-----Original Message-----
From: TekScopes@groups.io [mailto:TekScopes@groups.io] On Behalf Of momemeca
Sent: Sunday, February 02, 2020 4:21 AM
To: TekScopes@groups.io
Subject: [TekScopes] Please send me your list of broken 7K plugins

Hello Dennis,
Greetings from the beautiful Mornington Peninsula, near Melbourne,
Australia.
I am Physicist and professional Electrical / Electronics / Mechatronics
Engineer working at The Australian Synchrotron where I work mainly on
accelerator control systems.
My love affair with all Tektronix equipment of old began with the 500 series
oscilloscopes at college and university in the UK (late 70s) and,
subsequently, in my early professional years in Oz (early 80s onwards).
I have been a keen collector and restorer for some 35 years now and have,
mainly, series 500 CROs (~6), associated plug-ins (~12), accessories (misc)
and series 7000 (4), associated plug-ins (~20).
Most of those are in current use in my lab as they are "cycled" into service
according to their functions and capabilities.
Apart from those I have a 2465B CRO and 2712 spectrum analyser in the lab
plus a contingent of Hewlett-Packard high precision instruments.
Why do I love these instruments? Well, my answer would certainly resonate
with that of many fellow contributors herein; it is the elegant design of
Textronix's bygone years, their clever manipulation and application of
foundation electrical and electronics theories and use of the latest devices
of the day. Not to mention the sheer accessibility and gorgeous mechanical
build.
I genuinely feel that I am doing my bit to contribute to the survival of
these old gems and, one day, pass them on to a new generation of
appreciative "fan-a-tics".
Now that I have started to plan towards my impending retirement, I will have
more free time to devote my free time to working on restoration, repairs and
calibration (and perhaps even writing articles on same for our excellent
TEK-WiKi).
We are not as blessed, here in Oz, with the availability of vintage
Tektronix (or other USA equipment) as compared to the USA. Therefore, I am
constantly on the internet searching for affordable instruments.
Unfortunately, freight charges tend to be a prohibitive kill-joy!
If I am Lucky enough to benefit from your generosity I would be more than
happy to provide components of your "Essay" list.

On another note - I was saddened to read of Barrie Gilbert's passing. A
huge loss, indeed, to the world of analogue design.

Cheers,

Rick
Mornington Peninsula, Victoria, Australia.

On 2 Feb 2020, at 11:23, Dennis Tillman W7PF <dennis@ridesoft.com> wrote:

I have quite a few 7000 plugins in need of repair and I don't have the
time to do it.
I have two goals in mind: 1) be sure each plugin goes where it will do
the most good;
2) Learn how to become a better troubleshooter from your suggestions
and skills.

THEY ARE IN PERFECT CONDITION
They are complete - all parts are there. Nothing is broken.
All knobs, switches, push buttons, levers, etc work.
All the knobs are present. There are no bent shafts, etc.
Last summer I tested every one. I spent about an hour checking everything.

If I encountered a problem with it I wrote down what the problem was.
I then guessed what might be causing it and looked at that section of
the circuitry.
If I found nothing unusual or out of the ordinary I set it aside for
something to do when I had more time.

These are not parts mules.
DON'T ASK FOR A LIST UNLESS YOU INTEND TO REPAIR THEM.
If you find debugging hardware challenging then there might be
something you can use in my list of plugins.
If you would like my list email me off list at dennis at ridesoft dot com.
The SUBJECT of your email should be" Send me your list of broken 7K
plugins".
Otherwise your email might be lost in all the other stuff I get.

ESSAY QUESTIONS: I am very interested in learning more about you and
how you go about troubleshooting 7K plugins.
It is likely I will get more requests than I have plugins. In that
case your answers to these questions will help me choose who to give them

to:

Which 7K MFs and plugins do you have now?
What do you use them for?
What have you repaired in the past?
Why tools, instruments, hardware, documentation, education, skills,
strategies, checklists, and anything else do you have that makes it
more likely that you will be able to find the problems in these or any
7K plugins?
Which plugin you want and why?
What will you use it for when you fix it?
What is the most interesting thing you have ever used a 7K oscilloscope

for?

How bad do you want this plugin?
If you have pictures of you lab include them in your email.

THE BAD NEWS: There is no free lunch
These will cost $20 to $25 in USPS postage to ship to anywhere in the US.
Nobody makes boxes the right size to send a single plugin in.
They do make boxes that are the perfect size for two plugins.
These are the boxes I bought. If you find two plugins on my list the
postage goes up to $30 to $35 which is less per plugin.

Dennis Tillman W7pF

--
Dennis Tillman W7PF
TekScopes Moderator