The 454A I have works well for old electronics through computer/digital
equipment for me and where it leaves off my HP 54201D picks up well. I do
wish sometimes that the 454A had the capability of rerun like the HP does.
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
[mailto:owner-classiccmp@classiccmp.org]On Behalf Of Tony Duell
Sent: Tuesday, April 17, 2001 12:54 PM
To: classiccmp(a)classiccmp.org
Subject: Re: Looking for Tek 545B manual for someone
On this note, can someone recommend me a good
'scope for a beginner?
I'm looking to get into microcontroller programming and
robotics and can see
a whole bunch of places where a scope is pretty
much a necessity.
For digital work, I find a logic analyser a lot more use than a 'scope.
On the other hand, a 'scope is essential as well -- if only for looking
at motor drive waveforms, supply noise, and so on.
inexpensive is good, and I'm not afraid to
use vaccuum tube
equipment so
long as it doesn't require too too much
tweaking to produce
useful results.
Tektronix, period. If you don't mind it being large and valved, consider
the 500 series. They do need setting up from time to time, but I find
them to be pretty stable once set up. And the valves don't fail that
often. These 'scopes are excellent, but they're large, and heavy, so they
tend to be pretty cheap second-hand.
If you can afford a couple of hundred dollars, you might get a 465 or a
475. They're transistorised (mostly) and quite portable. Not as versatile
as the 500 series, but they have all the features you're likely to need.
More modern Tektronix are good, too. I've not used them, so I can't
comment on particular models.
HP have made some good 'scopes too, but IMHO they're not generally as
good as the Tektronix ones.
-tony