Looking for the Tek 465 of Logic Analysers

[Ian S. King]

One thing on which I must disagree: you don't need 'an external HPIB
controller' to use the HP 1630.  It's nice to be able to save configs and
traces to floppy, but I don't know if the PC software to actually move it
to a host for analysis has survived.  I've never controlled my 1630G with
anything but its front panel.

On Wed, Jun 10, 2015 at 9:01 PM, Ken Seefried <seefriek at gmail.com> wrote:

> Thanks for the input everyone.  In summary, I got recommendations for:
>
> - HP 16500C (lesser a 16500B, but not a 16500A) (mainframe)
> - HP 16700/16900/17500 (mainframe, bigger-faster-stronger, still pretty
> expensive, can use 16500 cards)
> - HP 166x or 167x (portable, modern, look for hard drive)
> - HP 165x (portable, older, only buy cheap, look for hard drive)
> - HP 1630D, 1630G or 1631 (old, HPIB and HPIL interfaces, no special
> software needed, but you apparently need be able to control it with an
> external HPIB controller to get the most out of it)
> - Tek 1240
> - Gould Biomation K100D (software in rom, HPIB interface, assuming you need
> HPIB literacy to use effectively)
> - Tek DAS9200 (be careful to get the right pods (several variations), etc)
> - Tek TLA710/TLA720 (PC attached, Linux capable)
>
> General advice offered:
>
> - Look for hard drives or no special software required for longest life.
> Floppies required == bad.
> - Make really sure you get probes, and the right probes, for your kit.
> They're often not available separately for non-st00pid money.
> - There's a crazy array of ancillary features to consider: o-scope
> functions, processor assemblers/disassemblers, pattern generators,
> specialized inputs/outputs, timebases, embedded Unix machines, etc.  Know
> what you might need.
>
> So I've got a lot of manuals to read, but the 16500C sure looks like a ton
> of bang per US$.  You can even get an expansion chassis (10 additional
> slots) if you need to go to ludicrous speed on the number of
> probes/features.
>
> KJ
>



-- 
Ian S. King, MSIS, MSCS, Ph.D. Candidate
The Information School <http://ischool.uw.edu>

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Value Sensitive Design Research Lab <http://vsdesign.org>

University of Washington

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