EEVblog Electronics Community Forum
Products => Test Equipment => Topic started by: alanambrose on August 12, 2020, 09:03:37 am
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https://www.eenewsembedded.com/news/passive-oscilloscope-probes-help-dense-pcbs?news_id=130649 (https://www.eenewsembedded.com/news/passive-oscilloscope-probes-help-dense-pcbs?news_id=130649)
A.
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Almost every test equipment manufacture sells these 2.5mm scope probes now. They are all made by PMK https://www.pmk.de/en/products/2_5_mm_tastkoepfe (https://www.pmk.de/en/products/2_5_mm_tastkoepfe)
I am unsure if its just a re-brand or if PMK is making minor modifications to the compensation network for different companies / different scope front ends.
Sadly, PMK is pretty unwilling to sell the probes directly and most companies add a significant markup.
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Those probes look quite chunky compared to some of the Keysight ones, where you can unscrew the grip, remove most of the plastic, and leave a very slim probe.
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I've got a set of 4 of these tiny Tek SMD probes but the trick is you need 4 hands to use them all at once or you have to solder the clips onto your board ;)
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Dang and i thought my Agilent 1160A probes are small.
Still i do love the nice thin "wet noodle" bendy cable on them tho.
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Good, I always wondered why scope probes need to be so large when you're just probing around in circuits where 5 volts is considered a dangerous high voltage... Or tooling around a Commodore 64.
I always liked the HP 10433A style probe, with the clip thingy that lets you strap the probe to a particular pin on a DIP and holds it in place.
They are fragile and kinda rare now so I'm glad to see new small probes.
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The HP 10400 type oscilloscope probes (http://hpmemoryproject.org/an/pdf/scop_probe_cat1988.pdf) are my favorite.
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The HP 10400 type oscilloscope probes (http://hpmemoryproject.org/an/pdf/scop_probe_cat1988.pdf) are my favorite.
Do they still make these? I fished up a few on eBay, one was NOS. The other one disintegrated quite quickly, I'm scared to use the NOS one too much now.
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Good, I always wondered why scope probes need to be so large when you're just probing around in circuits where 5 volts is considered a dangerous high voltage... Or tooling around a Commodore 64.
Oscilloscope probes were getting smaller until creepage and clearance requirements started to be enforced, and there was no way a 400 volt probe could meet them. That is also when multimeters, power supplies, and other test equipment started using proprietary incompatible shrouded banana jacks and plugs.
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The HP 10400 type oscilloscope probes (http://hpmemoryproject.org/an/pdf/scop_probe_cat1988.pdf) are my favorite.
Do they still make these? I fished up a few on eBay, one was NOS. The other one disintegrated quite quickly, I'm scared to use the NOS one too much now.
If they are under your control, and you don't abuse them, they last pretty well. If they are shared they tend to die quite quickly. The same could be said of a lot of test leads and probe.
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Good, I always wondered why scope probes need to be so large when you're just probing around in circuits where 5 volts is considered a dangerous high voltage... Or tooling around a Commodore 64.
Oscilloscope probes were getting smaller until creepage and clearance requirements started to be enforced, and there was no way a 400 volt probe could meet them. That is also when multimeters, power supplies, and other test equipment started using proprietary incompatible shrouded banana jacks and plugs.
Most people don't need scope probes rated for 400V. They only ever look at small signals in low voltage circuits with them.
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Good, I always wondered why scope probes need to be so large when you're just probing around in circuits where 5 volts is considered a dangerous high voltage... Or tooling around a Commodore 64.
Oscilloscope probes were getting smaller until creepage and clearance requirements started to be enforced, and there was no way a 400 volt probe could meet them. That is also when multimeters, power supplies, and other test equipment started using proprietary incompatible shrouded banana jacks and plugs.
Most people don't need scope probes rated for 400V. They only ever look at small signals in low voltage circuits with them.
I agree but most oscilloscope inputs are rated to 400 volts peak.
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The HP 10400 type oscilloscope probes (http://hpmemoryproject.org/an/pdf/scop_probe_cat1988.pdf) are my favorite.
Do they still make these? I fished up a few on eBay, one was NOS. The other one disintegrated quite quickly, I'm scared to use the NOS one too much now.
If they are under your control, and you don't abuse them, they last pretty well. If they are shared they tend to die quite quickly. The same could be said of a lot of test leads and probe.
Oh yes that is certainly the case. At work quite a few probes went dead because random people who barely even know how to use a scope don't look after them. And this happened even with regular probes, not any special delicate miniature ones.
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Before retirement, my analog lab hated to lend scope probes to the digital guys, since they always came back without the ground lead and often without the "witch's hat" shroud.
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Or they break the probe tip off altogether.
I never, ever let anyone borrow my scope probes. Consequently all the probes I have bought new still have their tips and earth leads intact and a full complement of witches hats and other accessories.