Tek Scopes

[John Warren]

My old passion, tearing down and rebuilding Tek scopes specifically the 465 series, has come back with a killer vengeance.

I love these instruments. In the last 6 months, I've fixed three units and recently purchased three more. I've sold two units and will begin working another unit this week.

I could easily be an oscilloscope collector!

http://www.northreadingeng.com/Forums/index.php/topic,62.0.html

Edited November 11, 2013 by John Warren

[Marvel]

Nice John! I would love a good scope, but can't justify the expense.

Bruce

[djk]

Those old Tek scopes were great, and had a much longer service life than any of the new stuff.

Be sure and use 4%Ag solder on the ceramic saddles (remark just for forum readers, I know you know this already).

I still have an old HP 100Khz scope, WWII vintage, and a very low serial number model 200 generator, probably one of the first they made after the initial ones for Disney.

Edited November 12, 2013 by djk

[DrWho]

I'm an Agilent guy

So what all goes bad on these old scopes?

[boom3]

Agilent? Ye gods I am old.

I had a Tek scope from 1963 that was the size of a studio TV camera. They were used on angled carts in the labs. It developed a nasty problem, the front panel went 60 volts above ground. It was one of those that used the ceramic "saddles" with silver solder. I thought that was the most astounding construction I'd ever seen in anything electronic.

Tablet/PC based scopes now offer more processing power than you could buy from HP or Tek just 15 years ago. If I wanted to buy another analog scope, I'd buy one of 1 GHz analog Teks that came out about 1981 or so. Don't recall the model number, but it was called the "Gold scope" or "gold-plated scope" since it used gold contacts inside. It was considered a milestone, juist before digital processing took over.

[Deang]

You guys should know by now that I don't understand anything without pictures.

[thebes]

Hey John, I have two modular Tek scopes, one a Model 5440 with 518N dual trace module and the other a Model 5103W (says its a single trace) with the same dual trace module plus the 5B10N Time/Base/Ampl module.

Picked these up quite some time ago and I do remember that the guy who sold them to me said he has acquired both with future plans to get one working using parts from both, but can't remember anything else about t hem.

Are these things worth restoring and are they a bear to work on?

[John Warren]

Are these things worth restoring and are they a bear to work on?

Thebes-

The old Tek scopes came with well documented service manuals that identify a couple of hundred test locations on the boards. They provide waveforms, voltage levels, etc.

With a service manual, a scope that you can use to examine waveforms at various locations on the boards (10X and HV probe), volt and ohm meter, a function generator, a CRT that rasters or shows some sort of beam activity, various BNC cables, some solder skills and patience I would say consider it. There is some dangers, voltages in the CRT circuits are lethal and can kill even when the scope is off (anode, cathode grid). Many of the passive parts can be replaced with new. Some can only be sourced from a "parts unit".

Also, I have 0 warning points!

Edited November 17, 2013 by John Warren

[mike stehr]

You gotta admire a guy who can repair scopes...nice work!

It was one of those that used the ceramic "saddles" with silver solder.

I love those things...I use them with tube amplifier projects.

[thebes]

Are these things worth restoring and are they a bear to work on?

Thebes-

The old Tek scopes came with well documented service manuals that identify a couple of hundred test locations on the boards. They provide waveforms, voltage levels, etc.

With a service manual, a scope that you can use to examine waveforms at various locations on the boards (10X and HV probe), volt and ohm meter, a function generator, a CRT that rasters or shows some sort of beam activity, various BNC cables, some solder skills and patience I would say consider it. There is some dangers, voltages in the CRT circuits are lethal and can kill even when the scope is off (anode, cathode grid). Many of the passive parts can be replaced with new. Some can only be sourced from a "parts unit".

Also, I have 0 warning points!

Lethal voltages are my friend.

I have everything you describe but the probes, and the CRT raster thingy and only a couple of BNC cables.

I'm going to have to consider this. Of course, I couldn't possibly undertake such an effort without the estimable assistance of an accomplished and undoubtedly devilishly handsome Tek restorer. (I have more butter in case you should need it)

Stick with me my friend, you'll have plenty of warning points before you even know it.

Come to think of it, why do I have only one warning point. I'm going to have to do something about that