Tek 2465 or A/B what to look for??

[Mr Simpleton]

Seems to zoom in on a Tek 2465 scope to team up with my Rigol digital scope
What is there to look for?? Is some version to be avoided??
What about serial numbers, do they have any vital information, other than age??

Or is this a really crap idea??

[Bryan]

I have a Rigol and a tek 2465B. You get the best of both worlds. Tek has a high bandwidth and the benefits that go along with a analog scope.

http://www.tek.com/support/faqs/what-are-differences-between-oscilloscope-models-2465-2465a-and-2465b

[Mr Simpleton]

  Thanks for the link!
Is there anything else besides the specs that would make one prefere model _, A or B?  I.e parts made out of unobtanium that are likely to fail in a certain model??   

I've got a 2465 with an early (?) serial 100xxx listed locally, but have no knowledge what to avoid...

[alm]

I believe the -B version might have SMT electrolytics that often go bad. There are also differences in the type of battery-backed NVRAM they use. Search the Tekscopes Yahoo! group archives for details.

[nanofrog]

Thanks for the link!
Is there anything else besides the specs that would make one prefere model _, A or B?  I.e parts made out of unobtanium that are likely to fail in a certain model??   

I've got a 2465 with an early (?) serial 100xxx listed locally, but have no knowledge what to avoid...

Make sure it works, as the hybrid chips are hard to come by (i.e. from a donor). Another thing to look for, are any codes in the self-test. Given it's age, you may see some starting with 04, which indicate the ROM is shot (calibration data lost). This can be repaired, but the ROM has to be restored with a working copy (there are some floating around on the internet), or better yet, calibrated (not exactly inexpensive).

IIRC, anything with a S/N over 50k was OK in that regard.

[PaulAm]

The 2465s are known for the u800 horizontal amp failure.  They're pretty much unobtainable.  Early ones made before Tek sold off their fab might be a little more reliable.  There has been some limited success in repairing some through a controlled heating process in an oven.

Some people put heatsinks on, which seems to help.

There's been a little work done on a replacement, I'm not sure where that stands at the moment.

[Bryan]

Just a addon to Mr Simpeltons reply. The 2465A and B use the same hybrids. The 2465b with a serial OVER bx50000 will use a SMD logic board (A5) which is not a issue except there is 4 SMD caps that are known to leak. If leaked they could have damaged the board.

If I am correct the 2465A may also uses a Dallas Nvram like the 2465b to store settings and calibration data and you will need to eventually have to replace or risk losing your calibration data. Only have a recommended life expectancy of 10-15 years. You will need a programmer to swap the settings between the old and new module or recalibrate from scratch.

The 2465b requires specialized equipment to calibrate properly, not a easy task.

Honestly unless you want the "TEST" button on the 2465b a 2465A or even a 2465 will do you well. I find the parametric measurements are not really that accurate and you would normally use other equipment to test. Most of the measurements are around 1-3% accuracy. A simple DMM of today can do better. this is where the Rigol is better  IMHO. All models have cursors

Whatever you decide your first task will be to recap the power supply, the caps are known to leak, many of the "dead" 2465 scopes on the market are often nothing more than a defective power supply. lots of help available on recapping the supply. Easy peasy as they say.

[alm]

Most of the measurements are around 1-3% accuracy. A simple DMM of today can do better. this is where the Rigol is better  IMHO.

DMM accuracy haven't improved much since the eighties when these were sold; a DMM could also do better back then. I believe there even was a 2465 with DMM option (like the DMM/44 for the 465) that was better. The point is that DMM's can't measure amplitude or other waveform parameters. The Rigol DS1052E does its measurements (except trigger frequency) from the displayed data limited by the QVGA resolution, so the accuracy isn't going to be much better than 1%, even for a signal that fills the screen.

[Bryan]

Correct, but what I meant was if you were measuring a DC voltage you would get more accuracy using a DMM as opposed to the parametric measurements of the 2465B.For frequency a calibrated frequency counter, and for other measurements using cursors is probably more accurate. The test parametric measurements are handy but not a deal breaker. I held out for a 2465b thinking they would be the cats meow, but honestly if i want measurements from the scope I would tend to use the Rigol unless bandwidth was a issue. Accuracy is probably the same but more options.

[Mr Simpleton]

Good to know facts! I guess the extra 100 MHz BW is not that important, and I know for sure I will not use it for any serious measurement, rahter use dedicated DMM or similar for that.

What bugs me a bit is that most 2465 listed on E-bay do have Bxxxxxx serial but the one I'm eyeing do only have six digit serial. Not sure what that would implicate though?

Spent my fair share of hours knob-spinning an (now) old 485 and that was really the cat's meow in early 80's 

[edavid]

Good to know facts! I guess the extra 100 MHz BW is not that important, and I know for sure I will not use it for any serious measurement, rahter use dedicated DMM or similar for that.

What bugs me a bit is that most 2465 listed on E-bay do have Bxxxxxx serial but the one I'm eyeing do only have six digit serial. Not sure what that would implicate though?

There is not much (any?) real difference in bandwidth between the 2465 and 2465B, it was a marketing change.

Bxxxxxx means assembled in Beaverton, Oregon, 1xxxxx means assembled on Jersey Guernsey.

[Mr Simpleton]

Thanks! But you mean Guernsey don't you??

[BravoV]

Bxxxxxx means assembled in Beaverton, Oregon, 1xxxxx means assembled on Jersey Guernsey.

My 2465B Guernsey assembled in 1996 serial.

[iloveelectronics]

Sorry to bring back an old thread, but I just joined the 2465B club Mine has a serial number starting with "J" though, and it says "Sony Tektronix" on the back panel. Could it be a Japanese assembled unit?

I have been reading about the Dallas NVRAM and it looks like I will have to open it up and perform the unavoidable task eventually... Makes me feel uneasy 

[BravoV]

Welcome to the club Franky, yep, yours is made in Japan with serial no 30xxxxx, see the attached pic below.

Btw, curious how does it looks especially the A5 and A1 board, and the latest available date code on the ICs, I guess this is considered quite new that probably built in 90s or better late 90s.

Please do few photo shoots and if it's not troubling you too much share & post them in this -> 2465B teardown thread.