Looking for the Tek 465 of Logic Analysers

[tony duell]

> 
> Hi Tony,
> 
> I don't mean to throw shade on your HP 1630 or your K100 ... just in my own
> personal opinion, when I see a HP 1630 on eBay for $100 or a HP 1660 on
> eBay for $100 ... and you see this all the time ... I think going with the

Of course. And I my comments are my personal opinion too. I think that giving
such opinions, backed up with facts (as you are certainly doing) is worthwhile. 
Please don't think I am flaming you, or that I don't think your views are worth
considering.

This is classiccmp, a list for old computers. And even I (classic machine lover than
I am) will happily agree that a modern PC has a much higher CPU performance than
any of our classics. We've just had a thread on the VAX 11/730. This is probably the 
slowest VAX ever, just about anything running an emulator will beat it. This does not
mean (IMHO) that the 11/730 is not worth restoring. There are many reasons for liking
classic computers, CPU speed is generally not important.

Similarly there are many (IMHO good) reasons for liking classic test gear. Provided the
limitations are known, and it is used sensibly, it will still give good results. A 100Msample/sec
logic analyser from the 1980s is still a 100Msample/sec logic analyser. It may not be fast
enough for some modern work, it probably is fast enough for working on classic computers.

In the end I think it comes down to knowing the various instruments, the pros and cons of
each and making a choice, What you choose is ultimately up to you. 


> 1660 is the better deal ... you do make a good point about schematics and
> repairability ... and hack-ability ... there are plenty of very exotic
> looking components ... especially on the acquisition cards ... on the newer
> machines that I'm sure are basically impossible to repair.

Be warned that even the HP1630 has custom ICs on the acquisition boards. AFAIK
the Gould K100D is all standard ECL parts. 

For me, the reasons for choosing the K100D would be the documentation and standard
ICs. And the fact that it is easy to make custom probes for it. The reason for choosing
the HP1630 are the mostly standard ICs, the documentation, and the HPIL interface. 

-tony