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Re: TD744A Probe cal storage

 

David, try switching the two probes on the channels that do this with the two that don't so you can check whether the problem is with the scope channels or with the probes.
--Eric
Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S8.

-------- Original message --------From: David Slipper <softfoot@...> Date: 6/23/18 7:25 AM (GMT-06:00) To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [TekScopes] TD744A Probe cal storage

The thing is - I have 4 identical probes on this 4 channel 'scope - but
only 2 channels do this.

Regards,
Dave



On 23/06/2018 10:17, Dave Casey wrote:
I believe this is normal. It will do this anytime you connect a probe that
has readout scaling or power up with any connected. My 754C does the same
thing.

Dave Casey

On Sat, Jun 23, 2018 at 3:49 AM, David Slipper <softfoot@...> wrote:

Every time I power up my 'scope it complains that two (and only two)
probes have changed and "do you want to use the existing cal data or
re-cal".

If I choose to use the existing cal data it works fine, or if I
recalibrate the probe it works fine too but I still get challenged the
next time I power up.

Do I need to "enable write access" to the nvram when I re-cal a probe ??

Or is the nvram failing ??

The 'scope is working fine in all other respects.

Best regards,
Dave





.


Re: TD744A Probe cal storage

 

The thing is - I have 4 identical probes on this 4 channel 'scope - but
only 2 channels do this.

Regards,
Dave

On 23/06/2018 10:17, Dave Casey wrote:
I believe this is normal. It will do this anytime you connect a probe that
has readout scaling or power up with any connected. My 754C does the same
thing.

Dave Casey

On Sat, Jun 23, 2018 at 3:49 AM, David Slipper <softfoot@...> wrote:

Every time I power up my 'scope it complains that two (and only two)
probes have changed and "do you want to use the existing cal data or
re-cal".

If I choose to use the existing cal data it works fine, or if I
recalibrate the probe it works fine too but I still get challenged the
next time I power up.

Do I need to "enable write access" to the nvram when I re-cal a probe ??

Or is the nvram failing ??

The 'scope is working fine in all other respects.

Best regards,
Dave





.


Re: TD744A Probe cal storage

 

I believe this is normal. It will do this anytime you connect a probe that
has readout scaling or power up with any connected. My 754C does the same
thing.

Dave Casey

On Sat, Jun 23, 2018 at 3:49 AM, David Slipper <softfoot@...> wrote:

Every time I power up my 'scope it complains that two (and only two)
probes have changed and "do you want to use the existing cal data or
re-cal".

If I choose to use the existing cal data it works fine, or if I
recalibrate the probe it works fine too but I still get challenged the
next time I power up.

Do I need to "enable write access" to the nvram when I re-cal a probe ??

Or is the nvram failing ??

The 'scope is working fine in all other respects.

Best regards,
Dave





TD744A Probe cal storage

 

Every time I power up my 'scope it complains that two (and only two)
probes have changed and "do you want to use the existing cal data or
re-cal".

If I choose to use the existing cal data it works fine, or if I
recalibrate the probe it works fine too but I still get challenged the
next time I power up.

Do I need to "enable write access" to the nvram when I re-cal a probe ??

Or is the nvram failing ??

The 'scope is working fine in all other respects.

Best regards,
Dave


TDS 380 won't trigger

 

My TDS-380 quit triggering today, along with some other odd behavior. It appears to still collect data and display it - if I set the sweep slow enough to have the trace sweep across the screen, I can see a low frequency square wave. But with a 100 mV ptop input, the TDS-380 reads more like 65 mV ptop. My immediate suspicion, without looking any further, is that the Dallas chip has failed - accounting for the calibration error. Has anyone had experience with a failed Dallas chip? Might it cause the trigger to fail?

Thanks,

Gary Appel


Re: 465 bad rise time

 

On Fri, Jun 22, 2018 at 11:05 pm, Tom Gardner wrote:


On 23/06/18 04:15, lop pol via Groups.Io wrote:
I was able to clean it up a little more. Do you think the ringing may be my
50ohm termination?
/g/TekScopes/photo/59361/5?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0
If that is 5ns/div then the risetime looks like ~3.5ns, which is what I would
expect.

It doesn't look like a termination problem to me; typically those vary
according
to the length of the cable.

I would be satisfied with that trace.

In real circuits, poor probing techniques will introduce more serious errors
than shown on that trace.
Thank you. Wish I could say It was done, but this scope is full of problems. Now time to figure out why single sweep is not working.


Re: 465 bad rise time

 

On 23/06/18 04:15, lop pol via Groups.Io wrote:
I was able to clean it up a little more. Do you think the ringing may be my 50ohm termination?
/g/TekScopes/photo/59361/5?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0
If that is 5ns/div then the risetime looks like ~3.5ns, which is what I would expect.

It doesn't look like a termination problem to me; typically those vary according to the length of the cable.

I would be satisfied with that trace.

In real circuits, poor probing techniques will introduce more serious errors than shown on that trace.


Re: 465 bad rise time

 

On Thu, Jun 21, 2018 at 12:27 pm, lop pol wrote:


This the the rise time now at 5mV. I could probably get it better but but my
bnc cables and 50ohm terminator are not great quality. Should I keep working
at it?

/g/TekScopes/photo/59361/4?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0

On Thu, Jun 21, 2018 at 12:00 pm, Fabio Trevisan wrote:


Hello lop pol,

I've followed up this topic from the start, without having actually jumped
in,
hoping since the beginning that someone would ask or make remarks about two
or
three important things (to check, or to be aware of).

1. That's a question... What type of Vertical Output board does your 465
have.
the one discrete or the one with the custom Tek IC?
It's important because the High Freq. compensation networks are different
from
one type of board to the other and since your problem manifests in both
channels, there's a great likelihood the problem is located on the Vertical
Output Amplifier board, instead of on the pre-amplifier. Without that
information is difficult to advise further.

2. If your vertical amplifier is of the "Teck IC" kind, look also to the
BIAS
trimpot. If the wiper is open, the amplifier may be operating on the wrong
bias point and that is supposed to impact the high-frequency performance.
Since the procedure for calibrating the bias calls for applying a 100Mhz
signal and adjusting the bias for the highest p-p display, from there we
deduct it has a marked effect on the low nanosecond time constant, which is
exactly where your issue lies.

3. Besides what Raymond already mentioned, that is not uncommon for some of
those trimmer caps fail open (I had 3 of those failed on my 464), I want to
bring to your attention that ALL the trimpots that are used on the H.F.
compensation networks are connected as "rheostats" so, a false contact or
open
wiper will make any of them appear open, or in the best case, the full
trimpot's resistance, which will be just as bad for the step response.
Since many of them are in series with trimmer caps, it's easy to check them
in
circuit, without needing to lift any leg, or remove any component.

Last but not least, despite your problem clearly doesn't seem to be on the
pre-amplifiers, when you find out the culprit and eventually replace one
faulty trimmer cap or faulty trimmer resistor, you will eventually need to
go
through the Vertical High Frequency step response calibration, and for that,
it's important that you follow the procedure, and from your description, I
think you're already doing wrong...
While choosing for the right input level / input attenuator (pass-through)
and
vertical attenuator settings, it's important to do all the High-Frequency
calibration with the oscilloscope set to the most sensitive setting... i.e.:
5mV/div (not 10mV, not 100mV... and not 200mV/div).
In other words, you need to source 25mVpp to the oscilloscope's input (for a
5
division display).
This is what will assure you that none of the high impedance input
attenuators
are upsetting the subtle high frequency adjustments and artifacts.
While - in theory - the high-impedance input attenuators shouldn't degrade
the
step response of the osciloscope, they're not perfect and they do cause some
minor disturbances and aberrations to the step response (and they can also
be
misadjusted, something that you will only correct at a later stage) so, to
make a "clean" H.F. calibration, you need to make sure you got them (the
high
impedance input attenuators) out of the way.
The only compromise to that rule is the input probe itself... If you intend
to
use the oscilloscope with a particular probe (let's say, a 10:1), then you
need to connect that probe to the input, use the scope set to 5mV/div, and
apply, accordingly, a 250mVpp signal to the probe (if it's a 10:1 probe).
This
will assure you will compensate in the scope, for the probe's H.F.
inaccuracies or artifacts.
Yet on this topic, you need to be sure to "source" that signal (regardless
if
directly to the input or through your preferred probe), from a low impedance
source (50Ohm).
The latter is important because you don't want the frequency response of the
incoming signal to be affected by variations caused by the 'scope's input
capacitance, or your probe's input capacitance.
The lower the impedance of the source signal, the less the input capacitance
will matter and, of course, you will also want to assure the interconnect
cable is properly terminated.

Good luck with that,

Krgrds,

Fabio


On Sun, Jun 17, 2018 at 06:47 pm, lop pol wrote:


Hey guys. I have done a lot of work to this 465. I had initially planned
on
selling it to help me buy some plugins for my 7633. I decided I don't want
to
sell it and am keeping it. Today I checked its rise time with a pg506 fast
rise. Both channel 1 and 2 closely resemble each other and they are not
close
to right. Before I start trying to calibrate this thing, does it look like
there is some type of component issue left to fix? I am thinking since
both
channels are so alike there is something wrong besides just out of
calibration. Thanks guys.

here are some pictures

/g/TekScopes/photo/59361/0?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0

/g/TekScopes/photo/59361/1?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0
I was able to clean it up a little more. Do you think the ringing may be my 50ohm termination?

/g/TekScopes/photo/59361/5?p=Name,,,20,1,0,0


Re: Tek 465 no display

Bob Albert
 

An ESR meter will not give you useful information here.? A shorted capacitor will read a low value, as will a good one.? A good test is with a simple Ohmmeter across the capacitors; a low resistance indicates a short somewhere.
If there is a short 'somewhere' then it's a puzzle to find out where.? This is where a low resistance ohmmeter can be useful.? Else, pump current into the short and probe around to find the lowest voltage (millivolts).? I have located shorts numerous times this way.? If you don't have a low resistance ohmmeter, it's easy enough to build one with a few parts.? Look on the web for a DIY low resistance ohmmeter.
If you don't read a low resistance but it still draws a lot of current, it may be that some transistor is being driven into saturation.? If you aren't drawing a lot of current, the power supply itself may not be producing.
The hardest part is to keep a clear head and make sense out of the measurements.? And make sure you are measuring what you think you are measuring.
Bob

On Friday, June 22, 2018, 6:14:47 PM PDT, <musicamex@...> wrote:

Hi Fabio,

Sorry, I replied to your post but see i must have clicked the wrong tab and it didnt make into the thread.
I will have time to check some voltages tomorrow [after the Mexico World cup game...I'd be a disowned gringo if I didn't watch it.? Even the local church will be closed!]
You wrote:
So, it seems this power supply is a good starting point to start checking.
A lot on the 465 relies on the +15V rail and there are a lot of small tantalum decoupling capacitors spread everywhere in this rail.
They are prone to get shorted, sometimes poorly shorted, when they will heat and become visibly burnt, but sometimes they will go dead shorted and then they don't heat and will trigger the current overload protection of the power supply.
A good way to tell is by measuring the voltage drop across the current sense resistor that makes the over current transistor to conduct and drop the output voltage.
It's usually a resistor of less than 1 Ohm (I don't have the manual of the 465 at hand right now) and it mustn't be dropping more than 0.5V.

Would you please explain a bit further?? I do see a number of the tantalum caps.? Are the 1 ohm resistors you mention associated with each one of them?? Do you think i can test the Ta caps in circuit with an ESR meter?

Thanks, Russ


Re: Tek 465 no display

 

Hi Fabio,

Sorry, I replied to your post but see i must have clicked the wrong tab and it didnt make into the thread.
I will have time to check some voltages tomorrow [after the Mexico World cup game...I'd be a disowned gringo if I didn't watch it. Even the local church will be closed!]
You wrote:
So, it seems this power supply is a good starting point to start checking.
A lot on the 465 relies on the +15V rail and there are a lot of small tantalum decoupling capacitors spread everywhere in this rail.
They are prone to get shorted, sometimes poorly shorted, when they will heat and become visibly burnt, but sometimes they will go dead shorted and then they don't heat and will trigger the current overload protection of the power supply.
A good way to tell is by measuring the voltage drop across the current sense resistor that makes the over current transistor to conduct and drop the output voltage.
It's usually a resistor of less than 1 Ohm (I don't have the manual of the 465 at hand right now) and it mustn't be dropping more than 0.5V.

Would you please explain a bit further? I do see a number of the tantalum caps. Are the 1 ohm resistors you mention associated with each one of them? Do you think i can test the Ta caps in circuit with an ESR meter?

Thanks, Russ


Re: OT: AT5005 spectrum analyzer display

 

Hi Jochen,

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately, the CRT was no good anyway. I pretty much proved it by running it wide open, with G1-K shorted. I had measured the 2 kV (not very accurately, maybe +/-10%) and found it about right during my attempts to attain useful brightness. The HV FB string could have had problems too, but the regulator loop was working, evidenced by the loop opamp having the right conditions. So, the HV could have been off a little, but close enough that I should have (with G1-K short) gotten a strong beam - or overloaded the HV. Neither happened, just a barely visible, but otherwise correct trace - just like before. My attempts at rejuvenating the CRT also indicated virtually no K emission, with no improvement (actually, got worse) after zapping it a number of times.

Ed


Re: Novice question - 475, what mode is this?

 

That summer it was pretty good it's quite common analog Scopes especially
like the 475 for the intensity adjustments to slowly get out of whack. One
has to remember the stresses on the divider change in the potentiometers
over the years. It sounds like maybe a good idea to get the 475 service
manual and read up on the sections that deal with intensity balance between
modes.

Either way a 475 although a little bit long in the tooth as far as features
and size :-) it's still a scope worth having and spending time on it to get
it tweaked just right.

On Fri, Jun 22, 2018, 10:56 AM Mike Merigliano <mmerig@...>
wrote:

The Tek 475 is analog, with a CRT screen, so the tools for LCD screens
will probably not work. The intensity knob may be turned down too low
(as Bob mentions), but on my 475, if I turn down the intensity until I
can barely see the trace on just the A sweep, and then go to Mix, I can
still see the A trace along with the B trace. But when I turn it down
further, the B trace is still visible as the A disappears. There may be
a dirty Mix switch or some other switch.


On 6/22/2018 8:27 AM, Jeff Urban wrote:
On Thu, Jun 21, 2018 at 02:29 pm, Bob Albert wrote:

Is the intensity set too low?
Bob
Sounds like you are not seeing the left side of the trace. Couple
possible reasons for this, one is that the brightness or pedestal on your
monitor is set too low. There are monitor test programs for this, as it is
hard to tell just where black is black but none of the grays are black. One
such program is called ntest.exe, which is totally stand alone, would run
off anything, like a CD or stick or whatever. One of the patterns is
exactly for that and says adjust until you see some particular block in the
pattern. That should eliminate any black clipping.

Another possibility is if you have an edge lit LCD monitor. As the
viewing angle changes vertically in those, the brightness changes. This
effect varies, some models are better/worse than others. Some are terrible
and you only get a limited range or it does all kinds of funky crap like
show a negative image or all the color disappears if you are too low or
high, things like that.

The one I got - ntest.exe, is from Nokia. If you can't find a suitable
program I can upload it or you can hit me up with an email and I can send
it as an attachment in a reply.






Re: OT: AT5005 spectrum analyzer display

 

Hi Ed,

I am one of the developers of the HM 5005, and also the HM 5010.

The focus problem may be linked to resistors in the 2000 Volt feedback path that have altered their value - they were at their voltage limit when operated, and were not long time stable.

For further questions or information - just contact me ;-)

Regards, Jochen DH6FAZ


Am 10.06.2018 um 18:58 schrieb Ed Breya via Groups.Io:

I picked up this 500 MHz SA for cheap, because the CRT display is very dim, although it appears to work otherwise. I was hoping that some internal adjustments would fix it right up, but no. The unit is labelled Atten Instruments, model AT5005, and appears to be a Chines knockoff of the Hameg HM5005 - or maybe they're all made in China anyway. I couldn't find a manual for it, but did find the one for Hameg 5010, which includes schematics and more. It looks like the basic units are the same, especially the PS and CRT circuits, so I have what I need to check it out eventually. This is low priority, but it could be a handy toy SA for limited field use and such - it's definitely more portable than the good old real SAs I'm used to.

Just wondering if anyone happens to be familiar with this unit and common problems with it, to maybe find a quick fix. I haven't made any of the usual internal checks yet. One thing I noticed is that the focus adjustment needs to be at one extreme for a sharp, but barely visible display. I'm guessing there's something wrong in the CRT HV circuits, rather than the CRT having gone bad - unless that's one of the common problems with these.

Ed



Re: CRT in Tek 2235

 

Please reply to this so that I will know that you got it.
On 6/21/2018 11:31 AM, georgeK KB1HFT wrote:
Bert:
Do you have a CRT that will fit my needs? Sphere does not.

I do not get to see your email address in the "digest view" of the group for which I had opted.
Please post again so I can grab your email address.

Thanks!
OK, here is the deal.
I am a big! fan of the 2232 TEKs and I bought this (2235) scope for parts as they share many parts.
It was not supposed to be working but I made one very minor repair and it's great!.
This happens to me quite often.

It is missing the probe case and handle and the metal case is rough.
Worse than that I really don't need it as a complete scope.

Parted out the 2035 CRTs go for $100 and up and the voltage multiplier goes for $50 up.
Both of these can be very!! hard to find.

BTW I'm not a dealer, I just do microcomputer stuff.

Again...Please reply to this so that I will know that you got it.

Thanks,
Bert


Re: was capacitors now about switches

 

Root cause discovered. I dissected one of the bad switches, and found corrosion and thin metallic films grown across the insulation between contacts. The failure mechanism was clearly built in during manufacture of the TV, due to washing processes getting moisture inside. These switches are not sealed, so shouldn't have been washed without a proper drying process. There is virtually zero chance that the moisture was added later - the board is vertical in use, so it's not likely someone spilled a cup of coffee in there, and there were no signs of fluid spillage on the board or anything else. These switches were ticking time bombs in the life of the TV. Now I wonder where else this sort of thing may show up - from now on these will also be prime suspects along with the Al caps.

BTW these switches are metal snap-disc type, meeting with contacts molded into the plastic body - plenty of metal available for galvanic and electrolytic reactions if you throw a little water in there.

Ed


Re: Novice question - 475, what mode is this?

 

The Tek 475 is analog, with a CRT screen, so the tools for LCD screens will probably not work. The intensity knob may be turned down too low (as Bob mentions), but on my 475, if I turn down the intensity until I can barely see the trace on just the A sweep, and then go to Mix, I can still see the A trace along with the B trace. But when I turn it down further, the B trace is still visible as the A disappears. There may be a dirty Mix switch or some other switch.

On 6/22/2018 8:27 AM, Jeff Urban wrote:
On Thu, Jun 21, 2018 at 02:29 pm, Bob Albert wrote:

Is the intensity set too low?
Bob
Sounds like you are not seeing the left side of the trace. Couple possible reasons for this, one is that the brightness or pedestal on your monitor is set too low. There are monitor test programs for this, as it is hard to tell just where black is black but none of the grays are black. One such program is called ntest.exe, which is totally stand alone, would run off anything, like a CD or stick or whatever. One of the patterns is exactly for that and says adjust until you see some particular block in the pattern. That should eliminate any black clipping.

Another possibility is if you have an edge lit LCD monitor. As the viewing angle changes vertically in those, the brightness changes. This effect varies, some models are better/worse than others. Some are terrible and you only get a limited range or it does all kinds of funky crap like show a negative image or all the color disappears if you are too low or high, things like that.

The one I got - ntest.exe, is from Nokia. If you can't find a suitable program I can upload it or you can hit me up with an email and I can send it as an attachment in a reply.


Re: was capacitors now about switches

 

Just want to make it clear that the "buttons" I referred to in the OP are the small, self-contained switches that solder onto the board individually - not the rubbery sheet kind that carry carbon films that make contact on patterns on the board. I've had plenty of troubles with the rubbery kind, but never a problem until now, with the discrete snap-action switches, as long as the "snap" was still good. I have had plenty that had mechanical failure from wearout or breakage, where the plastic actuators were deformed or bent off-axis (or even the whole switch unit popped open) from too much force, or the detent action was lost and the contact would either short or open permanently.

Ed


Re: was capacitors now about switches

 

Hello,

PCB buttons can and do fail all the time. A fun example was the Vernee Apollo lite, where too tight manufacturing tolerances allowed sweat grease to accumulate.


I have summed it all up in a video, just in case anyone feels like taking a look:




Tam



--
With best regards
Tam Hanna
---

Enjoy electronics? Join 8300 other followers by visiting the Crazy Electronics Lab at


Re: Novice question - 475, what mode is this?

 

On Thu, Jun 21, 2018 at 02:29 pm, Bob Albert wrote:


Is the intensity set too low?
Bob
Sounds like you are not seeing the left side of the trace. Couple possible reasons for this, one is that the brightness or pedestal on your monitor is set too low. There are monitor test programs for this, as it is hard to tell just where black is black but none of the grays are black. One such program is called ntest.exe, which is totally stand alone, would run off anything, like a CD or stick or whatever. One of the patterns is exactly for that and says adjust until you see some particular block in the pattern. That should eliminate any black clipping.

Another possibility is if you have an edge lit LCD monitor. As the viewing angle changes vertically in those, the brightness changes. This effect varies, some models are better/worse than others. Some are terrible and you only get a limited range or it does all kinds of funky crap like show a negative image or all the color disappears if you are too low or high, things like that.

The one I got - ntest.exe, is from Nokia. If you can't find a suitable program I can upload it or you can hit me up with an email and I can send it as an attachment in a reply.


Re: Novice question - 475, what mode is this?

 

That's "MIX" - mixed mode. What it does is instead of intensifying the part of the trace to be expanded by the B timebase it simply switches to B timebase at that point of the sweep, wherever you set the delay control.

On the left you are going at at the slower A sweep on the right it actually is intensified but since the sweep is faster it needs that. Push the intensify button and you'll get the whole trace of the slower sweep where the sine waves look compressed but right where the B sweep starts in mixed mode it will be intensified. Looking at the mixed mode tell me that the intensified portion will only be a few cycles - a small version of what you see on the right. Then of course when you go to B sweep the whole screen gets the delayed part - which is currently on the right in mixed mode.

I hope you got that, sometimes I am not the best explainer in the world. The manual might do better, not sure.

I am not sure of the usefulness of mixed mode, I can't think of a case where I would use it. Well effectively, I like playing around with such things so it is useful for that...:-)