| Products > Test Equipment |
| The worst products from HP and Tektronix. |
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| mawyatt:
--- Quote from: MadTux on January 15, 2023, 02:44:30 pm ---HP 8112A/8116A: No PLL locked instruments build around unreliable ASICs by German design team, which sucked. HP 8082A: Same garbage as 8112A/8116A, but with added suckiness with sliding switches, that destroy the PCB contact traces over time. --- End quote --- One of those was to replace the hp3325. We used lots of 3325 back in the day and needed another, hp rep told us about the "new" replacement, so we ordered it. Turns out we didn't actually use it until a year later and discovered the output waveform was horrible (lots of HD, spurs, and Phase Noise). Sent in for repair only to find it was ok and were told "ours was better than most" :wtf: So contacted rep for return, he indicated that we couldn't return it because of the length of time since receiving, even tho we explained we never got to use it.....didn't matter hp policy was policy so we were stuck. We ordered a Stanford Research function generator and stuck the HP on the self never to be used. Later we got a call from the HP rep asking about an order for ~$1/2M (MW Gen, SA, VNA and such) that was in the pipeline, we told him that we had placed a "hold" on the order and were evaluating some R&S equipment. A couple days later he showed up with a new hp3325 for no charge ::) Mind that we were at a large international technology company that purchased ~$50M/yr from HP and Tek alone, so somehow the rep found a way to "bend" the hp company policy ;) Anyway, that "new" hp generator was a total PoS, absolutely worthless for our needs, and how this was allowed to become an hp product is still unknown to us :P Best, |
| TERRA Operative:
I have a couple of the HP 811x function generators, one has the traditional bad custom chip, the other works and is all calibrated. The output is most certainly not impressive at all, and without any form of accurate frequency reference internal or external, I have no intention of using it... I'll keep to my 3325A thanks.... The 811x squarewave output is more of a bad sinewave for a concerning portion of it's output range..... I do like the Tek TM500/5000 series modules though. I don't bother with the toy multimeters or frequency counters, they don't have nearly enough resolution for my taste, but the calibration oriented modules are great IMO (SG503, SG504, PG506, SG5030, etc) I just wish the plastic corners on the front panels weren't so brittle and prone to cracking. On the earlier units, the front plastic was held in place by countersunk screws at each corner under the aluminium faceplate. Not a good idea to put outward pressure near the edge where it gets knocked a lot, cracks are rampant... Later models changed the design which improved things, and larger later units used aluminium in place of the plastic which is the best solution IMO. I'll be getting a replacement plate for my SG504 machined in aluminium as part of its restoration. No more cracks! :) |
| ci11:
--- Quote from: WattsThat on January 14, 2023, 03:31:32 pm ---I’ll second the Tek 2245/6/7 series. While they are decent scopes when functional, service is an absolute bitch, especially the main board on the bottom. Good luck extracting it to do any required work. --- End quote --- I would offer a counterpoint on this - the Tek 2245/6/7 are far easier to live with than the venerable 2465/7 due to not using the real PITA in Tek scopes - the infamous Dallas chip and leaking tantalum caps. My 2247A's are a joy to use They are keepers for general AF work and especially for monitoring RF modulation. That well-honed, excellent UI - including the adjustable orange graticule - is very tough to beat. Mine have been working for years without complaint. |
| TERRA Operative:
I'll go even one more step back to my 2235. I just calibrated it and it works great. Super simple to use and after the usual service upgrades, it's rock solid. I'll be eventually selling off all my 24xx series scopes and keeping this 2235. No weird chips or RAM backup batteries or complicated functions, just a few dials on the front and a nice sharp trace. :) Oh, talking about crappy scopes, the Tek TDS694C..... Due to manufacturing 'reasons', the trigger chips often aren't thermally bonded to the PCB so well, and Tek neglected to install heat sinks, so these unobtainium chips that run reaalll hot tend to die. Luckily, the seldom used 'Other' (or External) trigger chip can be taken out and swapped with the faulty chip if one doesn't mind the small loss in functionality. A shitty failure point for a screamer of an early 2000's 3GHz, 10GS/s scope, all for the want of a little heat sink... |
| Wallace Gasiewicz:
How about the Hp 8165 "Signal Source" They did not even call it a function generator. I have two, if anyone is interested. Just weird combination of different technologies including Emitter Logic....Capacitor discharge, crystal generator and on and on A real dream (a bad one) to work on. |
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