Tektronix 11000 series plugins in 7000 series mainframes

[chris_leyson]

Given that you can allegedly use some 7000 series vertical plugins in the 11301 and 11302 analog scopes, http://w140.com/tekwiki/wiki/11301, I would assume that the connector pinout is identical for 7000 and 11000 vertical plugins. Could I use, say, an 11A32 or 11A34 in a 7854 mainframe ? Has anyone tried 7000 series vertical plugins in the 11301/2, do they really work ?

I would like to use later generation hardware simply because it's a lot more reliable than older generation 7000 stuff.

[c4757p]

I highly doubt it. Consider that the 11K series plugins don't have all the controls on them, they expect to receive their scale factor settings and whatnot from the mainframe. How would the 7854 know how to send those?

[chris_leyson]

Good comment, the 7854 isn't wired up to do that. Maybe they used the pins for the readout interface or IEEE488 as on the 7B90P and 7A16P ? The digital section in the 11k plugin is probably not too difficult to hack, it's old school slow 5V logic and front panel controls could be added on, there seems to plenty of room. A pinout for the 11k vertical amplifiers would be nice but probably unobtainium.

Also, I just noticed that the 11A32 and 11A34 seem to built on a single PCB with the analog front and back ends connected via coax and the digital section stuck in the middle. 

[edavid]

I would like to use later generation hardware simply because it's a lot more reliable than older generation 7000 stuff.

Wow, that is not my experience at all.  I have found my 11K plugins to be even flakier than 7K plugins.  I especially enjoy the ones that fail self test in an 11300/11400 mainframe, but work OK in a DSA600.

[chris_leyson]

Thanks edavid. I think I will stick with 7000 series plugs in that case, at least I can get service manuals and schematics.