Oscilloscopes - test-drb@ccmp.vtda.org

23 Nov 1999

-----Original Message-----
From: healyzh(a)aracnet.com &lt;healyzh(a)aracnet.com&gt;
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
&lt;classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu&gt;
Date: Tuesday, November 23, 1999 6:53 PM
Subject: Re: Oscilloscopes

...
 Mike Cheponis wrote:
  I must say, however, with my digital TDS 210 now,
I rarely use the 465
 unless I need more than 2 traces, and I don't need the digital capture
 and measurement facilities of the '210 that makes working on the bench
 -much- more productive. 
Well, you seem to like the TDS 210, so I'm curious, which would you
recommend fixing up the 465B (as seems to be the general advice) or get a
210?  Is there any classic computer gear I'd need a better scope for?

Watch used 210s.. Tektronix recalled a huge lot of them (I think almost all
of them) last year as the connection to ground was breaking off inside the
scope (Yikes!). Also, the 210 has a shitty display like my THS720A... it is
LCD and rather fast changing waveforms can look like a band of black on the
screen (very annoying).. The price is right and the storage is nice but the
display is not anywhere near as nice as a CRT.

Best thing to do is go to your local Tek dealer and try out a TDS210 and a
CRT model (maybe even a 694C ;-)  ).. See which one your comfortable with
and then buy used if you don't want to spend the bucks.

I don't recommend throwing away a few hundred dollars on an old piece of
junk... you just might get another PDP-8 to fix!  ;-)

 john

...
   > On Tue,
23 Nov 1999 14:45:59 -0800 Al Kossow &lt;aek(a)spies.com&gt; writes:
 > > Fry's isn't a good place to buy anything. They would be the LAST
 > > place I'd buy any test gear from. 
OK, it's no where near the same class, but they are who I bought my Fluke
from, they appear to have a good selection of what I hope is new test
equipment.  I do have one rule about buying stuff at Fry's, I don't buy
anything there if I think I might want to take it back.  So far I've not had
...
 any real problems, however, the longer they've had
their store up here in
Oregon, the worse their prices seem to be.  It's no longer worth it to make
a trip down there based on prices.  But for some things they seem to be the
best place to go if you want a good selection, and test equipment looks to
be one of those things.

 Zane