"Adam Stouffer" wrote in message
news:287Pe.2916$k92.2274@trndny05...
Bret Ludwig wrote:
The old Tek scopes are either too much work to keep going, or have
mostly been used so heavily they are no longer usable. There are no
more parts for DESIRABLE Tek scopes! Tek has not made an actual
oscilloscope in nearly ten years and the last ones (the TAS series)
were crude and nearly unusable.


Hehe I had one and thought about trying to get it back into shape for
audio work. Then I saw the sticker on the plugin with a calibration date
due for 1965. $200-300 on ebay will get you something decent. In fact if
you ebayed all the ceramic terminal strips in a tek scope you could
probably pay for a newer one.

The last generation of Tek tube scopes, the 544, 546 and 547 had a solid
state vertical section and actually hold up pretty well, but the CRTs are 35
years old! The older stuff though is really tough to bring back from the
grave. Especially the ones with the distributed vertical amps!

BFoelsch wrote:

The last generation of Tek tube scopes, the 544, 546 and 547 had a solid
state vertical section and actually hold up pretty well, but the CRTs are 35
years old! The older stuff though is really tough to bring back from the
grave. Especially the ones with the distributed vertical amps!

The distributed amplifiers, fortunately, are very conservatively rated, and
built with reliable componants. The only likely failure is one of the tubes.
Finding the bad tube is quite easy, because it will leave a glitch on the
leading couple hundred of nanoseconds of a high risetime squarewave.

I have a 585A, and a 513D, both using distributed vertical amplifiers, and
the only problems I have had have been elsewhere. Usually very easy stuff.
The 585A is an extremely easy to use and a very reliable scope. I have been
using them since the late 1970s with very few problems. I have found the
545A and 545B to be similarily reliable, as long as you use a good CA
plugin, and stay away from the 53/54 series. The 547 is a terrific scope.

I keep the 585A around as my "winter scope". It is nice to have around
during the winter time. The rest of the year I use a 475, 2465, or 7D20/7633.

-Chuck

In article ,
BFoelsch wrote:

The last generation of Tek tube scopes, the 544, 546 and 547 had a solid
state vertical section and actually hold up pretty well, but the CRTs are 35

I have a 546 with a 1A1 plugin; bought ca 1980 surplus at Dayton, still works.
Only problem is the on-off switch, which has problems with the current draw.

I've just replaced it with a calibrated 465, however, so if there's someone
in the Bloomington, IN area who wants a scope (with cart) get in touch.

I also have an older Ballantine RMS voltmeter which is now not needed (since
I now have a newer HP unit). It worked the last time I turned it on, about
15 years ago.

Mike Squires
--

Mike Squires (mikes at cs.indiana.edu) 317 233 9456 (w) 812 333 6564 (h)
mikes at siralan.org 546 N Park Ridge Rd., Bloomington, IN 47408