I picked up a lot of Manuals the other day and found a gold-mine of older tube scope manuals. They range from the 502 to the 661. Also some of the 5000 series scopes (50XX, 51XX, 54XX, etc), and most all in-between. Let me know if you want to see the list. They can be sent USPS Priority Mail, and are priced at $15 each, if they fit in the Flat Rate Envelope else it's $5 extra for the heavy ones. Shipped CONUS only. No Manual Merchants need apply.
"Leszek" wrote in news:cog9ib$459$ snipped-for-privacy@nemesis.news.tpi.pl:
No one but TEKTRONIX themselves has them,unless that model was sold to the US military,then there would be a T.O.(tech order) with real schematics. How to find that out is an interesting question itself.
The *entire* TDS line was intended for repair ONLY by module exchange or return to a TEK service center. They do not want customers repairing them themselves.
Agreed. The so called "Service Manulas" for TDS3000 and TDS5000 I could loacate in ebay will only go down to module level. But no schematics -- so you are lost in most cases when tryinfg to find a fault.
If you actually attempt to repair a module, you will find them generally unfriendly to signal tracing and probing. The width and spacing of traces and component pins begins to defy a human's ability to position a probe. Multi-layer boards make tracing near impossible, and you will encounter many proprietary parts that just aren't available at Radio Shack!
The ultimate barrier is when you find the analog signal gets digitized, and all you have are data & control busses and an intimidating proprietary ROM chip & microprocessor.
Newer equipment is simply manufactured with a different philosophy; you ensure the quality of the product with good components and tight process control. You don't spend any money fixing anything; you fix the process and build some more. Since you don't plan on fixing any hardware, you can design it without test points, and with a permanent assembly concept (if you don't plan to service it, you don't need to make any part of it accessible to anyone).
Actually, this is not a new concept. For example, who hasn't repaired some gadget by finding a bad coupling capacitor? What did you do, cut open the capacitor and try to fix the windings? Of course not, you just grabbed a new
25-cent part and replaced the bad one. It wasn't cost-effective to wind your own capacitors (and I'm not even going near suggesting you try building your own solver-mica caps), and even if you did, you likely wouldn't make as good or reliable a cap as a commercial component.
This same compelling economic reasoning has now driven the replaceable "component" up to the "board" or "module" level.
Oh sure, I'm going to get some replies about how easy it is to fix SMT stuff. But I sometimes have to do just that, and I don't find it very enjoyable having to use a stereo microscope to see where to point micropositioner probes onto a gadget that looks like the tax code engraved on the head of a pin. I guess I'm find it more rewarding to be able to fix stuff that still needs 1/4 watt resistors with axial leads.
"Ed Price" wrote in news:UZctd.21559$KO5.20719@fed1read02:
TEK repairs the *current* and LTPS TDS exchange assemblies(if serviceable) at Beaverton,and they were planning to do it at the DC field office in Maryland.(6 yrs ago). The only modules that did not get repaired were the purchased power supplies.
LTPS = Long Term Product Support,TEK's list of what's still serviced.
I agree, because I am 40++ , so my eyesight and hearing is notas it was when I was 20 ;-)
encounter many
digitized, and
proprietary ROM
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Well, only partly agreeing, because you are showing to the extremes. Following your conclusins, it would be to change the motor of your car instead of changing the spark plugs - the motor is the module. And no one would make spark plugs himself, because you can more easily buy them.
Even today, a good schematic will help you to repair a complex Tektronix module. And that's because in many cases the fault is a simple Capacitor, Transitor, Resistor. If you are willing to accept the after the repair the system does not look that perfect as it did before, you will even accept a differnt case-Style of the transstor. As long as it does the job relaible, this will be the only chance for an amateur or an student to get the expensive scope pback to work.
See, "tds350 scope repair thread" of payman.
SMT
engraved
to fix
It depends on how you start the repair - with the right tools, the job is complex, but you can do it (and I hope I can do it when my eyes are
50 ++)
If you don'T have the right tools (or are willing to buy/borrow/...), then the job is hard to do.
It is much like repairing a swiss watch: You will have to get some good tools. Right in size, fitting the job your are planing to do. Your 1/10 " solder iron might or might not be acceptable for SMD repair. You reveryday sledgehammer definetely willt not be okay for this work.
Due to you call sign, I expect you are familiar with DIYing. There it is usually necessary to find a compromise.
If you have not the right tools, buy them. If you are not willing to buy, ask someone around to do the job. It'S better to buy a skilled person a beer or a dinner instead of ruining a complex scope board. just my 0.02$
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