Oscilloscope question

Ashley> I'm rapidly approaching the point where I will need to learn Ashley> how to use an oscilloscope as part of my quest to learn more Ashley> about debugging the old DEC hardware. What kind of advice Ashley> can folks offer to me about a decent scope and some info on Ashley> how to use one? I think I used one 30 years ago in school, Ashley> but it's been so long that I remember little-to-nothing about Ashley> it. Ashley> One of my first exercises might be to attempt a head Ashley> alignment on an RK05 drive using an alignment pack. I have Ashley> all the documentation for the drive maintenance, etc. Ashley> What kind of scope would I need and how much does one cost? Ashley> Are there any good web sites that would give some basic info Ashley> on "scopes for dummies" or "scopes for beginners"? In the PDP11 era, DEC FS people used to carry around Tektronix scopes of about 100 MHz bandwidth, perhaps a bit less. 465 is a model number that comes to mind, but I may be off a bit. I bought a 100 MHz scope surplus about 8-10 years ago for $500. That was a bench model (Tek 7603 -- very nice machine). 465s were available for about the same price at that time as well. I got the 7603 because it takes plugins, though I don't have any add-on plugins just yet. I would assume that comparable units are significantly less expensive now. (Mine came from Fair Radio, Lima OH. Their pricing is somewhat odd at times but I think this was a good deal. And besides, their warrantee is as good as they claim -- I had the first one go dead on me after a week and they replaced it, no fuss, in a matter of days.) I also got the manual for it. It describes how to use the device quite clearly, and also has a detailed maintenance section and full schematics with description. That apparently stopped being true more recently, but for 1970ish units the manuals should still be good. The big manufacturers should have tutorials of various kinds on their websites. I recently downloaded some from both Agilent and Tektronix (open access, no charge). Haven't read them yet, though, so I can't tell you how good they are. Do some looking, you may find that there is educational material out there that still makes perfect sense even when you're using a 25 year old scope. paul