I was recently gifted a Tektronix 2235 and just finished this first video and wanted to say thank you so much for a easy to understand approach. I actually take notes in a graph composition notebook. I'm 53 and wish I started sooner but I am doing it now. Thanks again.
Been an audio engineer for 30 years (live sound, touring) and am just now getting into learning about this stuff. I was on it as a pre teen back in the 80's but got more interested in other aspects of the field. Now I've got some old reel to reel machines (Nagra IV-SJ x 2) I'm using to record the band I mix and those need maintenance so, off we go. Tektronicx 465 Purchased and now, thanks to you I'm looking forward to starting this journey of learning to care for my tools. Thank you.
Thanks so much for taking the time to do this series. Extremely helpful for the likes of myself who hasn't used a scope in more than 60 years. Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year.
My man. I just love your channel so much. It's packed with such useful, practical and well presented material. I'm fairly confident that you're content has put a lot of bread on the table for mini folks and I hope you're being well supported by them.
Simply the best presentation on the How, What and Why of an Oscilloscope and accessories for the audio bench. Straightforward, practical and understandable. Mark you're the best! Thanks for sharing your expertise and time. I am getting back into vintage electronics and have discovered your videos as my main source of education. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
Been in electronics for 50 years and just learned that I can still learn new things. I have the same isolation xfrmr and never thought to plug in a power strip. I am going to do this and paint it red and next to it the other will be it's natural silver. Great tip.
Is your dog part Chihuahua? Best way to learn electronics is in college. DC, AC, Electronics 101 to 103. No time for college? Then learn: Ohms Law, kirchhoff Voltage and Law, Thevenin's Theorem Albert Malvino "Electronic Principles" is a really good book. Hook up the example circuits in each chapter and test them with your equipment. You will soon be designing your own audio amplifiers using discrete components.
@@JohnDoe-bf1fw Actually, I have a 3 yr College degree in Electronics... but didn't work at the component level for long, and don't recall doing much related to AC, other than motors and such. My dog was a Welsh Corgi.
I can tell that you have many years of experience and knowledge of electronics as you explain things so well. Even though I use an o'scope and sig gen for radio tinkering, I do use audio frequencies when aligning radios. So, your video is very helpful to anyone contemplating purchase and use of an o'scope and a signal generator. Thank you very much.
I have and use the exact same isolation transformer you have, and use a power strip out from there for everything, including the variac and sometimes a DBT. I just got one heck of a deal on a brand new Tektronix TBS1104 Digital Oscilloscope: 100MHz, 4 Channels, 1GS/s sample for a mere $600. They sell for over $1900 on most places like Mouser. Santa was good to me. lol! The 4 channel is great when servicing quad amps and receivers. The old analog BK 2120 20MHz scope serves the purpose quite well and will not be "retired" any time soon and will be used on a 2nd bench. The Lab-Volt 1236 AF/RF generator works quite well for audio too. Awesome videos Brother!
Those non-inductive wirewound resistors typically have the wire wound in both directions, which results in a relatively low inductance. Not zero, but close. Unless you're taking really low distortion measurements, it's probably not critical to have it be ultra-low inductance. After all, a speaker is somewhat inductive. It is definitely worth getting four resistors though, because you want to be able to test into 4 ohm loads.
Perfect, it's the last bit i have to aquire to begin the real work on the audio signal. I've been playing too long with swapping parts now it's time to really see what they're doing in the circuit. Thank !
16:45 - I think the Real signal came from the Analog Oscilloscope, because the Digital "sample" the signal, usually 500MSa/s, 1GSa/s, 2GSa/s, etc and this is a "discrete" wave. On the analog scope is a continuous wave.
Perfect Timing. I am looking to purchase an Oscilloscope for various Guitar amplifier and pedal builds. Looking forward to watching the series....Thank you.
Love this series. Thank you. Concerning the channel selection buttons on that Rigol, that's why I won't buy a Rigol and will be buying a Hantek DSO2D15 which has individual controls for each channel and an internal arbitrary waveform generator. It will be an addition to my Tek 465 scope and if I ever get around to repairing them, my two HP 1741A scopes.
Today I found a signal generator and nice HP tube screen Oscilloscope 100MHZ in our local electronics recycling - . the generator has a gear inside broken so that has to be fixed (it can't dial to the comb filter) I think it's a simple fix.. and the HP fired up perfectly and your 3rd part video got me dialed in an confirmed. I'm SO happy to have found these today. I agree with the bench space thing. and I have a spot on the bench for this... my first non computer based osc. Appears my HP has pretty much all the same features as that Tektronik minus 2 less channels - 100MHZ is overkill for audio so that's all good ! I had to jerry rig an adapter..will order one of those packages from amazon you showed. Looks great for $20. I can see some great use out of the modern digital units.. but I too hate accessing so many menus. I'm more of a tactile operator. I can hunker in to the 'interface'..but would prefer not to.
I'll sure be following this series. I was given 2 scopes some time ago but not even looked at them, don't even know if they work. Gonna dig them out soon and get my self familiar with them.
And it pays to get a good quality meter. Although the "cheapos" do work, they don't work very well after a while and will become intermittent from oxidation on all the contact areas. Areas like the switch contacts and probe sockets where you have to "wiggle" them to regain non-resistance contact. I finally went with Fluke when I could afford them and never looked back. There are other "top shelf" brands as well. I still use my "cheapo" meters a lot for things like "quick" checks and the like to save wear and tear on the Fluke meters.
In ancient times when I worked at Tektronix, I used a 464 analog scope (I think that was the model). I learned to use it very well and loved it. A couple of years ago, I purchased (used) a Tek TDS420A digital scope with CRT display. Someday I might get it figured out. Like you, I grew up on the analog scopes and am struggling to get up to speed on all the menus, functions, etc., that my digital scope had. I just need to live long enough!
Great video Mark!!! It may also be worth mentioning to the audience, that Variacs (Autotransformers) are not isolation transformers. Many people think they can double as such. Also, an isolation transformer, although electrically isolated from the line and neutral, is not necessarily isolated from ground. If you are going to use a 1:1 transformer for ground isolation make sure you check that the line side and load side grounds are not the same point electrically. For some, this can be fixed by a simple removal of a ground strap connection or snipping the ground prong on the line-side plug. I have a Tenma 72-1095 Isolation Transformer with adjustable voltage and it has a common ground. The load side plugs are connected to ground via a ground wire to the chassis. Disconnecting this wire isolates the load side. Just something to think about. Thanks!!!
Since I'm a tube roller guess I'll comment. First of all love your channel thanks for all the info. I just won't work on the amp when it's plugged in. I power the amp down, move my connection, then power it back up. Takes longer but it's a safety step I won't skip often. Also people with isolation transformers need to know they can't use test instruments that way and they are grounded if nearby. Which means also you could touch the ground on the oscilloscope lead when you hook it up to your amp. It takes very little current supposedly to kill a person. Having the amp turned off when moving your connection isn't ever mentioned. The 1 hand rule is impractical. You eventually will inadvertantly have 2 hands in your amp. You can see powering the amp down doesn't take that long. If Working on it powered up MUST wear insulating gloves such as latex, and only one hand if possible.
Very good video, sir. I've ended up with several 'scopes ranging from a late 40s lab model through a dual channel Heathkit c.1970 up to a 100 MHz Techtronics. For audio use on my radios I use the Techtronics or another 10 MHz scope (tube equipment) or one of the cheap DSO138 or DSO150 units from eBay/AliExpress/Bangood for solid state equipment (these are roughly $24 - $30). I have used the DSOs fed through a capacitor for some boat anchors. I plan on closely following the remainder of this series. Thanks.
i used a tek 545 for years and it was a great 33mhz scope with interchangable vertical plugins. In the late 80's that was getting dodgy so I replaced that with 35mhz dual trace Hitachi scope, it was functinality similar to the old 545 and easy to use. The 545 is long gone, the Hitachi is still working great. I 2011 I got a good deal on a Tek 2230 storage scope that is a 100mhz analog scope with a digital overlay and waveform storage. I used a scope like this for years in my real job so i was very familiar with it. I can now display 4 channels on the odd chance i need to do that by using both scopes but that almost never happens. The digital capture comes in handy if your going through parts trying to select something with known risetimes. The modern digital bench scopes are interesting but you should be able to find a good analog scope for a good price and as a bonus you can probably fix it yousrself, if a new digital scope dies it has to go back to be fixed and will be gone for weeks or months and cost a lot to repair. As to the ability to display measured values on the screen i find i can do the math in my head faster than what it takes to set up the fancy scopes.
I already own an several oscilloscopes but I enjoyed the video and plan on following along so I can pick up new info as you progress through the lessons.
Good introduction. I too am an analog scope guy. Used 10MHz Philips scopes in college (up in Canada). One of the most overlooked scopes on the market is a Tektronix 2236/2236A. It should be cheaper than your 2246. However, it has a pretty interesting built in frequency counter, and time measurement functionality and multimeter that can be slaved to channel A. I think the frequency counter is 8 digits, and it it a 4-5 digit multimeter, and there are separate inputs for the multimeter if you want to do voltage, resistance, and continuity tests. I think it can also do external frequency tests, but its been a while, so I'm not sure about that. The scope will put meaurement lines on the screen when the multimeter (for measuring Vp-p or Vrms) or frequency/time (just like the 2246 does). Neat part is that the multimeter/frequency counter is slaved to the oscilloscope channel, so the readouts are based on the vertical and horizontal settings on the scope, so no need to do math, or count graduations and then multiply. As far as I know, the frequency/time functions work to the entire bandwidth of the scope (100MHz), as does the multimeter, and I'm pretty sure that the Vrms is True RMS, even to 100Mhz. I bought (leased actually) 25 of these Tektronix 2236s for the computer factory that I used to work at. We were constantly buying Fluke meters, and they would constantly disappear. Because I was working as a test technologist at the time, my boss asked me to find a solution to the "multimeter growing legs and walking away" problem. I looked a locking the meters up, tried it, and they still disappeared. I tried to get people to sign them in and out, and they still disappeared. So, I tooke the remaining multimeters off the production floor, and changed all the scopes out for Tektronix 2236s. No more missing multimeters, and the techs all found the scope's ability to do time/frequency measeurement a great benefit. Reliable, solid, and typical good Tektronix quality at the time (late 1980s to early 1990s). The HP 172X and 174X scopes were great too, as were some of the Philips (anything without the LCDs and non-digital) and Kikusui scopes (COS series). Never used the Hitachi scopes. And by the way, the Tektronix 2465 series, while ridiculously overpriced these days, is probably the greatest portable oscilloscope ever made. I had one on my bench for over 5 years, and it was a joy to use, and a real advance on the previous scopes that went before it.
I can add a little info on vintage scopes as I have just done some research and testing for model railroaders who might want an oscilloscope for measuring the "Digital Command Control" voltage but don't want to spend much. (Plus, I have used such scopes in my mercilessly long career.) One thing to remember is that the major manufacturers each had a range, often a very wide range, of oscilloscope models and usually the bottom of the line would be fine for audio. But on the used market, there tends to be far less of a price spread between models and manufacturers than for the original price spread. The Tektronix 465 mentioned (or you might be more likely to find the 465B) was a top line oscilloscope (the industry standard, actually) introduced in 1972 for $1,725 ($11,470 in 2021 dollars) sells on eBay for $100 to $250. A Tektronix 2215 introduced in 1982 for $1.400 ($4,032 in 2021 dollars) sells used for $50 to $150. A Hitachi V-212 introduced in 1983 for $340 ($949 in 2021 dollars) sells used for $50 to $120. Of course, offerings vary in condition a lot, but you can get a very nice vintage scope for so little money that the biggest concern might be the shipping cost and perhaps having to buy some probes. If buying a new digital scope, typical names today for bench scopes are Siglent, Rigol, Hantek, and some others. (I recently got a Siglent SDS1202X-E and think it is rather decent.) RUclips reviews abound on new scopes but beware that some reviews are by some who are not very knowledgeable and some by those with decades of electronics training and experience. While the lowest bandwidth models are adequate for audio, it often doesn't cost very much more to get much more bandwidth and perhaps more features. Frankly, the options today for low cost oscilloscopes made in China can make you feel like a kid in candy store. Some scopes I would NOT recommend are the "mini" DSO's or "Tablet" oscilloscopes. While usable, most wildly exaggerate their bandwidth and can be annoying to use with minimal controls and maximum menus so you are forever cursoring, cursoring, and cursing to make changes. Also, even the lowest end mini-DSO (200 kHz claimed bandwidth, but not really) is about $75 and if you step up to a better model and you are above $100 pretty easily. They just aren't a good value in my view. They are the sort of thing that, if want to use it regularly, you live to regret. They do have the advantage of being battery operated, however, which certainly takes care of isolation issues.
Greetings: FYI: As far as I am concerned, all RCA type connectors are to be called "phono" types. They all are single signal (plus shield). They have been around a long time and were originally used to connect the first phonographs with electrical pick-ups to tube radios equipped with a single RCA connector to use the radio's amplifier and speaker to listen to 78 rpm records that had once been played on wind-up gramophones. All tip-ring-sleeve audio connectors owe their heritage to the original plugs used on telephone switchboards, hence "phone" connectors. Although those first phone plugs (and jacks) were three connector types, the audio industry standardized on them for patching including use for balanced signals. My first exposure to tiny plugs/jacks were as earphone jacks on transistor radios. Some were smaller than the common 3.5 mm plugs used today. But all are deserving to be called "phone" plugs. BTW: in Europe RCA phono plugs are often referred to as CINCH plugs as CINCH JONES is/was a major manufactuurer of them. (Plus there was some resentment against the Radio Corporation of America for their tight-fisted use of patents to suppress competing radio makers.) I do not know if RCA ever manufactured their own phono connectors or just used some else's patent ;). Hope this helps. P.S. The original use of the 1/4" stereo headphone jack was an outgrowth of the use of 1/4" monaural headphone jacks on mono hi-fi gear. The use of phono connectors on audio/video gear is likely due to their smaller panel space requirements.
A thing to keep in mind when purchasing a scope, is how deep is your bench? The older ‘tube’ based scopes, are considerably deeper to accommodate the tube compared to the likes of the newer digital scopes like the Rigol which are the opposite!
I agree whole heartedly. Sadly, because I'm so "old school", I love my Tektronix 2246. I know every button and knob, and like having discrete controls. I do have a Siglent 1104x-e, but haven't come close to mastering it's capabilities nor it's menu system. I also have an HP-54610b with it's memory module, which is an awesome piece of gear.
This is the video that pretty well answers my question. I'm retired and setting up my workbench for repairing some old Tektronix 465 scopes and some old Hallicrafter Ham radios. The Service manual for the Tek 465's states that I need a scope to check out the scopes. So, for the same price, would I be better off with one of those Siglent scopes or should I go back to a more basic scope like a Tek TDS 350, TDS 360 or your 2245A scope? I'm suspecting that the Siglent menu driven scope has far more features (complexity) than I'll ever need. I was (long ago) an electronics technician - not an Electrical Engineer. The TDS scopes have the controls layout the same as on the older 465 scopes which would be more familiar to me than the menu driven Siglent scope. One feature I like about the TDS scopes is the turn-on self-tests and the functional tests capability. If I bought one that passes all those tests then I might assume that it would be in good condition, right? I think I'm talking myself into the TDS scopes. Is there anything you could point out that might sway me towards the Siglent? I think your video did a great job of answering that question for me.
Looking forward to the rest of your series. Started my tech bench about 2 years ago and went through this entire process without as much guidance. The one area that stopped me cold for a bit was the stupid and mislabeled isolation transformers on the market. Very few are actually isolated. I am not referencing a Variac. They almost all tie the ground blade to the round ground plug that you are expecting to isolate from. I had to learn how to modify a new one by changing out the type of plugs on one bank (there is a special type of isolated outlet plugs you can buy) and removing the round pin ground connection that was originally connected. Everyone that checks their isolation on almost all of these newer ones will be surprised to find they have continuity to the any other wall outlet ground pin. They apparently can call it isolated still because it uses a transformer. It doesn’t have anything to do with ground isolation anymore. Your older isolation model or use of 2 prong adapters is the easiest method to go by.
Agreed. Isolation transformers are sold with safety in mind. The problem, as you stated, is that many iso transformers are not true isolation transformers. You *cannot* blindly trust your life - or test equipment - to an iso transformer. There are a lot of gotcha's involved. You *must* test the thing. Corollary - You must know how to test it.
Thank you. I watched episode two before one and asked whether analog or digital and was told to watch episode one. Glad I did. Great explanation. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.
That family of scopes has a well documented history of problems with the vertical attenuators and a bit of a PITA to work on. OTOH, it is also well known to be a genuine workhorse
Thank you...I have been looking for someone to explain use of oscilloscopes for visualizing sonic waves for analysis so I can look at a sound and figure out how to reconstruct it...I am still a little confused why I would need a signal generator? Wouldn't that be the sound coming out of an amplifier or detected by a microphone? I thought the signal generator would be -- instrument (guitar, synth, etc.) via 1/4" jack to effects pedals to amplifier -- then somehow capture that signal and send it to the oscilloscope (maybe by direct connection via 1/4" jack out to something else in, or via a powered microphone connected to the oscilloscope). What am i missing here? Does the signal generator convert sound to volts? Why do I have to isolate the DUT's power connection? Is something going to explode? Maybe I need to watch more of these vids?
26:40 the closed aluminium case resistor is also wire wound.. just potted in a metal case. but maybe the way they wind them cancels out the inductive effects like winding it back and forth, not just in one direction somehow. there are 100W TO-247 thick film resistors that are definately non inductive (except the leads) and cost half. but require a heatsink or being submerged in a bucket of water. first image on google images when you search for non inductive wire wound resistor is what it could be.
This is just great! Thanks, Blueglow Electronics. An extra thank you for not saying "one Hurt, two Hertz" :D Most Americans I've heard on RUclips confuse things that way.
I admit, I'm American and just reading comments in most of my subscribed channels is usually frustrating, and honestly embarrassing! As you've probably figured out, our education system is surely lacking, and it must really make Europeans and Asians cringe! I love my country, but we fall way behind in education. ✌😵
Great intro series for new learners and old dogs too. Those old 10 to 20 Mhz scope will serve one well, I saw 100 Mhz scopes for as little as $50 dollars a afew days ago on the web.
In regards with the oscilloscopes and generators, there are actually pretty good cheap digital chinese ones currently available from such manufactures as Hantek (DSO5102), Uni-T, and even pocket-size ones like from Fnirsi 1C15 on Aliexpress and other marketplaces. You can get full setup for 100-200 bucks. And it's more than enough for the audio.
Very true. But how well do they work a year later? Have they drifted out of spec? Have the connectors oxidized enough (from cheap plating) to cause erroneous readings? I have found most Cheaper Chinese stuff to be in serious "question" a mere year later. Sometimes only a few weeks later. Although my Brother's Hantek seems to be one of the better brands, it even has issues only 6 months later with one channel going very noisy. The old saying never fails... "You get what you pay for"....
@@JeffCounsil-rp4qv That could be true that there may be some quality control issues. And of course never trust the specs they write, it's a lie. But for audio work it's more than enough. As for me, I own a $150 Hantek too for about a year+ and it's still reliable. Most of the time the issues would be indeed oxidation or other very easily fixable stuff. "You get what you pay for" is very true but getting the best equipment for everything - I don't have that much money, I'm not from the Gates or Bezos family, and I have a limited budget which I would rather spend on better drivers for speakers. Plus it's just _one of_ my hobbies, we're not talking about making money with it, right? :) Even then you can get a cheap one until you get a stable flow. As for old aftermarket models, who could give a guarantee that they won't fail too? At the end it's the same pig in a poke.
I use Tektronix 2213A analog oscilloscope. I bought it brand new 35 years ago. Make sure the scope you get is in perfect condition and freshly calibrated. If you get some old junkie military surplus unit, you may spend more time working on the scope then on the circuit you are experimenting on. Also: DO NOT CONNECT YOUR OSCILLOSCOPE GROUND LEAD TO A HOT CHASSIS. IF YOU DO, ZAP!
I settled on the Hantek DSO5072P two channel, 70MHz digital oscilloscope and a Koolertron two channel, 60MHz arbitrary waveform function generator. I still want an analog scope with XY mode so I can experiment with oscilloscope music some time in the future (music that displays fantastic images on an oscilloscope in XY mode). Cheers!
Hi I live in the uk and I want to learn how to repair Audio equipment I have been watching your videos On oscilloscopes and other equipment I will have to buy but I can’t find part two or part three of the series you have been making can you point me in the right direction Were to Start learning how to use A oscilloscope ans all other Equipment I would have to get thank you so much for your video so far mark
Your video guide is Excellent! Thankyou so much. One question I have how often and how would you know when the analogue scope will require calibrating and how is it done.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with everybody. Guys like you, D-Labs, (I think it's Terry), and Uncle Doug are really appreciated, and I think you guys are pretty rare today. My question to you is, in buying older (vintage) gear such as a scope, do you need to be concerned whether it's in decent calibration? How do you verify, by comparing with a audio generator?
Basically you need a device that is known to be calibrated.. Like a Fluke meter. use that to measure and compare to the voltage reading on the scope. adjust the scope tp read the same voltage as the meter.
Like Kevin said, there are various ways of checking calibration - sort of, but for most audio work, calibration is not that important. What a signal looks like is more important than whether it is 1.8 volts peak to peak or 2.0 volts.
I don’t think anyone else has mentioned it, but a nice thing about modern digital scopes is that you can capture quite of lot of waveform data and then analyze using math software like MATLAB or Octave. Plus it’s way easier to capture images of waveforms of interest for documentation. I humbly suggest people start with an inexpensive digital scope and get good using it. They are small and portable, which is nice. Then graduate to a good analogue scope like the Tek. I use both kinds for all my work. There are some things that my Tek is better at, some thing not.
Very excited for this series. Been watching your videos for a while now and you are great at explaining what you are showing. Thank you for the time you put into everything you provide us hobbyist with. Happy New Year
QUESTION ON TEST EQUIPMENT FOR NEW/ASPIRING TECHNICIAN. I have Sencore Z-Meter, LC53. Should I keep this meter, or am I better served selling this and buying more basic test equipment. I have a fantastic B&K 820, to test capacitors. My end goal is to completely restore and improve vintage Matantz and Sansui stereos (I am an Engineering student, as well). I may do work on CRT projectors like Barco's and Marquess down the road
Great video and good advice. Be sure to also get 50 ohm BNC terminators for your scope inputs to assure that you'll see correct voltage readings from your signal/function generator.
I fell in love with the 2465B when the US Army replaced their aging 485s in the late '80s. I have a 2465B (100% functional), a 2445B (100% functional), another 2445B (about 80% functional), and yet another, possibly repairable 2445B for parts. I *like* TEK scopes. OTOH, even a TEK 2445 is overkill for nearly all home and hobby use.
I'm gathering the stuff I need according to your excellent video, can't wait to watch the rest of them! I have a B&K model 1655 power supply, have not used it yet, but I bought out a TV repair shop a few years ago and I like messing with electronics though I'm no expert.. Would this be considered a variable power supply and it also has 2 "isolated output" receptacles? Would that be considered equal to the isolation transformer you referred to in your video? Thanks!
If it has isolated outlets, you are good. But most variacs aren't isolated. I use an old RCA isolation transformer in line with my variac. They are easily found on eBay.
Do you have replacement suggestion in amazon for Jameco GRP-1200 Isolation Transformer and Syncwire RCA Cable, [10FT/3M] Nylon Braided 3.5mm to 2-Male RCA ? Since it is not available in amazon anymore
Thanks Mark. It is about time some body explains this with practical applications. I learned this 40 years ago with out applications. Education is such a bitch. When you get your amp class setup, done I am in. Will see youall in the south..
Thanks for putting this series together. I’m looking forward to the rest of the videos. Can you comment on input voltage capabilities of analog vs digital scopes. Even with 10x probes, aren’t some of the digital scopes not necessarily ideal for testing tube amps that can carry over 500vdc, plus the analog voltage on top of that? Thanks.
Your quite right most of the modern scopes are limited in terms of voltage per division as they weren’t designed for use with valve gear etc more for modern digital electronics. I do have some some x100 probes I sometimes break out for valve gear but I don’t often find I need to take direct measurements of anode level Voltages very often.
great video I have been thinking about starting to learn how to fix my vintage gear for awhile now . Thanks for the info to make my mind up and start gathering the things I need Great video and thank you very much
Can you give a lot of examples or make a video about using the oscilloscopes external trigger input ports and Z input ports on testing and measuring digital and analog signals?
Hi, I was hoping with your experience and expertise if you could guide me to use the correct lubricant to service my equaliser sliders on my 1985 Marantz PM750DC. Cheers John
I was recently gifted a Tektronix 2235 and just finished this first video and wanted to say thank you so much for a easy to understand approach. I actually take notes in a graph composition notebook. I'm 53 and wish I started sooner but I am doing it now. Thanks again.
Better late than never!
Been an audio engineer for 30 years (live sound, touring) and am just now getting into learning about this stuff. I was on it as a pre teen back in the 80's but got more interested in other aspects of the field. Now I've got some old reel to reel machines (Nagra IV-SJ x 2) I'm using to record the band I mix and those need maintenance so, off we go. Tektronicx 465 Purchased and now, thanks to you I'm looking forward to starting this journey of learning to care for my tools. Thank you.
Incredibly helpful! Dense with real world information. BTW Digital vs Analog O- scope is simple: They used the analog units for the Outer Limits!!
Probably the best YT video I've seen on any subject matter. I can't wait for the rest of the series...thank you.
Thanks so much for taking the time to do this series. Extremely helpful for the likes of myself who hasn't used a scope in more than 60 years.
Best wishes to you and your family for a healthy, happy, and prosperous new year.
Thank you! I've learned so much from your videos. You make electronics so much clearer for this old knuckle dragging retired Soldier.
My man. I just love your channel so much. It's packed with such useful, practical and well presented material. I'm fairly confident that you're content has put a lot of bread on the table for mini folks and I hope you're being well supported by them.
Simply the best presentation on the How, What and Why of an Oscilloscope and accessories for the audio bench. Straightforward, practical and understandable. Mark you're the best! Thanks for sharing your expertise and time. I am getting back into vintage electronics and have discovered your videos as my main source of education. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you!
Been in electronics for 50 years and just learned that I can still learn new things. I have the same isolation xfrmr and never thought to plug in a power strip. I am going to do this and paint it red and next to it the other will be it's natural silver. Great tip.
Perfect timing... already have much of this equipment, but just learning to use it with audio equipment.
Is your dog part Chihuahua?
Best way to learn electronics is in college. DC, AC, Electronics 101 to 103.
No time for college? Then learn:
Ohms Law, kirchhoff Voltage and Law, Thevenin's Theorem
Albert Malvino "Electronic Principles" is a really good book. Hook up the example circuits in each chapter and test them with your equipment. You will soon be designing your own audio amplifiers using discrete components.
@@JohnDoe-bf1fw Actually, I have a 3 yr College degree in Electronics... but didn't work at the component level for long, and don't recall doing much related to AC, other than motors and such. My dog was a Welsh Corgi.
I can tell that you have many years of experience and knowledge of electronics as you explain things so well. Even though I use an o'scope and sig gen for radio tinkering, I do use audio frequencies when aligning radios. So, your video is very helpful to anyone contemplating purchase and use of an o'scope and a signal generator. Thank you very much.
Wow! What an incredible series of videos. Was absolutely critical in helping me trouble shoot my preamp restoration safetly!
Mark - looking forward to the rest of the series. This will help reinforce what I already know - really appreciate it !!! Ron
I have and use the exact same isolation transformer you have, and use a power strip out from there for everything, including the variac and sometimes a DBT. I just got one heck of a deal on a brand new Tektronix TBS1104 Digital Oscilloscope: 100MHz, 4 Channels, 1GS/s sample for a mere $600. They sell for over $1900 on most places like Mouser. Santa was good to me. lol! The 4 channel is great when servicing quad amps and receivers. The old analog BK 2120 20MHz scope serves the purpose quite well and will not be "retired" any time soon and will be used on a 2nd bench. The Lab-Volt 1236 AF/RF generator works quite well for audio too. Awesome videos Brother!
What a great introduction. Thanks a lot for taking the time to do this.
Thank you for educating me on functions on oscilloscopes
Those non-inductive wirewound resistors typically have the wire wound in both directions, which results in a relatively low inductance. Not zero, but close. Unless you're taking really low distortion measurements, it's probably not critical to have it be ultra-low inductance. After all, a speaker is somewhat inductive. It is definitely worth getting four resistors though, because you want to be able to test into 4 ohm loads.
Perfect, it's the last bit i have to aquire to begin the real work on the audio signal. I've been playing too long with swapping parts now it's time to really see what they're doing in the circuit. Thank !
Outstanding! Glad I found it and thank you for taking the time to make it.
Excellent as usual, great delivery, very straight forward and easy to absorb and understand... Looking forward to the remaining videos....
Just what I was looking for straight forward info on what's needed. Thanks looking forward to the next video.
Thanx! Exactly what I’ll need when I get around to buying a scope!
16:45 - I think the Real signal came from the Analog Oscilloscope, because the Digital "sample" the signal, usually 500MSa/s, 1GSa/s, 2GSa/s, etc and this is a "discrete" wave. On the analog scope is a continuous wave.
Perfect Part1 Explanation! Looking Forward To The Next Four Episodes!
Perfect Timing. I am looking to purchase an Oscilloscope for various Guitar amplifier and pedal builds. Looking forward to watching the series....Thank you.
Love this series. Thank you. Concerning the channel selection buttons on that Rigol, that's why I won't buy a Rigol and will be buying a Hantek DSO2D15 which has individual controls for each channel and an internal arbitrary waveform generator. It will be an addition to my Tek 465 scope and if I ever get around to repairing them, my two HP 1741A scopes.
Today I found a signal generator and nice HP tube screen Oscilloscope 100MHZ in our local electronics recycling - . the generator has a gear inside broken so that has to be fixed (it can't dial to the comb filter)
I think it's a simple fix.. and the HP fired up perfectly and your 3rd part video got me dialed in an confirmed. I'm SO happy to have found these today. I agree with the bench space thing. and I have a spot on the bench for this... my first non computer based osc. Appears my HP has pretty much all the same features as that Tektronik minus 2 less channels - 100MHZ is overkill for audio so that's all good ! I had to jerry rig an adapter..will order one of those packages from amazon you showed. Looks great for $20. I can see some great use out of the modern digital units.. but I too hate accessing so many menus. I'm more of a tactile operator. I can hunker in to the 'interface'..but would prefer not to.
I'll sure be following this series.
I was given 2 scopes some time ago but not even looked at them, don't even know if they work.
Gonna dig them out soon and get my self familiar with them.
Great series. Really informative and motivational! Keep them coming. Fan from Chicago.
The only reason that I pick a digital oscilloscope due to weight and size.
Great video
Class !!! but a good multimeter is need too .... a precise of coarse !!!
Happy good year Eric from France
And it pays to get a good quality meter. Although the "cheapos" do work, they don't work very well after a while and will become intermittent from oxidation on all the contact areas. Areas like the switch contacts and probe sockets where you have to "wiggle" them to regain non-resistance contact. I finally went with Fluke when I could afford them and never looked back. There are other "top shelf" brands as well. I still use my "cheapo" meters a lot for things like "quick" checks and the like to save wear and tear on the Fluke meters.
I will definitely be tuning in to this 5 part series. Thanks in advance for doing these in depth videos.
Excellent tutorial. Answered a lot of my questions. Links very helpful.
Thanks
In ancient times when I worked at Tektronix, I used a 464 analog scope (I think that was the model). I learned to use it very well and loved it. A couple of years ago, I purchased (used) a Tek TDS420A digital scope with CRT display. Someday I might get it figured out. Like you, I grew up on the analog scopes and am struggling to get up to speed on all the menus, functions, etc., that my digital scope had. I just need to live long enough!
Started research on testing amplifiers with o'scopes and found this, awesome video series. Thanks!
Thank you so much for this video series! This is the info I have been looking for.
Great video Mark!!! It may also be worth mentioning to the audience, that Variacs (Autotransformers) are not isolation transformers. Many people think they can double as such. Also, an isolation transformer, although electrically isolated from the line and neutral, is not necessarily isolated from ground. If you are going to use a 1:1 transformer for ground isolation make sure you check that the line side and load side grounds are not the same point electrically. For some, this can be fixed by a simple removal of a ground strap connection or snipping the ground prong on the line-side plug. I have a Tenma 72-1095 Isolation Transformer with adjustable voltage and it has a common ground. The load side plugs are connected to ground via a ground wire to the chassis. Disconnecting this wire isolates the load side. Just something to think about. Thanks!!!
This is fantastic! Looking forward to the next 4 episodes.
I own a Yamaha CS30 synth and have been looking for advice on oscilloscope buying just to check waveforms etc. pleased to find this.
Great start to an exciting series
Since I'm a tube roller guess I'll comment. First of all love your channel thanks for all the info. I just won't work on the amp when it's plugged in. I power the amp down, move my connection, then power it back up. Takes longer but it's a safety step I won't skip often. Also people with isolation transformers need to know they can't use test instruments that way and they are grounded if nearby. Which means also you could touch the ground on the oscilloscope lead when you hook it up to your amp. It takes very little current supposedly to kill a person. Having the amp turned off when moving your connection isn't ever mentioned. The 1 hand rule is impractical. You eventually will inadvertantly have 2 hands in your amp. You can see powering the amp down doesn't take that long. If Working on it powered up MUST wear insulating gloves such as latex, and only one hand if possible.
Very good video, sir. I've ended up with several 'scopes ranging from a late 40s lab model through a dual channel Heathkit c.1970 up to a 100 MHz Techtronics. For audio use on my radios I use the Techtronics or another 10 MHz scope (tube equipment) or one of the cheap DSO138 or DSO150 units from eBay/AliExpress/Bangood for solid state equipment (these are roughly $24 - $30). I have used the DSOs fed through a capacitor for some boat anchors. I plan on closely following the remainder of this series. Thanks.
I learned SOO much from your videos and I play them over and over again to let it sink in. Thank you very much 😀
i used a tek 545 for years and it was a great 33mhz scope with interchangable vertical plugins. In the late 80's that was getting dodgy so I replaced that with 35mhz dual trace Hitachi scope, it was functinality similar to the old 545 and easy to use. The 545 is long gone, the Hitachi is still working great.
I 2011 I got a good deal on a Tek 2230 storage scope that is a 100mhz analog scope with a digital overlay and waveform storage. I used a scope like this for years in my real job so i was very familiar with it. I can now display 4 channels on the odd chance i need to do that by using both scopes but that almost never happens. The digital capture comes in handy if your going through parts trying to select something with known risetimes.
The modern digital bench scopes are interesting but you should be able to find a good analog scope for a good price and as a bonus you can probably fix it yousrself, if a new digital scope dies it has to go back to be fixed and will be gone for weeks or months and cost a lot to repair.
As to the ability to display measured values on the screen i find i can do the math in my head faster than what it takes to set up the fancy scopes.
Excellent excellent excellent. Very informative and practical. Just was a person trying to learn about electronics needs. Thank you.
I already own an several oscilloscopes but I enjoyed the video and plan on following along so I can pick up new info as you progress through the lessons.
I haven't finished watching yet but this is GREAT info. Thanks so much for taking the time to put this presentation together!
@ Blueglow Electronics
*** Note > at 8:42
you SAY: "zero to 20 MEGA Hertz"
while the slide TEXT = 0Hz to 20kHz
Good introduction. I too am an analog scope guy. Used 10MHz Philips scopes in college (up in Canada). One of the most overlooked scopes on the market is a Tektronix 2236/2236A. It should be cheaper than your 2246. However, it has a pretty interesting built in frequency counter, and time measurement functionality and multimeter that can be slaved to channel A. I think the frequency counter is 8 digits, and it it a 4-5 digit multimeter, and there are separate inputs for the multimeter if you want to do voltage, resistance, and continuity tests. I think it can also do external frequency tests, but its been a while, so I'm not sure about that. The scope will put meaurement lines on the screen when the multimeter (for measuring Vp-p or Vrms) or frequency/time (just like the 2246 does). Neat part is that the multimeter/frequency counter is slaved to the oscilloscope channel, so the readouts are based on the vertical and horizontal settings on the scope, so no need to do math, or count graduations and then multiply. As far as I know, the frequency/time functions work to the entire bandwidth of the scope (100MHz), as does the multimeter, and I'm pretty sure that the Vrms is True RMS, even to 100Mhz.
I bought (leased actually) 25 of these Tektronix 2236s for the computer factory that I used to work at. We were constantly buying Fluke meters, and they would constantly disappear. Because I was working as a test technologist at the time, my boss asked me to find a solution to the "multimeter growing legs and walking away" problem. I looked a locking the meters up, tried it, and they still disappeared. I tried to get people to sign them in and out, and they still disappeared. So, I tooke the remaining multimeters off the production floor, and changed all the scopes out for Tektronix 2236s. No more missing multimeters, and the techs all found the scope's ability to do time/frequency measeurement a great benefit. Reliable, solid, and typical good Tektronix quality at the time (late 1980s to early 1990s). The HP 172X and 174X scopes were great too, as were some of the Philips (anything without the LCDs and non-digital) and Kikusui scopes (COS series). Never used the Hitachi scopes.
And by the way, the Tektronix 2465 series, while ridiculously overpriced these days, is probably the greatest portable oscilloscope ever made. I had one on my bench for over 5 years, and it was a joy to use, and a real advance on the previous scopes that went before it.
I can add a little info on vintage scopes as I have just done some research and testing for model railroaders who might want an oscilloscope for measuring the "Digital Command Control" voltage but don't want to spend much. (Plus, I have used such scopes in my mercilessly long career.) One thing to remember is that the major manufacturers each had a range, often a very wide range, of oscilloscope models and usually the bottom of the line would be fine for audio. But on the used market, there tends to be far less of a price spread between models and manufacturers than for the original price spread. The Tektronix 465 mentioned (or you might be more likely to find the 465B) was a top line oscilloscope (the industry standard, actually) introduced in 1972 for $1,725 ($11,470 in 2021 dollars) sells on eBay for $100 to $250. A Tektronix 2215 introduced in 1982 for $1.400 ($4,032 in 2021 dollars) sells used for $50 to $150. A Hitachi V-212 introduced in 1983 for $340 ($949 in 2021 dollars) sells used for $50 to $120. Of course, offerings vary in condition a lot, but you can get a very nice vintage scope for so little money that the biggest concern might be the shipping cost and perhaps having to buy some probes. If buying a new digital scope, typical names today for bench scopes are Siglent, Rigol, Hantek, and some others. (I recently got a Siglent SDS1202X-E and think it is rather decent.) RUclips reviews abound on new scopes but beware that some reviews are by some who are not very knowledgeable and some by those with decades of electronics training and experience. While the lowest bandwidth models are adequate for audio, it often doesn't cost very much more to get much more bandwidth and perhaps more features. Frankly, the options today for low cost oscilloscopes made in China can make you feel like a kid in candy store. Some scopes I would NOT recommend are the "mini" DSO's or "Tablet" oscilloscopes. While usable, most wildly exaggerate their bandwidth and can be annoying to use with minimal controls and maximum menus so you are forever cursoring, cursoring, and cursing to make changes. Also, even the lowest end mini-DSO (200 kHz claimed bandwidth, but not really) is about $75 and if you step up to a better model and you are above $100 pretty easily. They just aren't a good value in my view. They are the sort of thing that, if want to use it regularly, you live to regret. They do have the advantage of being battery operated, however, which certainly takes care of isolation issues.
Great video for beginners like myself. Tube stuff isn't my bag. This video is very informative and educational. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.😁
This is a great start for a series of usage with oscilloscopes. Loving it so far!
Greetings:
FYI: As far as I am concerned, all RCA type connectors are to be called "phono" types. They all are single signal (plus shield). They have been around a long time and were originally used to connect the first phonographs with electrical pick-ups to tube radios equipped with a single RCA connector to use the radio's amplifier and speaker to listen to 78 rpm records that had once been played on wind-up gramophones.
All tip-ring-sleeve audio connectors owe their heritage to the original plugs used on telephone switchboards, hence "phone" connectors. Although those first phone plugs (and jacks) were three connector types, the audio industry standardized on them for patching including use for balanced signals.
My first exposure to tiny plugs/jacks were as earphone jacks on transistor radios. Some were smaller than the common 3.5 mm plugs used today. But all are deserving to be called "phone" plugs.
BTW: in Europe RCA phono plugs are often referred to as CINCH plugs as CINCH JONES is/was a major manufactuurer of them. (Plus there was some resentment against the Radio Corporation of America for their tight-fisted use of patents to suppress competing radio makers.) I do not know if RCA ever manufactured their own phono connectors or just used some else's patent ;).
Hope this helps.
P.S. The original use of the 1/4" stereo headphone jack was an outgrowth of the use of 1/4" monaural headphone jacks on mono hi-fi gear. The use of phono connectors on audio/video gear is likely due to their smaller panel space requirements.
I had to subscribe again ! I learned all the hertz stuff in the Radio Shack books "AC circuits part one and two". Killer books
A thing to keep in mind when purchasing a scope, is how deep is your bench?
The older ‘tube’ based scopes, are considerably deeper to accommodate the tube compared to the likes of the newer digital scopes like the Rigol which are the opposite!
I agree whole heartedly. Sadly, because I'm so "old school", I love my Tektronix 2246. I know every button and knob, and like having discrete controls. I do have a Siglent 1104x-e, but haven't come close to mastering it's capabilities nor it's menu system. I also have an HP-54610b with it's memory module, which is an awesome piece of gear.
This is going to be a Good few videos ! Yes please !
I want to get into amp repair, pedal repair, modding, building, etc. This video seems very helpful, thank you! 👍
This is the video that pretty well answers my question. I'm retired and setting up my workbench for repairing some old Tektronix 465 scopes and some old Hallicrafter Ham radios. The Service manual for the Tek 465's states that I need a scope to check out the scopes. So, for the same price, would I be better off with one of those Siglent scopes or should I go back to a more basic scope like a Tek TDS 350, TDS 360 or your 2245A scope? I'm suspecting that the Siglent menu driven scope has far more features (complexity) than I'll ever need. I was (long ago) an electronics technician - not an Electrical Engineer. The TDS scopes have the controls layout the same as on the older 465 scopes which would be more familiar to me than the menu driven Siglent scope. One feature I like about the TDS scopes is the turn-on self-tests and the functional tests capability. If I bought one that passes all those tests then I might assume that it would be in good condition, right? I think I'm talking myself into the TDS scopes. Is there anything you could point out that might sway me towards the Siglent? I think your video did a great job of answering that question for me.
Looking forward to the rest of your series. Started my tech bench about 2 years ago and went through this entire process without as much guidance. The one area that stopped me cold for a bit was the stupid and mislabeled isolation transformers on the market. Very few are actually isolated. I am not referencing a Variac. They almost all tie the ground blade to the round ground plug that you are expecting to isolate from. I had to learn how to modify a new one by changing out the type of plugs on one bank (there is a special type of isolated outlet plugs you can buy) and removing the round pin ground connection that was originally connected. Everyone that checks their isolation on almost all of these newer ones will be surprised to find they have continuity to the any other wall outlet ground pin. They apparently can call it isolated still because it uses a transformer. It doesn’t have anything to do with ground isolation anymore. Your older isolation model or use of 2 prong adapters is the easiest method to go by.
Agreed. Isolation transformers are sold with safety in mind. The problem, as you stated, is that many iso transformers are not true isolation transformers. You *cannot* blindly trust your life - or test equipment - to an iso transformer. There are a lot of gotcha's involved. You *must* test the thing. Corollary - You must know how to test it.
Thank you. I watched episode two before one and asked whether analog or digital and was told to watch episode one. Glad I did. Great explanation. I am definitely looking forward to the rest of the series.
Great timing. Just purchased a Tektronix 465.
That family of scopes has a well documented history of problems with the vertical attenuators and a bit of a PITA to work on.
OTOH, it is also well known to be a genuine workhorse
Thank you...I have been looking for someone to explain use of oscilloscopes for visualizing sonic waves for analysis so I can look at a sound and figure out how to reconstruct it...I am still a little confused why I would need a signal generator? Wouldn't that be the sound coming out of an amplifier or detected by a microphone? I thought the signal generator would be -- instrument (guitar, synth, etc.) via 1/4" jack to effects pedals to amplifier -- then somehow capture that signal and send it to the oscilloscope (maybe by direct connection via 1/4" jack out to something else in, or via a powered microphone connected to the oscilloscope). What am i missing here? Does the signal generator convert sound to volts? Why do I have to isolate the DUT's power connection? Is something going to explode? Maybe I need to watch more of these vids?
26:40 the closed aluminium case resistor is also wire wound.. just potted in a metal case.
but maybe the way they wind them cancels out the inductive effects like winding it back and forth, not just in one direction somehow.
there are 100W TO-247 thick film resistors that are definately non inductive (except the leads) and cost half. but require a heatsink or being submerged in a bucket of water.
first image on google images when you search for non inductive wire wound resistor is what it could be.
Thank you for your time, knowledge and sharing your valuable experience. Very comprehensive thus far.
I can't thank you enough for this video! I can't wait for the rest of them!!!
excellent tutorial and clearly explained for starters
This is just great! Thanks, Blueglow Electronics.
An extra thank you for not saying "one Hurt, two Hertz" :D Most Americans I've heard on RUclips confuse things that way.
I admit, I'm American and just reading comments in most of my subscribed channels is usually frustrating, and honestly embarrassing! As you've probably figured out, our education system is surely lacking, and it must really make Europeans and Asians cringe! I love my country, but we fall way behind in education. ✌😵
Great intro series for new learners and old dogs too. Those old 10 to 20 Mhz scope will serve one well, I saw 100 Mhz scopes for as little as $50 dollars a afew days ago on the web.
Thanks! Excellent overview of connector basics and oscilloscope basic and setup up for scope operation. Much appreciated!
In regards with the oscilloscopes and generators, there are actually pretty good cheap digital chinese ones currently available from such manufactures as Hantek (DSO5102), Uni-T, and even pocket-size ones like from Fnirsi 1C15 on Aliexpress and other marketplaces. You can get full setup for 100-200 bucks. And it's more than enough for the audio.
Very true. But how well do they work a year later? Have they drifted out of spec? Have the connectors oxidized enough (from cheap plating) to cause erroneous readings? I have found most Cheaper Chinese stuff to be in serious "question" a mere year later. Sometimes only a few weeks later. Although my Brother's Hantek seems to be one of the better brands, it even has issues only 6 months later with one channel going very noisy. The old saying never fails... "You get what you pay for"....
@@JeffCounsil-rp4qv That could be true that there may be some quality control issues. And of course never trust the specs they write, it's a lie. But for audio work it's more than enough. As for me, I own a $150 Hantek too for about a year+ and it's still reliable. Most of the time the issues would be indeed oxidation or other very easily fixable stuff. "You get what you pay for" is very true but getting the best equipment for everything - I don't have that much money, I'm not from the Gates or Bezos family, and I have a limited budget which I would rather spend on better drivers for speakers. Plus it's just _one of_ my hobbies, we're not talking about making money with it, right? :) Even then you can get a cheap one until you get a stable flow. As for old aftermarket models, who could give a guarantee that they won't fail too? At the end it's the same pig in a poke.
Wow bud.. really appreciate you making these.. thumbs up for sure..
Thanks, great video… helpful for a newbie.
I use Tektronix 2213A analog oscilloscope. I bought it brand new 35 years ago. Make sure the scope you get is in perfect condition and freshly calibrated. If you get some old junkie military surplus unit, you may spend more time working on the scope then on the circuit you are experimenting on.
Also:
DO NOT CONNECT YOUR OSCILLOSCOPE GROUND LEAD TO A HOT CHASSIS.
IF YOU DO, ZAP!
I picked up my Tek 2213A only this Summer. I was new to o' scopes and was surprised how easy it is to operate.
@@williamstevens7090 Way cool ! I'm sure you paid a lot less than I did. My Tek 2213A was $1,400 in 1985.
I settled on the Hantek DSO5072P two channel, 70MHz digital oscilloscope and a Koolertron two channel, 60MHz arbitrary waveform function generator. I still want an analog scope with XY mode so I can experiment with oscilloscope music some time in the future (music that displays fantastic images on an oscilloscope in XY mode). Cheers!
Hi I live in the uk and I want to learn how to repair Audio equipment I have been watching your videos On oscilloscopes and other equipment I will have to buy but I can’t find part two or part three of the series you have been making can you point me in the right direction Were to Start learning how to use A oscilloscope ans all other Equipment I would have to get thank you so much for your video so far mark
Awesome Part 1. Can’t wait for the rest of them!
Your video guide is Excellent! Thankyou so much. One question I have how often and how would you know when the analogue scope will require calibrating and how is it done.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge with everybody. Guys like you, D-Labs, (I think it's Terry), and Uncle Doug are really appreciated, and I think you guys are pretty rare today. My question to you is, in buying older (vintage) gear such as a scope, do you need to be concerned whether it's in decent calibration? How do you verify, by comparing with a audio generator?
Basically you need a device that is known to be calibrated.. Like a Fluke meter. use that to measure and compare to the voltage reading on the scope. adjust the scope tp read the same voltage as the meter.
Like Kevin said, there are various ways of checking calibration - sort of, but for most audio work, calibration is not that important. What a signal looks like is more important than whether it is 1.8 volts peak to peak or 2.0 volts.
Great video. Straight to the point and easy
I don’t think anyone else has mentioned it, but a nice thing about modern digital scopes is that you can capture quite of lot of waveform data and then analyze using math software like MATLAB or Octave. Plus it’s way easier to capture images of waveforms of interest for documentation.
I humbly suggest people start with an inexpensive digital scope and get good using it. They are small and portable, which is nice. Then graduate to a good analogue scope like the Tek. I use both kinds for all my work. There are some things that my Tek is better at, some thing not.
Best of the Holiday wishes to you and yours! Very excited that the O-scope series has started (especially looking forward to the safety part).
Very glad to see you do this series! TY!
Great value video series Mark. I already learned so much from you and have turned it into practical use. Looking forward to the next video’s.
Very excited for this series. Been watching your videos for a while now and you are great at explaining what you are showing. Thank you for the time you put into everything you provide us hobbyist with. Happy New Year
Thanks for this. 1st episode was very informative and well paced. I look forward to viewing Parts 2 through 5.
Very helpful and useful information. Thank you!
QUESTION ON TEST EQUIPMENT FOR NEW/ASPIRING TECHNICIAN.
I have Sencore Z-Meter, LC53. Should I keep this meter, or am I better served selling this and buying more basic test equipment. I have a fantastic B&K 820, to test capacitors.
My end goal is to completely restore and improve vintage Matantz and Sansui stereos (I am an Engineering student, as well). I may do work on CRT projectors like Barco's and Marquess down the road
Keep the Sencore. The BK 820 may do 80 - 90% of what the Sencore can do, but sooner or later, you will need that 10 - 20% of the Sencore's capability.
Great video. I picked up a BK 1474 for $50 Canadian!
Thanks for the video, looking forward to the rest!!
Great video and good advice. Be sure to also get 50 ohm BNC terminators for your scope inputs to assure that you'll see correct voltage readings from your signal/function generator.
I've got the Tektronix 2245A oscilloscope, which is very similar to your 2246. It's a great scope for a lot of electronics work!
I fell in love with the 2465B when the US Army replaced their aging 485s in the late '80s. I have a 2465B (100% functional), a 2445B (100% functional), another 2445B (about 80% functional), and yet another, possibly repairable 2445B for parts. I *like* TEK scopes.
OTOH, even a TEK 2445 is overkill for nearly all home and hobby use.
I'm gathering the stuff I need according to your excellent video, can't wait to watch the rest of them! I have a B&K model 1655 power supply, have not used it yet, but I bought out a TV repair shop a few years ago and I like messing with electronics though I'm no expert.. Would this be considered a variable power supply and it also has 2 "isolated output" receptacles? Would that be considered equal to the isolation transformer you referred to in your video? Thanks!
If it has isolated outlets, you are good. But most variacs aren't isolated. I use an old RCA isolation transformer in line with my variac. They are easily found on eBay.
Do you have replacement suggestion in amazon for
Jameco GRP-1200 Isolation Transformer and Syncwire RCA Cable, [10FT/3M] Nylon Braided 3.5mm to 2-Male RCA ?
Since it is not available in amazon anymore
Thanks Mark. It is about time some body explains this with practical applications. I learned this 40 years ago with out applications. Education is such a bitch.
When you get your amp class setup, done I am in. Will see youall in the south..
Very practical information. Thanks!
A common unit value to express frequency in the past used to be CPS (Cycles Per Second). It has since been superseded by Hz
Thanks for putting this series together. I’m looking forward to the rest of the videos.
Can you comment on input voltage capabilities of analog vs digital scopes. Even with 10x probes, aren’t some of the digital scopes not necessarily ideal for testing tube amps that can carry over 500vdc, plus the analog voltage on top of that? Thanks.
Your quite right most of the modern scopes are limited in terms of voltage per division as they weren’t designed for use with valve gear etc more for modern digital electronics. I do have some some x100 probes I sometimes break out for valve gear but I don’t often find I need to take direct measurements of anode level Voltages very often.
That's planned in the safety video.
great video I have been thinking about starting to learn how to fix my vintage gear for awhile now . Thanks for the info to make my mind up and start gathering the things I need Great video and thank you very much
Can you give a lot of examples or make a video about using the oscilloscopes external trigger input ports and Z input ports on testing and measuring digital and analog signals?
Hi, I was hoping with your experience and expertise if you could guide me to use the correct lubricant to service my equaliser sliders on my 1985 Marantz PM750DC. Cheers John