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Re: A question from the unwashed relative to: I built a TM500 mainframe tester, and updated the design. Someone might find this useful?
If you might indulge a few inquiries...No. It just caused a large hum at low output levels. Is that something you did to the TM504?... or was it miswired at theI fixed it. I'm sure it was done at the factory. Hard to believe it could have been done during a repair: why? The FG504 manual mentions all this as a known problem with some early TM504s. It didn't matter a damn about consistent phasing until someone designed the FG504. Do you know... was the TM504... and early manufacture... or a later one?I am assuming it was an earlier one. Serial number is inaccessibl without heavy lifting, as there is a fully populated TM506 on top of it. I have a later TM504 that never exhibited the problem. Would have swapped them but I had wired the back panel of that one for three PS503As in series and a DM502. I mis-spoke earlier when describing the FG504 PSU. It uses the 17.5VAC and two 25VAC windings connected in series after the bridge rectifiers. The +11.5VDC rail also comes into this somehow. I'm not clear why the phasing error causes this problem but it does. EJP |
Re: Grid Bias Adjustment on 475A
On Sat, Jan 2, 2021 at 09:07 PM, Michael W. Lynch wrote:
Although English is not my mother tongue (Dutch is), I fail to see why using the term "Grid Bias Adjustment" for 'scope CRT's is wrong. If I'm correct, two reasons are given to disparage the term: 1. Grid bias is not specified as a voltage with respect to "zero", "gnd" or the like (but against the cathode, which usually is at negative voltages exceeding - 2 kV) 2. Grid bias is not a steady state (DC) voltage Ad 1. This to me seems an unnecessary bias towards a particular voltage point (namely, zero volts) in a circuit. Pun intended. Ad 2. When adjusting "Grid Bias", that part (in time) of the voltage waveform necessary to achieve blanking of the beam (a negative-enough voltage with reference to the cathode) is adjusted. Class B (as an example) audio amplifiers contain a "bias current" setting to minimize cross-over distortion. The actual current through the circuits carrying the bias current at rest, when producing an audio signal, is an AC current many times larger at any sensible volume than that zero-signal DC-current. In a 'scope, the Intensity adjustment pot sets the relatively positive amplitude excursions, where the grid is less negative in relation to the cathode, making the beam visible. So, Grid Bias is the most negative voltage of the grid, often 50 V to 80 V more negative than the cathode. Raymond |
Re: Grid Bias Adjustment on 475A
On Sat, Jan 2, 2021 at 12:07 PM, Michael W. Lynch wrote:
Jargon is always contextual, to the application, and the particular [engineering] culture. (Interpreting the parlance in the vernacular, can result in misunderstandings.) Bias: In an electron tube, a steady DC voltage applied to the control grid, to establish a reference level for its operation. Also called grid bias. Yet... Bias voltage or current: the DC power applied to a transistor allowing it to operate as an active amplifying or signal generating device. Typical voltage levels in GaAs FETs used in receivers are 1 to 7 volts between the drain and source terminals, and 0 to ?5 volts on, or between, the gate and source terminals. And yet... Bias[ing]: the technique of applying a direct current voltage to a transistor or an active network to establish the desired operating point |
Re: Grid Bias Adjustment on 475A
David Campbell wrote:
In my defense, I was just following the diagnostic procedure in the service manual, and my circuit analysis skills are subpar. five of the transistors and two diodes in the Z-axis amp were blown and had to be replaced. I don't think that the Z-axis amp is the culprit here, but it was my first suspect because a. it does play a role in controlling trace intensity, and b. I had just finished fixing it and was not completely confident in my fixes. Yes, I can see this in the schematic of the CRT circuit. I will try to measure the other voltages (G2 and G4), but for G3 Low anode voltage can cause loss of brightness. That takes a HV probe.I am waiting on the arrival of an HV probe. Thank you for the clear and detailed explanation. -- Jeff Dutky |
Re: SC-502 transistor
I think this is the right datasheet for the original:
The bipolar transistors optimized for switching power applications tend to have low gain and strong SOA characteristics. There should be plenty of other transistor types that will do - just try to get similar specs and SOA ratings. I think the -0426- was Tek's go-to part for lots of secondary side (low voltage) DC-DC converter use in that era. Ed |
Was Help with 2712 Spectrum Analyzer - Working now!
Hi everyone,
After a long time on the bench, finally my 2712 is alive and work 100%. Using the suggestions that I received here, I start the service. First I have made a visual inspection and look for some cable in wrong connector misplaced or lose but everything was ok. Then I have checked all voltages and ripple on the power supply and all are OK. The next step was to change the two batteries, an I would like to tell an interesting thing that happened when changing the battery that is on the GPIB board that powers the RTC. I have the habit of always measuring the current drain of the batteries when I replace for a fresh one. For my surprise, the meter shows 4mA.!! I thought it could be some capacitor leaking on the battery line or even some bad ICs. Based on some previous experiences, I put the card back in the equipment and turned it on. As expected, the current drained from the battery was zero. So I turned off the equipment and continued to look the current meter. It shows near zero for several hours. This led me to conclude that when some ICs stay without power for a long time, when they are powered for the first time, they need to be initialized in some form to work properly and not drain this high current. I removed the current meter and everything is OK with the RTC and battery for a few days. Well, the 2712 still not work¡ So next I kept checking the 100MHz oscillator, as suggested by Paul / WB6GHK. BINGO!! There was no 100MHz. signal on any of the three output connectors and also on the output intended for the calibrator (with it ON of course). So I removed the 100MHz PCB from the 2712 and removed the shields, which was a very boring job to do. in the smaller shielded, I observed the existence of a kind of sponge in the position where the crystal is soldered, and that sponge was deteriorated, looking like a bubble gum and with the feeling of being damp. As a result of this sponge being in contact with the crystal terminals, they oxidized a lot, and broke close to the crystal. Luckily I had a 100MHz crystal to put it there. It does not have the same type of packaging, but it fit perfectly inside the thermal chamber. So with everything still open I gave power on to see if the oscillator was working, and it was !! I checked all the outputs and found the correct levels according to the service manual. As I can see, this oscillator has no adjustment, and I limited myself to measuring the frequency that was very close to the ideal. After 15 minutes os warmup the oscillator was on 99,999.988 what I thought was reasonable and I set out to reassemble the shields and install the card in the 2712 to see the result. After everything was in place, I crossed my fingers and gave power on the 2712 ¡ Fantastic! It is working!! I followed the menu to proceed with the normalization, and everything was OK. So to finish, I proceeded with the normalization of the TG which was also ok. Now I have this fantastic instrument on my bench. I would like to thank the friends who gave me advice to make the repair, and say that I am very happy to belong to this group. I hope that someday I can help someone too. Happy New Year for everyone! Marcus - PP5MS |
Re: Grid Bias Adjustment on 475A
Michael Lynch wrote:
Yes, I measure 81.78 V across VR1374, which sounds like it's in spec (sadly, that would have been an easy replacement). All of this is making me think that the problem must further along the way to the CRT. I think that the grid being biased is pin 3 on the CRT, which is the acceleration grid immediately in front of the cathode. There are several components between the grid bias adjustment circuit and the grid in the CRT: C1371, CR1371, R1372, CR1377, CR1378, and R1379. Maybe I can get a better idea of what I should be seeing by reading the theory of operation section again. -- Jeff Dutky |
Re: Peter Keller's Book Mailing Status
I am sure you in the US are aware and may have experienced this with
mailing packages and letters for the holidays, but US mail has been considerably delayed, though it has gotten somewhat better in the last week. I had a media mail package shipped by an eBay seller and it took three weeks to get here. I would not be overly concerned if the US shipments seem to be taking longer than expected. Steve Horii On Sat, Jan 2, 2021 at 15:20 Dennis Tillman W7pF <dennis@...> wrote: This morning I mailed 76 of Peter Keller's books. These went to 72 people |
Re: A question from the unwashed relative to: I built a TM500 mainframe tester, and updated the design. Someone might find this useful?
A few things are missing from the descriptions.
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1. There was a blank module available2. The modules could be user keyed for certain slots3. They could be interconnected unseen in the rear.4. There is/was a high power compartment (mentioned)5. Every module had their own separate power supply6. Uncommitted pass transistors were available for use. It was a very nice system.? A one bay TM500 module could house a scope current probe for instance. You could design your own test instrument with the various modules. We made a laser scanner that mapped the output of a solar cell by position using two function generators, a power supply module, a multimeter and a glue module.? This drove a storage medical display scope from tek and mirror galvanometers. The glue module selected x and Y modulation, it set the blanking level and x or xy scanning.? Anyway, the modules electronics were minimal.? All of the interconnections were behind the scenes. Later, we were able to capture the data with a PDP-11 and A/D converters.? The display was then a VT100 with a board and CRT to turn it into a TEK display terminal. The main purpose was to scan for defects and up the power of a laser to remove the defects. The 5000 series added IEEE-488 to the mix.? take a look here: On Saturday, January 2, 2021, 3:44:30 PM EST, Roy Thistle <roy.thistle@...> wrote:
On Fri, Jan? 1, 2021 at 11:02 PM, EJP wrote: If you might indulge a few inquiries... Did incorrect phasing damage the FG504? Is that something you did to the TM504?... or was it miswired at the factory... or during a "repair, someone else?" Do you know... was the TM504... and early manufacture... or a later one? |
Re: SC-502 transistor
FAN to you, too, Giovanni!
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I agree with Thomas that something rather generic, like the TIP31C that he mentioned, would probably work just fine. Even though it's an obsolete transistor, it still seems to be quite available. I'm assuming you are in Italy (or at least somewhere in the EU), but if you are in the US, I could easily send you one. -- Cheers, Tom -- Prof. Thomas H. Lee Allen Ctr., Rm. 205 350 Jane Stanford Way Stanford University Stanford, CA 94305-4070 On 1/2/2021 06:46, Giovanni Carboni wrote:
HNY to everybody! |
Re: Peter Keller's Book Mailing Status
Let¡¯s see¡.
Dennis¡¯s time of xxx hours times a $50.00 hourly rate to do all of this equals $xxxx.xx. Although it is only one book for me you have put in a monumental effort to get all of this done. What is your next feat? Walking a tightrope between two high rise buildings, putting on a jet pack and flying through the Grand Canyon from one end to the other or traveling across the country in a lawn chair attached to helium filled balloons??? Greg |
Re: A question from the unwashed relative to: I built a TM500 mainframe tester, and updated the design. Someone might find this useful?
On Fri, Jan 1, 2021 at 11:02 PM, EJP wrote:
If you might indulge a few inquiries... Did incorrect phasing damage the FG504? Is that something you did to the TM504?... or was it miswired at the factory... or during a "repair, someone else?" Do you know... was the TM504... and early manufacture... or a later one? |
Re: A question from the unwashed relative to: I built a TM500 mainframe tester, and updated the design. Someone might find this useful?
On Fri, Jan 1, 2021 at 08:47 PM, demianm_1 wrote:
This had been done, many times... and there is much ink spilled about it, on this forum... and on the Web... that is... if you are mentioning about something (a cable, or board) that plugs into the connector at the back of a bay, in a 7000 frame, and then allows one to attach (and "run/test") a 7000 plug-in. To see... search this forum on "extender." |
Re: Peter Keller's Book Mailing Status
Dennis, you're a saint! Sorry that no good deed goes unpunished!
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Happy New Year, Tom Sent from my iThing, so please forgive the terseness and typos. On Jan 2, 2021, at 12:19, "Dennis Tillman W7pF" <dennis@...> wrote:
This morning I mailed 76 of Peter Keller's books. These went to 72 people in |
Re: Grid Bias Adjustment on 475A
Chuck Harris
That and perhaps what he asserts is nonsense?
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The grid is most assuredly biased relative to the cathode on this, and probably any, CRT. -Chuck Harris Michael W. Lynch via groups.io wrote: On Sat, Jan 2, 2021 at 01:43 PM, David Campbell wrote:David, |
2230 deja vu
Hello
Many moons ago I saw a topic on here regarding the 2230 and a storage display problem and as far as I could tell it never reached a conclusion. Unfortunately it is the problem I have now...or very similar. Therefore, I wonder if anyone has a recollection of the problem and what the solution is or was? Briefly, in storage mode BOTH traces are displayed on top of each other when 'both' are selected so it just looks like one trace. Using only channel 1, inputting a 2Vpp signal gives a perfect image BUT half the actual voltage, 1Vpp.Inputing a square wave into channel 2 same amplitude it's 25% of the voltage. Select both and the waveforms are summed giving a display that's a little of each, straight sides and rounded tops. If a 2Vpp sine is input to BOTH channels and only channel one is activated and displayed in storage then you get a 2Vpp sine wave which is what it should be. In short, it seems like there is some mixing going on of the waveform content and amplitude. Normal mode is perfect in all respects. As I recall there was a suspicion U2101 was the culprit but it was never confirmed. At the moment I have the 4 wire connection plug that goes to channel 2 on the storage board removed and the 2 signal wires earthed with jumpers. I can still use channel 1 storage and multiply the amplitude by 2 as a rough guide although it's far from accurate. Anyone remember something like this and what the cause was? Many thanks in advance. |
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