Hie Mr. Carlson, Jeff here and I wanted to say that it's a pleasure to see what you know and are posting for all to either learn, refresh their minds of what they used to do, or as a way for others of communicating with somebody such as yourself -when unfortunately so many others with the same experience are no longer available to BS with-- and of course to hear that you obviously know what you're doing. As an individual whose first love was electronics as a child (early 1970's) in second grade, then to become an electronic technician myself on my own terms was just huge and just what I wanted. I wouldn't trade that in for anything (despite things have dried up in the TV repair world). SO We go with the changes, it's a part of life anyway- Yet it's great to hear the obvious knowledge that you choose to share on here. Others that are learning and aren't that experienced yet, and who want to know how things work, will hopefully stick with this and continue to learn. I always credit those who apply themselves but in his field I can especially relate. I've given away stuff from my own shop no longer needed to kids who have that "spark" so to speak, and who seem to really want to do what I did as a child. You know how it was, & for me, I just HAD to know how a radio worked by the time I was in second grade. A lot of stuff was given to me by neighbors who knew me and even some teachers. You probably had the same experiences.Talk about fun? I have to credit my Father for that one initial conversation in the car one fine day on what a C.B. radio was. I thought to myself, a voice can travel like that without a string or a wire?? Something clicked, I took the kitchen phone apart and easily got radio stations with a crystal earphone that came with my 80 in 1 kit from Lafayette, and this is how it starts. It's been a pleasure and keep up the great work, you're helping a lot of people out there, have a good weekend Jeff
Jeff L Wow, that's quite the story Jeff! Glad to hear you are still interested in electronics and you are enjoying this channel. Thanks for your comment!
I remember my old 547 scope dimming the lights when I turned it on and keeping the room warm in the winter. The sharpness and detail of the waveform cant be beat.
I love my 547. It was built in the Netherlands. I found it in 1997 on a radio amateur flea market. I spent 40DM which is about 20€. The person who sold it said it was working, which I doubted. I thought I could salvage some nice parts of it, if its broken. Back home I tested it and it worked 100%. I found out that it got a big service by Tektronix in the mid 80s, including a new tube, new HV-transformer and main transformer, Tektronix-tested tubes and some more parts. Maybe it was used by the german army. I turn it on once or twice a year and watch the glowing of the tubes ;-). It's just too big for my workbench, so I don't use it for measurements. Thank you so much for that great content you're producing!
I worked on those Teks early in my career. They are wonderful. The manuals, alone, are astounding. My home unit now is a MDO 3014. 4 channels AND it includes a 3 GHz spectrum analyzer, waveform math (including FFT), a logic analyzer (option) (including protocol analysis and triggering), and an arbitrary function generator. You can use the AWG to make TDR step pulses. Tek hardware continues to amaze.
Impressive to see the old versus the new, quality of construction beats the new scopes hands down by far. I am pleased to see there is a lot of us out there that are restoring these gems and we become the museum to remind the next generation on how it all began.
I agree! It's my favorite of the Tek line up. I do admit, they all have a certain class to them though. Looking forward to working on my latest find... The type 661. May do a video on it, unsure though.
Graduating from an Engineering College in 1969 with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering, I first obtained a position working for a tube manufacturer and although the money was good and I learned a lot from a mentor there, it didn’t quite peak my interest in electronics! This was when transistors started to replace vacuum tubes so a neighbor was working for IT&T and gave me reference material for electronic projects but not in the field of designing circuits which I loved to do so I did them at home starting with Radio Shack equipment trying to understand what they did and how I could modify or improve them. So my career started out with a desire to be in circuit designing, however there were no immediate openings within local distance from my home and I had to repay my family for the cost of college! Then to my surprise I saw an ad for an EE with a Engineering Firm that was for mostly dealing in Civil Engineering and desperately needed some one to work in their Electrical group and the pay was twice what I was making in tube work, so the choice was easy at that time since more money meant the faster I could repay my college debt. Well not only was I designing circuits for various equipment I would also fix broken electrical test gear! Getting to the point, I was asked to work in their power group for even more money with a broader type of design of power generation, distribution and also new manufacturing facilities,although this led me away from electronics circuits to power circuits, I love your channel since it reminds me of what path I could have had at a young age because I retired Principal Engineer in power, but never lost my interest in electronics and you peak my interest of what could have been reaching your level of knowledge in electronics! Keep up the restoration projects and the circuit diagrams, I surely believe it will influence young graduates to peruse the very interesting world that you have mastered
I used to get up and fix myself a cold turkey sandwich with butter in the morning. I'd bring it in to my repair shop and put it on the 541. By lunch time, it was a HOT turkey sandwich!
I'm addicted to old scopes! If I was to do a resto on all of them in the other room, I would have a year of constant videos. Thanks for the comment Gordon!
Hi Paul, YT resurrected this old video of yours as I was searching for old Tek scopes stuff. I did watch each and every of your videos since discovering your channel 3 years ago or so, but had forgotten about this one. Had forgotten just how cool, how nice it is to see these old 500 series Tek scopes in action ! :-D Please feature them more often in your videos ! :-) This 547 is a beast and sure has enough features and performance for most of the stuff that you show on screen... I understand it's sitting up high and back from your workbench, so not convenient to use it but.... it's a general purpose piece of equipment that could be used in many of your videos, one way or another, so why not move it somewhere where it's more easily accessible, so that you can fire it up seamlessly ? To the right of your workbench there is a big grey boat anchor that I am not even sure what it is (UHF generator ?) as I can't seem to remember seeing it in any of your videos... that means it's taking up this spot on your bench yet doesn't see much use, no ?! ^^ ;-) So why not rearrange your bench and replace the grey boat anchor with the 547 ? They look about the same size eh ?! :-D No I am not pushey am I ?! LOL Just would love to see your 547 (or other vintage tube Tek scope you may have lying around) featured much more often ! :-) What could I add to convince you.... ah yeah, it is YOUR fault if I love these old Tek scopes so much, yes ! LOL Let me explain... 6 years ago I decided to get back into electronics, and 3 years ago I built myself a little lab so I can revive the hobby properly. I started collecting old Tek scope because I just love old CRT scopes (digital or analog or hybrid/combined). Love fixing them, love playing with them... I had gathered Tek scopes from the '90s, '80s, '70s but thought hey it's not going to be complete unless I have at least one example scope of the '60s ! Sadly these are tube based and being born in 1977 this technology truly was mystic to me, a huge black box. All I knew was that I could die from fiddling with the lethal voltages inside, and that regardless I would be unable to understand the schematics, how tubes works, how to troubleshoot this stuff etc... But 3 years ago I came across your channel, and also I have no particular interest in radios, consumer grade or else, I watched all your videos religiously, slowly soaking every bit of information about tube stuff. After 6 months of binge watching your great videos (your are a good teacher I find !), I somehow felt I knew just enough, with just enough confidence in myself... to try and get an old Tek scope to play with. At that point I was hardly sure I would be able to fix one, but I felt confident enough to at least open it up, see what's inside, look at the schematics and have a go at troubleshooting it. So I was all decided, I now wanted to seriously search for an old tube Tek scope. But... most of them are 500 series, which are too big and heavy to be shipped, as they exceed both weight and dimension limits of transporters here in Frog land. Also, they are quite rare over here. But after only 3 months, I saw an ad for one, that looked just like a 500 series, had the same elegance, same class, same aura.... but was much smaller and lighter ! It was a 317 ! :-) the seller was able to turn it on and it showed a trace on the screen, so that meant the main transformer and CRT were OK, so if it had problems, they would have to be minor and I therefore stood a good chance of fixing it, if need was. So I bought it ! 50 Euros, fair price. Sadly the guy would not ship it despite it was technically possible, said it was too fragile ! ARGH ! But I was motivated, I WANTED this scope to play with ! So I paid a retired guy 80 Euros, yes more than the price of the scope, who happened to travel with his camping van, from the south of France were the scope was, up to the north-west where I am, so he could pick it up locally and bring it to me ! Took me a year to fix it and restore it, was a tough ride as I learned so much as I went... but with the help of the grey beards on Tekscope and EEVBlog, and Tekwiki... I was able to fully sort it out, calibrate it through and through, restore it cosmetically and.... at the end of the process, the scope was running like a champ, and looked so beautiful... an art piece. I just couldn't get enough of looking at it, staring at the trace on the screen, and playing with all the knobs. It's just sex on a stick as Dave would put it ! ^^ My thread on this restoration on EEVBlog : www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/vintage-tektronix-317-repair-and-restoration/ So... I was so charmed by this cute little 317, that I quickly broke the promise I made to myself : I promised that this 317 would be my first and last piece of tube equipment ! I wanted just one so my collection is complete... but I failed to keep that promise : now every time I find an old classic Tek for sale in our French equivalent of your "Craig's list "... I want to buy it ! No matter how crap and sorry it looks, no matter how horrible the pics may be, I want to buy it ! Now have 14 of them, including x4 317 and x2 547 ! :-) ... and I hardly intend to stop there... I want to harvest all those that are either local, or within "reasonable" driving distance... so the meaning of "reasonable" varies greatly depending on the particular model, price and condition ! I mean I traveled 450kms away, and back the same day, to pick up a 549 and 547 ! Two different sellers but somehow they happened to live in the same town and sell at the same time ! Hell, when I visited the guy to pick up the 547, I discovered he also had a 545A in his lab ! Wasn't planned (not advertised on line), it was a surprise... I asked if I could buy it, said yes, got it for 60 Euros ! And it works and is in mint cosmetic condition ! :-D Guy even has a 1L20 4GHz spectrum analyzer plug-in, in tip top shape that works! :-D Also has a cool 180A time mark generator ! :-D I intend to get all that from him of course ! :-) I also have a 310A, 502, 502A, 515A, 531A, 585A. Would like a 545B if I can lay my hands on one... and a 570 tube curve tracer, and a 575 tracer for transistors ! :-D Needless to say I will never find these in France, not a chance, or at least not before long and not for a reasonable price. Think I saw one a year ago for under 300 Euros, yikes. Right now there is a 545B in the UK on Ebay for 900 Euros ! Hey ? I got my 545A for 60 and a 547s respectively for 75 and 45 Euros ! There is some silly speculation going on with these old Tek scopes... so I try to harvest them while it's still possible to find some for cheap... might not last ! :-/ SOOOO !! M. Carlson.... it's clear that without your teaching and passion, I would never, ever, have had the balls to plunge into these old tube Tek scopes, or anything tube based. But I am so glad I did, so much fun and pleasure to be had, fixing and playing with these scopes ! :-D See ? I told you it was your fault ! LOL So please consider featuring your 547 a lot more often in your great videos ! :-) Thanks again for all your nice videos, keep up the good work ! :-) Vincent Trouilliez from Frog land.
Got a 545B via mail order in 1988. The guy that sold it to me even walked me through diagnosis over the phone (he was in Chicago). He sold me a new prominent tube (don't recall which one now) to resolve a trace issue. One money order later, that's all it ever needed for my entry-level needs. Around 2004, I dropped it off at a thrift store, amidst busy family life. :( Wish I still had it now.
I like watching your videos. A friend gave me a tektronix 543A scope about 20 years ago and all it had was a blown fuse. has been working great ever since. It's only a 30 meg, but it works for I use it for (weekend C.E.T).
+Mr Carlson's Lab Space & heat. I sold an old Tektronix scope, because it was heating my lab up, and the lab was already running between 88 and 94 degrees in summer, with the AC running full blast. It looks like Rube Goldberg designed the duct work, so that back room get almost no airflow.
Hello Mr Carlson, great videos. Do you have a Tektronix 647? I have just bought two and started to clean them up. If you have one I would love if you could show us all, so I know what problems to look out for.
Mr. Carlson did your electric bill go up when you made the vid of your lab?? Thanks again! And maybe all your old equipment works because it knows it's loved?!
could you suggest.....or do you have a video link... suggesting where one might start with purchasing a used scope for audio amps or general tinkering? great info in videos. thanks for the good content
Paul I remember they used to sell these for 10usd to 20 dollars at hamfests back in about 2003 to 2005 but now they bring big money because of the Telefunken and Amperrex 6DJ8s and 12AX7s. Doesn't Hickok make one like this as well?
I just found a 547 at a thrift store for 24 dollars, but I need to get it back to working! I'm new at this, so if there's no probes attached would it have any line at all? As it is, it turns on but right now all I get is a dim glow from the CRT.
I have a Tektronix 2235 scope that I was using the other day to determine if a Heathkit IG-102 signal generator I picked up was working and now the scope does not display a trace, but when I push the trace finder the dot shows up. I'm sure you've seen this before and can tell me where to start looking for the problem and what most likely happened
Wow, what a repair shop! I love your video's. I watch for hours to learn. I am an Extra Class ham radio guy that is good at passing tests without really learning. Your videos are fixing that. I am buying an Oscilloscope and Spectrum Analyzer. I have decided on SIGLENT SSA3021X Spectrum Analyzer and the Siglent Technologies SDS1202X-E 200 mhz Digital Oscilloscope 2 Channels. What do you think about my choices?
Hey man, where do you get your oscilloscopes? I'm looking for something around $100 bucks or less (dam college, I had to major in engineering -_- ,oh well,my life's passion and what not) The 555 you got from a buddy, but where did you get the rest(Probably some good stories, or at least tips/advice for videos)? - I've tried eBay, Amazon and Craigslist and am gonna ask some some electrical engineers(engineering technology teachers) at my community college, just trying to get a idea for quality, cost( I quest on the myth of the $50 and below scope, I shall search all of Middle Earth if I have too, starting with The Prancing Pony Bar, then re-starting when I can walk straight again... re-starting at the Bar that is ) and name-brand. Any information will help.
Best place to find a cheap scope is your local HAM swap.... Sometimes CL too. There are so many different scopes on the market now... The sky's the limit with DSO's.
Mr Carlson's Lab Thanks for the advice c: Now to fill that "electrical engineers are also HAM radio operators" stereotype( No idea where it comes from, or why it's true ). I was also looking into CRT TV oscilloscopes, but knowing nothing about AC, i'd rather not. Hopefully If I have no other choice a DIY site should help.
Perhaps I missed something, but were you comparing the two scope? Comparing accuracy? Why not use the same coax on both scopes? Not sure I learned anything about TDR measurement here.
That's not a dumb question at all! If I remember correctly, early WW2 radar sets used modified Oscilloscopes for their displays (A-scope, B-scope, C-scope, J-scope etc). Later they were replaced with PPI's.
Definitely a great question. I had to stop and think for a second, I don't think you'd even have to modify it. Just let it use the Z axis to place the blips on the screen. Now it wouldn't put the flight number next to the blip unless it was running in raster mode.
That would be a super cool project for an antique analog oscilloscope - the older the better! From what I understand, these types of patterns can be created with “oscilloscope music” (lissajous patterns) through the scope’s x-y input, but I’m not sure when that function first became available..
Mr. Carlson could you give me your opinion on my scope if it is worth putting money in it. has some problem with the trigger circuit. It is a Tektronix model 2213 the year is aprox 1982 .
Mr Carlson's Lab I heard this model may have problems, if you think it is something that I can go threw resistors and caps, to rebuild it, yet when you put it on its internal cal terminal, it looks right.
Mr Carlson's Lab The question is where to start. I did the easy stuff, new probes, checked all the grounds, and the funny thing is that it's internal calibration lug check looks fine, but when you measure something externally, it is just all over the place, I am still a learner where you take each component and check them individually.
Ha! You're not that lucky (and of course, you know this). Got a 531 that I bought from a service tech in 1997 for $50.00. It's not the stable-trace machine you have, but it still works well. Last calibration sticker is 1970. This is following absolutely no replacements of caps, resistors, or any components whatsoever.
The old analog equipment is very accurate as per these digital devices not so accurate. The old is way better than the new. Like older cars built to last
Mr Carlson I bought a nice test set and I'd like.tomsgow ya a few things and ask a few questions....serious..could u please message me...I bought a HP 141a and a full HP 8553b and 8552b ..also bought a 2022 model SIglent X series 200mhs Spd ociliscope multichannel... Anyways amazing piece ..
Ugh yep, wiggly knobs = instant turnoff. New Tek scopes have some sex on them again but these "millennial" units...hate to say but they mostly look like cheap microwave ovens :P
I spent 30 years at Tektronix and I started as a bench technician with a 547 on my bench. What an indestructible workhorse it was.
Tektronix equipment borders on fine art...
Hie Mr. Carlson, Jeff here and I wanted to say that it's a pleasure to see what you know and are posting for all to either learn, refresh their minds of what they used to do, or as a way for others of communicating with somebody such as yourself -when unfortunately so many others with the same experience are no longer available to BS with-- and of course to hear that you obviously know what you're doing. As an individual whose first love was electronics as a child (early 1970's) in second grade, then to become an electronic technician myself on my own terms was just huge and just what I wanted. I wouldn't trade that in for anything (despite things have dried up in the TV repair world). SO We go with the changes, it's a part of life anyway- Yet it's great to hear the obvious knowledge that you choose to share on here. Others that are learning and aren't that experienced yet, and who want to know how things work, will hopefully stick with this and continue to learn. I always credit those who apply themselves but in his field I can especially relate. I've given away stuff from my own shop no longer needed to kids who have that "spark" so to speak, and who seem to really want to do what I did as a child. You know how it was, & for me, I just HAD to know how a radio worked by the time I was in second grade. A lot of stuff was given to me by neighbors who knew me and even some teachers. You probably had the same experiences.Talk about fun? I have to credit my Father for that one initial conversation in the car one fine day on what a C.B. radio was. I thought to myself, a voice can travel like that without a string or a wire?? Something clicked, I took the kitchen phone apart and easily got radio stations with a crystal earphone that came with my 80 in 1 kit from Lafayette, and this is how it starts. It's been a pleasure and keep up the great work, you're helping a lot of people out there, have a good weekend Jeff
Jeff L Wow, that's quite the story Jeff! Glad to hear you are still interested in electronics and you are enjoying this channel. Thanks for your comment!
Mr Carlson's Lab I will always love Electronics. I enjoyed your video, so I thought I'd share that one with you. Have a great day..
I remember my old 547 scope dimming the lights when I turned it on and keeping the room warm in the winter. The sharpness and detail of the waveform cant be beat.
I love my 547. It was built in the Netherlands. I found it in 1997 on a radio amateur flea market. I spent 40DM which is about 20€. The person who sold it said it was working, which I doubted. I thought I could salvage some nice parts of it, if its broken. Back home I tested it and it worked 100%.
I found out that it got a big service by Tektronix in the mid 80s, including a new tube, new HV-transformer and main transformer, Tektronix-tested tubes and some more parts.
Maybe it was used by the german army. I turn it on once or twice a year and watch the glowing of the tubes ;-). It's just too big for my workbench, so I don't use it for measurements.
Thank you so much for that great content you're producing!
I worked on those Teks early in my career. They are wonderful. The manuals, alone, are astounding. My home unit now is a MDO 3014. 4 channels AND it includes a 3 GHz spectrum analyzer, waveform math (including FFT), a logic analyzer (option) (including protocol analysis and triggering), and an arbitrary function generator. You can use the AWG to make TDR step pulses. Tek hardware continues to amaze.
Man impressive how accurate and functional these old oscilloscopes are !
Impressive to see the old versus the new, quality of construction beats the new scopes hands down by far. I am pleased to see there is a lot of us out there that are restoring these gems and we become the museum to remind the next generation on how it all began.
+John Cunningham
I actually enjoy using those scopes way more than the modern ones. Thanks for your comment John!
I also own a 547 and I love it. An absolutely beautiful peice of engineering. Especially the synchonized timebases. Take good care of it!
I agree! It's my favorite of the Tek line up. I do admit, they all have a certain class to them though. Looking forward to working on my latest find... The type 661. May do a video on it, unsure though.
Mr Carlson's Lab please do a video on it
Graduating from an Engineering College in 1969 with a BS degree in Electrical Engineering, I first obtained a position working for a tube manufacturer and although the money was good and I learned a lot from a mentor there, it didn’t quite peak my interest in electronics! This was when transistors started to replace vacuum tubes so a neighbor was working for IT&T and gave me reference material for electronic projects but not in the field of designing circuits which I loved to do so I did them at home starting with Radio Shack equipment trying to understand what they did and how I could modify or improve them. So my career started out with a desire to be in circuit designing, however there were no immediate openings within local distance from my home and I had to repay my family for the cost of college! Then to my surprise I saw an ad for an EE with a Engineering Firm that was for mostly dealing in Civil Engineering and desperately needed some one to work in their Electrical group and the pay was twice what I was making in tube work, so the choice was easy at that time since more money meant the faster I could repay my college debt. Well not only was I designing circuits for various equipment I would also fix broken electrical test gear! Getting to the point, I was asked to work in their power group for even more money with a broader type of design of power generation, distribution and also new manufacturing facilities,although this led me away from electronics circuits to power circuits, I love your channel since it reminds me of what path I could have had at a young age because I retired Principal Engineer in power, but never lost my interest in electronics and you peak my interest of what could have been reaching your level of knowledge in electronics! Keep up the restoration projects and the circuit diagrams, I surely believe it will influence young graduates to peruse the very interesting world that you have mastered
Thanks for taking the time to write Robert! Thanks for your kind comment too.
I used to get up and fix myself a cold turkey sandwich with butter in the morning. I'd bring it in to my repair shop and put it on the 541. By lunch time, it was a HOT turkey sandwich!
I just got a 547 (my very first Tektronix 500-series scope) a couple of weeks ago. Love it!
@ungratefulmetalpansy So far, my 547 is not exhibiting this problem. My fingers are crossed that it stays away...
What an AMAZING electronics lab 👍👍👍
How would you like to have felt the heat from the old 1940s/50s computers with 22,000 tubes in it. Man I cant imagine.
Your old scopes are a thing of beauty.
I'm addicted to old scopes! If I was to do a resto on all of them in the other room, I would have a year of constant videos. Thanks for the comment Gordon!
Mr Carlson's Lab
Yeah, there's something about analog oscilloscopes and old instruments that I love.
Keep up the good work.
Thanks Gord, I will try to keep it interesting :^)
i like the old one better, the new one is so floppy looking, love old equipment!
I do as well!
Mr Carlson's Lab I don't see who couldn't
Hi Paul,
YT resurrected this old video of yours as I was searching for old Tek scopes stuff.
I did watch each and every of your videos since discovering your channel 3 years ago or so, but had forgotten about this one.
Had forgotten just how cool, how nice it is to see these old 500 series Tek scopes in action ! :-D
Please feature them more often in your videos ! :-)
This 547 is a beast and sure has enough features and performance for most of the stuff that you show on screen...
I understand it's sitting up high and back from your workbench, so not convenient to use it but.... it's a general purpose piece of equipment that could be used in many of your videos, one way or another, so why not move it somewhere where it's more easily accessible, so that you can fire it up seamlessly ?
To the right of your workbench there is a big grey boat anchor that I am not even sure what it is (UHF generator ?) as I can't seem to remember seeing it in any of your videos... that means it's taking up this spot on your bench yet doesn't see much use, no ?! ^^ ;-)
So why not rearrange your bench and replace the grey boat anchor with the 547 ? They look about the same size eh ?! :-D
No I am not pushey am I ?! LOL Just would love to see your 547 (or other vintage tube Tek scope you may have lying around) featured much more often ! :-)
What could I add to convince you.... ah yeah, it is YOUR fault if I love these old Tek scopes so much, yes ! LOL
Let me explain... 6 years ago I decided to get back into electronics, and 3 years ago I built myself a little lab so I can revive the hobby properly.
I started collecting old Tek scope because I just love old CRT scopes (digital or analog or hybrid/combined). Love fixing them, love playing with them...
I had gathered Tek scopes from the '90s, '80s, '70s but thought hey it's not going to be complete unless I have at least one example scope of the '60s !
Sadly these are tube based and being born in 1977 this technology truly was mystic to me, a huge black box. All I knew was that I could die from fiddling with the lethal voltages inside, and that regardless I would be unable to understand the schematics, how tubes works, how to troubleshoot this stuff etc...
But 3 years ago I came across your channel, and also I have no particular interest in radios, consumer grade or else, I watched all your videos religiously, slowly soaking every bit of information about tube stuff. After 6 months of binge watching your great videos (your are a good teacher I find !), I somehow felt I knew just enough, with just enough confidence in myself... to try and get an old Tek scope to play with. At that point I was hardly sure I would be able to fix one, but I felt confident enough to at least open it up, see what's inside, look at the schematics and have a go at troubleshooting it.
So I was all decided, I now wanted to seriously search for an old tube Tek scope. But... most of them are 500 series, which are too big and heavy to be shipped, as they exceed both weight and dimension limits of transporters here in Frog land.
Also, they are quite rare over here. But after only 3 months, I saw an ad for one, that looked just like a 500 series, had the same elegance, same class, same aura.... but was much smaller and lighter ! It was a 317 ! :-) the seller was able to turn it on and it showed a trace on the screen, so that meant the main transformer and CRT were OK, so if it had problems, they would have to be minor and I therefore stood a good chance of fixing it, if need was.
So I bought it ! 50 Euros, fair price. Sadly the guy would not ship it despite it was technically possible, said it was too fragile ! ARGH ! But I was motivated, I WANTED this scope to play with ! So I paid a retired guy 80 Euros, yes more than the price of the scope, who happened to travel with his camping van, from the south of France were the scope was, up to the north-west where I am, so he could pick it up locally and bring it to me !
Took me a year to fix it and restore it, was a tough ride as I learned so much as I went... but with the help of the grey beards on Tekscope and EEVBlog, and Tekwiki... I was able to fully sort it out, calibrate it through and through, restore it cosmetically and.... at the end of the process, the scope was running like a champ, and looked so beautiful... an art piece. I just couldn't get enough of looking at it, staring at the trace on the screen, and playing with all the knobs. It's just sex on a stick as Dave would put it ! ^^
My thread on this restoration on EEVBlog :
www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/vintage-tektronix-317-repair-and-restoration/
So... I was so charmed by this cute little 317, that I quickly broke the promise I made to myself : I promised that this 317 would be my first and last piece of tube equipment ! I wanted just one so my collection is complete... but I failed to keep that promise : now every time I find an old classic Tek for sale in our French equivalent of your "Craig's list "... I want to buy it ! No matter how crap and sorry it looks, no matter how horrible the pics may be, I want to buy it ! Now have 14 of them, including x4 317 and x2 547 ! :-) ... and I hardly intend to stop there... I want to harvest all those that are either local, or within "reasonable" driving distance... so the meaning of "reasonable" varies greatly depending on the particular model, price and condition !
I mean I traveled 450kms away, and back the same day, to pick up a 549 and 547 ! Two different sellers but somehow they happened to live in the same town and sell at the same time ! Hell, when I visited the guy to pick up the 547, I discovered he also had a 545A in his lab ! Wasn't planned (not advertised on line), it was a surprise... I asked if I could buy it, said yes, got it for 60 Euros ! And it works and is in mint cosmetic condition ! :-D
Guy even has a 1L20 4GHz spectrum analyzer plug-in, in tip top shape that works! :-D Also has a cool 180A time mark generator ! :-D
I intend to get all that from him of course ! :-)
I also have a 310A, 502, 502A, 515A, 531A, 585A. Would like a 545B if I can lay my hands on one... and a 570 tube curve tracer, and a 575 tracer for transistors ! :-D Needless to say I will never find these in France, not a chance, or at least not before long and not for a reasonable price. Think I saw one a year ago for under 300 Euros, yikes. Right now there is a 545B in the UK on Ebay for 900 Euros ! Hey ? I got my 545A for 60 and a 547s respectively for 75 and 45 Euros ! There is some silly speculation going on with these old Tek scopes... so I try to harvest them while it's still possible to find some for cheap... might not last ! :-/
SOOOO !! M. Carlson.... it's clear that without your teaching and passion, I would never, ever, have had the balls to plunge into these old tube Tek scopes, or anything tube based. But I am so glad I did, so much fun and pleasure to be had, fixing and playing with these scopes ! :-D
See ? I told you it was your fault ! LOL
So please consider featuring your 547 a lot more often in your great videos ! :-)
Thanks again for all your nice videos, keep up the good work ! :-)
Vincent Trouilliez from Frog land.
Got a 545B via mail order in 1988. The guy that sold it to me even walked me through diagnosis over the phone (he was in Chicago). He sold me a new prominent tube (don't recall which one now) to resolve a trace issue. One money order later, that's all it ever needed for my entry-level needs. Around 2004, I dropped it off at a thrift store, amidst busy family life. :( Wish I still had it now.
I like watching your videos. A friend gave me a tektronix 543A scope
about 20 years ago and all it had was a blown fuse. has been working great
ever since. It's only a 30 meg, but it works for I use it for (weekend C.E.T).
Old scopes, beautiful.
+Robert Langford
I almost enjoy collecting scopes more than old receivers. Space is an issue!
+Mr Carlson's Lab Space & heat. I sold an old Tektronix scope, because it was heating my lab up, and the lab was already running between 88 and 94 degrees in summer, with the AC running full blast. It looks like Rube Goldberg designed the duct work, so that back room get almost no airflow.
Tektronix; quality equipment known to have been present in any decent lab. Next to Rohde & Schwarz -since 1933 ;)
That old Tek rivalises with any modern equipment! By the other hand the TDS220 is just an expensive Rigol in comparison.
Excellent, thank you.
You are welcome!
I just created a new playlist How To Oscilloscopes. What a fascinating piece of equipment! I can see why you love these scopes so much who wouldn't!
Hello Mr Carlson, great videos. Do you have a Tektronix 647? I have just bought two and started to clean them up. If you have one I would love if you could show us all, so I know what problems to look out for.
Mr. Carlson did your electric bill go up when you made the vid of your lab?? Thanks again! And maybe all your old equipment works because it knows it's loved?!
You wouldn't happen to have released a board schematic for SMD of the TDR and the probe?
could you suggest.....or do you have a video link... suggesting where one might start with purchasing a used scope for audio amps or general tinkering?
great info in videos. thanks for the good content
What is your opinion on the HP series ...141a and 85532 and 8553.spectrum anylyzer....
Paul
I remember they used to sell these for 10usd to 20 dollars at hamfests back in about 2003 to 2005 but now they bring big money because of the Telefunken and Amperrex 6DJ8s and 12AX7s. Doesn't Hickok make one like this as well?
i wish i could buy some old electronics equipment :( its always hard to find or super expensive
I just found a 547 at a thrift store for 24 dollars, but I need to get it back to working! I'm new at this, so if there's no probes attached would it have any line at all? As it is, it turns on but right now all I get is a dim glow from the CRT.
Guessing the play in the knobs is the spindle bushes in the pots are insulators. (nylon type stuff soft and slightly flexible).
OH NO, i have reached the end of the internet. Or at least the end of all of Mr Carlsons videos.
I have a Tektronix 2235 scope that I was using the other day to determine if a Heathkit IG-102 signal generator I picked up was working and now the scope does not display a trace, but when I push the trace finder the dot shows up. I'm sure you've seen this before and can tell me where to start looking for the problem and what most likely happened
+Dan Eriksen
No trace on either channel?
+Mr Carlson's Lab
Wow, just got your notification now.... I see you asked this 2 months ago... weird.
Wow, what a repair shop! I love your video's. I watch for hours to learn. I am an Extra Class ham radio guy that is good at passing tests without really learning. Your videos are fixing that.
I am buying an Oscilloscope and Spectrum Analyzer. I have decided on SIGLENT SSA3021X Spectrum Analyzer and the Siglent Technologies SDS1202X-E 200 mhz Digital Oscilloscope 2 Channels. What do you think about my choices?
What kind of videos will i find in your patreon ?
Why not use the delay time multiplier?
Hey man, where do you get your oscilloscopes?
I'm looking for something around $100 bucks or less (dam college, I had to major in engineering -_- ,oh well,my life's passion and what not)
The 555 you got from a buddy, but where did you get the rest(Probably some good stories, or at least tips/advice for videos)?
- I've tried eBay, Amazon and Craigslist and am gonna ask some some electrical engineers(engineering technology teachers) at my community college, just trying to get a idea for quality, cost( I quest on the myth of the $50 and below scope, I shall search all of Middle Earth if I have too, starting with The Prancing Pony Bar, then re-starting when I can walk straight again... re-starting at the Bar that is ) and name-brand. Any information will help.
Best place to find a cheap scope is your local HAM swap.... Sometimes CL too. There are so many different scopes on the market now... The sky's the limit with DSO's.
Mr Carlson's Lab Thanks for the advice c:
Now to fill that "electrical engineers are also HAM radio operators" stereotype( No idea where it comes from, or why it's true ).
I was also looking into CRT TV oscilloscopes, but knowing nothing about AC, i'd rather not. Hopefully If I have no other choice a DIY site should help.
Perhaps I missed something, but were you comparing the two scope? Comparing accuracy? Why not use the same coax on both scopes? Not sure I learned anything about TDR measurement here.
Hi Bruce. This is only one video in a series of video's on the TDR. You will find the rest in my "Video's" list.
very good video
Thank you
Thanks Dennis!
I just picked up several old scopes for free. Is there a market for these?
I know that my question will sound dumb (I'm not a electronics expert) but... Can you use a Oscilloscope as a Radar (A-scope) display?
Yes you can, using the external horizontal inputs.
Mr Carlson's Lab Thank you.
That's not a dumb question at all! If I remember correctly, early WW2 radar sets used modified Oscilloscopes for their displays (A-scope, B-scope, C-scope, J-scope etc). Later they were replaced with PPI's.
Definitely a great question. I had to stop and think for a second, I don't think you'd even have to modify it. Just let it use the Z axis to place the blips on the screen. Now it wouldn't put the flight number next to the blip unless it was running in raster mode.
That would be a super cool project for an antique analog oscilloscope - the older the better! From what I understand, these types of patterns can be created with “oscilloscope music” (lissajous patterns) through the scope’s x-y input, but I’m not sure when that function first became available..
Amazing. I wonder where you get them. I suspect you have a time machine, you jump to the sixties and you steal them. :)
LOL. Possibly.
Yup, thanks to Mr. Carlson & Mr. Max Koschuh I am now the proud owner of a Tektronix 547... Thanks gentlemen🤣😡🤣😡🤣.
Great! You're welcome.
Mr. Carlson could you give me your opinion on my scope if it is worth putting money in it. has some problem with the trigger circuit.
It is a Tektronix model 2213 the year is aprox 1982 .
MrMac5150 Depends what your paying for it. Are you sure it's just triggering?
Mr Carlson's Lab
I paid $150.00 for it and it has the trace with
multable noise lines with it, on the screen.
Mr Carlson's Lab
I heard this model may have problems, if you think it is something that I can go threw resistors and caps, to rebuild it, yet when you
put it on its internal cal terminal, it looks right.
MrMac5150 If it's paid for, no harm in trying to fix it. I would like to give you some advice, but there could be so many different things wrong.
Mr Carlson's Lab
The question is where to start. I did the easy stuff, new probes, checked all the grounds, and the funny thing is that it's internal calibration lug check looks fine, but when you measure something externally, it is just all over the place, I am still a learner where you take each component and check them individually.
Ha! You're not that lucky (and of course, you know this). Got a 531 that I bought from a service tech in 1997 for $50.00. It's not the stable-trace machine you have, but it still works well. Last calibration sticker is 1970. This is following absolutely no replacements of caps, resistors, or any components whatsoever.
Does the 547 have a ceramic CRT?
Hi Douro20, It's all glass, before the ceramic CRT's came out.
The old analog equipment is very accurate as per these digital devices not so accurate. The old is way better than the new. Like older cars built to last
Mr Carlson I bought a nice test set and I'd like.tomsgow ya a few things and ask a few questions....serious..could u please message me...I bought a HP 141a and a full HP 8553b and 8552b ..also bought a 2022 model SIglent X series 200mhs Spd ociliscope multichannel... Anyways amazing piece ..
Apollo 13 cockpit :-)
+voitano73
LOL. Thanks for your comment!
Ugh yep, wiggly knobs = instant turnoff. New Tek scopes have some sex on them again but these "millennial" units...hate to say but they mostly look like cheap microwave ovens :P
You are somewhat of a show off. Wide angle shot and all gadgets turned on for no reason. Admit it, you enjoy that. I know I would.
So, is it like a security blanky or is it sexual in some way or what?