Oscilloscope used in Thunderbirds Episode

[xrunner]

A post in the repair board spurred my memory about an episode of the old Thunderbirds Supermarionation show. In an episode they use some real oscilloscopes, and it appears that they might be Telequipment models (see screenshot). Anyone agree?

[tautech]

A post in the repair board spurred my memory about an episode of the old Thunderbirds Supermarionation show. In an episode they use some real oscilloscopes, and it appears that they might be Telequipment models (see screenshot). Anyone agree?

Banana post inputs, yes maybe a very early Telequipment.

After small search: Serviscope S51E......or similar.

[Muttley Snickers]

I just watched virtually the entire episode and they had a few more located elsewhere in the same craft, I now suspect that somebody in the props department was probably pulling a few strings as well.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lrqJg1Etmw&feature=youtu.be&t=2300

 

[xrunner]

Banana post inputs, yes maybe a very early Telequipment.

After small search: Serviscope S51E......or similar.

That's it! Good searching Tautech. 

I just watched virtually the entire episode and they had a few more located elsewhere in the same craft, I now suspect that somebody in the props department was probably pulling a few strings as well.

Ha yea. In the scene I captured he's looking at what appears to be a sine wave on one (like what else would they use for starters), and I believe square waves on the other one. They are in a predicament involving some nasty creatures launching hot spew at them. I'm not sure exactly how watching these types of signals helps them but I don't know how to operate the craft. 

[tautech]

I just watched virtually the entire episode and they had a few more located elsewhere in the same craft, I now suspect that somebody in the props department was probably pulling a few strings as well.

What else would they show on a '60's UK series but some 'fine in their day' UK craftmanship. 
A Tek or something ?
There was good reason why Tek later bought Telequipment.

Maybe they wanted Teks seen in Thunderbird episodes ! 

Banana post inputs, yes maybe a very early Telequipment.

After small search: Serviscope S51E......or similar.

That's it! Good searching Tautech. 

Not so much X, it just looked familiar and Google Images popped up something close. 
It's not exactly a S51E but obviously one very close.

[chris_leyson]

Looks very much like a Telequiment scope and the S51 looks like a good fit. Don't remember seeing a Serviscope Minor used as a film prop but you never know.

[xrunner]

Looks very much like a Telequiment scope and the S51 looks like a good fit. Don't remember seeing a Serviscope Minor used as a film prop but you never know.

There were some technical savvy people writing/working for that series. In that episode a direction is given to Zero X "transmit an unmodulated carrier wave ...". Whoever wrote that knew something about radio and technology.

If you haven't ever watched the Thunderbirds check out a few of the episodes on You Tube. You might get a kick out of them. 

[bsudbrink]

Funny how the disparity in scale doesn't really stand out.  I have to look hard and think to realize that a 4mm banana jack shouldn't be bigger than your thumb.

[xrunner]

Funny how the disparity in scale doesn't really stand out.  I have to look hard and think to realize that a 4mm banana jack shouldn't be bigger than your thumb.

LOL yea the scopes are really too big for the scale of the puppet, but not so much so that you dwell on it that long. They do a lot of little tricks in those shows, for example, when they can get away with it, they will zoom in and show a real person's hand reaching for a real coffee cup or something like that. Then the next frames will be the actual puppet holding a smaller model of the coffee cup. Very inventive sort of show.

[PhilipPeake]

A post in the repair board spurred my memory about an episode of the old Thunderbirds Supermarionation show. In an episode they use some real oscilloscopes, and it appears that they might be Telequipment models (see screenshot). Anyone agree?

Banana post inputs, yes maybe a very early Telequipment.

After small search: Serviscope S51E......or similar.

That brings back memories ... showing my age, and referring to things that no-one of a certain age, or from the UK (or some commonwealth countries) will know what I am talking about ...

My first job out of school was an apprenticeship with Rediffusion (a sort of cable radio/TV company).
On of my tasks was repairing the repeaters that shuffled the TV signal around the network. Basically just HF amplifiers (yes, the TV signal was carried on HF carriers!).

Once repaired, the filters had to be checked/adjusted to ensure that the response was flat and the bandpass was correct.
This used a sweep-frequency generator and diode detector. The sweep voltage triggered the oscilloscope, and the detector output fed the Y axis. An extra graticule was added with the expected response shape for specified 'scope settings.

I spent a lot of hours in front of that scope - very similar, if not identical to the one pictured above.
Eventually, they acquired a new 'scope. I bought the old one. Unfortunately, it didn't last long. It was pretty old by that point.

[bd139]

Great thread. This has motivated me to dig out my D83 and fix it tonight 

[G0HZU]

The Daleks were keen scope users too.

Looking at the scopes in the image below can anyone tell who they had a service contract with?

[G0HZU]

Could it be Cossor?

[chris_leyson]

That's got to be a Cossor 1035, a classic. My first scope was a 339 and my dad said I was bonkers to pay £20 for it.
@BD139 I've been looking for a D83 for ages, first used one in school in the mid 70's and the D83 takes up less bench space than 7603 which uses the same CRT I think. It's funny I always thought train spotters were crazy, but when I think about it I'm just as crazy, a geeky scope spotter looking out for film props 

[G0HZU]

The Cossor brochure says "Designed with your specific needs in mind?"

Large easy to use controls?

[tautech]

That's got to be a Cossor 1035, a classic. My first scope was a 339 and my dad said I was bonkers to pay £20 for it.
@BD139 I've been looking for a D83 for ages, first used one in school in the mid 70's and the D83 takes up less bench space than 7603 which uses the same CRT I think.

A D83 was my first scope ~15 yrs back. bd139's mom used to build bits for them at TQ and by that time Tek owned them. Yes they did share the same CRT as Teks and so had a very nice sharp and large display.

Nice CRO even if they take a bit to keep them functional......mine did. Still regret selling it some, not so the HP1740 I had at the same time.
Still got some 130 Ohm NTC thermistors they used on the unreg 30V supply into the EHT stage if anybody needs one.....mine had crumbled and fallen apart.

[chris_leyson]

A D83 was my first scope ~15 yrs back. bd139's mom used to build bits for them at TQ and by that time Tek owned them.

Cool bit of history, thanks. My mom was a punch card operator on a Joe Lyons LEO I and she used to say sometimes the machine would stop and somebody would come along and check out the blinky lights.

[bd139]

BTW cancelled my D83 fixing session.

As tautech says, they certainly do need a bit of maintenance. The one I picked up in May had a shot power supply so i had to replace the entire bottom half of the scope with the bottom half off the parts mule that came with it. Not for the faint hearted but it worked. I replaced all the HT caps in it successfully but the infernal thing has lost intensity control now. Grr.

Did my work school experience at Cossor. Test department tea boy basically 

To note, my mother has very little to say that is nice about Telequipment

[xrunner]

Here's a tough one -

[G0HZU]

Eico 425 or 460?

Holy Cathode Rays, Batman!... Could the Batscilloscope be a Dumont 208-B ?

[xrunner]

Holy Cathode Rays, Batman!... Could the Batscilloscope be a Dumont 208-B ?

With as much enhancement as I could do I would say Bingo!

[floobydust]

The Dumont 208-B does not have the ventilation cutout, so I am a bit sceptical. It looks very close though.

More fun here:
Oscilloscope Museum
Tektronix In Movies and Shows

[Cyberdragon]

That's probably a trick of light and something to do with the sign and holder not a vent.

[bsfeechannel]

Eico 425 or 460?

Holy Cathode Rays, Batman!... Could the Batscilloscope be a Dumont 208-B ?

Wait, Robin. Let's use our Batimage Enhancer:



It is a Dumont, no doubt. Probably made in the 1940, when they had a black face. It might have suffered some cosmetic changes to be used as a prop. The brand name is missing. The lines that divide the control sections were also erased. The handle at the top might have been replaced. You can see that the chicken head knob of the coarse time base adjust at the bottom of the panel is also missing. The bright red binding posts seem to be a modern replacement.

These scopes were used by technicians in TV studios. So they might have taken an old one for a cameo appearance. That's my hunch.

[bd139]

Excellent forensic work 

Some quick Adam West: