John R Retired
- Mar 13, 2022
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Does anyone recognize this old Tektronix Oscilloscope?
Looks like it says, "Type 531"
Is it worth anything?
Looks like it says, "Type 531"
Is it worth anything?
OLD Tektronix Oscilloscope Identification
- Thread starter John R Retired
- Start date
Hello,
The one you show seems to be a rack version of this one:
w140.com
The rack version seems to be called RM31.
Bertus
The one you show seems to be a rack version of this one:
531 - TekWiki
The rack version seems to be called RM31.
Bertus
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It belongs in a museum, not on your workbench. If you cannot sell it, it might be a treasure box of electronics parts. CRTs (cathode-ray tubes) are rare nowadays, so maybe you could build a replica of an early video game based on that.
If you NEED an oscilloscope, the very portable (and sometimes battery-powered) solid-state Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO) is available with hundreds of megahertz bandwidth for a few hundred bux, providing digital storage of 8-bit digitized analog waveforms with capability to download images of the o'scope display screen to your personal computer. So put that piece of 20th century history up for sale on eBay. If it sells for twenty bux, you will be $20 ahead of where you are now. That's enough to buy a small DSO board kit you can assemble in your spare time... primitive, but functional. Or put that boat anchor on the mantle above your fireplace for visitors to admire. It would make for a nice "conversation starter" in that role.
If you NEED an oscilloscope, the very portable (and sometimes battery-powered) solid-state Digital Storage Oscilloscope (DSO) is available with hundreds of megahertz bandwidth for a few hundred bux, providing digital storage of 8-bit digitized analog waveforms with capability to download images of the o'scope display screen to your personal computer. So put that piece of 20th century history up for sale on eBay. If it sells for twenty bux, you will be $20 ahead of where you are now. That's enough to buy a small DSO board kit you can assemble in your spare time... primitive, but functional. Or put that boat anchor on the mantle above your fireplace for visitors to admire. It would make for a nice "conversation starter" in that role.
John R Retired
- Mar 13, 2022
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Actually I found it for sale at a local thrift store. I didn't buy it. I just posted it here to ask any scope experts if it was worth anything
and then I would have gone back and bought it to sell on ebay. I used a bench top dual trace, analog Tektronix scope in college
many years ago when I was looking to make electronics my career. I ended up in QC mechanical, manufacturing instead.
I'm holding off on a scope for now until I get my ducks in line about how I want to do about electronics in my winter years of life.
I did start another thread about that concerning scopes. I have a small 200 Khz scope which will do for now until I decide or not
to delve deeper into electronics and need a bigger bandwidth item. I see on Amazon the plethora of digital scopes available.
Of course naturally a person would want to go with one that has all the bells and whistles and one that is solid and trustworthy.
Thanks
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@John R Retired, your "small 200 KHz scope" sounds a lot like the EICO 460K oscilloscope that I built with newspaper route money when I was a teenager. I learned a lot using that instrument, but it wasn't until I joined the Air Force that I realized how primitive its sweep circuit was: a repetitive saw-tooth sweep, synchronizable to repetitive input wave forms. As my knowledge of electronics expanded, it became important to visualize with an oscilloscope what was going on with narrow pulses, repeated infrequently.
This was typically done with the aid of a delay line (to allow capture of the leading edge of a sweep triggering event) in the vertical axis and a triggered, linear, sweep in the horizontal axis, probably the type of 'scope you used in college. Some 'scopes did have a "dual sweep" capability, but the basics of a triggered linear sweep was a seminal idea. It allowed a faster sweep to occur, which was then displayed (on dual sweep 'scopes) after a variable delay following an input trigger event.
Modern oscilloscopes (the newer DSOs) do this by simply extending their on-board memory storage to longer lengths, and then allowing the user to examine selected intervals from the stored data. This is an extremely effective strategy compared to the analog dual sweep approach. The latter stores zero data and is virtually ineffective for viewing events that are short compared to their repetition interval. If there is no repetition interval (single-shot events) a camera had to be used to photograph the event as it was occurring... unless an analog storage 'scope was used.
An analog storage oscilloscope "stored" the waveform displayed on screen as an electron image. This could be "played back" by flooding the CRT screen with low-energy electron "illumination" that allowed "plenty of time" to take a Polaroid photograph. However, the image faded rather rapidly, so the camera had to be ready to take a picture soon after the sweep was triggered.
I happened to have the "opportunity" as an electronics technician to use a Tektronix analog storage oscilloscope and its attached Polaroid camera. It was a total waste of my time, but it wasn't until this century that I could afford a real digital storage oscilloscope, so I went on to do "other things" after playing with the Tek analog storage oscilloscope. Believe it or not, there are usually "work arounds" for almost any intractable problem if one carefully looks for them. The Polaroid camera, with the shutter opened prior to triggering the sweep and closed afterward, was the least expensive work around. Still a royal PITA though...
I have a project you might be interested in participating in. It requires some knowledge of optics, electronics, and quantum photon detectors (such a photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) or avalanche photodiode detectors (APDs). And it requires a telescope. Are you interested?
This was typically done with the aid of a delay line (to allow capture of the leading edge of a sweep triggering event) in the vertical axis and a triggered, linear, sweep in the horizontal axis, probably the type of 'scope you used in college. Some 'scopes did have a "dual sweep" capability, but the basics of a triggered linear sweep was a seminal idea. It allowed a faster sweep to occur, which was then displayed (on dual sweep 'scopes) after a variable delay following an input trigger event.
Modern oscilloscopes (the newer DSOs) do this by simply extending their on-board memory storage to longer lengths, and then allowing the user to examine selected intervals from the stored data. This is an extremely effective strategy compared to the analog dual sweep approach. The latter stores zero data and is virtually ineffective for viewing events that are short compared to their repetition interval. If there is no repetition interval (single-shot events) a camera had to be used to photograph the event as it was occurring... unless an analog storage 'scope was used.
An analog storage oscilloscope "stored" the waveform displayed on screen as an electron image. This could be "played back" by flooding the CRT screen with low-energy electron "illumination" that allowed "plenty of time" to take a Polaroid photograph. However, the image faded rather rapidly, so the camera had to be ready to take a picture soon after the sweep was triggered.
I happened to have the "opportunity" as an electronics technician to use a Tektronix analog storage oscilloscope and its attached Polaroid camera. It was a total waste of my time, but it wasn't until this century that I could afford a real digital storage oscilloscope, so I went on to do "other things" after playing with the Tek analog storage oscilloscope. Believe it or not, there are usually "work arounds" for almost any intractable problem if one carefully looks for them. The Polaroid camera, with the shutter opened prior to triggering the sweep and closed afterward, was the least expensive work around. Still a royal PITA though...
I have a project you might be interested in participating in. It requires some knowledge of optics, electronics, and quantum photon detectors (such a photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) or avalanche photodiode detectors (APDs). And it requires a telescope. Are you interested?
John R Retired
- Mar 13, 2022
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hevans1944
What type of scope do you own now? (Photo & specs / capabilities)
I'm not interested in any project right now, but thanks for the offer.
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I use a Hantek DSO5202P. This is a 200 MHz bandwidth, dual-channel, digital storage oscilloscope with 40K of display memory. It samples inputs at a one gigahertz rate. Go to the link for pictures and more specs.
John R Retired
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Its 323 on Amazon...For that price point (225-$425 ???), why did you choose that one over the other brands and models?
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A friend here (@chopnhack) and I collaborated a few years ago (it was Electronics Point back then) on a project involving him measuring alternating current on operating woodworking equipment. This was to enable a workshop dust collection system that serviced several woodworking power tools. The problem was how to detect that a particular woodworking machine was operating, turn on the dust collection system, and open a gate valve to direct the dust collection from the machine that was activated.
More than one machine at a time could be accommodated, so each had its own AC current sensor. The dust collection system and whatever gate valves were opened remained in operation until the last machine was turned off. Then there was a time delay while the dust collection system cleared the lines of sawdust and then closed the last gate valve.
He was just getting his feet wet in hobby electronics, so it took awhile for us to complete his project. I thought it was a good experience, passing on knowledge and techniques to a younger generation. We got to talking about digital storage oscilloscopes and he later gifted me with an single-board DSO kit. I already owned three (very much used) Tektronix dual-trace, dual-sweep, oscilloscopes that I used infrequently because they take up a lot of bench space, and are not very portable. They all have carrying handles, but I would not want to carry any of them very far. They also did not have any storage capability, which is essential to examine short-duration pulses that occur infrequently. I could capture that type of event with an oscillocope camera, but I don't happen to own one. So, based on DSO waveform images that I saw others post here, I decided to purchase a bench-top DSO and build the kit 'scope at a later date.
I haven't uploaded any 'scope waveform images yet, but that is a separate issue. Maybe, now that the forum has changed owners again, I will post some images associated with my https://optical-eme.io webpage.
I don't remember exactly why I chose the Hantek brand, or that particular model, but I did some extensive research on the Internet before finally ordering one from Circuit Specialists. Cost was definitely a consideration, but I didn't want any less bandwidth than the Tektronix 'scopes I alerady owned. Purchasing from an American company was a plus, too, although these 'scopes are made in Asia. I was a little bit concerned about the limited memory size compared to some other models, but an article on the Circuit Specialists website convinced me to accept the smaller size,so I did. Hantek (and others) make DSOs with much larger memory, but what I have works for me, at least so far.
As I said, if you just want to get your feet wet, purchase one of the single-board el-cheapo DSO kits, learn how to use it, and then go from there based on your experience. Not every electronics hobbyist needs or even wants an oscilloscope, but I found that having one made the hobby so much more interesting. The EICO 460K that I built as a teenager was "gud enuf" to serve my hobby activities for many years. It wasn't until after I enlisted in the Air Force that I learned about triggered, linear sweep, oscilloscopes. Comparing triggered sweep to recurrent sweep 'scopes, that could be "synchronized" to the frequency of a repetitive input, was like comparing a golf cart to a Tesla roadster. In other words: no comparison. Same-o same-o with DSOs: once you try one you will never accept anything less.
An electronics hobby knows no bounds when it comes to owning test equipment. A beginner should begin with a multimeter, preferably an analog meter with a large d'Arsonval display that can be "read" from some distance away. Move up to a digital multimeter for greater input impedance and (perhaps) better resolution and accuracy. I started early and purchased a vacuum tube volt meter (VTVM) kit from RCA ahead of owning a digital multimeter, which did not exist at the time. I also skipped the analog multimeter until after my Air Force hitch because I couldn't afford one before then.
Once you have acquired a multimeter (analog or digital) some serious electronics work can begin to occur. It is up to you to decide what the next item of test equipment best serves you. I added some Heathkits: an RF oscillator, an RLC bridge (to measure passive component values), and eventually an RF sweep generator (used to align the IF transformers in color TVs). My "wish list" also included a radio-frequency spectrum analyzer and a vector network analyzer, neither of which I have acquired, although VNAs are now finally affordable.
More than one machine at a time could be accommodated, so each had its own AC current sensor. The dust collection system and whatever gate valves were opened remained in operation until the last machine was turned off. Then there was a time delay while the dust collection system cleared the lines of sawdust and then closed the last gate valve.
He was just getting his feet wet in hobby electronics, so it took awhile for us to complete his project. I thought it was a good experience, passing on knowledge and techniques to a younger generation. We got to talking about digital storage oscilloscopes and he later gifted me with an single-board DSO kit. I already owned three (very much used) Tektronix dual-trace, dual-sweep, oscilloscopes that I used infrequently because they take up a lot of bench space, and are not very portable. They all have carrying handles, but I would not want to carry any of them very far. They also did not have any storage capability, which is essential to examine short-duration pulses that occur infrequently. I could capture that type of event with an oscillocope camera, but I don't happen to own one. So, based on DSO waveform images that I saw others post here, I decided to purchase a bench-top DSO and build the kit 'scope at a later date.
I haven't uploaded any 'scope waveform images yet, but that is a separate issue. Maybe, now that the forum has changed owners again, I will post some images associated with my https://optical-eme.io webpage.
I don't remember exactly why I chose the Hantek brand, or that particular model, but I did some extensive research on the Internet before finally ordering one from Circuit Specialists. Cost was definitely a consideration, but I didn't want any less bandwidth than the Tektronix 'scopes I alerady owned. Purchasing from an American company was a plus, too, although these 'scopes are made in Asia. I was a little bit concerned about the limited memory size compared to some other models, but an article on the Circuit Specialists website convinced me to accept the smaller size,so I did. Hantek (and others) make DSOs with much larger memory, but what I have works for me, at least so far.
As I said, if you just want to get your feet wet, purchase one of the single-board el-cheapo DSO kits, learn how to use it, and then go from there based on your experience. Not every electronics hobbyist needs or even wants an oscilloscope, but I found that having one made the hobby so much more interesting. The EICO 460K that I built as a teenager was "gud enuf" to serve my hobby activities for many years. It wasn't until after I enlisted in the Air Force that I learned about triggered, linear sweep, oscilloscopes. Comparing triggered sweep to recurrent sweep 'scopes, that could be "synchronized" to the frequency of a repetitive input, was like comparing a golf cart to a Tesla roadster. In other words: no comparison. Same-o same-o with DSOs: once you try one you will never accept anything less.
An electronics hobby knows no bounds when it comes to owning test equipment. A beginner should begin with a multimeter, preferably an analog meter with a large d'Arsonval display that can be "read" from some distance away. Move up to a digital multimeter for greater input impedance and (perhaps) better resolution and accuracy. I started early and purchased a vacuum tube volt meter (VTVM) kit from RCA ahead of owning a digital multimeter, which did not exist at the time. I also skipped the analog multimeter until after my Air Force hitch because I couldn't afford one before then.
Once you have acquired a multimeter (analog or digital) some serious electronics work can begin to occur. It is up to you to decide what the next item of test equipment best serves you. I added some Heathkits: an RF oscillator, an RLC bridge (to measure passive component values), and eventually an RF sweep generator (used to align the IF transformers in color TVs). My "wish list" also included a radio-frequency spectrum analyzer and a vector network analyzer, neither of which I have acquired, although VNAs are now finally affordable.