Itty bitty O-scope probes

I found this one:

Sorry, but no experience with using or buying one.

Maybe one of these scope probe holding contraptions might be better (and cheaper):

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Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
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I've often thought about how to make a cheap x-y-z manipulator/ probe. Store bought ones are ~$1k+

George H.

Rhode and Schwartz (I think it was) has some really slick scope probes.

I'm a big fan of Probemaster:

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

I would use a piece of 18 gauge bus wire and shape my own holders. Usually I support the bus wire from the legs or holes in the board I'm testing. Drape the cable over the free form bus wire frame and let gravity hold the probe tip in place.

16 gauge AC power wiring should work too.

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Rick C

It sounds like your'e more concerned with the clip than the rest of the probe. For the rest of the probe, there are some alternates.

Do you need fast ns-scale probing? If you have moderately-low impedances, the resistive-probe trick may work well for you.

Here's an s.e.d. post from 15 Sep 2004 04:55:44 -0700: "I suggest a simple 500-ohm low-capacitance probe made from a resistor and some thin RG-174 coax cable.

. ___ ________________BNC .

I've pondered the same thing, maybe Amish style using a mechanical panto-graph arrangement.

Might be useful for pushing parts around when soldering as well.

That's correct, up to a point. For 90% of what I do I could use a set of mini-clips on the end of some really flexible audio cable. It's mostly low-speed digital stuff, and I really only need a scope to tell when the damn thing isn't quite at correct logic levels.

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Tim Wescott 
Wescott Design Services 
http://www.wescottdesign.com 

I'm looking for work -- see my website!

My experience has been that there is no such thing as "low speed" digital electronics. Nearly all digital circuits are sensitive to noise and signal integrity issues that can involve many MHz considerations.

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Rick C

What's with the non-functional < and > ?

Does anyone make a guard comb to place over SOIC/flip-chips etc, so you can safely probe fine pitch IC pins, with no chance of bridging pins ? It would perhaps be a range of comb-edge, or pin hole perforated rows in covers that simply fit over the common formats of SOIC etc. If I knew of the right hardy moulding material I'd make my own using salvaged ICs as templates/moulds

Tek's SureToe probe tips are like that. You could make your own with a bit of JB Weld epoxy putty--the poor man's machine shop.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

Best to plan test points in your layout.

RL

You need a set of these

type of clips (these

PMK (Germany) make nice probes, for a fraction of the HP/TeK equivalent. They are the OEM of many of the Lecroy probes, unused sets of which can often be found at very keen prices.

This set

is similar to the PMK 007. Close up of the tips Very fine spring loaded tips can be bought for these, which is handy for use with a probe stand.

This type of probe stand

is offered by a few scope/probe manufactures/retailers at prices at about the same as my car is worth. However, the OEM of these make the same thing for fibre optic light guide support stands (for the likes of Photonic & Leica) and in that guise they can often be found for a few tens of $10.

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Forgot to say - the 2 foot stands are also good. PMK have one

which is about 1/3 the cost of the HP equivalent.

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?

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

-- Dr Philip C D Hobbs Principal Consultant ElectroOptical Innovations LLC Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics

160 North State Road #203 Briarcliff Manor NY 10510

hobbs at electrooptical dot net

I use test tube clamps and stands for a 3rd hand. By tilting the stand up a tiny amount, it get continuous pressure on the probe tip using gravity. Something like these: However, that's sometimes a problem. My base plates are heavy enough that the probe tip will crack SMT components if I'm not careful. So, I added a spring loaded test probe tip adapter (pogo pin): Also, the tilt method doesn't work with round base plates, which are not stable when tilted.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

Perhaps "digital stuff where speed isn't much of an issue" would be a better description -- blinking lights, PWM to motors, serial protocols where the levels of clock jitter and/or ringing isn't a big deal, "printf to pin", etc.

I know when it becomes critical to view digital as analog, and in those cases I use a proper probe, sometimes with a higher-than-usual degree of paranoia about getting a good reading.

--

Tim Wescott 
Wescott Design Services 
http://www.wescottdesign.com 

I'm looking for work -- see my website!