Wanted: Oscilloscope in ACT/NSW area

[DylanM]

Hi all,

I've always had a strong interest in electronics, and will hopefully be studying Electrical Engineering at uni next year. As I'm sure you know, oscilloscopes are invaluable when working with electronics, but also tend to be very expensive. Even the old second hand CROs on eBay here in Australia listed for hundreds of dollars.

So if anyone has one laying around that they're willing to sell cheaply or donate, it would be greatly appreciated

Regards,
Dylan

[vk6zgo]

There's a Tek 7613 free on Gumtree-----see the thread in this forum.
Might be worth a road trip!

[mcookieman]

You can also set up for eBay to send you a notification when new items pop up, iirc you can set a price limit so its not only the outrageously priced ones. It's how I found mine  . I'll hopefully be studying Electrical Eng next year as well, what uni are you planning on going to?
*The Tek looks pretty nice, I remember looking at one before and there were plenty of service manuals online so it's worth a shot if you can get to it, especially since it's free.

[DylanM]

If the one on gumtree is able to be posted, would it be worth the (potentially large) postage cost? Apparently the display isn't producing an image but that might be an easy fix.

mcookieman, I'll hopefully be going to ANU. What about you?

[mcookieman]

Most likely UNSW, need to stop procrastinating first though...

[DylanM]

Most likely UNSW, need to stop procrastinating first though...

That would certainly help.. Good luck with the HSC.


On another note, I've just come across a Tektronix 465M in my area for $100 on eBay. The seller states they are unable to test it but it is "believed to be working".

It's tempting..

[echen1024]

No one is "unable to test" and analog oscilloscope. Turn the damn thing on and twiddle some knobs!

[DylanM]

I sent the guy a message with instructions on how to perform a simple power on test, and he just replied "No luck".

Are there any common issues which could cause the display not to come on?

It's just sitting there with no bids so it's hard to resist, but I don't want to completely waste $100. I guess repairing it could be fun as a project..

[ElectroIrradiator]

Walk away.

You may be lucky that the problem is trivial to find and fix, or the scope could be a complete disaster with parts/boards missing or a completely dead CRT. Old analog Tek scopes in working order are generally very nice instruments. The problem with them is that they are complicated beasts, frequently built with many custom or hard to find parts.

As a beginner you may have better luck troubleshooting and fixing a simpler, less complicated scope, like a <= 20 MHz Hameg or maybe a Philips (no idea how common these are down under).

Tek scopes are not dirt cheap here in Denmark either, so personally I might pay $100 for a somewhat working and otherwise nice 465. That is though, if I could personally inspect it beforehand, and ensure there were no obvious catastrophes waiting to be discovered. But on the other hand I do have some experience with troubleshooting electronics, plus a suitable collection of tools and test gear to throw at the problem.

[jmcdonald]

Where do you live? I live in weston NSW and have a few old scopes all working and in good order still not shore if I want to part with them. I'm going to wagga wagga later in the year for a family holiday. If your interested ill get the model numbers and prices I got them all second hand so would only be asking what I paid for them and maby small delivery fee to cover fuel.

[DylanM]

Where do you live? I live in weston NSW and have a few old scopes all working and in good order still not shore if I want to part with them. I'm going to wagga wagga later in the year for a family holiday. If your interested ill get the model numbers and prices I got them all second hand so would only be asking what I paid for them and maby small delivery fee to cover fuel.

PM'd

[DylanM]

Never mind, finally came across a really good deal on eBay and got myself a Tektronix 2225. Hopefully it works, I might make a post about it once it arrives.

Thanks for the suggestions/offers.