Finding the correct Probes for old Osciloscope

[Fungus]

My Micsig came with four fixed 10x probes and I'm very happy about that. Micsig say they're better quality than an equivalent priced switchable probe would be. I think more 'scope manufacturers should do the same, especially at the entry level where the switch will just confuse people.

(I have a switchable probe somewhere in case I ever need one...)

[james_s]

The switch is always stupid. If I needed a 1X probe I'd buy a 1X probe. It's a specialized enough application that it makes no sense to combine it, but the Chinese probe makers seem to be like the Chinese flashlight makers where someone comes up with a stupid idea (like all the dumb flashing modes) and everyone else blindly copies it.

[alm]

I agree about the switch. It will sometimes switch to the other setting while you're not paying attention. I'm pretty sure switchable probes existed back when HP and Tektronix were the major scope brands and were manufacturing probes in the US, but they were much more of a niche item back then. Probably bought for specific applications like field service. Often their performance was worse than contemporary 1x probes (switchable Tek P6062 had 7 MHz bandwidth with a 6 ft cable, while 1x Tek P6101 had 15 MHz with a 2 m cable). Somehow by late nineties they became the default probes for many scopes with up to 200 MHz bandwidth.

By the way, one thing to keep in mind about probe input capacitance: A higher input capacitance does not just increase circuit loading, it also makes the probe more susceptible to series inductance (ground lead or a wire between the probe tip and the circuit). Resonance frequency is inversely proportional to sqrt(L*C) after all.

[trying to be clever]

I always see switchable 1x 10x probes for sale that I didn't even know there were probes with just the 1x or the 10x.

[Fungus]

I always see switchable 1x 10x probes for sale that I didn't even know there were probes with just the 1x or the 10x.

They're as rare as hen's teeth.

Micsig sell their x10 probes separately: https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32757011342.html

[james_s]

I always see switchable 1x 10x probes for sale that I didn't even know there were probes with just the 1x or the 10x.

The A-list brands have them. I've never seen a switchable Tek probe. I assume HP/Agilent, RS, etc are similar.

[David Hess]

I'm pretty sure switchable probes existed back when HP and Tektronix were the major scope brands and were manufacturing probes in the US, but they were much more of a niche item back then. Probably bought for specific applications like field service. Often their performance was worse than contemporary 1x probes (switchable Tek P6062 had 7 MHz bandwidth with a 6 ft cable, while 1x Tek P6101 had 15 MHz with a 2 m cable). Somehow by late nineties they became the default probes for many scopes with up to 200 MHz bandwidth.

In 1977 some oscilloscopes from Tektronix came standard with fixed probes and some came with switchable probes.  Fast instruments like the 350 MHz 485 only came with coaxial patch cables standard.