The seller obviously didn't really know what he was selling since his reply to me asking for probes was "please explain what probes are and where I can find them".
I got similar deals on a Tektronix 2440 and 7854 which apparently sat in storage for many years and were in excellent condition. Later I hunted down a front cover for the 2440 so it remains clean and protected.The 2nd and 4th channel (I think) did show a bit of noise when the scope was cold but that went away after warming up.
Warming up usually results in better performance from aluminum electrolytic capacitors so this might indicate that they are at the end of their useful life.
I am fussy on exactly which 2465 series oscilloscopes had problems with leaky surface mount aluminum electrolytic capacitors but I do not think the early and late ones did but it is still worth checking.QuoteThe readout and traces shimmers a tiny bit randomly from time to time. Otherwise everything appears to work fine but I haven't yet done much testing.
Check to see if this is just an artifact of the beam multiplexing needed to display the readout by disabling the readout. Sometimes the readout will momentarily synchronize with the sweep to produce visible artifacts.
The seller obviously didn't really know what he was selling since his reply to me asking for probes was "please explain what probes are and where I can find them".Use word "cables". "Cable" is more explaining that "probe".
Quite funny in situations where "cables" are more valuable than the instrument itself.
Taking a scope break –
@ cheeseit and Old-E
There's some good restoration tips in this sticky thread including polishing BNC's.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/vintageclassic-renovation-techniques/
why does this thread have some many views/replies for some random scope ?
My scope arrived very clean inside and out, except for the BNC's that are tarnished. like yours, they all work just fine, but some cleaning would help the appearance. You said you used Silvo to clean the BNC's. Is that a silver polishing compound?
Interesting that you used hydrogen peroxide on the knobs which might brighten mine up too. Never heard of using it for that.
Also have been wanting to suggest that you replace the 4 electrolytic caps on the A5 board ASAP, because they leak, as yours are just starting too. C 2965 appears to be corroding the adjacent screw head. Mine was worse and an adjacent IC, U2890, had absorbed the acid which caused it to fail. Thought those IC's were totally sealed, but this one had a corroded interior when I opened it up, along with signs of corrosion on the exterior solder connections. So where the corrosive gases migrate to, can be a challenge to forecast. Other board connections were thinned, but still ok. Also replaced several other suspected components adjacent to those cap's.
@ cheeseit and Old-E
There's some good restoration tips in this sticky thread including polishing BNC's.
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/vintageclassic-renovation-techniques/
Thanks, don't know why I forgot about that sticky and I remember seeing robrenz fantastic results and thinking that would come in handy sometime. I will try to find what he used but what about replacing the BNC's, I know how to do it but will it affect anything?
I take it that replacing them doesn't pose any problems, apart from quite possibly being a bit laborious.
I have a number of Tek scopes, including a 2465B and 2467. My favorite is a 545B but that's another era. The 2467 is in storage and the 2465B is on the rack and I use it. How concerned should I be about the battery?, tant's and, electrolytics?
I have a number of Tek scopes, including a 2465B and 2467. My favorite is a 545B but that's another era. The 2467 is in storage and the 2465B is on the rack and I use it. How concerned should I be about the battery?, tant's and, electrolytics?
The infamous mains X/Y film caps can be "entertaining" when they fail; in my 2465 a series resistor rapidly dissociated itself and took some of the PCB prepreg with it.
The control board caps are also infamous for venting their spleen over nearby components. Seen that in my 2445B.
A protection against battery failure would use the test routine to examine the nonvolatile memory's contents, and to make a video as you step through each location. Then, if necessary, you could reprogram another memory with the old calibration constants.
I have a number of Tek scopes, including a 2465B and 2467. My favorite is a 545B but that's another era. The 2467 is in storage and the 2465B is on the rack and I use it. How concerned should I be about the battery?, tant's and, electrolytics?
The infamous mains X/Y film caps can be "entertaining" when they fail; in my 2465 a series resistor rapidly dissociated itself and took some of the PCB prepreg with it.
The control board caps are also infamous for venting their spleen over nearby components. Seen that in my 2445B.
A protection against battery failure would use the test routine to examine the nonvolatile memory's contents, and to make a video as you step through each location. Then, if necessary, you could reprogram another memory with the old calibration constants.
I've been hesitant to touch the 2465B and 2467 but I'm thinking about recapping the PSU as a precautionary measure. Maybe the control board too (now). I'll look into running the test routine
A protection against battery failure would use the test routine to examine the nonvolatile memory's contents, and to make a video as you step through each location. Then, if necessary, you could reprogram another memory with the old calibration constants.
Thanks for the parts list. Everything is ordered. $30-ish for a little peace of mind.QuoteA protection against battery failure would use the test routine to examine the nonvolatile memory's contents, and to make a video as you step through each location. Then, if necessary, you could reprogram another memory with the old calibration constants.
I haven't found a test routine that shows the NVRAM contents. It passes the tests I ran with the ?T/?V menu selection but no data is displayed. From what I've read the battery doesn't warn you when it dies...
Much appreciated. I checked the service manual and was able to figure out how to retrieve the cal data. I video'd it and put it on YouTube. I don't know if it's useful for anyone else. If it is I'll post a link.
Good deal. When you get ready to replace the caps on the Regulator and Inverter boards do NOT do a mass remove then go back and do a mass install. There are minor differences between the 2465, 2465A, and 2465B. Plus there are discrepancies with the board lettering and the schematics which Tektronix never fixed. Doing a mass replace then install will result in aggravation and magic smoke. Do one or two caps at a time and compare value, orientation, and voltage rating as you replace them. Granted that's inefficient but it will be accurate.
Also you'll notice that C1110, 1111, 1113, 1114, 1115, 1116 have all been "upgraded" to 330uf. I followed that recommendation and everything works fine.