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| Choosing an oscilloscope |
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| 0culus:
--- Quote from: Fungus on October 13, 2020, 01:39:14 am --- --- Quote from: george.b on October 12, 2020, 07:06:41 pm --- --- Quote from: SilverSolder on October 12, 2020, 02:35:51 pm --- --- Quote from: Golds on October 12, 2020, 07:19:05 am ---It is not recommended that you choose an oscilloscope that is too old, because you cannot predict that it will suddenly malfunction --- End quote --- There is some truth to that - but many hobbyists and professionals use high quality equipment from the 60s - 00s that is still alive because it is repairable. --- End quote --- I find this often-repeated fact of greater repairability with older gear to be, while not untrue, overstated, and therefore potentially misleading. --- End quote --- Yep. Having the schematic available doesn't magically make things repairable. --- End quote --- Yeah, because it requires someone to read and understand the schematic. >:D Plus one will learn a lot by fixing things up, and understanding the theory of operation. And there is no shortage of people willing to help in various places online. I really don't get this almost cult-like belief around here that beginners are to be coddled and spoonfed and protected from–God forbid–having to learn to fix old gear. And let's be real, unless an old 'scope is already beat to hell, it is extremely likely that (1) any problems it has are easily fixed and (2) it will serve many more decades in hobbyist service if fixed and cared for. Long after any hard drives and/or flash memory in a modern scope you might no longer be able to get firmware for have stopped working, effectively turning it into a door stop. |
| george.b:
--- Quote from: 0culus on October 13, 2020, 03:04:41 am ---I really don't get this almost cult-like belief around here that beginners are to be coddled and spoonfed and protected from–God forbid–having to learn to fix old gear. --- End quote --- Absolutely nothing wrong with beginners learning to fix old gear. But there's a difference between someone getting an oscilloscope as a tool for other ends, and someone getting an old fixer-upper oscilloscope as a project in itself - a project which is usually easier to do, by the way, if you already have a functional scope. |
| BravoV:
--- Quote from: george.b on October 12, 2020, 07:06:41 pm --- --- Quote from: SilverSolder on October 12, 2020, 02:35:51 pm --- --- Quote from: Golds on October 12, 2020, 07:19:05 am ---It is not recommended that you choose an oscilloscope that is too old, because you cannot predict that it will suddenly malfunction --- End quote --- There is some truth to that - but many hobbyists and professionals use high quality equipment from the 60s - 00s that is still alive because it is repairable. --- End quote --- I find this often-repeated fact of greater repairability with older gear to be, while not untrue, overstated, and therefore potentially misleading. All is fine and well until you run into a defective ASIC, or a very hard to get component. Tunnel diodes, or Tek U800, anyone? --- End quote --- Tektronix U800 chip ? Easy peasy ! ::) Don't you know this thing grows on tree, here my freshly picked U800s. :-DD <sarcasm off> |
| george.b:
--- Quote from: BravoV on October 13, 2020, 03:52:57 am --- --- Quote from: george.b on October 12, 2020, 07:06:41 pm --- --- Quote from: SilverSolder on October 12, 2020, 02:35:51 pm --- --- Quote from: Golds on October 12, 2020, 07:19:05 am ---It is not recommended that you choose an oscilloscope that is too old, because you cannot predict that it will suddenly malfunction --- End quote --- There is some truth to that - but many hobbyists and professionals use high quality equipment from the 60s - 00s that is still alive because it is repairable. --- End quote --- I find this often-repeated fact of greater repairability with older gear to be, while not untrue, overstated, and therefore potentially misleading. All is fine and well until you run into a defective ASIC, or a very hard to get component. Tunnel diodes, or Tek U800, anyone? --- End quote --- Tektronix U800 chip ? Easy peasy ! ::) Don't you know this thing grows on tree, here my freshly picked U800s. :-DD <sarcasm off> --- End quote --- That's pretty brutal. What's the story there? |
| srb1954:
--- Quote from: Fungus on October 13, 2020, 01:39:14 am --- --- Quote from: george.b on October 12, 2020, 07:06:41 pm --- --- Quote from: SilverSolder on October 12, 2020, 02:35:51 pm --- --- Quote from: Golds on October 12, 2020, 07:19:05 am ---It is not recommended that you choose an oscilloscope that is too old, because you cannot predict that it will suddenly malfunction --- End quote --- There is some truth to that - but many hobbyists and professionals use high quality equipment from the 60s - 00s that is still alive because it is repairable. --- End quote --- I find this often-repeated fact of greater repairability with older gear to be, while not untrue, overstated, and therefore potentially misleading. --- End quote --- Yep. Having the schematic available doesn't magically make things repairable. --- End quote --- But it generally makes the fault diagnosis considerably easier. |
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