Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Ok, I wasn't going to add my list, but it's been a while since took a survey.? These are just the 500 series items and the 575s (because they look similar and are tube-based).? Many of the plugins have duplicates and some mods, but I didn't track them.? The Cordin plugins (ex-SRI) appear to be part of a manifold system for high speed camera triggers.? Cordin has no record of them (or didn't want to look); at least one other similar model exists/existed.
SCOPES502????????(first scope, later first Tekscopes project, still unfinished!)511A ????(clean, HV section overheated/melted)514AD? ?(clean, HV section dead)519????? ? (untested, old version with non Au-plated connectors)519????? ? (untested, wrong camera mount, no bezel)519????? ? (untested)535A? ? ? (very weathered, parts only)
541????? ? (condition unknown)545????? ? (working)547????? ? (working)547????? ? (working)549????? ? (condition unknown)551 + PS (not working)555 + PS + cable (not working)
R502????? ?(working)RM35A? ? (working)RM547? ? (working)
PLUGINS
Type 1A1Type 1A4Type 1A6Type 1A7Type 1A7AType 1L5Type 1L20Type 1S1
Type 53/54 CType 53/54 CAType 53/54 GType BType CAType GType HType KType LType MType ML (mil version of L)Type OType QType RType WType ZOne of the cal plugins, but not on my lists.
Non-Tek PluginsCordin 30-034A PIN oscillographCordin 30-135A PIN oscillographNelson Ross 011 specan 0-20KHzNelson Ross 012 specan 0-100KHzNelson Ross 013 specan 0-500KHzNelson Ross 311 specan 0-300MHz
MiscA few scopemobiles, including one for the 519Home made extender for plugins575 (Fetrons)575 (Mod 122C)
-Dave
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Anyone with a Tek vacuum tube scope needs to read this book cover to cover:
"Typical Oscilloscope Circuitry", (C) 1961, 1962, Tektronix, Inc., S. W. Millikan Way, P.O. Box 500,
Beaverton, Oregon. I have one of these (no surprise there!). It is interesting that the title is "Typical...". What it actually is, is a treatise on what is under the bonnet of a 535 and 545 'scope. Shows how far they were above anything other companies were offering that they would show the design principles inside their flagship 'scope! Craig
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Hi Dave,
Stan is old. Stan has survived 2 or 3 bouts with cancer, a stroke, and the recent loss of Pat, his spouse. So he doesn't have the energy he used to. He does come to swapmeets where he sets up a table like he always did. I visited him a few times last summer and fall. He is getting frail but we went into his ham shack and puttered around for a while looking for some things Pete Lancashire wanted.
Dennis Tillman W7PF
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-----Original Message-----
From: Dave Seiter
Sent: Friday, March 29, 2019 1:33 AM
I haven't heard about Stan in a long time; he used to post quite a
lot. I think he had a few webcams, but they went dark long ago.
-Dave -- Dennis Tillman W7PF TekScopes Moderator
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Hi John, and everyone interested in Tek Vacuum Tube Scopes,
Anyone with a Tek vacuum tube scope needs to read this book cover to cover:
"Typical Oscilloscope Circuitry", (C) 1961, 1962, Tektronix, Inc., S. W. Millikan Way, P.O. Box 500, Beaverton, Oregon.
Interesting chapters include
4) Input Circuits
5) Plate Loaded Amplifiers
6) Cathode Followers
7) Circuits based on the Cathode Follower
8) Delay Lines and Distributed Amplifiers
9) Time-Base Generators
10) Multivibrators
11) Horizontal Deflection Systems
12) Power Supplies
It explains their most sophisticated circuits with a bare minimum amount of math so anyone can understand the cleverness and creativity that they designed into their tube instruments and why they all still work as good as they did the day they left the factory 60 years ago.
Dennis Tillman W7PF
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-----Original Message-----
From: John Williams
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 6:08 PM
Hi folks. I have been observing the topics of interest here for a few
weeks, and I am not seeing much on older scopes ie before the 7000
series. I am just wondering if this is a temporary trend or is it too
late. Has all interest in the restoration and repair of these old
“boat anchors” gone somewhere else, or has it died altogether? I am
still working on several projects bringing new life to the ‘50s and
‘60s units. I hope I am not the last of a dying breed. Regards, John
-- Dennis Tillman W7PF TekScopes Moderator
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Re: CG551AP - has anyone seen this problem before?
Well I hunted flaky tantalums and found no obvious ones. After re-assembly
and re-seating ROMs on CPU board, I'm now seeing the following error codes:
51, 52, 53, 54, 55 (Both Low SAC and High SAC)
56, 57 (Current mode)
81, 82, 83, 84, 85, 86, 87, 88 (All edge mode errors!)
Which is a step forward in one sense, but about 15 steps backward!
Suggestions most welcome!
Thanks
David
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-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto: [email protected]] On Behalf Of David C. Partridge Sent: 29 March 2019 12:52 To: TekScopes; [email protected]Subject: [TekScopes] CG551AP - has anyone seen this problem before? I turned on my CG551AP yesterday. It flashed up the SELF TEST message in normal brightness, then the display blanked and the only sign of life was the LEDs just above the trigger output BNC which were dimly illuminated. Has anyone seen this behaviour before? If so what was the problem? I'm guessing a shorted tantalum capacitor :( ... David
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CG551AP - has anyone seen this problem before?
I turned on my CG551AP yesterday. It flashed up the SELF TEST message in
normal brightness, then the display blanked and the only sign of life was
the LEDs just above the trigger output BNC which were dimly illuminated.
Has anyone seen this behaviour before? If so what was the problem?
I'm guessing a shorted tantalum capacitor :( ...
David
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Thanks. Yeah low frequency is all I need just to get dead plugins up and running including my 1L5. It would be nice to be able to poke around while its powered up.
I started to go the DYI route but only found 1 of he 2 connectors. I believe it's the plugin side that I have which of course is the "easy" one as I could scavenge that from a beater plugin. Its been a while since I looked at what I have but I'm pretty sure I was having trouble finding the mating main frame side connector.
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Re: Electromyograph EDX-1 - Based on Tektronix 5000 Series Mainframe
Hi,
Yes, it would be absolutely fine to post the pictures on Tekwiki. Let me take some more of the whole device and the plug-ins this weekend.
Thank you,
wschraml, KI7PFX
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On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 08:31 PM, nonIonizing EMF wrote:
Hi Wolfgang,
Neat instrument just to see what the setting and specification ranges might be
like.
Would you be OK having this and your images on Tekwiki? Will be interesting
to find a manual or any other information related for.
I have some photos I am going to send over regarding the D14 to add to the
Pacific Measurements 1038 related system which I think is a 5000 series
mainframe also and I just downloaded copies of your photos since looks
interesting to have in my archive mirrored offline for now.
Thanks for sharing! Neat looking system.
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
I haven't heard about Stan in a long time; he used to post quite a lot.? I think he had a few webcams, but they went dark long ago.
-Dave
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On Thursday, March 28, 2019, 4:21:44 PM PDT, Dennis Tillman W7PF <dennis@...> wrote: Hi John, Stan Griffiths of Aloha OR is THE definitive collector of Tek tube scopes. By now he has upwards of 1,000 in his ham shack, storage containers, and other out buildings on his property. Stan was one of the two founders of the VintageTEK Museum and he loaned some of his collection to the museum for its first 5 years or so. Stan wrote a book which you may not be familiar with on Tek's early (tube) scopes. It is called "Oscilloscopes: Collecting and Restoring a Classic"; ISBN-13: 9780963307156; Publisher: Stanley A. Griffiths; Publication date: 01/28/1992; Pages: 372; Product dimensions: 6.50(w) x 1.50(h) x 9.50(d). After years of being out of print (and copies going for over $100 each) it appears he has started printing again because you can get a copy from Barnes and Noble for $6.39 according to this web page on their site: I know that Stan was pretty pissed for many years that used book dealers were demanding more than $100 each for copies of his book so it sounds like he has finally done something about it and republished it. Dennis Tillman W7PF -----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
John Williams
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 6:08 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: [TekScopes] I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube
oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Hi folks. I have been observing the topics of interest here for a few
weeks, and I am not seeing much on older scopes ie before the 7000
series. I am just wondering if this is a temporary trend or is it too
late. Has all interest in the restoration and repair of these old
“boat anchors” gone somewhere else, or has it died altogether? I am
still working on several projects bringing new life to the ‘50s and
‘60s units. I hope I am not the last of a dying breed. Regards, John -- Dennis Tillman W7PF TekScopes Moderator
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Re: TEK 475 voltage issues.
I marked on the cct all the places that use the 110+. Then isolated them by
lifting wires/components one by one.
Tony UK
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On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 1:49 PM Glen Layne <gelayne@...> wrote: Many thanks Roger. At R1423, I find +141.7. Now, my issue is something
dragging down the +110. It's currently sitting at 87.3. If I leave the
unit on, it will slowly drop even more.
Glen
--
*From November 2013 I am using tonyvirago2@...
<tonyvirago2@...> as my email address.*
*My o2 email is going soon.*
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Hi John:
Have few fears, parts for the 5XX scopes will be available for quite a while.
I made a homemade 545 years ago and, like you, I have a great respect for regulated high voltage supplies.? The one I feared the most was the +500V supply in the 545.? If you happen to get across it the load you present causes the circuit to pump out more and more current and a +500V supply is right on the border line of muscle paralysis.? When working on either the +350V or +500V supplies keep your left hand in your pocket, protect your heart that way.
Reed Dickinson
reed714@...
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On 3/28/2019 12:23 PM, Brendan via Groups.Io wrote: On Wed, Mar 27, 2019 at 06:07 PM, John Williams wrote:
Hi folks. I have been observing the topics of interest here for a few weeks,
and I am not seeing much on older scopes ie before the 7000 series. I am just
wondering if this is a temporary trend or is it too late. Has all interest in
the restoration and repair of these old “boat anchors” gone somewhere
else, or has it died altogether? I am still working on several projects
bringing new life to the ‘50s and ‘60s units. I hope I am not the last of
a dying breed. Regards, John
I would love to have a tube scope to refurbish. There are a few things that stop me from buying every time one is available. First thing is, I'm worried I wont be able to fix it due to limited parts and the such. The second is, my skill level is not super high and the voltages in those could prevent me from improving my skill level due to death. With the newer 4xx series and up most everything dangerous is covered with protection and covered in big red warning labels. After reading Jim Williams notes on vintage scopes I know I want one but I think I'm a few years out from actively looking.
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
I only have 535/545/549/547/RM547/RM35 and a 575 CT. All restored except 535/545/RM547, which are waiting in queue. Restoring them is an opportunity to admire the build quality and the brilliant design It is thrilling to bring them back to life. Been fantasizing for 555/556 to restore, not lucky yet. regds Rajesh On Thu, Mar 28, 2019 at 12:23 PM Brendan via Groups.Io <the_infinite_penguin@...> wrote: On Wed, Mar 27, 2019 at 06:07 PM, John Williams wrote:
Hi folks. I have been observing the topics of interest here for a few
weeks,
and I am not seeing much on older scopes ie before the 7000 series. I am just
wondering if this is a temporary trend or is it too late. Has all interest in
the restoration and repair of these old “boat anchors” gone somewhere
else, or has it died altogether? I am still working on several projects
bringing new life to the ‘50s and ‘60s units. I hope I am not the last of
a dying breed. Regards, John
I would love to have a tube scope to refurbish. There are a few things
that stop me from buying every time one is available. First thing is, I'm
worried I wont be able to fix it due to limited parts and the such. The
second is, my skill level is not super high and the voltages in those could
prevent me from improving my skill level due to death. With the newer 4xx
series and up most everything dangerous is covered with protection and
covered in big red warning labels. After reading Jim Williams notes on
vintage scopes I know I want one but I think I'm a few years out from
actively looking.
-- /Rajesh
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Personally I have a 2465a that has some blown caps (repairs in process) and a 2225. I gave away my drawers of tubes back a couple decades ago....
I do appreciate the design of the old 500 series scopes but do not have any desire to own one - just not enough room.
Surplus Gizmo's in Hillsboro, Oregon does have a lot of parts for the old scopes, including a pretty good assortment of the ceramic standoffs. Prices range from $0.40 for the 4 position ones to $1.50 for the 20 pin version. They have a fair number of each, about a cigar box full or more of most sizes. (Not so many of the 20 pin version). See for some pics.
They also have some of the old plugins (as well as some 5000 and 7000 series plugins). I recall someone recently posted some pics of the plugins available.
I do not have any financial interest in Surplus Gizmo's other than being a frequent customer.
- Bob Headrick W7OV
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-----Original Message----- From: [email protected] < [email protected]> On Behalf Of John Williams Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 6:08 PM To: [email protected]Subject: [TekScopes] I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series Hi folks. I have been observing the topics of interest here for a few weeks, and I am not seeing much on older scopes ie before the 7000 series. I am just wondering if this is a temporary trend or is it too late. Has all interest in the restoration and repair of these old “boat anchors” gone somewhere else, or has it died altogether? I am still working on several projects bringing new life to the ‘50s and ‘60s units. I hope I am not the last of a dying breed. Regards, John
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Re: Electromyograph EDX-1 - Based on Tektronix 5000 Series Mainframe
Hi Wolfgang,
Neat instrument just to see what the setting and specification ranges might be like.
Would you be OK having this and your images on Tekwiki? Will be interesting to find a manual or any other information related for.
I have some photos I am going to send over regarding the D14 to add to the Pacific Measurements 1038 related system which I think is a 5000 series mainframe also and I just downloaded copies of your photos since looks interesting to have in my archive mirrored offline for now.
Thanks for sharing! Neat looking system.
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
On Thu, 28 Mar 2019 12:28:22 -0700, you wrote: My reason for collecting scopes has nothing to do with providing my workbench with a working scope. For me, it's more similar to collecting classic cars, while driving a Prius. Oh, ok. While I have some things that are collectable (and I may never get to work), if I have it, I'd like to use it, since I actively do electronics design. I will confess that I am saving the Farnsworth image dissector tube just because..... Harvey
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Re: Switching power supplies
“Personally I'd replace C911: 22uF 15V tant bead on a 13V PSU rail, diagram 17 (not the PSU diagram!)”
Interesting.....
It’s been a while, but I think this is the first failure of my 485! Did this repair 15 years ago.
Sent from kjo iPhone
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Re: "Oscilloscopes: Collecting and Restoring a Classic";
Stan donated the rights to reproduce his book to the vintageTEK museum. We sell a CD copy of it on on the museum eBay store. Stan is not reproducing his book that we are aware of. The museum is in the process of looking into printing more soft copies.
Dave
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Hi Phil,
Thanks for pointing that out.
I saw that web page and the fact that it was a Barnes and Noble site and it said hard copy and I assumed it was a new printing. All of the original printing of 1,000 that Stan did years ago were soft cover so I assumed this was new. Obviously this can't be a hard cover if Stan really didn't do another printing.
Dennis Tillman W7PF
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-----Original Message-----
From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of
Phillip Potter
Sent: Thursday, March 28, 2019 5:13 PM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum
tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
This is a used book... Just sayin'
Phil
On 3/28/2019 4:21 PM, Dennis Tillman W7PF wrote:
you can get a copy from Barnes and Noble for $6.39 -- Dennis Tillman W7PF TekScopes Moderator
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Thanks to everyone showing interest in this topic. My pictures are at:
Thanks for looking.
John
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Re: I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
Watching this little thread with interest and a little surprise seeing all these scopes still in use. I’ll add my collection to the list:
561A x2, one for parts
RM561A I generally use, mounted in a rack
2A63
3A1
3A6
3A74 X2 not working
3A75
3L10 Need to modify one of my time bases to use this.
Type 64 Time Base
Type 2B67 Time Base
Type 3B3 Time Base X2, one not working
Module extension
And a few more of the same not working
_________________
549 use this one frequently, on scopemobile
1A4
Type Z
_________________
475 not working- need to get this repaired.
Don Kemper
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On Mar 28, 2019, at 12:23 PM, Dave Wise <david_wise@...> wrote:
I have a small fleet of 500-series, all daily runners. Each needed sorting when I got it but since then has gone for years without missing a beat.
535
535A
545
547
B,C,CA,D,G,H,K,L,O,TU-7,Z,1A1,1A2,1A4,1A5,1A7,1S1
132
All restored by me except the O and 132 which are in the queue.
Dave Wise
________________________________________
From: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>> on behalf of Leanna L Erickson <lle@... <mailto:lle@...>>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2019 8:40 PM
To: [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [TekScopes] I wonder if there is much interest in vacuum tube oscilloscopes such as the 500 series
I have a bunch of 500 series working scopes.
Real room heaters.
Keith
Wayzata, mn.
On Mar 27, 2019, at 9:52 PM, John Williams <books4you@...> wrote:
It seems like most people here would actually use a scope. The other side would be those of us that don’t have scopes to use, but to restore and preserve. I only use a scope to fix a different scope, or some associated equipment. And for that I use the 475 or 2213. So I won’t try to guess which is the dark side. But there is a distinct difference. And never acquire anything you can’t fix. Probably that is.
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David C. Partridge
Bob Headrick
John Williams