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What test equipment should I use? What are you using?

Bob@FM said:
One more comment on old test gear - I personally recommend avoiding old test gear with tubes. Unless you like restoring it for historical reasons.
Newer stuff is so plentiful and cheap, and usually way more accurate and reliable.
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I'd say that's a fair assessment but there are a few tube tools out there that are still very useful, or a more modern equivalent costs and arm and a leg:

Tektronix 575 curve tracer (pretty easy to service, beleive it or not..)
old capacitor testers like the Sprague Tel-ohmike
I haven't owned one but I know some people swear by those old signal tracers which usually have tubes
 
Agreed, and I own a Sprague T-04 which is useful for testing cap leakage at high voltage. https://people.ohio.edu/postr/bapix/CapChkrs.htm
And of course tube testers for testing tubes.
So yeah, tube based test gear for working with tube circuits. But for other testing, don't recommend tube scopes, generators, etc. They are fun for show and tell, though - like a good working HP 200CD, which had a very long production run. It was based on HP's first instrument that launched the company.
 
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Richard P said:
The toggle switches select between 1X and 10X for the scope output. I built a simple voltage divider- with the switch used to bypass it for 1X mode.
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Another mod i made for my dummy load - I added 10k ohm resistors to the ends of the BNC cables I use when switched to 10X mode so my Tek scope displays the correct voltage. I found an STL file that i 3D printed so it was very simple. Just print the part, insert the resistor so one end touches the outer surface of the BNC and the other end touches the sensing ring on the scopes BNC connector then push the BNC connector into the assembly.

Rich

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Bob@FM said:
One more comment on old test gear - I personally recommend avoiding old test gear with tubes. Unless you like restoring it for historical reasons.
Newer stuff is so plentiful and cheap, and usually way more accurate and reliable.
Click to expand...

Much lower internally generated noise, too.
 

It’s never easy LOL tektronix needs help too apparently. CRT is super distorted. The on/off switch is super sticky and has to be pressed with a screwdriver and the unit randomly cuts off after a few minutes
 
Here's the most used thing on my bench, my ancient Fluke 77. I got it about 1983, when it first came out. It's probably in diode-check mode most of the time, making in-circuit checks of transistors and diodes. Every 5 years or so it gets a new battery. If I had nothing else, I could do most troubleshooting with this alone.

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Richard P said:
i picked up a Tektronix AWG2020 recently.
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I powered the AWG2020 up last night. It works and passes all self-tests, so that's encouraging. As with most Tek equipment from this era, it's loaded with leaking SMD electrolytic capacitors, so my next step will be to replace all of those, clean the boards and repair/reinforce any damaged traces.

The only service info I can find is for the AWG2021 which should be helpful, but I'm wondering if anyone has the SM for the AWG2020. I'm still looking for some feedback on real-world experience with one of these since I've never used one before.

Rich

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I have several really nice DMMs but for daily troubleshooting and basic measurements I tend to use a Harbor Freight P98674 which is a rebranded Mastech MS8229 and a Harbor Freight 61593. . . The Keithley, Fluke and Tektronix DM5xx meters are used for adjustment, alignment and calibration when the values are more critical. Honestly the HF meters are quite accurate, though. Worth considering if budget is a factor.

Rich
 
Agreed, have use lower cost ones at work and they do the job!
Heck one of name brands used a fuse, for current measure, that cost about 60 dollars..
 
The $5 Harbor Freight DMMs work perfectly well, but you have to watch out in high impedance circuits since the input is 1 megohm, not 10 megs, and can load the circuit. I'll use whatever DMM is within reach (don't ask how many I have...).
 
If I was in the market for an oscilloscope today I would probably buy the Hantek DSO2C10 / DSO2D15 or the Rigol DS1102 . . . my currect scopes are Tektronix 2236 and TDS380.

Rich
 
Richard P said:
If I was in the market for an oscilloscope today I would probably buy the Hantek DSO2C10 / DSO2D15 or the Rigol DS1102 . . . my currect scopes are Tektronix 2236 and TDS380.

Rich, thank you, I was looking at that very Rigol unit.
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Thank you again Rich, I just ordered the Rigol DS1202Z-E, the 200 Mhz version from TEquipment, a licensed US distributor. Same price as Amazon, and with free shipping. Thanks again.
 
I think you will really like that Rigol scope. My old Tektronix 2216 developed an annoying noisy transformer, so I bought the 1102Z-E about 2 years ago. I must say I love the measurement display functions on the newer digital scopes. The menus were a bit confusing at first and I'm still learning some of it's features.
 
Well, I just bagged a supposedly working Sencore SG165, $475, and I hope that it is as advertised. If I have to replace a few caps and what not, not an issue, and to be expected. I really want to learn this electronics repair, the vintage side. I am chomping at the bit to get this baby! I have a couple of Sansui units to play with and really fine tune. Who knows, maybe I can make a few bucks... Six month wait at most shops in my area to get a vintage unit in for repair or a simple cleaning. I know of one shop that is three years out, no lie. This lack of techs for this gear is ridiculous. A good side hustle in my book.
 
Justrucking said:
Well, I just bagged a supposedly working Sencore SG165, $475, and I hope that it is as advertised. If I have to replace a few caps and what not, not an issue, and to be expected. I really want to learn this electronics repair, the vintage side. I am chomping at the bit to get this baby! I have a couple of Sansui units to play with and really fine tune. Who knows, maybe I can make a few bucks... Six month wait at most shops in my area to get a vintage unit in for repair or a simple cleaning. I know of one shop that is three years out, no lie. This lack of techs for this gear is ridiculous. A good side hustle in my book.
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I hope it works out for you, but man you could have got a much nicer FM stereo capable alignment generator for that amount of money (or even slightly less). Panasonic, Kenwood, Leader, etc. I suppose the SG165 could be easier to service, though. Good luck!!
 
pac1085 said:
I hope it works out for you, but man you could have got a much nicer FM stereo capable alignment generator for that amount of money (or even slightly less). Panasonic, Kenwood, Leader, etc. I suppose the SG165 could be easier to service, though. Good luck!!
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Where? Shoot me a link or business that is selling a functional unit for under $500, I would greatly appreciate it!
 
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