Thank you Dave! I have been waiting for this particular teardown for some time.
Looks like a lot of components are sitting in pcb embedded sockets?
Looks like a lot of components are sitting in pcb embedded sockets?
Yep, almost all ICs and transistors are socketed.
Does this scope work again? Did you manage to reassemble it?
Thanks for the tear-down Dave. Nice retro instrument. I don't see too many of them on the market. When they do come up, they seem to be quite expensive, if they are functional. (About USD 600.00)
I wonder if this one is the most collectable portable oscilloscope or if there is another small one even better out there?
I'm only making a wild guess, but could it be that the scope had a fixed probe?
it would explain the hacked in bnc-connector
I'm only making a wild guess, but could it be that the scope had a fixed probe?
it would explain the hacked in bnc-connector
That's my guess. I have a two channel 10MHZ 222 model and the probes are fixed, no BNCs.
1973 was a good year, the year when I was born
That's the schematic on the tekwiki:
http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/213I think the 8038 is not a custom Tek chip, but from MOSTEK, the same manufacturer that produced the 6502 CPU. But I can't find it on the web, and interesting that the logo is different from other MOSTEK chips I know ("MOS" instead of MOSTEK). Maybe a really old chip.
Whoever sent that in to Dave, thank you!
That was a fantastic teardown.
I loved the curved traces. Where they all curved because they were probably HAND drawn by some graphics artist on a big drafting table and not by computer?
Recall the classic 70s sci-fi series Space:1999?
It began running in 1974, and had cool technology including the Comlock:
The one on the props were static pictures/slides backlit. And they used a Panasonic TR-001 portable TV set for the closeups, it was a big bigger.
http://www.tvhistory.tv/1974_Panasonic_TR001.JPGBut still, I can only imagine how Panasonic managed to make a TV that small back in the early 70s.
I loved the curved traces. Where they all curved because they were probably HAND drawn by some graphics artist on a big drafting table and not by computer?
I remember that my grandfather used some etch resist PCB transfers:
You can rub the symbols down to a film for exposure. Curved traces with longer radius could be done by careful rotating it while rubbing it down (there were longer traces available as well). And you could get PCB transfers with letters and digits.
Whoever sent that in to Dave, thank you!
That was a fantastic teardown.
I loved the curved traces. Where they all curved because they were probably HAND drawn by some graphics artist on a big drafting table and not by computer?
http://www.vintagetek.org/tektronix-printed-circuit-boards-1969/ This video explains in great detail how they made PCB back then,
I loved the curved traces. Where they all curved because they were probably HAND drawn by some graphics artist on a big drafting table and not by computer?
I remember that my grandfather used some etch resist PCB transfers:
You can rub the symbols down to a film for exposure. Curved traces with longer radius could be done by careful rotating it while rubbing it down (there were longer traces available as well). And you could get PCB transfers with letters and digits.
Curved traces were done using rolls of crepe tape - you unroll it while pressing down and guiding it with your finger.
The one on the props were static pictures/slides backlit. And they used a Panasonic TR-001 portable TV set for the closeups, it was a big bigger.
From the first (pilot) episode:
Skip to 09:14
Pretty sure the Comlock prop was wired, but that's real LIVE video on the small CRT.
Realistic-looking (working -- up to a point, anyway) props and SPFX are what made the series groundbreaking for the day.
I have an old JVC portable TV set that dates back to the late 1970's/early 1980's. Colour CRT, multi system ( PAL, NTSC, SECAM) and a VHF/ UHF tuner and video and audio input and output. All through hole, and somewhere I still have the manual with the service manual. Basically boards stuffed with components and wires wrapped around a colour CRT.
Realistic-looking (working -- up to a point, anyway) props and SPFX are what made the series groundbreaking for the day.
Space 1999 sure has that 2001 vibe to it... the black and white plastics everywhere, the only other colors being bold red/orange/yellow.
Your right, I don't remember seeing the display actually move when they held it. That's fascinating.
Used to use one of these on field trips.......till I dropped it once.
Ian.
Dave,
You're right. The BNC on the back is a hack. The power cord looks like it was replaced as well.
Originally, this scope had a permanently attached probe that was stored by wrapping it around the unit in the slot at the back (where you removed the mounting screws). The length was just perfect so that the probe slipped into the slot and didn't stick out at all. The soft rubbery stuff that half covers the slot helped to keep it in place. Same with the power cord. A lifetime ago I used the dual-trace storage version of this scope. They had to sacrifice the DMM function to get the extra circuitry in.
Another cute feature of that unit was the neck strap. It clipped around the two studs that are below the CRT. Add the battery option and you've got a totally portable, hands-free scope & DMM. Sweet!
Ed
Used to use one of these on field trips.......till I dropped it once.
Ian.
Me as well, it also died after a few years. Wonder if I should dig it out and see if it is fixable now I have found the service manuals and have another scope to test it with.
Just a quick Q....
How does this vintage "mini" Tek compare to the modern Chinese "pocket" o'scopes?
Yeah .... I know I'm openin' a can-o-worms here ... but just to be clear: let's forget the novelty/collectibility factor and concentrate on real/regular bench or "portable" use. Think: PERFORMANCE and ACCURACY and ERGONOMICS.
I think true portability issues like battery-use and "size-/weight-class" can also be neglected.
I saw 2 in this scope series on ebay a few months ago sold as either non-tested or not working. I eyed them closely because they were really cheap, but as usual within the last hour the price jumped from $20 to over $100 so I passed on them.
About that 'weird ass' IC that is shown in the video at 22:16, it is marked:
TEK
US 155
0048 01
304
is that 0048 a date code? wk 48/2000 ?
From the picture I can't see it clearly but is it socketed?
The TEK part number is 155-0048-01. It is a trigger and sweep generator chip, custom made by Tektronix.
The datasheet is available here:
http://w140.com/155-0048-01.pdfThe "304" is a production run number. Translating it to a date is impossible without access to Tek's internal records.
It is socketed, as are most semiconductors in Tek gear of that vintage. The socket contacts are recessed right into the PCB. That package is a Tek design, that they called a "minipack". A real PITA to remove and install without bending pins.
