.? Function as a 'supply house' for parts to supply others in need of a specific part for their project.
3.? Restore as many as possible using the parts available from your 'pallets'.
4.? Scrap it all or allow someone else to come in a buy your pallets at 'scrap' prices.
?
Obviously, number 4 is the fastest way to empty the warehouse and number 2 is probably the slowest.? While you might not get back your investment in time, number 3 would provide working scopes to the most folks.? Number 1 would spread the 'addiction' to the most folks.
?
I know I would love to find a source for specific parts I need without having to buy a 'mule' but, if I had a bigger 'barn', a few 'mules' would be welcome.
?
Good luck.
?
Joe
?
?

-----Original Message-----
From: TekScopes@... [mailto:TekScopes@...] On Behalf Of Chuck Harris
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 11:29 AM
To: TekScopes2; TekScopes@yahoogroups. com
Subject: [TekScopes] Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

?

Here's the thing:

I have 4 pallets of tektronix scopes taking up space in my
warehouse. One pallet is mostly 7000 series, with a few
5000 series mainframes, another is a mix of 7000 and 5000
series rack mount scopes, with a 564. The third is mostly
453's, 454's, and a few odd 434, 464, 465, 466, 475, and 485's.
And the fourth has a 585A, 545A, and 535A on it... the '45
and '35 were beautiful before the tube whores stripped them...
but recycler's don't get the luxury of judging, they just take
what they get.... ixed in with all of this are several large
boxes of plugins... nothing sexy, but the usual 7B53A's, and
7A16, 7A26, 7D14, kind of stuff...

I love cleaning, fixing, calibrating and restoring scopes
into good working condition. I have all of the Tek specified
gear for doing this, but judging by ebay sales, buyers don't
seem to value that effort at all.

To give you an example. I found a DOA 434 in my stash, and
because it was so cute, I cleaned it up, fixed a power supply
problem that stumped the original owner, replaced a tantalum
on one of the boards, fixed a really nasty trigger problem,
that was caused by the power supply problem, lubed all of the
pots, cleaned and lubed the panel switches, and fan, cleaned
the attenuator contacts, and did a complete calibration. It
took me a week of evenings to do the work. When it was put on
ebay, as cleaned, calibrated, and guaranteed, it got a couple
of $15 offers, and it remains unsold... as does its twin that
I did in hopes of a better result...

At current US scrap prices, I can get $17 per pound for gold
plated circuit boards, which is the standard price recyclers
are giving these days... I work with a recycler, so I am very
sure of these prices... There is easily 2 pounds of circuit
boards in a 434 [vertical, horizontal, storage, preamps, and
power supply are all gold plated]. The 453's and 454's have
easily 5x more...

Considering how much you folks are yipping and yapping about
tunnel diodes, and how hard they are to find, I could have
gotten more than $15 if I simply removed the two diodes in
this 434, and sold them on ebay. And I would still have a
good CRT, the aluminum from the chassis and can, the gold
plated circuit boards, a bunch of special IC's, etc... I have
gotten $5 just from a knob, and $15 from just selling one CRT
filter!.... to sell.

What's the answer? I keep hearing about how much you guys
love Tektronix and their scopes, but when one sells for less
than a tankful of gas, I have to wonder if it is all just
dreamy nostalgia talk. When a couple of days worth of cleaning,
repairing, and calibration is worth less than you would pay
for a dinner out with someone you don't even like all that
much... Where is the love?

What's it to be? Do I fix them, or Do I scrap them?

What shall I do with these scopes?

-Chuck Harris
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

¿ªÔÆÌåÓý

As a 17 year-old Extra class ham, I've been the victim/recipient of some things like that. I know that I personally have a learned a LOT from fixing stuff people have given me because they didn't want to throw it away. I got a Tek 466 that way, as well as some other test equipment and radios.

I would highly recommend finding some young people like me in your area that are interested in learning about our kind of electronics, and not only giving them some of the equipment, but teaching them to use and maintain it as well.


Respectfully,
Cliff White, W5CNW
w5cnw@...
On 02/17/2013 11:49 AM, keithostertag wrote:

Oh boy, this is gonna be a fun thread!

My suggestion: find worthy/interesting persons/causes and start giving them away a few pieces at a time. You don't _need_ the money, and think about all the good will you will be spreading and interesting people you will meet (and possibly help/teach). Random acts of kindness- can't get better than that.

Keith Ostertag



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

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<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
    

<*> Your email settings:
    Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:
    
    (Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
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Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

Hi Chuck,

? If you have one, I am interested in upgrading my Tektronix 545 to a 7854, and making that jump to the 7000 series of scopes. ?The 545 will get relegated to trusty backup scope.

Since this is only a hobby for me, I am cost-conscious, so I would prefer not to pay for repairs and do the work myself, if necessary, on a working/repairable scope. ?So I am happy just to have a mainframe that isn't totally dead and some plugins that are semi-functional. ?Shipping is what it is.

As for the tube scopes, do you have any type O plug-ins?

? Dan

p.s. ?I'll take further e-mail exchanges off-line so as not to clutter the in-boxes here. ?kaboomdk at yahoo dot com.
p.s. ?Nothing new on my re-winding of my RM503 transformer. ?It is however the next one down on the repair priorities list.

?



From: Chuck Harris
To: TekScopes2 ; "TekScopes@yahoogroups. com"
Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2013 12:28 PM
Subject: [TekScopes] Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

?
Here's the thing:

I have 4 pallets of tektronix scopes taking up space in my
warehouse. One pallet is mostly 7000 series, with a few
5000 series mainframes, another is a mix of 7000 and 5000
series rack mount scopes, with a 564. The third is mostly
453's, 454's, and a few odd 434, 464, 465, 466, 475, and 485's.
And the fourth has a 585A, 545A, and 535A on it... the '45
and '35 were beautiful before the tube whores stripped them...
but recycler's don't get the luxury of judging, they just take
what they get.... ixed in with all of this are several large
boxes of plugins... nothing sexy, but the usual 7B53A's, and
7A16, 7A26, 7D14, kind of stuff...

I love cleaning, fixing, calibrating and restoring scopes
into good working condition. I have all of the Tek specified
gear for doing this, but judging by ebay sales, buyers don't
seem to value that effort at all.

To give you an example. I found a DOA 434 in my stash, and
because it was so cute, I cleaned it up, fixed a power supply
problem that stumped the original owner, replaced a tantalum
on one of the boards, fixed a really nasty trigger problem,
that was caused by the power supply problem, lubed all of the
pots, cleaned and lubed the panel switches, and fan, cleaned
the attenuator contacts, and did a complete calibration. It
took me a week of evenings to do the work. When it was put on
ebay, as cleaned, calibrated, and guaranteed, it got a couple
of $15 offers, and it remains unsold... as does its twin that
I did in hopes of a better result...

At current US scrap prices, I can get $17 per pound for gold
plated circuit boards, which is the standard price recyclers
are giving these days... I work with a recycler, so I am very
sure of these prices... There is easily 2 pounds of circuit
boards in a 434 [vertical, horizontal, storage, preamps, and
power supply are all gold plated]. The 453's and 454's have
easily 5x more...

Considering how much you folks are yipping and yapping about
tunnel diodes, and how hard they are to find, I could have
gotten more than $15 if I simply removed the two diodes in
this 434, and sold them on ebay. And I would still have a
good CRT, the aluminum from the chassis and can, the gold
plated circuit boards, a bunch of special IC's, etc... I have
gotten $5 just from a knob, and $15 from just selling one CRT
filter!.... to sell.

What's the answer? I keep hearing about how much you guys
love Tektronix and their scopes, but when one sells for less
than a tankful of gas, I have to wonder if it is all just
dreamy nostalgia talk. When a couple of days worth of cleaning,
repairing, and calibration is worth less than you would pay
for a dinner out with someone you don't even like all that
much... Where is the love?

What's it to be? Do I fix them, or Do I scrap them?

What shall I do with these scopes?

-Chuck Harris
Re: Surplus outfits in Philladephia, PA (USA)?

 

Hi Dan:

In the 80's I made a couple of trips to this outfit:

SELECTRONICS

1229 S NAPA ST

PHILADELPHIA, ?PA ?19146-3417


At the time they were basically into electronics recycling.? I picked up a nice Harrison Labs Power supply that I still have.? I have no real idea what they are doing now.? I.m curious.

?

?


--- On Sun, 2/17/13, Daniel Koller wrote:

From: Daniel Koller Subject: [TekScopes] Surplus outfits in Philladephia, PA (USA)?
To: "TekScopes@..." , "hp_agilent_equipment@..."
Date: Sunday, February 17, 2013, 12:29 PM

?

Hi folks,

? Just a random question in the event there is an affirmative answer: ?Does anyone know if there are any good electronics surplus stores in the Philladelphia, PA area (USA) where one might be able to pick up old Tek Scopes or HP test instruments? ?Just curious, as I might have an opportunity to check it out.

? Has e-bay put all of these places out of business? ?Surely there must be *some* brick-and-mortar warehouses left, no?

? Dan
Re: Question on what to do with 4 pallets of scopes...

 

It's a difficult choice...I run into the same situations with my old
Datsun parts. I end up keeping what I can use, and recover whatever
money I can whatever way I can. You could part out the scopes and make
more money per hour, or fix them up clean and working correctly and
make less per hour, or scrap them and make what you make.

They aren't getting any more valuable for test gear, because all the
professionals who would need gear of this quality to do a proper job
either have the test gear already, or they buy new. You're catering to
people like me who either collect tek gear, or are using it in home
labs or more-than-amateur-but-less-than-professional situations.

(On the side, I'd love to talk to you about a 7K series scope, but I
don't know if I *need* one or just *want* one...)

On Sun, Feb 17, 2013 at 11:28 AM, Chuck Harris <cfharris@...> wrote:
Here's the thing:

I have 4 pallets of tektronix scopes taking up space in my
warehouse. One pallet is mostly 7000 series, with a few
5000 series mainframes, another is a mix of 7000 and 5000
series rack mount scopes, with a 564. The third is mostly
453's, 454's, and a few odd 434, 464, 465, 466, 475, and 485's.
And the fourth has a 585A, 545A, and 535A on it... the '45
and '35 were beautiful before the tube whores stripped them...
but recycler's don't get the luxury of judging, they just take
what they get.... ixed in with all of this are several large
boxes of plugins... nothing sexy, but the usual 7B53A's, and
7A16, 7A26, 7D14, kind of stuff...

I love cleaning, fixing, calibrating and restoring scopes
into good working condition. I have all of the Tek specified
gear for doing this, but judging by ebay sales, buyers don't
seem to value that effort at all.

To give you an example. I found a DOA 434 in my stash, and
because it was so cute, I cleaned it up, fixed a power supply
problem that stumped the original owner, replaced a tantalum
on one of the boards, fixed a really nasty trigger problem,
that was caused by the power supply problem, lubed all of the
pots, cleaned and lubed the panel switches, and fan, cleaned
the attenuator contacts, and did a complete calibration. It
took me a week of evenings to do the work. When it was put on
ebay, as cleaned, calibrated, and guaranteed, it got a couple
of $15 offers, and it remains unsold... as does its twin that
I did in hopes of a better result...

At current US scrap prices, I can get $17 per pound for gold
plated circuit boards, which is the standard price recyclers
are giving these days... I work with a recycler, so I am very
sure of these prices... There is easily 2 pounds of circuit
boards in a 434 [vertical, horizontal, storage, preamps, and
power supply are all gold plated]. The 453's and 454's have
easily 5x more...

Considering how much you folks are yipping and yapping about
tunnel diodes, and how hard they are to find, I could have
gotten more than $15 if I simply removed the two diodes in
this 434, and sold them on ebay. And I would still have a
good CRT, the aluminum from the chassis and can, the gold
plated circuit boards, a bunch of special IC's, etc... I have
gotten $5 just from a knob, and $15 from just selling one CRT
filter!.... to sell.

What's the answer? I keep hearing about how much you guys
love Tektronix and their scopes, but when one sells for less
than a tankful of gas, I have to wonder if it is all just
dreamy nostalgia talk. When a couple of days worth of cleaning,
repairing, and calibration is worth less than you would pay
for a dinner out with someone you don't even like all that
much... Where is the love?

What's it to be? Do I fix them, or Do I scrap them?

What shall I do with these scopes?

-Chuck Harris


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