Tektronix 7000 series power supply, sluggish start
Joerg
"it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
cranketh over.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/
"gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
Use another domain or send PM.
Jim Thompson
wrote:
>Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>"it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>
>When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>
>I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>cranketh over.
It's cold ;-)
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed
Joerg
> On Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:20:30 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>
>> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>
>> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>> cranketh over.
>
> It's cold ;-)
>
67F in the office. But thanks for the reminder, got to reload the wood
stove. My wife ain't gonna be happy when she comes back and the house
has dropped to 65F :-)
Anyhow, one minutes ago ye olde 7704A has decided to call it quits :-(
tm
"Joerg" <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
news:8r0v2n...@mid.individual.net...
Do you have the service manual? There is a very good theory of operation
on the power supply. It is a combination switcher and linear system.
Most of the time, it's a shorted capacitor. There is current limiting on all
the
low voltage supplies in the form of current shunt emitter resistors on the
series pass transistors.
The good news is there are many parts units available for the 7704(A)
mainframes.
You might want to check the "Tekscopes" group on yahoogroups. A lot of help
is
available there.
tm
Joel Koltner
> 67F in the office. But thanks for the reminder, got to reload the wood
> stove. My wife ain't gonna be happy when she comes back and the house
> has dropped to 65F :-)
Even 62F isn't bad with a few layers of clothing... below 60F the problem gets
to be that fingers just don't want to work very well (nimbly), even if overall
you're still warm and comfortable!
On the other hand, as I recall, in summer you're all for having the office at
something like 94F before you turn on the AC? :-)
> Anyhow, one minutes ago ye olde 7704A has decided to call it quits :-(
Second life as yard art? Or do you plan to fix it?
Joerg
> "Joerg" <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> news:8r0v2n...@mid.individual.net...
>> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>
>> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>
>> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>> cranketh over.
>>
>> --
>> Regards, Joerg
>>
>> http://www.analogconsultants.com/
>>
>> "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
>> Use another domain or send PM.
>
> Do you have the service manual? There is a very good theory of operation
> on the power supply. It is a combination switcher and linear system.
>
I do have that. The switcher is one of those "hairball" circuits with
self-start, SCRs, and whatnot. If I have to I'll dig in. Was trying to
avoid that if someone knows a part that is the culprit in most cases.
Like on those AOR scanner receivers where once they are 5+ years old
usually the backup battery in there croaks and the thing quits. The
battery is soldered onto a board, sort of hidden.
> Most of the time, it's a shorted capacitor. There is current limiting on all
> the
> low voltage supplies in the form of current shunt emitter resistors on the
> series pass transistors.
>
Yes, I saw that. The post-regulators are on the acquisition board.
They've cut it quite close, 2V dropout on the 15V rails.
> The good news is there are many parts units available for the 7704(A)
> mainframes.
>
Yes, I could just buy a "new" one and be done with it. But somehow that
goes against the grain, from an environmetal POV. And I'd be throwing
away a piece of history. It's not quite a 2465 but those 7704A are darn
good scopes.
> You might want to check the "Tekscopes" group on yahoogroups. A lot of help
> is
> available there.
>
Thanks, I'll have to check that one out.
Joerg
> "Joerg" <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
> news:8r0vfu...@mid.individual.net...
>> 67F in the office. But thanks for the reminder, got to reload the wood
>> stove. My wife ain't gonna be happy when she comes back and the house
>> has dropped to 65F :-)
>
> Even 62F isn't bad with a few layers of clothing... below 60F the
> problem gets to be that fingers just don't want to work very well
> (nimbly), even if overall you're still warm and comfortable!
>
In the mornings it can be 58F in the office and I actually like that.
Problem is, I don't feel it being too cold but my wife does. So when she
is gone for a few hours I set a kitchen timer. It reminds me to look at
the thermometer every 1-1/2h and reload the wood stove if too low.
> On the other hand, as I recall, in summer you're all for having the
> office at something like 94F before you turn on the AC? :-)
>
Not anymore. Now we have a small evap cooler which keeps the living area
under 85F and the office under 90F. If I could figure out a way to mount
one near the office it would both go to less than 80F. But the way this
house is built that's nearly impossible. It is one of those Frank Lloyd
Wright style houses.
>> Anyhow, one minutes ago ye olde 7704A has decided to call it quits :-(
>
> Second life as yard art? Or do you plan to fix it?
>
If it won't turn into a major science project I want to fix it.
Admitted, I rarely use it these days but when I do it always performs.
Or has :-(
Seems like old lab gear isn't immortal. The Wavetek 23 that I really
like went thoroughly kaputt half a year ago. But Tektronix did a much
better job omn this scope. Nothing gets too hot in there.
tm
"Joerg" <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
You might also try it with most of the plugins pulled just in case it is a
problem
there. You can take one known good module (vert) and try it in different
slots.
On the backplane there are about five electrolytic, most are tantalums and
they
are known to short out. You will need to unscrew the boards to see them.
That
is done much easier if the panels are all removed and the bottom guide rails
are pulled.
The power supply can be pulled out the rear and fully exposed while running.
Use care not to stress the cables too much.
The primary inverter has a circuit that requires all the voltages to balance
out
or it will go into a "tick" mode while it tries to restart. The frequency of
the tick
can give clues to the problem.
There are some voltages in there that can teach a lesson though.
tm
Joerg
[...]
> You might also try it with most of the plugins pulled just in case it is a
> problem
> there. You can take one known good module (vert) and try it in different
> slots.
>
I had tried that. It won't even start with all modules pulled.
> On the backplane there are about five electrolytic, most are tantalums and
> they
> are known to short out. You will need to unscrew the boards to see them.
> That
> is done much easier if the panels are all removed and the bottom guide rails
> are pulled.
>
Aha, tantalums. That's often bad news. Looks like a job for a rainy
weekend then. Thanks for the hint.
> The power supply can be pulled out the rear and fully exposed while running.
> Use care not to stress the cables too much.
>
Yes, that was fairly easy, had done that one before.
> The primary inverter has a circuit that requires all the voltages to balance
> out
> or it will go into a "tick" mode while it tries to restart. The frequency of
> the tick
> can give clues to the problem.
>
It's not a tick, more like a rattlesnake in the distance. Irregular
bzzzzt intervals. It used to start up after doing that for a couple
minutes but not anymore. Maybe it didn't like the long periods where it
wasn't turned on and wants to punish me for that now.
> There are some voltages in there that can teach a lesson though.
>
Yep, it says so in the manual :-)
John Larkin
wrote:
>Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>"it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>
>When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>
>I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>cranketh over.
Umm, it's the 21st century! Has been for a while now.
Rigol has a 1 GHz digital scope now. They aren't toys any more.
John
Joerg
> On Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:20:30 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>
>> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>
>> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>> cranketh over.
>
>
> Umm, it's the 21st century! Has been for a while now.
>
Doesn't mean we have to abandon all the good stuff. I won't throw out a
nice bottle of wine just because is was from 1999 :-)
> Rigol has a 1 GHz digital scope now. They aren't toys any more.
>
I've got a 200MHz and a 1GHz scope but they are digital. DSOs are what I
now use maybe 99% of the time. However, in my line of work there is that
1% where DSOs just can't cut it, no matter how fancy they may be. I have
been asked by clients "How on earth did you find this tiny random pulse
noise?"
tm
"John Larkin" <jjla...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in message
news:34omk69p4bq9utj83...@4ax.com...
Yeah, but can you plug a curve tracer, spectrum analyzer, logic analyzer,
sampling
plug in, etc in the Rigol?
In 20 years, can you replace IC-1 in the Rigol?
tm
legg
wrote:
>Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>"it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>
>When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>
>I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>cranketh over.
That's the self-start circuit functioning.
The main converter is resonant (L3037 C3037). Capacitive rectification
on prereg outputs.
The only thing that's going to get better as it warms up is
electrolytic esr, but these things used wet tantalum. If they're
leaking that could cause high ripple and reduced output voltages.
The 50V lines are most suspect.
RL
Joerg
> On Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:20:30 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>
>> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>
>> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>> cranketh over.
>
> That's the self-start circuit functioning.
>
> The main converter is resonant (L3037 C3037). Capacitive rectification
> on prereg outputs.
>
Yes, looks like 30kHz series-resonant. In those days they couldn't go
much higher.
> The only thing that's going to get better as it warms up is
> electrolytic esr, but these things used wet tantalum. If they're
> leaking that could cause high ripple and reduced output voltages.
> The 50V lines are most suspect.
>
Thanks. Then I guess the drill is to get the power supply out,
disconnect the various connectors for the output rails. If it still
won't start the short must be on the module itself. Which would be good
because prying out the backplane doesn't look like fun.
Strange thing is, sometimes when I let it try for a while the scope will
power up and work fine. Except that a very faint ticking of a couple
Hertz or so can be heard when I press my ear against the side of the
scope. But that could be the neon bulbs which are very tired.
tm
"Joerg" <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
It will not run without a load. Also, there is a supply cable and a sense
cable that come together on the backplane. The ticking is the voltage
balance circuit shutting the supply down. Come in from the front and pull
the modules from the left three slots and you will see the caps. They are
just dipped solid tantalums. It sounds like one of them is getting ready to
flame out. There is a summing point on the supply that you can connect
a scope to and based on what direction the voltage goes too during one
of the ticks, it will tell you what supply is failing. For example, if the
+15 shorts
to ground, the voltage will go negative.
Also, the HF signal from the inverter feeds the high voltage power supply in
the display unit and that load must also be there.
tm
Nico Coesel
>tm wrote:
>> "Joerg" <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
>> news:8r0v2n...@mid.individual.net...
>>> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>>> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>>
>>> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>>> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>>> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>>
>>> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>>> cranketh over.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Regards, Joerg
>>>
>>> http://www.analogconsultants.com/
>>>
>>> "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
>>> Use another domain or send PM.
>>
>> Do you have the service manual? There is a very good theory of operation
>> on the power supply. It is a combination switcher and linear system.
>>
>
>I do have that. The switcher is one of those "hairball" circuits with
>self-start, SCRs, and whatnot. If I have to I'll dig in. Was trying to
>avoid that if someone knows a part that is the culprit in most cases.
>Like on those AOR scanner receivers where once they are 5+ years old
>usually the backup battery in there croaks and the thing quits. The
>battery is soldered onto a board, sort of hidden.
Tektronix has a forum on their website where there is plenty of room
for talking about component level repairs.
This website may also help to get diagrams:
http://bama.edebris.com/manuals/tek/
--
Failure does not prove something is impossible, failure simply
indicates you are not using the right tools...
nico@nctdevpuntnl (punt=.)
--------------------------------------------------------------
Jim Yanik
news:7ohmk6p0se1fp4ht7...@4ax.com:
> On Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:20:30 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>>Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>>"it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>
>>When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>>ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>>life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>
>>I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>>cranketh over.
>
> It's cold ;-)
>
> ...Jim Thompson
that is the sign of the PS load becoming marginally too high;the supply
current limits and shuts down,then restarts again and again.
(this series-resonant supply has several control loops,and current limit
circuits on some of the regulated supplies,too.)
It's probably some electrolytics(ESR),both on the PS itself,and on the
mainframe.
it could also be HV related.
One more thing;I've seen the Vb-e rise on the heat-sunk flat-pack(TO-126?)
power xstrs on the cap-regulator board and cause a current limit condition
on it's supply. Those xstrs are the ones that mount to the rear heat
sink,several of them in a row. Replacing the xstrs fixed the problem.
Of course,I had a curve tracer to check those xstrs......how to
troubleshoot that without one,I dunno. the current limit circuit on those
supplies is a foldback type,IIRC.
--
Jim Yanik
jyanik
at
localnet
dot com
Joerg
Thanks. Looks like there are some daughterboards that are on the
backplane that I'll have to unscrew and remove. Can't see any tantalums
to the side of those. This looks like a tear-down job because there's
tight-fitting gray coaxes coming off of those "mezzanine boards".
Surprisingly, this morning the scope turned on immediately, like in the
old days, without delay and without any rattlesnake hisses. Weird.
tm
"Jim Yanik" <jya...@abuse.gov> wrote in message
news:Xns9E82772A5FD28...@216.168.3.44...
I have also seen the current sense resistors drift higher causing a lower
trip
point. These are easy to check in circuit. If you measure a higher
resistance
than the marked value, you have found it.
tm
Joerg
Thanks, Jim. I could test those by hand. Takes longer but done it
before. From what RL wrote the supply won't start without a sufficient
load. I do not have many modules because I only use the 7704A as a plain
vanilla analog scope. This morning it decided to work normal again,
after thinking about it for a night. Beats me why.
Looking into the 7A26 module I see that there's tons of tantalums in
there as well. Maybe one of the modules is acting up.
John Larkin
wrote:
For $400 or less, why bother to fix them? None of our color digital
scopes, two Rigols and about a dozen Teks, have broken so far.
I used to use a bunch of 7000 series scopes, but most have died by
now. Long-term, older tube units, like the 547, are more reliable and
more repairable. We do have one 7104 that we use now and then.
But if I want a spectrum analyzer, I can buy a nice new digital one.
In inflation-adjusted dollars, they are a lot cheaper than the old Tek
plugins were, and work a lot better. And don't need their own wheeled
vehicle.
The 7A22 diffamp was cool, but I use an AM502 to front a digital scope
and get the best of both worlds.
I do still use 11801 sampling scopes, wonderful boxes. They seem
pretty reliable, and used ones cost a few percent of what a new
sampler would cost. The sampling plugins for the 7000 series were
pretty barbaric.
John
Joerg
> On Thu, 3 Feb 2011 22:29:38 -0500, "tm" <the_ob...@whitehouse.gov>
> wrote:
>
>> "John Larkin" <jjla...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in message
>> news:34omk69p4bq9utj83...@4ax.com...
>>> On Thu, 03 Feb 2011 16:20:30 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>>>> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>>>
>>>> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>>>> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>>>> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>>>
>>>> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>>>> cranketh over.
>>>
>>> Umm, it's the 21st century! Has been for a while now.
>>>
>>> Rigol has a 1 GHz digital scope now. They aren't toys any more.
>>>
>>> John
>>>
>> Yeah, but can you plug a curve tracer, spectrum analyzer, logic analyzer,
>> sampling
>> plug in, etc in the Rigol?
>>
>> In 20 years, can you replace IC-1 in the Rigol?
>
For me, environmental reasons are number one. If we all follow the
unhealthy habit of "chuck it and buy a new one" that is not a good
thing. When we moved across the pond we needed a new clock radio that
didn't need 50Hz. $9.95 plus tax. One digit didn't work. Drat! Thought
about it for 5secs, opened it up, fixed it, done. Took 20mins or so off
our Saturday. Driving back to Walmart where they'd just given us a new
one would have cost at least 45mins plus a gallon of gasoline. And
they'd have chucked the "broken" radio which just had one bad solder joint.
The best thing is, whenever I do that I always learn something new about
cost efficient design. Most of all packaging, and with some projects
packaging can be >50% of an EE's real work.
[...]
> I used to use a bunch of 7000 series scopes, but most have died by
> now. Long-term, older tube units, like the 547, are more reliable and
> more repairable. We do have one 7104 that we use now and then.
>
But you can really see the meter spin up when firing up a 547 :-)
Also, I found that while tube stuff is great it becomes harder and
sometimes painfully expensive to find NOS replacement tubes. That has
brought a nice generator to grief over here because it was built with
WW-II era steel tubes.
[...]
tm
"Joerg" <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote in message
Take a picture or two so you know how the cables go back together. The
tantalum caps are behind the left two boards. Much easier if you pull a few
of the black rails out of the bottom and stand the scope on the rear. Go in
through the bottom and you can remove the bad cap(s). Some suggest just
clipping the leads next to the old cap and just soldering the new cap to the
old leads. The board is multilayer and very old so pulling the plating out
of
the holes is easy and ruins the board.
Be gentle around those edge connectors. The plastic covers pop off easily
and don't always go back correctly. They are very necessary.
Good luck,
tm
tm
"John Larkin" <jjla...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in message
Hey, at least they are less likely to walk away from your bench. :)
The Rigols are cheap right now because of the Chinese dumping. When the
environazis get their way and make them follow all the laws we need to,
those
prices will get to more like ours. They sell a digital scope for $400
because
they don't worry about osha, epa, unions, human rights, etc. And pay what, a
dollar a day to the labor force?
Then you will want to repair the broken scope.
tm
Joerg
That is a good idea. I was thinking along the same lines, just clipping
and soldering some non-tantalums in there. Hoping that the black rails
don't break, they feel as if they are totally hardened.
To my surprise the scope decided to just work again. Not sure if the
constant pulling and re-inserting of modules did that or what.
John Larkin
wrote:
The low and midrange Tek and Agilent scopes are made in China now. But
they cost 3-4x what the Rigols cost. The $1K Agilent *is* a Rigol.
Keithley is doing the same thing, buying a Chinese DVM and sticking
their name on it and doubling the price or so. Piece 'o crap.
John
Joerg
What I found is that companies from China often aren't very good at all
when it comes to listening to their customers. If they'd ever learn how
to do that they could become really good.
John Larkin
wrote:
My $400 Rigol scope is pretty impressive. The user interface is good
and it's packed with features, like USB and digital filtering, that
you don't get on a $1400 Tek scope. The probes are very nice.
John
Joerg
Same with the Instek here. Once a guy was rather surprised that his Tek
had higher noise and that storing a pic took only a second on the Instek.
But it does have things that are rather easily fixed. For example the
trigger level knob does not scale with the input divider, and it should.
So if you crank up the sensitivity your trigger level ends up at flight
level 410 and you need hundreds of encoder turns to get it back down.
Meaning you must set the sensitivity back where it had been before,
crank it to zero, then turn sensitivity back up. There is also no
accelerator function on this knob. Wrote to Instek but, as expected, no
answer. And no firmware fix. So I often press the blue "grandma button"
to avoid turn the knobs again.
Got a Chinese DDS generator here right now. That one has a serious bug,
phase jumps. Wrote to the guys, so far not much in terms of answers.
This is one of the reasons why in the medical electronics biz we are
fairly unafraid of Asian competition. Because in med you'll never reach
high-end without being at the customers all the time.
John Larkin
wrote:
The asians tend to go for high-volume, low-margin products. I'm not
afraid of asian competition in my niche, either.
Just found out a customer wants us in San Diego next week,
brainstorming for a couple of days. All we have to do is mention the
company name and hotel rates drop in half; they have deals. I think
we'll stay at a swanky golf resort, room with a view for $140 a night.
I love golf resorts: they're green and pretty, nice rooms, spas, great
food and drinks. Golf itself is, of course, absurd.
John
Jamie
Talking about Rigol, I don't have one of their scopes (yet) but I do
have a arbitrary function generator. I just wonder if they employ the
same power supply techniques in all of their euipment ? When I power
up the bench, because I like things to be dead when I am not around, The
unit's display flashes on and off along with the PSU relay.
Specially the DG1022 model. I just find it annoying..
Jamie
John Larkin
My 50 MHz Rigol scope doesn't do anything weird like that, but it does
have a fan that makes a small amount of noise. My Tek equivalent
doesn't.
John
JW
<jjla...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in Message id:
<vc0pk6dpcnghi7b04...@4ax.com>:
>My $400 Rigol scope is pretty impressive. The user interface is good
>and it's packed with features, like USB and digital filtering, that
>you don't get on a $1400 Tek scope. The probes are very nice.
For anyone who's looking for a good scope for cheap I'd recommend an
Agilent 54825N. 500MHz, 2GSa/s. I think the military has been
de-commissioning these for the last year or so. You can usually get 'em
for a grand or so on Ebay with a "power up test only, we don't know how to
test" etc. I've got five of them right now, that I'll move for 2K or more.
Yeah, it runs Windows, but that doesn't bother me much. In fact, I kind of
like it. Controls easily over the network, emails you on a trigger event,
and easy to customize.
Phil Hobbs
I'll keep my $900 TDS744--4 channels, 500 MHz, 2 Gs/s, no Windows. When
my ship comes in, maybe I'll plump for a TDS694C. One of the world's
most beautiful scopes. A bit hard to justify at the moment--for scope
stuff, there's not a lot I can't do with a TDS744 and an 11802 with
beaucoup plugins.
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs
Principal
ElectroOptical Innovations
55 Orchard Rd
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510
845-480-2058
email: hobbs (atsign) electrooptical (period) net
http://electrooptical.net
JW
<pcdhSpamM...@electrooptical.net> wrote in Message id:
<4D500248...@electrooptical.net>:
>JW wrote:
>> On Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:47:58 -0800 John Larkin
>> <jjla...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in Message id:
>> <vc0pk6dpcnghi7b04...@4ax.com>:
>>
>>
>>> My $400 Rigol scope is pretty impressive. The user interface is good
>>> and it's packed with features, like USB and digital filtering, that
>>> you don't get on a $1400 Tek scope. The probes are very nice.
>>
>> For anyone who's looking for a good scope for cheap I'd recommend an
>> Agilent 54825N. 500MHz, 2GSa/s. I think the military has been
>> de-commissioning these for the last year or so. You can usually get 'em
>> for a grand or so on Ebay with a "power up test only, we don't know how to
>> test" etc. I've got five of them right now, that I'll move for 2K or more.
>>
>> Yeah, it runs Windows, but that doesn't bother me much. In fact, I kind of
>> like it. Controls easily over the network, emails you on a trigger event,
>> and easy to customize.
>
>I'll keep my $900 TDS744--4 channels, 500 MHz, 2 Gs/s, no Windows. When
>my ship comes in, maybe I'll plump for a TDS694C. One of the world's
>most beautiful scopes. A bit hard to justify at the moment--for scope
>stuff, there's not a lot I can't do with a TDS744 and an 11802 with
>beaucoup plugins.
Got a TDS684B for sale if you're interested. :)
My only problem with that series of scopes (5XX through 7XX) is the CRTs.
Eventually they just fade out. The good news is that there's LCD
conversion kits that replace the CRT, you can get them for $550 each on
Ebay. They look great as well.
Attenuators also seem to fail quite often on the 1GHz and less versions of
TDS5XX through 7XX. Running a SPC and getting a compensation error is the
usual indicator. They can be re-built with off the shelf components
(relays) Just takes a steady hand (2 beers should do the trick), a long
tip on the soldering iron, and a microscope.
Phil Hobbs
Thanks, but the 694's 10 Gs/s is the draw. I used to have a 684B, which
I liked very well too--the one annoying thing about the 744 is that the
display doesn't update until after the next trace comes up. That's a
bit irritating when e.g. adjusting the vertical offset during some slow
measurements.
SPC is fine so far.
The 744 has a VGA output on the back as well.
Nico Coesel
Or DIY:
http://forum.sparkfun.com/viewtopic.php?f=14&t=23147
I still need to update the VHDL part though.
>Attenuators also seem to fail quite often on the 1GHz and less versions of
>TDS5XX through 7XX. Running a SPC and getting a compensation error is the
>usual indicator. They can be re-built with off the shelf components
>(relays) Just takes a steady hand (2 beers should do the trick), a long
>tip on the soldering iron, and a microscope.
Thats the capacitors leaking.
Joerg
Two of these? Around 10 volts and (IIRC) 3/4 of a liter each:
[...]
Frank Galikanokus
>
> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>
> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>
> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
> cranketh over.
>
> Regards, Joerg
>
> http://www.analogconsultants.com/
>
> "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
> Use another domain or send PM.
Bad caps in the switching power supply.
JAM
Joerg
Either that, or as another poster in this thread mentioned the tantalums
on the backplane.
The weird thing is, it decided to repair itself and right now starts up
every single time. It is running right now.
Joel Koltner
news:8f50l6139ob1ei5up...@4ax.com...
> Got a TDS684B for sale if you're interested. :)
What kinda of price were you thinking? :-)
JW
Message id: <4d502831....@news.kpnplanet.nl>:
NO COLOR!??? Ack!
At one point I did find a source for the panel and panel controller that
would yield a color display. I contacted a Chinese OEM
http://www.promate.com/ that would sell the panel and controller for $173.
Here's the email:
Thank you for the detail information. Per your request here is what
Promate can offer for the G065VN01-V2 (LVDS Interface, LED backlight w/
driver included) + GB Driving Board kit (cables included):
1-99pcs: $173/pc
Lead Time : 4-6 weeks
This price is based on quantity ordered per Lot.
Thanks and best regards,
Andy Chen
Sales Marketing Engineer
PROMATE ELECTRONIC CO., LTD.
4F 32, Sec. 1 Huan Shan Rd., Nei Hu, Taipei 114, Taiwan
MOBILE: 0988-972-982
TEL: (02)2659-0303 ext.1296
FAX: (02)2658-0954
MAIL: andy_chen AT promate.com
Never followed up with it as I'd still have to have the sheet metal and
cables fabricated. I do have drawings of the sheet metal and
specifications on the LCD and controller if anyone is interested.
>>Attenuators also seem to fail quite often on the 1GHz and less versions of
>>TDS5XX through 7XX. Running a SPC and getting a compensation error is the
>>usual indicator. They can be re-built with off the shelf components
>>(relays) Just takes a steady hand (2 beers should do the trick), a long
>>tip on the soldering iron, and a microscope.
>
>Thats the capacitors leaking.
Sometimes yes. The affected scopes I can remember working on off-hand are:
TDS520, TDS540, TDS520A TDS524A TDS540A TDS544A TDS640 TDS640A TDS644A.
I'm sure I've missed some...
I've cleaned and re-capped tons of those scopes, including a pallet full
that Rosenkrantz in Germany shipped to me. A number of them were
unrepairable as there were too many open etches and vias. Whoever owned
those scopes must have kept using them long after the caps started leaking
and the scope failed POST.
I don't recall whether any TDS7XX scopes were affected. At some point they
stopped using aluminum electrolytics on the ACQ boards, probably from all
the failures that occurred in early scopes. All the TDS7XX scopes I've
successfully repaired that were failing SPC needed attenuator re-builds,
although some of them were failing SPC for reasons unknown and I was
unable to fix.
JW
in Message id: <8raov2...@mid.individual.net>:
Maybe only *one* of those! [licks lips]
JW
<zapwireD...@yahoo.com> wrote in Message id:
<DqX3p.590510$Ua4.3...@en-nntp-09.dc1.easynews.com>:
$2400. Figure about $60 for shipping and insurance anywhere in continental
US. Has a nice bright CRT without cranking up the intensity, so it
couldn't have seen too many power-on hours. 30 day warranty.
JW
in Message id: <8rat0f...@mid.individual.net>:
>Frank Galikanokus wrote:
>> Joerg wrote:
>>> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
>>> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>>>
>>> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
>>> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
>>> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>>>
>>> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
>>> cranketh over.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Regards, Joerg
>>>
>>> http://www.analogconsultants.com/
>>>
>>> "gmail" domain blocked because of excessive spam.
>>> Use another domain or send PM.
>>
>> Bad caps in the switching power supply.
>>
>
>Either that, or as another poster in this thread mentioned the tantalums
>on the backplane.
>
>The weird thing is, it decided to repair itself and right now starts up
>every single time. It is running right now.
Might have gotten lucky and blew a short in one on the tantalums.
Joerg
IME that always went the "exothermal" way: *WHADDABAM* ... followed by a
colorful puff of smoke and an evil stench.
Nico Coesel
The problem is that the monochrome scopes do not have a color
framebuffer.
Nico Coesel
Tek has the same feature on the older digital scopes I work(ed) with.
>>This is one of the reasons why in the medical electronics biz we are
>>fairly unafraid of Asian competition. Because in med you'll never reach
>>high-end without being at the customers all the time.
>
>The asians tend to go for high-volume, low-margin products. I'm not
>afraid of asian competition in my niche, either.
There is little to worry about the Chinese. If the volumes are big
enough you wouldn't have got the deal anyway. Over here a lot of
designers got scared though and dropped their prices to very low
levels. It is cheaper to hire an EE than a car mechanic.
JW
Message id: <4d51bef2....@news.kpnplanet.nl>:
I had thought you meant to use the above DIY controller with the color
versions of the scope, which is what I was referring to when I mentioned
the LCD kit.
JeffM
>Joerg wrote:
>>My wife ain't gonna be happy when she comes back
>>and the house has dropped to 65F :-)
>>
>Even 62F isn't bad with a few layers of clothing... below 60F[,]
>the problem gets to be
>that fingers just don't want to work very well (nimbly),
>even if overall you're still warm and comfortable!
>
It depends on how much of your fingers you actually need.
http://google.com/images?q=%22.gloves.without.fingertips%22+-Lacey+-Mesh
Joel Koltner
news:080d0fb7-f1c7-4b1d...@j9g2000prj.googlegroups.com...
> It depends on how much of your fingers you actually need.
> http://google.com/images?q=%22.gloves.without.fingertips%22+-Lacey+-Mesh
Hmm, yes. I'd have to work on not feeling too dorky wearing something like
that, but I suppose a shockingly high heating bill would do so.
My main strategy when I was a single was to spend a lot of time at work,
school, or other places where heating and air conditioning were provided to me
without incremental cost. :-)
ChrisQ
> Ok, guys, without taking it all apart again, does anyone know a typical
> "it's nearly always this part" type of cause?
>
> When turning a Tex 7704A on the power supply lets off a faint bzzzzt ..
> ttzzzt ... brrp ... bzzzzzt .... until after several minutes it come to
> life. Is the magic neon bulb past its prime? Or something else?
>
> I can still use the scope but I see the day coming when it no longer
> cranketh over.
>
The only fault I ever had with my old 7603 was one of those kemet J
hermetic solid tantalum caps that went dead short and brought down one of
the dc rails. Took hours to find it, as the cap was located behind the
plugin socket frame and difficult to see, never mind access for
replacement.
Haven't used it for ages, but some of the plugins, 7s11 / 7t11 sampling
etc, can be very usefull and expensive in terms of alternative capability.
That and the 246x seires are still some of the most usefull scopes you
can have in a lab...
Regards,
Chris
Joerg
Around the year 2000, after receiving a gas bill for $709 for just one
month, we had a wood stove installed. That instantly fixed the problem.
Best investment we ever made into the house.
k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz
>Joel Koltner wrote:
>> "JeffM" <jef...@email.com> wrote in message
>> news:080d0fb7-f1c7-4b1d...@j9g2000prj.googlegroups.com...
>>> It depends on how much of your fingers you actually need.
>>> http://google.com/images?q=%22.gloves.without.fingertips%22+-Lacey+-Mesh
>>
>> Hmm, yes. I'd have to work on not feeling too dorky wearing something
>> like that, but I suppose a shockingly high heating bill would do so.
>>
>> My main strategy when I was a single was to spend a lot of time at work,
>> school, or other places where heating and air conditioning were provided
>> to me without incremental cost. :-)
>
>
>Around the year 2000, after receiving a gas bill for $709 for just one
>month, we had a wood stove installed. That instantly fixed the problem.
>Best investment we ever made into the house.
Yikes! Though thinking about it, we used to get an oil delivery (225gal, or
so) every three weeks. Our largest electric bill this Winter was $175. The
smallest is around $100, so $75 for heat isn't too bad. :-)
Joerg
> On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 11:15:40 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>
>> Joel Koltner wrote:
>>> "JeffM" <jef...@email.com> wrote in message
>>> news:080d0fb7-f1c7-4b1d...@j9g2000prj.googlegroups.com...
>>>> It depends on how much of your fingers you actually need.
>>>> http://google.com/images?q=%22.gloves.without.fingertips%22+-Lacey+-Mesh
>>> Hmm, yes. I'd have to work on not feeling too dorky wearing something
>>> like that, but I suppose a shockingly high heating bill would do so.
>>>
>>> My main strategy when I was a single was to spend a lot of time at work,
>>> school, or other places where heating and air conditioning were provided
>>> to me without incremental cost. :-)
>>
>> Around the year 2000, after receiving a gas bill for $709 for just one
>> month, we had a wood stove installed. That instantly fixed the problem.
>> Best investment we ever made into the house.
>
> Yikes! Though thinking about it, we used to get an oil delivery (225gal, or
Almost 300 gals/mo? At today's prices that could set you back the same
amount.
> ... Our largest electric bill this Winter was $175. The
> smallest is around $100, so $75 for heat isn't too bad. :-)
In much of California electricity is mega-out for anything other than
lighting and stuff. Unless they get special deals new owners of electric
cars may be in for a rude awakening. Once you exceed a paltry baseline
quantity of kWh the price skyrockets. Which is also rather business
hostile because a li'l garage start-up shop might send the electric bill
right through the roof.
Jim Thompson
wrote:
Which is why Intel is expanding here (Ocotillo Campus) and shrinking
in Californica.
...Jim Thompson
--
| James E.Thompson, CTO | mens |
| Analog Innovations, Inc. | et |
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems | manus |
| Phoenix, Arizona 85048 Skype: Contacts Only | |
| Voice:(480)460-2350 Fax: Available upon request | Brass Rat |
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com | 1962 |
Remember: Once you go over the hill, you pick up speed
Joerg
The Folsom campus 10 miles from here isn't shrinking AFAIK.
But Chandler sure is something special. I was visiting a company there
and right behind the building was a rather massive runway. We have that
as well, a few hundred feet from the house. But building something like
that in CA today is something I can't imagine right now.
Jim Thompson
wrote:
>Jim Thompson wrote:
>> On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:13:50 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
>> wrote:
[snip]
>>>
>>> In much of California electricity is mega-out for anything other than
>>> lighting and stuff. Unless they get special deals new owners of electric
>>> cars may be in for a rude awakening. Once you exceed a paltry baseline
>>> quantity of kWh the price skyrockets. Which is also rather business
>>> hostile because a li'l garage start-up shop might send the electric bill
>>> right through the roof.
>>
>> Which is why Intel is expanding here (Ocotillo Campus) and shrinking
>> in Californica.
>>
>
>The Folsom campus 10 miles from here isn't shrinking AFAIK.
>
>But Chandler sure is something special. I was visiting a company there
>and right behind the building was a rather massive runway. We have that
>as well, a few hundred feet from the house. But building something like
>that in CA today is something I can't imagine right now.
10-15 minutes from my place. Next time you come, let me know and
we'll sip a few.
k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz
>k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz wrote:
>> On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 11:15:40 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid> wrote:
>>
>>> Joel Koltner wrote:
>>>> "JeffM" <jef...@email.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:080d0fb7-f1c7-4b1d...@j9g2000prj.googlegroups.com...
>>>>> It depends on how much of your fingers you actually need.
>>>>> http://google.com/images?q=%22.gloves.without.fingertips%22+-Lacey+-Mesh
>>>> Hmm, yes. I'd have to work on not feeling too dorky wearing something
>>>> like that, but I suppose a shockingly high heating bill would do so.
>>>>
>>>> My main strategy when I was a single was to spend a lot of time at work,
>>>> school, or other places where heating and air conditioning were provided
>>>> to me without incremental cost. :-)
>>>
>>> Around the year 2000, after receiving a gas bill for $709 for just one
>>> month, we had a wood stove installed. That instantly fixed the problem.
>>> Best investment we ever made into the house.
>>
>> Yikes! Though thinking about it, we used to get an oil delivery (225gal, or
>> so) every three weeks. ...
>
>
>Almost 300 gals/mo? At today's prices that could set you back the same
>amount.
Yeah, that's why I did the double-think. ;-)
>> ... Our largest electric bill this Winter was $175. The
>> smallest is around $100, so $75 for heat isn't too bad. :-)
>
>
>In much of California electricity is mega-out for anything other than
>lighting and stuff. Unless they get special deals new owners of electric
>cars may be in for a rude awakening. Once you exceed a paltry baseline
>quantity of kWh the price skyrockets. Which is also rather business
>hostile because a li'l garage start-up shop might send the electric bill
>right through the roof.
$.08/kWh, top to bottom. Coal is beautiful!
tm
<k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote in message
news:emgrm659f9gkbqj9r...@4ax.com...
Yep, no more Hewlett-Packard garages in California.
tm
k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz
We'll take 'em. Toyatas, Kias, and Benz's, too.
tm
<k...@att.bizzzzzzzzzzzz> wrote in message
news:talrm6p4m42kdgb2q...@4ax.com...
It'll be all agricultural. Fruits and Nuts!
tm
Joerg
> On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:33:33 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
> wrote:
>
>> Jim Thompson wrote:
>>> On Tue, 01 Mar 2011 16:13:50 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
>>> wrote:
> [snip]
>>>> In much of California electricity is mega-out for anything other than
>>>> lighting and stuff. Unless they get special deals new owners of electric
>>>> cars may be in for a rude awakening. Once you exceed a paltry baseline
>>>> quantity of kWh the price skyrockets. Which is also rather business
>>>> hostile because a li'l garage start-up shop might send the electric bill
>>>> right through the roof.
>>> Which is why Intel is expanding here (Ocotillo Campus) and shrinking
>>> in Californica.
>>>
>> The Folsom campus 10 miles from here isn't shrinking AFAIK.
>>
>> But Chandler sure is something special. I was visiting a company there
>> and right behind the building was a rather massive runway. We have that
>> as well, a few hundred feet from the house. But building something like
>> that in CA today is something I can't imagine right now.
>
> 10-15 minutes from my place. Next time you come, let me know and
> we'll sip a few.
>
Will do. Last time I was on a tour with a client engineer, with
back-to-back meetings and every night in a different state.
But your 10-15 minutes is probably at 90mph :-)
Jim Thompson
wrote:
Even crappy Microsoft Streets and Maps says 15 minutes...
Time Mile Instruction
9:00 AM 0.0 Depart Stellar Airpark
9:00 AM 0.2 Turn LEFT (West) onto W Chandler Blvd 0.8 mi
9:02 AM 1.0 Keep STRAIGHT onto (W) Chandler Blvd 5.6 mi
9:09 AM 6.6 Keep LEFT onto Local road(s) 142 yds
9:10 AM 6.7 Bear LEFT (West) onto E Chandler Blvd 2.0 mi
9:14 AM 8.7 Turn LEFT (South-West) onto S Marketplace SW 0.2 mi
9:15 AM 8.9 Turn RIGHT (West) onto E Cathedral Rock Dr 174 yds
9:15 AM 9.0 Arrive Thompson's Place [824 E Cathedral Rock Dr
SUMMARY
Driving distance: 9.0 miles
Trip duration: 15 minutes
Driving time: 15 minutes
Joerg
Wow, that is closer than I thought. Somehow I was under the impression
you live north of Phoenix. So next time I'll call you :-)
Jim Thompson
wrote:
Great! I look forward to meeting you!
Pre-'94 we lived north of Phoenix... for 25 years... I avoid moving
;-)
We built this house because the kids were all grown and the old ranch
(literally) was all bedrooms and little entertainment space.
This house is about 20% larger, still has ~180 sq.ft. secondary
bedrooms (3), and the master suite is approximately 60' x 20' (whole
east side of the house), still leaving a 22' x 22' Great Room and a
dining room large enough to manage a 10' granite table :-)
16' ceilings (flat, not cathedral) make it look even larger.
And the "little" kitchen :-)
Joel Koltner
message news:t4dtm6p7697kistb7...@4ax.com...
Hmm... do the kids or grandkids get the job of dusting off all the stuff on
the ledges surrounding the kitchen there? :-)
Jim Thompson
Naaaah! Periodically I go up the ladder myself and vacuum the shelf.
(Our "kids" are middle-aged... 41, 46, & 49 ;-)
Joel Koltner
> On Wed, 2 Mar 2011 15:50:18 -0800, "Joel Koltner"
> <zapwireD...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>Hmm... do the kids or grandkids get the job of dusting off all the stuff on
>>the ledges surrounding the kitchen there? :-)
> Naaaah! Periodically I go up the ladder myself and vacuum the shelf.
Be careful up there... my grandfather fell off a ladder while trimming a
banana tree, and it turned out to be the last full day he spent at home (long
story, but after the hospital to treat injuries from the fall, he ended up in
a nursing home and died about a year later... although he was roughly a decade
your senior at that point...)
> (Our "kids" are middle-aged... 41, 46, & 49 ;-)
Hmm, grandkids then!
---Joel
Jim Thompson
<zapwireD...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>"Jim Thompson" <To-Email-Use-Th...@On-My-Web-Site.com> wrote in
>message news:phmtm6pe2dl7oh6t8...@4ax.com...
>> On Wed, 2 Mar 2011 15:50:18 -0800, "Joel Koltner"
>> <zapwireD...@yahoo.com> wrote:
>>>Hmm... do the kids or grandkids get the job of dusting off all the stuff on
>>>the ledges surrounding the kitchen there? :-)
>> Naaaah! Periodically I go up the ladder myself and vacuum the shelf.
>
>Be careful up there... my grandfather fell off a ladder while trimming a
>banana tree, and it turned out to be the last full day he spent at home (long
>story, but after the hospital to treat injuries from the fall, he ended up in
>a nursing home and died about a year later... although he was roughly a decade
>your senior at that point...)
>
>> (Our "kids" are middle-aged... 41, 46, & 49 ;-)
>
>Hmm, grandkids then!
>
>---Joel
Somewhere in my past posts I posted a photo (can't find the post now,
though I do have the photo) of my father up a very high ladder
(2-stories up) changing an outdoor light fixture (at age 89). He died
a year later... no fall... he died from an infection contracted in the
hospital after a mild stroke :-(
Joerg
Wow! Ours isn't quite as big but almost (whole north side of the house).
I never really understood why master bedrooms have to be that huge.
Sometimes I wondered whether I could swap and put the office and lab in
there but I guess that wouldn't fly with SWMBO :-)
> ... still leaving a 22' x 22' Great Room and a
> dining room large enough to manage a 10' granite table :-)
>
> 16' ceilings (flat, not cathedral) make it look even larger.
>
> And the "little" kitchen :-)
>
> http://tinyurl.com/4blqcaw
>
I think the counters and the glass table would need a major clean-up. My
wife would have a hissy fit if I left the kitchen that cluttered.
Those high ceilings were never my kind of thing. Reminds me too much of
old hospital rooms in Europe. But in your case the top ledge makes it
look nice. Wood be the perfect spot to store file boxes, boat anchor
scopes and such :-)
Here's half of our kitchen:
http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/images/Kitchen1.jpg
The other half is double-oven, lots of deep cabinets, fridge, pantry,
table with chairs and so on.
Jim Thompson
wrote:
>Jim Thompson wrote:
>> On Wed, 02 Mar 2011 12:48:44 -0800, Joerg <inv...@invalid.invalid>
>> wrote:
>>
>>> Jim Thompson wrote:
[snip]
>>>> 9:15 AM 9.0 Arrive Thompson's Place [824 E Cathedral Rock Dr
>>>> SUMMARY
>>>> Driving distance: 9.0 miles
>>>> Trip duration: 15 minutes
>>>> Driving time: 15 minutes
>>>>
>>> Wow, that is closer than I thought. Somehow I was under the impression
>>> you live north of Phoenix. So next time I'll call you :-)
>>
>> Great! I look forward to meeting you!
>>
>> Pre-'94 we lived north of Phoenix... for 25 years... I avoid moving
>> ;-)
>>
>> We built this house because the kids were all grown and the old ranch
>> (literally) was all bedrooms and little entertainment space.
>>
>> This house is about 20% larger, still has ~180 sq.ft. secondary
>> bedrooms (3), and the master suite is approximately 60' x 20' (whole
>> east side of the house), ...
>
>
>Wow! Ours isn't quite as big but almost (whole north side of the house).
>I never really understood why master bedrooms have to be that huge.
I like open spaces. Plus double sinks, shower AND spa tub take up
space ;-)
In Arizona high ceilings make for easier cooling.
>Sometimes I wondered whether I could swap and put the office and lab in
>there but I guess that wouldn't fly with SWMBO :-)
>
>
>> ... still leaving a 22' x 22' Great Room and a
>> dining room large enough to manage a 10' granite table :-)
>>
>> 16' ceilings (flat, not cathedral) make it look even larger.
>>
>> And the "little" kitchen :-)
>>
>> http://tinyurl.com/4blqcaw
>>
>
>I think the counters and the glass table would need a major clean-up. My
>wife would have a hissy fit if I left the kitchen that cluttered.
Photo shot was from top of Christmas tree while I was up there
trimming.
So major prep was underway for our coming 20+ Christmas eve dinner
crowd ;-)
All that "mess" did disappear by the next day.
>
>Those high ceilings were never my kind of thing. Reminds me too much of
>old hospital rooms in Europe. But in your case the top ledge makes it
>look nice. Wood be the perfect spot to store file boxes, boat anchor
>scopes and such :-)
>
>Here's half of our kitchen:
>
>http://www.analogconsultants.com/ng/images/Kitchen1.jpg
>
>The other half is double-oven, lots of deep cabinets, fridge, pantry,
>table with chairs and so on.
Looks good to me.
If you follow the line of sight from the chandelier chain to the
cabinetry...
the oak facing hides the fact that there's separate Sub Zero freezer
and refrigerator units there.
SWMBO bluffed the builder into providing those or "we'd buy elsewhere"
;-)
Joerg
[...]
> If you follow the line of sight from the chandelier chain to the
> cabinetry...
>
> http://tinyurl.com/4blqcaw
>
> the oak facing hides the fact that there's separate Sub Zero freezer
> and refrigerator units there.
>
> SWMBO bluffed the builder into providing those or "we'd buy elsewhere"
> ;-)
>
We had something like that in Germany, the fronts were matching the
kitchen cabinets. Now we've got one of those huge All-American
fridge/freezers with icemaker and water. Plus a chest freezer downstairs.
I like open spaces, too, except in offices. Since the advent of this
glorious VoIP (on the other side, I will not touch that) phone calls
occasionally get to be as difficult as overseas calls 30+ years ago. Got
to close the door then, otherwise they remain all open.
JW
<pcdhSpamM...@electrooptical.net> wrote in Message id:
<4D500248...@electrooptical.net>:
>JW wrote:
>> On Fri, 04 Feb 2011 14:47:58 -0800 John Larkin
>> <jjla...@highNOTlandTHIStechnologyPART.com> wrote in Message id:
>> <vc0pk6dpcnghi7b04...@4ax.com>:
>>
>>
>>> My $400 Rigol scope is pretty impressive. The user interface is good
>>> and it's packed with features, like USB and digital filtering, that
>>> you don't get on a $1400 Tek scope. The probes are very nice.
>>
>> For anyone who's looking for a good scope for cheap I'd recommend an
>> Agilent 54825N. 500MHz, 2GSa/s. I think the military has been
>> de-commissioning these for the last year or so. You can usually get 'em
>> for a grand or so on Ebay with a "power up test only, we don't know how to
>> test" etc. I've got five of them right now, that I'll move for 2K or more.
>>
>> Yeah, it runs Windows, but that doesn't bother me much. In fact, I kind of
>> like it. Controls easily over the network, emails you on a trigger event,
>> and easy to customize.
>
>I'll keep my $900 TDS744--4 channels, 500 MHz, 2 Gs/s, no Windows. When
>my ship comes in, maybe I'll plump for a TDS694C. One of the world's
>most beautiful scopes. A bit hard to justify at the moment--for scope
>stuff, there's not a lot I can't do with a TDS744 and an 11802 with
>beaucoup plugins.
>
>
>Phil Hobbs
Hi Phil,
Any chance you'd like to upgrade your TDS744A to a 1GHz 4GS/s TDS784A? If
it doesn't already have it, option 1M (deeper ACQ memory) could also be
added.
(Yes, I know I'm resurrecting a very old thread...)
Phil Hobbs
>Any chance you'd like to upgrade your TDS744A to a 1GHz 4GS/s TDS784A? If
>it doesn't already have it, option 1M (deeper ACQ memory) could also be
>added.
>(Yes, I know I'm resurrecting a very old thread...)
Cheers
Phil Hobbs
JW
wrote in Message id:
<1ef546c9-e6e9-48bd...@googlegroups.com>:
get a few thousand more hours out if it, depending on just how dim is
is...