1. TekScopes@groups.io
Topics

485 as a business dependent daily driver?

Ondrej Pavelka
 

Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B (as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
Tom Gardner
 

On 28/12/20 20:27, Ondrej Pavelka wrote:
Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B (as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
What does your business need?

Two benefits of the 485 are not having calibration constants stored in a fragile ROM, and having a proper 50ohm input (not 50ohm//15pF).
Leon Robinson
 

Ondrej,

I have seen an intermittent problem with the Ch1 & Ch2
BNC input connectors.
I think it is where the center pin connects to the PCB.It wasn't my scope but a scope at work, I don't know if they
ever got it fixed, I doubt it.

Leon Robinson    K5JLR

Political Correctness is a Political Disease.

Politicians and Diapers should be changed
often and for the same reasons.

On Monday, December 28, 2020, 6:15:05 PM CST, Tom Gardner <tggzzz@gmail.com> wrote:

On 28/12/20 20:27, Ondrej Pavelka wrote:
Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B (as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
What does your business need?

Two benefits of the 485 are not having calibration constants stored in a fragile
ROM, and having a proper 50ohm input (not 50ohm//15pF).
redarlington
 

Depends on what you need to do. Completely inadequate if you need to take
data with a computer.

I used one for years doing ultrasound preamp and power amp design work. 2
channels right there on the table was really handy, and it was portable,
and it did everything I ever needed it to do in the ham radio world at the
time. The vertical gain switches need to be worked periodically (as do
probably the rest) or it can be somewhat finicky. Not an issue if it's a
daily driver, but mine has taken a back seat to a Tek 7854. For gross
signal checks it's a great scope up to about a GHz. It does get fired up
occasionally as it did this week to verify my 10MHz reference clock was
still choochin'. It was closer to me than the other.

-Bob N3XKB

On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 1:27 PM Ondrej Pavelka <info@vintageaudiorepairs.eu>
wrote:

Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for
about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage
audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth
limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and
higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it
to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as
his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B
(as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
Chuck Harris
 

Nothing can be made 100% reliable as a daily driver, so no,
your 485 might break, and it might need an expensive repair.

If that is your only consideration, go with something new.

The 485 is a nice scope, but with its tiny screen, and lack
of readout and cursor, most would find it tedious to use as
a daily driver. When the 2465 came out, the 465-485 scopes
disappeared from lab benches very quickly. We were getting
them in government scrap lots by the ton back then.

-Chuck Harris

Ondrej Pavelka wrote:

Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B (as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
Ondrej Pavelka
 

That sums it pretty much up, I will pass the 485 to a friend of mine who
doesn't have a scope and keep my eye out on another 2445B or 2465B as a
backup. With rifa smoke bombs replaced and the leaky SMD caps out I will
hopefully not have any of the hybrid chips failing on me if i keep them
cool enough.

On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 2:41 PM Chuck Harris <cfharris@erols.com> wrote:

Nothing can be made 100% reliable as a daily driver, so no,
your 485 might break, and it might need an expensive repair.

If that is your only consideration, go with something new.

The 485 is a nice scope, but with its tiny screen, and lack
of readout and cursor, most would find it tedious to use as
a daily driver. When the 2465 came out, the 465-485 scopes
disappeared from lab benches very quickly. We were getting
them in government scrap lots by the ton back then.

-Chuck Harris

Ondrej Pavelka wrote:
Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for
about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage
audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth
limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and
higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it
to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as
his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B
(as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
Tom Gardner
 

At least the 485 doesn't store any calibration constants in battery backed RAM.

When the battery "suddenly" fails, repair is less than trivial.

On 06/01/21 21:53, Ondrej Pavelka wrote:
That sums it pretty much up, I will pass the 485 to a friend of mine who
doesn't have a scope and keep my eye out on another 2445B or 2465B as a
backup. With rifa smoke bombs replaced and the leaky SMD caps out I will
hopefully not have any of the hybrid chips failing on me if i keep them
cool enough.

On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 2:41 PM Chuck Harris <cfharris@erols.com> wrote:

Nothing can be made 100% reliable as a daily driver, so no,
your 485 might break, and it might need an expensive repair.

If that is your only consideration, go with something new.

The 485 is a nice scope, but with its tiny screen, and lack
of readout and cursor, most would find it tedious to use as
a daily driver. When the 2465 came out, the 465-485 scopes
disappeared from lab benches very quickly. We were getting
them in government scrap lots by the ton back then.

-Chuck Harris

Ondrej Pavelka wrote:
Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for
about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage
audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth
limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and
higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it
to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as
his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B
(as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
Roy Thistle
 

On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 04:14 PM, Tom Gardner wrote:


I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage audio
repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth limit of
the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and higher
bandwidth.
Hi:
Just curious... where did you bump into the 200 MHz limit, working on vintage audio?
Roy Thistle
 

On Mon, Dec 28, 2020 at 04:14 PM, Tom Gardner wrote:


I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage audio
repair business.
It depends on the person... but, I would think that the workflow that you have developed with the 2445B might be impaired by using a 485. Taking cursored measurements on the 2445B is different than taking measurements on the 485.... where you don't have cursors... and where you have to count gradients, from the 485's smaller screen.
That seems obvious... but one might have learned to count gradients, and refer to knob settings... but, still might find productivity decreased... moving from a scope with cursors.
It's what one is used to using too.... If you use one instrument daily, for a long time, you tend to get to know it very well.
I'm not sure why one needs a 485 ... as a there are many lower bandwidth, lower priced, purely analog scopes (sans cursors) out there, with very nice displays, and larger screens too... if one wants a back up to a 2445/2465
Chuck Harris
 

And yet, there are folks willing to recalibrate your 2465s
for around $150. Is that really any worse than other repairs?

The NVRAMS seem to last more than 30 years if they are not
cooked to death, or otherwise abused. FRAMS are expected to
last about 140 years.

Given that you will certainly be willing to pay $150 for a
dinner and a movie with your sweetie, ...

I wouldn't calibrate a 485 for less than $350. It is a real
complicated job... when compared to a 2465. Takes easily
twice as long, and when you are done is not nearly as stable,
nor as accurate.

-Chuck Harris

Tom Gardner wrote:

At least the 485 doesn't store any calibration constants in battery backed RAM.

When the battery "suddenly" fails, repair is less than trivial.


On 06/01/21 21:53, Ondrej Pavelka wrote:
That sums it pretty much up, I will pass the 485 to a friend of mine who
doesn't have a scope and keep my eye out on another 2445B or 2465B as a
backup. With rifa smoke bombs replaced and the leaky SMD caps out I will
hopefully not have any of the hybrid chips failing on me if i keep them
cool enough.

On Tue, Dec 29, 2020 at 2:41 PM Chuck Harris <cfharris@erols.com> wrote:

Nothing can be made 100% reliable as a daily driver, so no,
your 485 might break, and it might need an expensive repair.

If that is your only consideration, go with something new.

The 485 is a nice scope, but with its tiny screen, and lack
of readout and cursor, most would find it tedious to use as
a daily driver.  When the 2465 came out, the 465-485 scopes
disappeared from lab benches very quickly.  We were getting
them in government scrap lots by the ton back then.

-Chuck Harris

Ondrej Pavelka wrote:
Hi folks,

I scored 485 with few missing knobs and very blurry trace. It was for
about $30 so I didn't expect much from it.
I have 2445B as a main scope I rely on for my everyday work as a vintage
audio repair business. I did bump on a few occasions into 200MHz bandwidth
limit of the 2445B and 485 is really tempting with its smaller size and
higher bandwidth.
Would you say if I invest the time and money into the 485 I can bring it
to state where it can be 100% reliable dependable instrument?
Otherwise I will pass it onto a friend who will repair it to have it as
his only scope but if this has the potential to take the place of the 2445B
(as much as I will miss the cursors) ?
Ondrej Pavelka
 

I just noticed I haven't replied to your question.
I had few vintage synths with switched mode PSU ringing which caused unreliability of the instrument. I am now happy owner of 2467B and that absolutely nails it. What is but a mere ghost on the 2445B is so well defined bright and sharp on 2467B but that is most likely the brighteye benefit rather then only bandwidth.
1 - 11 of 11