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| The worst products from HP and Tektronix. |
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| Kean:
--- Quote from: Neomys Sapiens on May 30, 2023, 07:07:00 pm --- --- Quote from: TERRA Operative on May 30, 2023, 02:23:52 am ---Looks like a glorified logic probe with some DMM and basic logic analyzer functions? What makes it so bad? --- End quote --- I have one too and still consider it useful when no LA or MSO is available. Of course, with the demise of classical digital circuitry, those situations became rarer. --- End quote --- Until the LCD failed on my LogicDart, it was probably my most used piece of test gear. I found it really useful when doing board bring-up or firmware dev, and was really handy to have for any low voltage work when visiting client sites. For I2C or SPI or other protocol decode it doesn't come close to a Saleae or MSO, but it helped me diagnose a huge number of HW & FW issues over the years. I miss my LogicDart :( |
| RotatingNut:
--- Quote from: tryode on May 27, 2023, 10:05:13 pm ---If we talk about scopes... I would add here HP54601A, it is claimed to be a 4 x 100MHz scope but it's sampling rate is only 20MS/s :palm: and it has about 4k of memory. --- End quote --- The sampling rate of the HP54600 series is rather poor (even with random repetitive sampling) and the 4kpts of memory are also relatively low (keeping in mind that contemporary digitising oscilloscopes like the Tek 2430 only had 1kpts), but despite all of that, they are a joy to use, relatively easy to work on and quite robust. Typical failure points are two vertical stage CRT caps and the Dallas NVRAM (both easy enough to replace/upgrade). HP specifically designed the 54600 to introduce analog scope users to digitising ones at a reasonable price while offering a familiar interface. Not trying to be an HP shill, but I think the 54600 series is far from being one of their worst products. |
| artag:
--- Quote from: Kean on June 01, 2023, 02:41:43 am --- Until the LCD failed on my LogicDart, it was probably my most used piece of test gear. I found it really useful when doing board bring-up or firmware dev, and was really handy to have for any low voltage work when visiting client sites. For I2C or SPI or other protocol decode it doesn't come close to a Saleae or MSO, but it helped me diagnose a huge number of HW & FW issues over the years. I miss my LogicDart :( --- End quote --- The LCD is the same one as that used in an HP48. Prices on those have risen somewhat but they're still pretty common, and some even have the higher contrast black LCD. Maybe you could repair it with HP48 parts. Also, I thiink the HP48s tend to fail with zebra-strip connection problems so maybe the same techniques would repair your Dart. I always wanted one, just because they seemed to address things that I worked on. But you're the first person I've seen finding them really useful so I haven't been willing to pay the going rate even on the rare occasions that I've seen one for sale. It makes me wonder, though, if it's a concept that could be revisited. The Saleae analyser, as you say, is absolutely wonderful. That's a combination of a nice bit of mechanical engineering and some superb software. The later analog versions take that to another level. I don't know if it would be so good as a handheld or a phone accessory but .. maybe. The point is, it's relatively low tech (first version was very little more than an FX2 board) but has been designed and refined by someone who really knew what they wanted. Maybe a thread somewhere else on designing a kick-ass logic probe ? A Flipper-zero for wired signals ? |
| Kean:
--- Quote from: artag on June 06, 2023, 04:27:17 pm ---The LCD is the same one as that used in an HP48. Prices on those have risen somewhat but they're still pretty common, and some even have the higher contrast black LCD. Maybe you could repair it with HP48 parts. Also, I thiink the HP48s tend to fail with zebra-strip connection problems so maybe the same techniques would repair your Dart. --- End quote --- Interesting. I did try swapping in a display from a HP38G and it didn't work. I also have a HP48G which suffered PCB damage from a leaky battery, but the display should be fine. I don't recall if I tried that one... thanks for the tip. --- Quote from: artag on June 06, 2023, 04:27:17 pm ---I always wanted one, just because they seemed to address things that I worked on. But you're the first person I've seen finding them really useful so I haven't been willing to pay the going rate even on the rare occasions that I've seen one for sale. --- End quote --- I bought it on eBay nearly 20 years ago for AUD300, and got plenty of use out of it before the LCD went dark a few years ago. I tried to replace the polarizing film in the hope that might help, but I ended up cracking the screen. |
| coppice:
--- Quote from: wn1fju on January 14, 2023, 01:12:41 pm ---For Tektronix, their stuff seems electrically excellent. But mechanically, that is another story. Repair and maintenance of some of their earlier scopes (the 7000 series or the 22xx/24xx series) is a chore. Cam switches, endless brackets and screws, stuff packed into the chassis like sardines, etc. And I am not a big fan of the 500-series mainframe and plug-ins. Although I suppose it is nice to have a 6-bay mainframe packed with a variety of plug-ins, I find the individual plug-ins to be somewhat lacking in performance and I would rather use a dedicated piece. --- End quote --- The mechanics of the 7000 series was bizarre. Who thought beautifully and expensively machined actuators for bottom of the barrel 1 cent consumer slide switches made sense? The reliability was horrendous. Most repairs were things like replacing those slide switches which had been ripped apart by the nicely machined actuator. |
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