Bought a Tektronix 7903 (7904)

[MakuseruSukotto]

So I haven't bought it YET, but I'll be picking it up tomorrow.


The 7903 is the rackmount version of the 7904 apparently.

It has four modules with it, 7A26, 7B92A, and two 7A19's.

This will be my first scope and I primarily do work on relatively small audio circuits.

How will this work as a first scope and is there anything not so obvious about scope use I should know?

[alm]

EEVblog #279 - How NOT To Blow Up Your Oscilloscope!
Alan's Youtube channel (highly recommended)
XYZs of using a scope might be a good read.


This is one complex (and fancy) scope, so it will probably take you a while to get the hang of it.

Not sure if anyone ever wrote a tutorial for the Tek 7000 series.

[KJDS]

I'd buy a weight lifting belt before you pick it up.

[MakuseruSukotto]

I'd buy a weight lifting belt before you pick it up.

I figure I'd just use the scope as weights, that way I can diagnose while I deadlift. Or something like that.

EEVblog #279 - How NOT To Blow Up Your Oscilloscope!
Alan's Youtube channel (highly recommended)
XYZs of using a scope might be a good read.


This is one complex (and fancy) scope, so it will probably take you a while to get the hang of it.

Not sure if anyone ever wrote a tutorial for the Tek 7000 series.

I watched the how not to blow up your scope. I'd never seen that pdf though, thanks for that!


It comes with a CD with all the manuals on it, so I'll definitely give all those a read.


It looks more complex than the older scopes I'm use to seeing, I've used a few Tek's before, but the one I had stopped working.


But I figure for $50 I couldn't go wrong with this one.

[alm]

$50 is a steal for a 500MHz+ scope, and it's got a nice set of plugins that match the abilities of the mainframe. The Tek 7903/4 is definitely one of the best analog scopes ever made. Not the simplest or smallest, though .

[mazurov]

From my experience, 7000 is easier to work with than other scopes, especially fixing and modding since the mainframe has so much empty space. Also, 7904 (non-a) doesn't have a fan so it is quiet. I don't feel they are harder to operate comparing with, for example, 475A.

But - owning a 7000 can become an addiction, hoarding mainframes and plugins.

[geraldjhg]

i hope it was real cheap
here is a manual
http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/tek/7904
but it is big
good scope if it works
for fun buy a 7d20 adaptor

[PaulAm]

The mainframe itself is pretty simple, but the plugins can be amazing.

I just picked up an S4 head for my 7s11 plugin for less than $50 which will turn a 7000 scope into a sampling scope with a bandwidth of 14.5GHz.  Pretty hard to beat

There are a lot of resources available.  Here's a quick view of the 7000 plugins.
     http://www.kahrs.us/~mark/testeq/7000.html

The only downside is they do take up bench space.  Have fun with it.

[edavid]

From my experience, 7000 is easier to work with than other scopes, especially fixing and modding since the mainframe has so much empty space. Also, 7904 (non-a) doesn't have a fan so it is quiet. I don't feel they are harder to operate comparing with, for example, 475A.

I think that 7903s do have a fan.

Also, when you combine the 7903 with a 7B92A, it does get a little complex.  It all makes sense, but it's good to have the manuals.

[Rigby]

I have a 7633 and I love it.  It is heavy, it is beautiful.