12 Feb
2009
12 Feb
'09
10:47 p.m.
Dave Caroline wrote:
If you're ever inspired to scan the manuals (or perhaps the pertinent bits like
the schematic) I would be interested of course, but I imagine it's a fair volume
in total.
The unit here has some intermittent it seems, it will display a live trace IIRC,
but the storage and statistical algorithms don't seem to work. I did see it
average a noisy sine wave (finger on input) at one point but it doesn't seem to
do that anymore.
I reverse engineered the DACs and core memory circuitry, but there's
a hundred or two SSI ICs and laced wire bundles remaining that I haven't
worked up the enthusiasm to RE.
Nice to hear there are a couple others of these units out there still.
The first commercial digital scope I'm aware
of is the HP 5480 digital signal
analyser, from 1969 IIRC, uses core memory(!). (I have one that's languishing
inoperative for lack of a manual.)
I too have one but mine came with manuals but was missing some
interconnect cables the manuals are not yet in my calalog or scanned. Just been to the Digital Lives Conference and I get
the impression
that there is NO effort by any official archive to collect manuals and
such, test equipment seems to be a poorly covered area in the museum
and archive world.
It's an area of interest to so few people, one has to be well inside the
technical arena as well as have an interest in the history, for such stuff to
hold any interest. I wonder what will happen to some of the obscure boat
anchors I have here when I have to divest.