Searching for post about Tektronix front panel fabrication/printing process
Sorry for the vague post, but I remember in the last year or so, somebody giving a detailed description on how the Tektronix front panels were produced for durability, with respect to anodizing, silk screening, etc. Probably Dennis? or Chuck? ¡ I rummaged through my archives but didn't find the post. If the author remembers it, maybe they can link it in this thread? I did find some older posts by search though, but I think the one I mean is much more comprehensive. e.g. /g/TekScopes/message/111625 ; /g/TekScopes/message/101696Thanks for any help.
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Vincent,
It would be worth your while to do some searching at EEVBLOG. Use Google search to search the site for your terms of interest. The are several threads regarding upgrading options already,? and plenty on other subjects. I think TekWiki has a decent chunk of info about the TDS series as well. The are also a good number of threads on the old Tek forums regarding problems and solutions.? The actual factory owners and other manuals list pretty much all available options, and are available as PDF downloads directly from Tek as I recall. At the moment,? there doesn't seem to be a place where all of this is centralized,? but it is out there if you spend some time searching.?
--Eric
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
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-------- Original message --------From: Vincent Trouilliez <vincent.trouilliez@...> Date: 6/30/18 3:11 PM (GMT-06:00) To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [TekScopes] TDS5xx pimpery Well yes, a "one stop shop" for all the old early/CRT based TDS would be just awesome. When I was fixing my TDS 544A a year ago, I was surprised that such a thing didn't exist, given how popular and widespread these old TDS scopes are. So I don't really know what I can do to improve/upgrade the scope, what options I can enable, how to do it other than just saying "via GPIB", or "flip some bits in the NVRAM", great. So, short of authoritative/reliable/trustable and practical information, I am unable to get the most of my scope, or even just fix it : it's a 544A which according to the sales brochure of the day, was supposed to have FFT as standard... but I don't see FFT anywhere in the scopes menus... Well at least I do have the 50K point memory upgrade as advertised, rather than the 2K or so standard memory, that's more important than FFT... Anyway, merely citing my personal 544A experience as an example. Tekwiki could be a great/logical place indeed. There should first be a page to give an overview of all the 300/400/500/600/700 series, and suffixes A/B/C/D. How they relate to each other, chronologically and technically, so one can quickly get up to speed, get a grasp of the whole picture. Maybe a chart/block diagram would further assist in understand this better. Pictures of the boards of each model, to show the differences, how it evolves etc... A collection of sales brochures of the day, and/or catalogs. That will help figure out the specs and available options where available on what scope. What options came standards on what model of a given family, etc etc. Links to forum topics here and there, but always keep a local copy of these thread on Tekwiki, so that all that valuable information does not get lost if any of these forums has problems, or shuts down, or whatever in the future. ... just any information to do with TDS scopes basically ! ;-) Obviously a lot of work, but at least if we can decide on how to structure/organize, and present this data, then we can create the "shell", then add to it little by little, as we go. Would be worth advertising this effort on EEVBlog so that "TDS people" can have a look, see if they can contribute a piece of info here or there. I mean, there are many of these scopes, so if TekScopes people don't care for them... who will ?! ;-) I would of course happily use my 544A to help document this centralized TDS resource. By taking close up high-res pictures of every board, uploading the manual and a few schematics, talking about my experience repairing it (documented on EEVblog) or doing whatever I can to help document this scope.? I don't know much, but I do have the scope at hand to do whatever is required, working well except for the lack of FFT ... Anyway, sorry for wasting BW.. was just day dreaming.... Vincent Trouilliez
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Well yes, a "one stop shop" for all the old early/CRT based TDS would be just awesome. When I was fixing my TDS 544A a year ago, I was surprised that such a thing didn't exist, given how popular and widespread these old TDS scopes are.
So I don't really know what I can do to improve/upgrade the scope, what options I can enable, how to do it other than just saying "via GPIB", or "flip some bits in the NVRAM", great.
So, short of authoritative/reliable/trustable and practical information, I am unable to get the most of my scope, or even just fix it : it's a 544A which according to the sales brochure of the day, was supposed to have FFT as standard... but I don't see FFT anywhere in the scopes menus...
Well at least I do have the 50K point memory upgrade as advertised, rather than the 2K or so standard memory, that's more important than FFT...
Anyway, merely citing my personal 544A experience as an example.
Tekwiki could be a great/logical place indeed.
There should first be a page to give an overview of all the 300/400/500/600/700 series, and suffixes A/B/C/D. How they relate to each other, chronologically and technically, so one can quickly get up to speed, get a grasp of the whole picture.
Maybe a chart/block diagram would further assist in understand this better.
Pictures of the boards of each model, to show the differences, how it evolves etc...
A collection of sales brochures of the day, and/or catalogs. That will help figure out the specs and available options where available on what scope. What options came standards on what model of a given family, etc etc.
Links to forum topics here and there, but always keep a local copy of these thread on Tekwiki, so that all that valuable information does not get lost if any of these forums has problems, or shuts down, or whatever in the future.
... just any information to do with TDS scopes basically ! ;-)
Obviously a lot of work, but at least if we can decide on how to structure/organize, and present this data, then we can create the "shell", then add to it little by little, as we go.
Would be worth advertising this effort on EEVBlog so that "TDS people" can have a look, see if they can contribute a piece of info here or there.
I mean, there are many of these scopes, so if TekScopes people don't care for them... who will ?! ;-)
I would of course happily use my 544A to help document this centralized TDS resource. By taking close up high-res pictures of every board, uploading the manual and a few schematics, talking about my experience repairing it (documented on EEVblog) or doing whatever I can to help document this scope. I don't know much, but I do have the scope at hand to do whatever is required, working well except for the lack of FFT ...
Anyway, sorry for wasting BW.. was just day dreaming....
Vincent Trouilliez
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How is that a problem? Thank your luck for sparing you that nonsense!
I can probably count the number of times I wanted to use DPO (analog
persistence) on one hand.
Maybe it is just the kind of work that I do (AC input SMPS), but
having a bunch of traces on screen really doesn't help me most of the
time.
It just gets all washed out what with AC ripple and EMI jitter, and
you can't tell which edges belong together in one sweep.
You can't even tell what's noise on one sweep and what's variations of
different sweeps.
You can't tell if there is the odd single unusual pulse, or if one
sweep has all unusual pulses.
In short, it's totally useless. Yes, it compresses a lot of
information into one picture, but to the point where you can not
distignuish any of it (without further analysis).
It is like printing a book on semi-transparent paper and trying to
read the next 50 pages all at once.
I remember when the Agilent rep demonstrated the (then new) S series
and there was no way to disable DPO mode (except by setting a
ridiculous holdoff).
That's a dealbreaker for me right there. You can only drive that
keysight 3000x in single shot mode, annoys the hell out of me. Same
for the TDS3000 series.
If I want an analog display, I go and get a bloody analog scope, thank
you very much.
Limited single shot capability was a _weakness_ of analog scopes.
It's a physical limitation the the phosphor that it lights up for a
certain amount of time and then gradually decays, definitely NOT
something to strive for.
ST
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On Sat, Jun 30, 2018 at 9:14 PM, Tam Hanna <tamhan@...> wrote: There, however, a new problem rears its head - total lack of
DPO/InstaVu.
Tam
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I just purchased a TDS520 non letter scope. I am still waiting for it to be delivered, and I will need to recap it as it has a few errors. But, I have been looking without much success for any upgrades or mods for the non letter scopes. I have been wondering if it is possible to upgrade the 520 to a 540 without much fuss. Also, I am wondering if it's possible to add a VGA out like the letter scopes?
Thanks
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For the TDS62/4x, AFAIK the only sensible modification is to drop them on the head of an annoying colleague, thereby improving company morale.
They are based on the CCD bucket principle, which means the record length is limited to 2000 quines. IMHO; this makes maths mostly pointless (options being FFT, integration and differentiation) - on my LeCroy, I acquire at minimum 50k quines for FFT. This is a number I got from a friend of mine who works for an unnamed (baaad) government, and she claims it is the minimum you need...if someone wants to correct me, I gladly make the pupil!
The 684 and 694 are a different kind of kid, especially the 694 with its 3GhZ bandwidth. There, however, a new problem rears its head - total lack of DPO/InstaVu.
Tam
--
With best regards
Tam Hanna
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There is something going on with the +55V what I can't understand. After repair by Russ of (only) the +15V rail:
The voltages now are112.5, 55.66, 15.1, 4.9 and -6.4
Previously:
Tp1536 [+55] reads46.9
Tp1548 [+15] reads 0
Tp1558 [+5] reads 0.6
Tp1568 [-8] reads 0.48
Tp1518 [110] reads 106.6
I suppose that since 55.66 V is OK the low reading 46.9 V can only be due to a too heavy load at the +55V rail. Based on fallback current limiting Fig.3-12 I estimate the current is about 0.07 A larger than normal and would even be still larger when the +55V would be maintained. There are several places where due to the fault a larger current from +55V is drawn, but even when +55V is maintained I crudely estimate the total increase to be only some 45 mA. At the same time the vertical final output stage would draw no current, saving some 90 mA. Can anyone explain what is happening? I probably overlook something. Is it possible that Q4482/4492 (diagram <4a>), or an equivalent in the IC version (<4b>) suffer from avalanche breakdown? The emitters of Q4482/Q4492 are effectively open circuited. Albert
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On Sat, Jun 30, 2018 at 11:24 am, Adrian wrote:
Where are you based? If in the UK I have a couple of 2215s that are free to a
good home. One works but I suspect the focus resistor chain is off, the other
has a PSU fault that someone (not me!) has had a go at in the past.
Adrian
Drats.. I'm in Arizona. Thank you for responding.
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Where are you based? If in the UK I have a couple of 2215s that are free to a good home. One works but I suspect the focus resistor chain is off, the other has a PSU fault that someone (not me!) has had a go at in the past.
Adrian
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Re: Kludging together a TDR or similar?
It would be interesting to take a look at the 1502C and see how it
generates its pulse.
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On Sat, Jun 30, 2018, 10:59 AM Harvey White <madyn@...> wrote: On Sat, 30 Jun 2018 09:36:32 -0700, you wrote:
Good info Harvey! Thanks. I do have both, had to do a lot of swapping to get them
running, mostly the HV boards and a horizontal amplifier.
The 1503 puts out a half sine pulse generated by a transistor, it is
much less subject to damage. You get the traditional pulse up/down
view of the cable.
However, the TD version (1502) puts a step on the waveform and has a
different presentation. Because the TD is wired directly across the
input/output to the cable, it is quite vulnerable.
IIRC, the 1503 has a series capacitor.
Harvey
And the truth of it is that it's really good to have both a 1502 and a
1503. The 1503 was intended for looking at much longer distances and it
quite useful for stuff like long runs of twisted pair (telephone/etc)
wiring. I use my 1503 at an equestrian center for scoping out buried
wiring (700 - 800 feet long) that controls pasture watering stations. Also
handy for looking at long runs of CAT5 and/or of course, coax.
The resolution of the 1502 is really nice, though, when you don't need
the long distance capability.
Tom
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Actually,? it would be good to add that stuff at a central repository somewhere,? like TekWiki. I've noticed that the are already some references to some of the possible modifications on the TDS754 page (the bandwidth upgrade to 1 GHz).? Would be good to add common failure modes and fixes as well,? like the TDS front end relay problem,? etc.
--Eric
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy smartphone.
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-------- Original message --------From: Pete Lancashire <xyzzypdx@...> Date: 6/30/18 12:56 PM (GMT-06:00) To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [TekScopes] TDS5xx pimpery What would be nice is a summary and collection of all the mods for the TDS 5 6 and 7. Which ones can be upgraded easily xcetera On Sat, Jun 30, 2018, 9:56 AM Tam Hanna <tamhan@...> wrote:
Hello Folks,
need to advise on some things related to the TDS5xx series for buyers.
First of all, only the D models can do GRADIENTED DPO - on classic
InstaVu scopes, frequency information is discarded and only a one bit
bitmap is farted out from the DPO database.
If a black and white model is bought, the BIOS is said to be forceable
to work in color by adding some memory - I did not test this though:
If you buy a TDS54xD or a 75xD, you can furthermore boost its speed.
Four SMD caps must be removed, then a recal is mandatory (!!!).
Oh, and owners of a GPIB card can also enable a batch of options except
for the mysterious Java runtime and the TV trigger. Most of the TDS
units can be enabled to have either 1m or 2m, but I am not sure if you
want this as the scope becomes superslow.
Tam
With best regards
Tam Hanna
---
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Re: Kludging together a TDR or similar?
On Sat, 30 Jun 2018 09:36:32 -0700, you wrote: Good info Harvey! Thanks. I do have both, had to do a lot of swapping to get them running, mostly the HV boards and a horizontal amplifier. The 1503 puts out a half sine pulse generated by a transistor, it is much less subject to damage. You get the traditional pulse up/down view of the cable. However, the TD version (1502) puts a step on the waveform and has a different presentation. Because the TD is wired directly across the input/output to the cable, it is quite vulnerable. IIRC, the 1503 has a series capacitor. Harvey
And the truth of it is that it's really good to have both a 1502 and a 1503. The 1503 was intended for looking at much longer distances and it quite useful for stuff like long runs of twisted pair (telephone/etc) wiring. I use my 1503 at an equestrian center for scoping out buried wiring (700 - 800 feet long) that controls pasture watering stations. Also handy for looking at long runs of CAT5 and/or of course, coax.
The resolution of the 1502 is really nice, though, when you don't need the long distance capability.
Tom
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What would be nice is a summary and collection of all the mods for the TDS
5 6 and 7.
Which ones can be upgraded easily xcetera
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Show quoted text
On Sat, Jun 30, 2018, 9:56 AM Tam Hanna <tamhan@...> wrote:
Hello Folks,
need to advise on some things related to the TDS5xx series for buyers.
First of all, only the D models can do GRADIENTED DPO - on classic
InstaVu scopes, frequency information is discarded and only a one bit
bitmap is farted out from the DPO database.
If a black and white model is bought, the BIOS is said to be forceable
to work in color by adding some memory - I did not test this though:
If you buy a TDS54xD or a 75xD, you can furthermore boost its speed.
Four SMD caps must be removed, then a recal is mandatory (!!!).
Oh, and owners of a GPIB card can also enable a batch of options except
for the mysterious Java runtime and the TV trigger. Most of the TDS
units can be enabled to have either 1m or 2m, but I am not sure if you
want this as the scope becomes superslow.
Tam
With best regards
Tam Hanna
---
Enjoy electronics? Join 8300 other followers by visiting the Crazy
Electronics Lab at
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I'm on the prowl for a CRT to fit a 2215. I picked up two 2215's one had a broken CRT the tube was filled with glass (makes a pretty sound) the other has a very dim CRT. I was able to make a pretty nice cosmetically looking scope from the two. I'm having an issue deciding what to do. I have a mint 468 and a 468 that works but is not so pretty I swiped the TDP pot from it for my nice 468 but that is all its missing. I read that I can use a 468 CRT in the 2215 BUT I hate to take a working scope and turn it into a non working scope by swiping the CRT cutting the PDA lead, sounds like butchery. I would like to have an intact parts scope for my nice 468,if that makes any sense. So... If anyone has a nonworking parts scope with a CRT that will fit the 2215 let me know. Thanks guys :)
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Re: If you had $1, 000 to buy a 100 MHz scope...
What about the somewhat newer TSD2000 and TDS3000 series? We had a lot of
them at my previous job. They are not quite as fancy, but much smaller,
lighter and responsive. They can have at least RS232 and some have ethernet
interfaces to capture waveforms, etc. They have a "normal" LCD screen.
Being small and light they seemed to be stolen more often than they broke!
They sometimes were called Fisher Price scopes due to the pastel colors on
the buttons but they worked well for me as everyday scopes.
Some of them seem to be in the $1000 ish range used.
Regards,
Mark
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Hello Folks,
need to advise on some things related to the TDS5xx series for buyers.
First of all, only the D models can do GRADIENTED DPO - on classic
InstaVu scopes, frequency information is discarded and only a one bit
bitmap is farted out from the DPO database.
If a black and white model is bought, the BIOS is said to be forceable
to work in color by adding some memory - I did not test this though:
If you buy a TDS54xD or a 75xD, you can furthermore boost its speed.
Four SMD caps must be removed, then a recal is mandatory (!!!).
Oh, and owners of a GPIB card can also enable a batch of options except
for the mysterious Java runtime and the TV trigger. Most of the TDS
units can be enabled to have either 1m or 2m, but I am not sure if you
want this as the scope becomes superslow.
Tam
With best regards
Tam Hanna
---
Enjoy electronics? Join 8300 other followers by visiting the Crazy Electronics Lab at
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Re: Kludging together a TDR or similar?
Good info Harvey!
And the truth of it is that it's really good to have both a 1502 and a 1503. The 1503 was intended for looking at much longer distances and it quite useful for stuff like long runs of twisted pair (telephone/etc) wiring. I use my 1503 at an equestrian center for scoping out buried wiring (700 - 800 feet long) that controls pasture watering stations. Also handy for looking at long runs of CAT5 and/or of course, coax.
The resolution of the 1502 is really nice, though, when you don't need the long distance capability.
Tom
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Jim,
Did you manage to extract the GPIB card from the faulty SA?
Thanks, Martin
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Re: Laptop control of CSA803 using USB to Serial (RS-232) adapter
To be fair, Joel Koltner has been dead, for years. He was a regular on news:sci.electronics.design and other electronics newsgroup for years prior to his death.
Michael A. Terrell
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-----Original Message----- From: Gudjon Gudjonsson <gudjon.i.gudjonsson@...>
Hi Albert
I connect to my CSA803 with an FTDI USB to Serial converter that I
soldered a DB-25 connector to.
I have rewritten the example programs from the programmers manual to
Python and tested on both
Linux and Windows. Joel Koltner's screen capture program is rewritten as a command line
utility. The GUI application depends on a too old version of WX-Python.
Hope it is of any interest.
Regards
Gudjon
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Re: If you had $1, 000 to buy a 100 MHz scope...
If you don't mind outsourcing the repair, let me recommend Jay Walling:
His display works perfectly in my TDS754D...and was cheap. The unit from Sir Xu is better, but costs much more...
--
With best regards
Tam HANNA (emailing on a keyboard-less handset, sorry for spelling mistakes and brevity)
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Vince
Michael A. Terrell