All about Beryllium copper

[Kiriakos-GR]

If you wonder about the materials that the expensive probes or test leads,
hides under the hood ?

Read this link   

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beryllium_copper

[nukie]

The problem being Beryllium copper isn't exactly expensive   there's no reason for them to charge more.

[alm]

Hi-Z scope probes use a very thin resistive core, something like NiCr, definitely not beryllium copper. A whole book could be written about the manufacturing of this wire (but isn't, it's usually considered trade secret). Another feature that make them expensive are the attenuation hybrid. The capacitor across the attenuation resistor should not display any frequency-dependent behavior, most will have a capacitance that varies with the frequency at high frequencies. This is not your standard ceramic cap.

For some insight about the intricacies of probe design, read Joe Weber's Oscilloscope Probe Circuits (available here), published by Tektronix around 1960. This is by far the most detailed description available.

[tecman]

Bberyllium copper most often appears in electronics gear as a spring material.  Usually leaf springs of some sort.  Since beryllium is extremely toxic, its use as an alloy is seen less frequently today.

paul

[Neilm]

Bberyllium copper most often appears in electronics gear as a spring material.  Usually leaf springs of some sort.  Since beryllium is extremely toxic, its use as an alloy is seen less frequently today.

You will quite often find it used for EMC screens, for example on the case to some computer cases.

Yours

Neil

[Time]

They just use BeCu in test leads because they do not wear out as fast as pure copper when being bent and flexed continually.  It has nothing to do with precision.

[Kiriakos-GR]

What about the part of " lesser sparks " ?

I was thought that this matters more than anything.

[Time]

That just means when you clank or drop it on something it doesn't produce sparks that ignite flammable gases in the air. It can still make electrical sparks.  Its still very conductive.

[RCMR]

I recall during my time as an RF tech that many of the RF power transistors with ceramic bodies contained beryllium and we were warned not to crush or grind them due to the toxicity of that substance.

Just another nasty element found in this industry I guess -- along with cadmium, mercury, lead etc.

Although I seem to recall playing with a lot of lead when I was a kid and inhaling 60/40 solder fumes for decades -- hmmm, perhaps that does explain a few things 

[Kiriakos-GR]

Are you talking about the MRF-317  BLV-25 BLY-87 BLY-89 ?  Or something more special than that ?