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- Опубликовано: 12 сен 2024
- Another look at finding a $50 analog oscilloscope on ebay.
Original video from 4 years ago:
• EEVblog #498 - How to ...
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Everytime there is a video about $50 O'scopes on ebay, *there are no more $50 O'scopes on ebay.*
metatech LOL! *A DAVE must read this comment, comment!* Awesome!
Care for a LG 10 MHZ dual channel scope? I have one...Missouri.
Jeff Massey You fishin', not trolling? Hmm, well maybe. :*|
Seriously available. Got an upgrade.
The "EEVBlog effect". Just try again in a few months.
I ordered a $30 Scope off Ebay as a parts scope....My Jaw dropped when I opened the box, well packed and the scope looked brand new, no scratches, no dings, couldn't believe my eyes!! Put her on the bench and plugged her in and switched on, HOLY OSCILLOSCOPES!! It fired up, perfect trace on the two channels!! So instead of a parts scope, it will get used. It's a Tektronix 2213 60Mhz two channel scope.
One place to look for oscilloscopes are generic garage sales. Sometimes, the guy who's selling the stuff has absolutely no idea of what he's selling, so you can snatch a pretty good deal like it happened to me.
I saw a Philips PM 3315 125MHz DSO on the table of the guy, and I asked how much he wanted, expecting at least 100€. He said that for 15(!) € he would sell it to me, since "this little TV" (Yes he was calling the DSO a little TV!) only displayed a line when he powered it up, and it was too complex for him to set up and had way too many buttons!
It was one of the happiest days of my life, and when I got back on the train I was holding the oscilloscope like it was a child and looking at it with a huge smile (people looked at me like I was mad :D)
Apparently, the service manuals for the thing cost more than I paid for it!
Lucky bastard
If you bought the service manual and you own a scanner, do humanity a favor and upload it online.
Aw thats cute!!
id feel a little dirty but also happy.
Bought a broken oscilloscope from eBay for 20 bucks in february.
I fixed it (blown .47uf cap parallel to mains and blown fuse replaced) and now a have a working oscilloscope :)
True story: since moving to the Philippines, sixteen months ago, I've been missing my bench back in the US, and the abundance of good deals on old analog scopes. I'm watching this video with Dave going on about eBay US and thinking "yeah, I miss that." First scope he drills deep on and it's here, in Taguig. And the seller has like a half dozen old scopes (and thousands of other industrial surplus items, which are my weakness.) Cool.
Honestly if you want a good deal on analog scopes (and lab equipment in general) just go to a local hamfest. Not only are you going to meet the seller, hams are generally very friendly and will tell you about some of the quirks of the one you're looking at ahead of time. The only downside is that if you're not a HAM, they might spend a good 10 minutes trying to convince you to become one, but it's totally worth it to avoid ebay.
You should do this kind of video as a live feed. We can watch as all the equipment you search for get sucked up in real-time.
Hey Dave, I followed your advice from the last video and scored a lot of 3 Teks 2245A for 160 USD, sold 2 of them for close to that and kept the last one for me. Free scope!
Brilliant!
Damn I couldn't find a deal like that I did find a new 2245a in box for 2:30
Dave, I belong to the Southern California Antique Radio Society. At our swap meet last weekend, I picked up a pristine Tektronix 2211 in perfect working order for $50.00. It also came with a large plastic bag full of probes and adapters. Still learning about it but it’s so cool.
The browser extension at 8:16 is called Imagus
Thanks :)
Ebay behaves like that by default.
Cheers
Actually I believe the one Dave uses is called Hover Zoom.
amogus
Been on the lookout for an inexpensive scope for about a year now. Finally found one for $40 hitache v1060 yesterday on Facebook marketplace 6 miles away from me. The seller picked it up at a garage sale along with some fishing equipment. The person who sold it to them thought it was part of a fish finder, but they couldn't find any of the sensors for it.
That is comedy gold.
Dave, great video as always!
After reading some of the comments below that say it is impossible, I thought I would post about my personal experience picking up an inexpensive scope on ebay. First, I am in the US and can only speak to my experience hunting for scopes within my country. We all know that anytime you include international shipping into the equation the total cost of an item will increase dramatically, and the valuation of items vary by country as well,... and I do not keep a list of what X goes for in X country,...
My personal experience: In Oct 2016 I picked up a Kikusui COR5560U (60Mhz 2ch) in working condition for $37.50 (buy it now) + $14.72 shipping. Grand total was $52.22 for a working scope. Scope only, power cord and probes were not included, but I had those lying around anyways. Adequate probes can also be obtained on ebay for < $10 if you search a bit.
The Kikusui was in working condition, but was sold in as/is condition since the seller could not test it beyond power up (they were a general estate/lot reseller). They had 3 of these scopes for sale for the same price, with essentially the same auction description, and in the same condition. All of the scopes appear to have come from the same place (maybe a school), and all three were obviously in need of a good cleaning. The one I picked up cleaned up nicely.
While ebay is the easiest to hunt for bargains like this, but you can probably get one even cheaper if you do not mind hunting a bit more, especially offline. Estate sales, pawn shops, garage sales, going-out-of-business sales/auctions, and the like often have awesome deals. Especially when the person selling the item has no idea what it is, and that happens a lot with test gear. Also, if you happen to work for a larger corporation that has research/dev departments, check with the tech guys to see if your company has a surplus department that you can purchase the equipment from. Back in the early 2000's I picked up an HP 1980b for $25 from my company's surplus depot (the guys at the surplus warehouse had no idea what it even was).
Honestly, I wish I had not down-sized my classic HP 1980b scope a few years back, but that is a story for another day,...
Happy scope hunting everyone!
Four years later (again) and in Europe the prices are so high they ask if you know a good surgeon because you're going to sell a limb. It's even worse (thanks Covid!) for classic Heathkit stuff which I'd love to own.
Didn't know the V212s were that common! When I graduated from our equivalent of High School, the lab was going to throw out 5 perfectly fine ones because they got two new Rigols. I took care of them all, sold four of them to dad's work colleagues (industrial automation electronics wizards) for ~50 euros each and kept one for myself. It's the main workhorse at our hackerspace now!
Pretty sweet deal you pulled there, have to keep your eyes out for things like that and man can you clean up.
I got 2 Telequipment D61-s from my university. Semi-functional, they required some restoration but hey, as long as CRT is good, they can be repared, as they are fully-transistorized design
Often "For parts not working" is often ticked because the seller can't test it or has no idea of how to test it. Unit works fine they just have no clue how to even turn the damn thing on.
Dave mentioned that in the video, but then you'd take a gamble, AND not most likely get no warranty. Depends on whether you want to take the chance.
Its either that, or the seller wanting to take no liability for what they're selling. Being sold "as-is" means your stuck with it basically.
Too funny - I just gave away a working Hitachi V-212 a few days ago to a young kid who was extremely interested in learning about electronics. I didn't need it - I've got a modern 'scope, and it was just taking up space. Great cheap scope.
Awesome!
I don't need another cheap scope, but good video for how to search for almost anything on ebay.
And The Castle is a great recommendation - my uncle is the actor that plays the old neighbour.
He has one of the best lines in the movie, which I shouldn't repeat here :)
Nice!
Thumbs up purely for the Commander Keen avatar!
Kean Maizels C'mon! Jeezus! You bring up a "line" and then you drop it? Okay.
I bought a Tektronix 2225A like 2 months ago for 38€. Seller said it was broken, but it arrived fully working so there's that. Still missing a good probe though :/
Really nice video, thanks a lot!
Nice score!
Maybe the courier company fixed it?
That would be the world's first. :D
banged it back into place
I got lucky and scored a working KENWOOD CS-5165 (60 MHz 3 channels) for 29.50€ by bidding on "uncommon" scopes like KENWOOD. Not many people bid on them and its allways worth adding them to your watchlist and try your luck.
I myself pulled a Hameg 60MHz off eBay in Germany more than 10 years ago - and I am still happy with it. From experience in our student lab at Uppsala University where we have several different scopes I can highly recommend the Hitachi scopes. The LG and GW Instek (=TENMA=ATTEN) we have in the student lab are ok, but the "user interface" is not as intuitive, however, if it's your own scope you will get used to it.
Just a dot in the middle of the screen can be ok, if you are buying a modular scope, with no modules installed. My first eBay oscilloscope purchase was a "for parts" Tek 7623A, that had no sweep, but no modules. I was trying to repair a free not working 7623A, so I had a set of modules. I slapped the modules into the eBay 7623A, and everything worked. I had gotten the 7623A through eBay for $50US... after shipping.
If worried about shipping costs. Click "Closest" first for distance and see if anyone's selling one locally. If so? Then contact the seller and ask if you can purchase and pick up locally. If they flat out say "Shipping only, no local pickup" and they are within driving distance? I would still ask. If they refuse, then walk away. Many times people will jack up the shipping and handling costs beyond reality so they can pad their $$$. I think Dave mentions this, but I'm running late for getting into work.
It took me about 3 months but I did finally manage to get one for £60 (I live in the uk and there isn't a lot of reuse of products over here. The UK really has embraced the disposable electronics fad)
I cleaned it up and repaired a duff channel and found it was too big for my bench (Corner desk in my bedroom) and then sold it for £150 :)
how did you get yours? ive been looking for them for a few days with no luck
@@zayanh2823 in the UK? Look on eBay for oscilloscope then under condition, click "for parts/not working" there are a lot on there right now for less than 100.
Things are very different for different markets/countries. You have to switch on your brain and learn for your market. Dave is in a more lucky position than most countries I think. Especially when it comes to defective things. Here they sell for basically the same as working devices.
You have to become a little ebay expert for your market. Look around for what things sold to get an idea of the price on your local market. And be patient. In a lot of markets the scopes are more expensive because there are not as many. Also the "buy locally" thing is a bad idea when you are not in a big city and not very mobile...
For example for the tektronix, the cheapest this sold around here (shipped) is around 100 EUR.
Dennis Lubert
Right!
They don't care if it's broken or not.
They pay for 30+ years old scopes much too much.
These are all shelf queens.
Safe your money a couple of month and buy a new digital scope.
My two cents
I just watched "The Castle" and it was awesome! Thanks Dave! Straight to the pool room with that DVD!
I see a lot of comments right now either arguing the "ebay" or the "50$" part. Depending on where you live and where the scope comes from, you likely have a point. However, I believe it's also likely that you can find an analog oscilloscope for a bargain price if you keep your eyes open. Check some of the following local places, if available: Schools, Colleges, Universities, Military Training Grounds (highly recommended), Repair Shops (Cars, Electronics, you name it), Hacker or Maker spaces (people will hook you up)
Make sure you get to talk to someone who actually knows what these devices are and where they could be stored. Pretty much all larger education places have huge stockpiles of old electronics and other equipment that have been forgotten about once a certain project ended. Asking the secretary will not get you very far.
You use the same log in for every eBay site but you need to log in to each site separately. You can also do a search from eBay Australia for sellers that don't specify Australia as a shipping country but the way items are categorised vary from one version of eBay to the next and search results don't necessarily match to the same categories.
You don't even have to log in on the other sites. You can search without logging in, and after you find the relevant item, just change the ".com" (or whichever site you searched on) on the item page, to ".de" or ".co.uk" or whichever one you routinely use.
I often search for stuff on the german version, then change the link to the british version which i use, and then ask the seller whether they ship to where i live. Most of the times they agree, so it's all good.
That's true but if you want to bid or buy I think you will need to log in.
You obviously do, but you don't need to be logged in on the version of the site where you found the item. Say you found the item on the ".com"; open the item page, change the ".com" to the version you *are* logged into, and bid away :)
That's right - the main problem is that it is sometimes difficult to say find something you saw on the .com site on the .com.au site etc as the categorisations used are different from different sites and that affects the search results even though the item may still be accessible.
Umm... I guess you missed(?) the "open the item page" step i mentioned :) (ie. *not* the search results page)
In Germany Hameg is a good brand to buy. They have been acquired by Rohde&Schwarz some time ago. There is a lot of old analog ones in decent condition, I own two myself. And sometimes I can buy old test equipment from my local university, mostly for under 50 bucks. Some labs have stacks of old analog scopes they don't get rid of ("just in case"), or for legal reasons, when it has been bought with money from the government. But there is a good chance they will sell you one for a few bucks. If you know some of the lab staff, just ask them. Some even sell old stuff internally. So if you know someone with access to these selling lists, ask them to tell you when there is something of interest.
One thing to watch on looking at the pictures, I've been "burned" on things before where they show generic pictures or pick up someone else's pictures of a working one that looks really good but the actual item is in far worse condition than the pictures show (e.g. missing knobs/buttons, dents, etc). It's especially popular in "as-is" items in my experience.
The ones I like more are when they have crappy pictures and say its broken including WHAT specifically is broken. At least for computer parts that's a more reliable way to find stuff.
A bought a second hand Dynatec scope on a local flee market website. I personally picked it up at the seller's and checked it on the spot. Including 3 probes and a bunch of BNC-connectors. 100 € Workes like a charm
I was looking for 1st oscilloscope, after watching this video I picked up a Hitachi V-212, listed as for parts or repair, powers on we can’t test further” for $30 + $25 shipping... it’s in amazing condition and works perfectly!
Sometimes one needs luck. 4 years ago I found a dual trace 100MHz digital oscilloscope in a local "empty your attic" fair (very common all around France in spring and summer). It had the user manual and only one probe, and I paid a huge 15 euros. Yes, fifteen.
Damn
the problem isn't finding a scope for $50. It's finding a $50 scope that will ship for less than $60 bucks. I've noticed alot of people will list "local pickup" as an option, so it shows as free shipping when sorting that way. The best scope deal i've found is a single channel 5mhz Heath for $40, that needs $75 worth of parts to get it functional... Deals are out there, but you have to put work and time into finding one.
This where working with a university is useful. I picked up a HP5454C 4 channel 2 Gsps from computer science dept of my university as they had binned it due to its big size. I recovered it an love to use it with its coloured LCD. Probably its one if the first scopes with lcd and coloured display.
They were throwing it AWAY?! What country is this?
I bought an tektronix 545A, from 1959, at our local garage sale, i couldn't test it but when I brought it home it still worked, I paided €10 for it.
wooow I learned with a hitachi like that
My first work scope was a Hitachi V212
nobody asked you what your first scope was dave you douchejob
( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
Hello I'm new to this Farm and I'm asking anyone out there if they have admittance menu for Avid test you 3641 maintenance manual. I would appreciate any help anyway can give me and I thank you in advance.
Best regards,
Ken McGrath
Paulo Constantino, false. I've seen many people ask that.
I recently picked up a working Yokogawa DL1540 150MHz DSO from eBay for £115.
Best part? came with a BRIEFCASE FULL OF PROBES. Over 15 decent probes, probably worth as much as the 'scope.
The floppy drive and printer still work as well!!!
Anyone know how much this scope would have cost new?
Nice score!
On reflection, the best part (in true EEVBlog style) was discovering some faults and fixing them. Thankfully they were simple, but still involved quite a bit of disassembly and a little soldering.
It came from an auction house shifting equipment from an electronics manufacturer that went bust. Kinda sad, as there were staff names on some of the bags of spare probe parts in the briefcase and a hand written message on the bottom of the scope, "Keep me clean - I hate being dirty!".
Dave, eventually the lithium battery in the unit will die, and it will complain endlessly. I made a video that covers how to replace the battery. ruclips.net/video/kwHJcfvYkDY/видео.html
Bootstrap Workbench - actually it was your video that helped me strip the scope down. Really appreciate the heads-up and link though 👍
I'm glad that it helped you out with your repair adventure.
I don't know if it does anything, but if I come accross an offer like the one from elec-mall, I report them to ebay for listing practices. The abuse of multi item auctions makes search by price pretty useless, especially when the second product isn't even mentioned in the title.
I just snagged an old Good Will instruments GOS-622G for 21 dollars US! It's branded Energy Concepts inc. 20 Mhz and it works great! Someone had "wonked" all the settings and thought it was dead. It's perfect for my old C64 and Amiga stuff!
Hi Dave,
Went to my local HAMfest and found a vendor that bought a lot of test equipment at an auction from a Tech Institute that was shutting down. Picked up a GW Instek GOS-6112 (Dual Channel 100Mhz) scope for $50. Found the probes on Amazon $12 for a 2 pack. Also got a GW Instek Dual tracking (30V / 2A) power supply (GPC-3020) for $25 from the same vendor. All of it is excellent working condition.
Let the learning begin. :D
I just got an old Siemens Oscilloscope with 2 channels and 20MHz for local pickup on ebay for 9 Euros last week. Was looking for a few months until I found it. And its working perfectly. So this is possible
Siemens? Cool - that's not going to be a pile of rubbish, is it? :)
No I'll keep that one ;)
Always check the search by distance option, as the amount of sellers who cannot adequately pack an item to prevent damage in transit is astonishing. If local pickup is offered, ask to schedule an inspection. Cash offers at time of inspection are almost universally welcomed, as they won't have the fees that a sale on the site would.
Oh I don't know if I told you already but I got that Hitachi scope. It's really accurate, got mine on a garage sale for like, 30 and just needed to do a few little adjustments. Two channel inputs, sync, and a BNC output on the rear that goes on my amp, so I can listen to what signal I pick. Then for a digital scope it might be a bit more pricy.
Hey picked up a Rigol DS1054Z for $250 on craigslist in the states not long ago. Also was already hacked for full bandwidth and decoders. I am one happy guy.
The hard part is finding one locally online. If you have to pay shipping, you might as well spend a bit more and get an Analog Discovery 2 or something.
A good place to find test equipment is a local ham radio swap meet. You can usually get some good deals.
Here's an idea! Make more smart friends! Meet some people who are smarter than you. That idea can advance your life anyway. If you are a beginner, talk to people who are more advanced in this field, one of them will have respect for your interest as a beginner, and will find you a deal (or maybe even free). I am not trying to say "you're dumb", I started by frying small christmas lights as a kid, we all started knowing jack squat. Go make a friend at the local computer shop (hey, it's a start). I got my first scope for free as a beginner. Not saying you should expect to have a free one "drop in your lap", but just saying try to make a smart friend or two, they will give you knowledge worth far more than a cheap deal on a scope. (And they may have a starter model sitting in their shed). I have much respect for the people who know more than I, but are still willing to talk to beginners like me, and answer my questions.
Tony Lindner
Excellent advice Sir.
Thank you !
The best deal I can find is an HP for $100 it is a four channel 150mhz scope, but most everyone thinks their old scope is still worth what it was when new.
Laughed at The Castle references. The greatest Australian movie ever made? :)
Another top tip for finding a cheap oscilloscope locally, from online auction sites / marketplaces etc in your country, if you do NOT live in an English speaking country: Search for "oscilloscope", in English. Sometimes people with no idea what they are selling just write down whatever the product name on the front panel is, and pretty much all oscilloscopes have the word "oscilloscope" written down along with the make & model. :)
Another potential source could be local oldschool one or two man electronics repair shops, if there are still any. Usually the shops that are still around have been around for decades, and almost everything is kept for spares, including the test equipment, so there may be an old, nowadays replaced scope hiding in the corner somewhere. These will be well used units, but may be cheap or even free for someone who's coming to ask for one and is willing to carry it away.
Possibly redundant comment: Make sure you can find a service manual. That way if you DO need to repair it or calibrate it, you know you can (or you can find someone who can).
Even if you put for scrap/parts/not working a buyer can still open an item not as described case
and get their money back. A big gripe for a lot of sellers. But you do get those sellers that say
not working and they have ripped parts out so its incomplete.
I once had a $30 one. It was an old Monacor Trigger-Oszillograph MO-515. The thing was a huge one channel oscilloscope, but it did the job.
Not all airplanes have wipers, for instance the Bombardier Challenger 300 business jet doesn't, instead it relies on a special window coating. It's certainly rated for IMC conditions.
Sometimes companies just throw old scopes out along with other stuff. Especially if they don't work. So it might be valuable to locate them and peek into their dumpsters from time to time (I'm not joking).
I saved my scope from the destruction. There were two of them and both of them didn't work. I paid ~20$, repaired one of them using parts from the second one and still have some spare parts for it. It is a quite compact 10MHz, 100uV/DIV(!!!) dual channel analog scope. Even modern ones don't have such sensitive front end!
TEENs - I'm a high school student. My first scope was a Tek TAS 455. It had cursors, delayed time base, and easy calibration. It was only 83 bucks shipped. My second scope was a Tek 2235. I got it from a uni while I was at s STEM camp that was dumping 20. It was not my intention to get a second scope, I wanted to take 10 and sell them to raise money for my robotics club. After asking permission I only got one. Not worth selling, may give it to a friend. What I'm trying to say that what Dave said is true. If your a teen, ask local universities, check eBay everyday, and you can get a fine scope.
Thanks for sharing, nice scores.
$50 USD, so $100 AUD?? Because I very rarely see scopes listed for less than $100 on Ebay Australia. Sometimes I even see broken Oscilloscopes just for parts being listed for $100...
I lucked out and grabbed a 35Mhz BWD for less than $50, but that was after months of searching.
The Australia Tax
Speaking of oscilloscopes.....I bought a Marantz ST-8 Esotec tuner with built in scope at a flea market for 40 bucks about 17 years ago. Was in mint condition. Looked online for any info and didn't find anything.......because that tuner was so rare! Ended up selling on eBay for 1200. Should've kept it.
I bought a Tektronix 2465B localy here in Norway for 65$ fully working with probes. I hope it's an ok scope i didnt do any research before i bought it.
Woah, probably the best analog scope ever made!
Bandwidth: 400MHz
Rise time: 875ps
No. of channels: 4ch
Up to 500 ps/div Timing Resolution
I'd buy that for a dollar!
I've had the multi-listing thing pull up a "$50" 3D printer before. The actual $50 item was a toner cartridge.
TONER CARTRIDGE! Nothing at all to do with 3D printing! But it was there!
well it had something to do with printing, just isnt 3d or a printer...😅
You can login to any ebay site with your account. You don't need to have "US" or "AU" account. It is the same thing.
The $50 scope costs about $75 to $100 to ship it to Canada. A new Hantek scope direct from China costs about the same. I chose a new Hantek over those questionable used adds -No power cords -don't know what it is -doesn't have leads -selling as scrap but it works -works intermittently. If I had the skill level to repair a scope I'd probable already own a scope. As a hobbyist I need a scope that already works.
Dave's Browser plugin is called *Imagus*
I know that a video's topic can't be true for every country, especially this kind. I just checked here in Italy and for like 100 euros you can get one of those really old small oscilloscopes and usually those are in pretty bad shape and sometimes in need of some kind of repair. I guess I'll need to look around quite a bit...
Tektronix 465 is a great scope and pretty serviceable. Craigslist has been a good source as well, at least in the US. Happy searching!
Tektronix has great service manuals, well worth picking up if you have one of their scopes. I bought a 465M on eBay in 2001, and used the manual to troubleshoot a bad vertical deflection transistor. It's been working perfectly for 16 years. It'll probably outlast the Rigol I picked up last year. (I still use it, too, as an XY monitor for fixing vector arcade game PCBs.)
wondras same story here. I love and usually go for the Tek over the Rigol. Always wanted the M version... lucky dog
I can beat that, I found an $800 eBay scope at Goodwill for $75!
I think I mostly watch this channel to try to understand how electronic stuff works. I don' t want to like blow a lot of cash trying to make electronic stuff. So I think really I don't need an oscilloscope because I am mostly never going to make electronic stuff. I have not thought of a weird new product that doesn't exist, in which case I could try to do that, but probably someone would immediately clone it. But I think a triggered digital scope would be more useful than these oscillations type of thing,
Yesterday I got an alarm/clock radio off of the internet for $5. I was thinking of trying to use the tuner knob/ferrite etc to tune low frequencies like HAM radio, and feed them into a bt878 card I modded for sampling. But already I am getting a bit weary of the technical costs etc.
You'd think people would just want to unload analog scopes. Here in Ottawa, there is a NEVER ENDING flow of projections tv for free saying you need to carry it out yourself.
My first scope arrived today LG OS 5100A
Mine is a BK Precision 30mhz dual trace. I got it for $50 from a local Craigslist seller (Detroit area). It works great.
With probes, I should add.
I wouldn't discount those old digital storage scopes so quick. I've got an old Tektronix 2220 that I very much like. Admittedly, what I do in the electronics world is as a pure hobbyist, but I'd say it's not a bad scope. And I realise you say that there isn't much memory on them, which is true enough, however I'm guessing people here wanting to get a cheap scope wont be too fussed about the storage capacity, I you're primarily looking at scopes that have no storage, so I think it's fair to assume that limited storage space isn't an issue.
In terms of the function of the scope, ignoring the storage stuff, I like it, I will caveat that by saying I acquired mine for free by saving it from a one way trip into a skip, so obviously can't really talk about weather I think it's worth what I paid for it!
Just getting into electronics and cam across the $50 ocilliscope video. I was surprised when I actually got in to ebay and searched. Scored a Tektronics 2235 AN/USM 488, from what I have found it looks to be a US military spec scope. Hope it's a good one for $50. Thanks for the awesome videos!!
It is possible. I found a Leader 1021 a few months ago for about $42 shipped. It works great. Took quite a while though, you have to be patient.
A year or two back, remembering Dave's Tek 2225, just for kicks, i browsed through a couple of the "local" (here in Finland) buy&sell type sites, and i came across a guy selling a 2225 and a 2230 (2x100MHz digital storage scope), both allegedly dead. The 2225 turned out to be actually ok :D The 2230 needed some work (some bits in the PSU protection area had blown - a triac, a zener etc), but they're both alive & kickin'.
And the best part is, they cost me like 70eu (~80$-ish) together, delivered :P
Sweet deal.
That it is, indeed. I've even tacked on a trigger output to the 2230, to "emulate" a 4ch scope, if ever i need one.
www.dropbox.com/s/pu47gewskaaw1zd/IMG_9761.JPG
Dave...I Watched that Video...took me a year to Find a Scope for $50 on EBay! I scored a 100MHZ HP in Perfect Shape & Like New with Front Cover, Utility Bag, Service Manual and Both HP Probes!! It Popped-Up and I jumped on it!!! Most Scopes on EBay are Sold by people who make a living scouring EBay and/or Auctions and Reselling at Inflated Prices. Anyway...I am Living Proof that it can be done.
About 3 months ago I scored a Hitachi V1050F 100mhz dual channel buy it now for $49.99. Free local pickup. It works awesome. It was located about a mile away from Keithley Instruments old HQ. Cleveland area is great for used test gear.
I pulled something like this out of a skip bin at uni, works perfectly, just needed probes. Happy as a clam.
Wow - what country is that?
Aus
All well and good for the guys oversea's as test equipment can be picked up for a song. As you well know, yeah you can get a $50 oscilloscope in Oz, but it ain't gonna be a tektronix. They might sell for $50 over the pond but here' they're selling for no less than $250 for an oldie. So if you don't mind what brand you can get 'em even cheaper. I got a Kikusui 5021 that needed some minor trace adjustments and the back lights fixed for $20 (but it was listed as working). Easy fix once you work out how to get the front off! Suits my audio needs.
My first scope was free. My first MM was free (Simpson P260 w/ the parallax mirror). Free stuff is everywhere, and always has been.
Hitachi V-1100A scored for just under 50 quid plus shipping at Ebay Germany. Sold as defect for lack of knowledge of the seller. Wonky electrolytic caps, but it works. will require some attention soonish, though. A great score, but the search lasted for well over a year.
When looking at some of the auctions and how they ended, I understand what "stupid German money" means…
Thanks to the EU, living near the border is very helpful to German buyers. :oD The Netherlands and Belgium are fairly close to my place. Ebay.be and ebay.nl are often worth a closer look.
I already have a decent Techtronix digital scope but decided to buy an analogue scope earlier in the year. Ended up picking up an old 10MHz Philips dual-channel jobbie from a local valve enthusiast for £25, collected myself. Works just fine, nice scope actually. It's a heavy brute (from the early '70s) but it does the job.
The Techtronix was the better score actually, they're worth up to £600 second hand but I got mine for £270.
The Techtronix is a TDS2022B, the Philips is a PM3110.
Depends on ones needs. I tend to like the old Tektronix 4XX series scopes. I got a working Tek468 for $120 and that has both Digital and Analog in one unit. Still have it its my #1 scope.
The main thing is to look for a photo of working scope with sine wave or some kind of trace on Screen..
And Dave is a fan of The Castle! I can't love this guy any more. Classic movie about a bloke who really loves his wife and family. What a top guy!
$50 scope, never seen one, if one. Pay $100 bucks shipping and and heaps on customs tax.
$50 scope + $150 shipping = $200 scope
Then don't pay $150 shipping.
Surely as an Australian you can sympathise: I had my eye out for a cheap scope locally for aaaaages... nothing. I eventually gave up and paid much more, but for an HP 54645D which I absolutely love.
Look around long enough, you'll find it. I always use the "free shipping" filter on eBay when looking for deals, may take longer to find but it helps weed out the stupidly high shipping prices.
then don't get our hopes up
He said in the video "the best way" is to search, buy and pickup locally...
I picked up from cregslist 2 tektronix 475-A's for 40.00. both needed work, so i made one working one from them. (one had the dm40 option.) and I find it better to look at places like cregslist then flebay, as you can usely get better prices.
@19:56 don't forget to check the shipping charge- here it's $100. (or perhaps that's because NY to Aus)
I found one in my uni's garbage area. Trigger circuit was out of sync, took me an hour to fix it, sold for $115 on ebay.
Just received a quote for $3442 for a Tektronix 2225 with $595 calibration fee for a total of $4037. Ouch. ( Equipment is refurbished and includes a Parts and Labor Warranty. This Quote is valid for 30 Days. )
Quite hard to find a CRO that shipped to Thailand in reasonably cost. Although it is possible, I just got the Leader 8042 dual trace 40 MHz Analog Oscilloscope locally in reasonable prices (with free shipping!). My personal advice is to keep monitoring the forums, especially in the HAM radio and audio community. I find it somewhat easier to find one there. Good luck hunting!
I just scored a Tek2225 in good working condition, calibrated in 2016, for 60 bucks on eBay. Use Make An Offer, it can be done...
Beats my only personal scope... an old 1963 Heathkit 1012. Vacuum tube based, 1 channel AC with Banana jacks. Works great, but not super practical (one of my college professors gave it to me, it was his first scope and he built it). Seeing this reminds me that I probably should find one of these $50 wonders since I'm no longer in college (and don't have lab access, obviously).
LOL casually I was looking for a backup oscilloscope for my trusty HITACHI 252 20Mhz, guess I'm gonna have to wait for the eevblog effect to wear out
The Hitachi is nice, my dad has one and it still works like a champ.
Got myself a GW Instek 806 for about £120 on ebay. Couple of cheap probes and it works great for the hobbyists stuff I do.
*Gets excited about $50 scopes on Ebay*. *Remembers he lives in the UK*. *Finds only knackered old tube scopes with rusty cases for £50*.
"Being as all of the ones you found were around $150+ after shipping, I don't really see the point of this at all. Even if they accepted an offer of $1 it wouldn't be a $50 oscilloscope when you pay $130 S/H, and they damn certain won't meet you in person unless its market as local pickup.
Cheap scopes on ebay? Yep, I recently got 4 (four) HP scopes for $20!
(OK they were very old, one dead, one I haven't tested yet, but one is 4Ch storage...)
Yeah, but HP!
I got a 60mhz Tek Scope for free from the "Dumpsterroom" of my School. I asked if i could have it and i got it for free. I don´t know if it works, because it first showed only a Point in the middle and the horizontal-knob moved it up and down. But after playing around with the Buttons and trying to set them in a Logical way, it seems to work. It flickers a lot but Shows me the test 1khz Signal it can generate.
I got the Hitachi V650 on Ebay a few years ago but it took a long time to find a good one under 100 dollars
Here in Sweden i had to wait a couple of years to be able to get ANY cheap one. It seems like there are just a small amount of test equipment here, or people just recycle them.
Some other names to add to the list for people looking for used analog scopes : Iwatsu , BK Precision, Goldstar , EZ Digital, Hameg, Leader... there's probably more.