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[on:]

Tektronixhas come out with a new line of oscilloscopes aimed at the hobbyist and educational market here is the link http://www.elektor.com/news/new-entry-level-oscilloscopes-from-tektronix.2323659.lynkx?utm_source=UK&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news&cat=meten/testen

I recently needed to replace my old scope and I just a used Tek scope that has fewer features (no digital storage is one) and paid a little less for it than the new Tek 25MHz scope.  Although my scope is a 100 MHz I do not need more than 25 Mhz paying a little more I would have gotten a new scope with a  5 year guarantee.

[Reply #1 on:]

You gotta be a serious hobbyist to pay £600 for a scope. 

[Reply #2 on:]

I'm very happy with my DSO Quad for Arduino work.


(You have to use the "community" firmware and replace diode D5 to get nirvana, but it's easy enough to do....)

[Reply #3 on:]

You gotta be a serious hobbyist to pay £600 for a scope. 

Especially when you can get a good used one on Ebay for next to nothing.  That is where I got mine.  Only paid a little over $100 for a Tektronix 2236 and the thing works perfect.  It's even been calibrated recently.

[Reply #4 on:]

My 100MHz Atten scope is a lot cheaper that the Tektronix 150MHz model - somewhat less than their 25MHz model I think. And it has 7" screen and more knobs!

I don't think Tektronix will be able to compete much at those prices.

[Reply #5 on:]

My 100MHz Atten scope is a lot cheaper that the Tektronix 150MHz model - somewhat less than their 25MHz model I think. And it has 7" screen and more knobs!

I don't think Tektronix will be able to compete much at those prices.

Well with Tektronix is was never about trying to be cost competitive. I spend an adult lifetime working in industry using Tek scopes starting with huge tube based monsters in the Air Force like the 500 series. Later as a field service engineer I would roam the area with a Tek model 465 bouncing around in the trunk of a VW bug for many years, never a problem or fault with one, but I did manage to damage a probe now and then, mostly by stepping on them! Once on an 'emergency' field service request, I had to fly up to Seattle on very short notice to Boeing so ended up just checking the scope as baggage with no extra packaging protection. When I arrived and waiting on for my luggage to come down the luggage ramp I finally spotted it flipping end over end down the ramp and onto the revolving pick up section. Later on checking out the scope is was just fine, didn't miss a beat and nothing rattling around inside. 

http://www.johndio.com:881/4sale/tektronix/tek465b-front.jpg

 So Tek earned their reputation and premium pricing due to quality and performance delivered to hard working folks with no time for finicky or flaky test equipment. Now that all applied to the good old analog days, and I have no experience with 'digital scopes', so I have no idea if Tektronix still is a leader in quality, features and performance as it once dominated in the analog days.

Lefty

[Reply #6 on:]

You gotta be a serious hobbyist to pay £600 for a scope. 

I have an old (ancient?) Hitachi V-355 scope. It's two channel, analog, no storage, uses a coiled up cable as a delay line to see the trigger!

Works like a champ. I've got fancy 1GHz digital storage scopes at work and I prefer my Hitachi.

When I bought it new (around 1985), it cost me about $600 US. What that is today according to the "online inflation calculator" is $1279 US ....WOW!

[Reply #7 on:]

If you work a lot with digital signals, a logic analyzer is nice and much cheaper.

Alternatively, DSO206 is coming out and you can wait for it.

[Reply #8 on:]

 So Tek earned their reputation and premium pricing due to quality and performance delivered to hard working folks with no time for finicky or flaky test equipment. Now that all applied to the good old analog days, and I have no experience with 'digital scopes', so I have no idea if Tektronix still is a leader in quality, features and performance as it once dominated in the analog days.

Lefty

Whilst this is all true, selling to schools and colleges isn't the same as selling to an electronics engineer - price is very important -
 if you're buying ten scopes that spend most of their time sat in a cupboard you want value for money.

[Reply #9 on:]

I got one of these: "DSO" (not a quad I dont believe)  as a gift a while back..


I haven ever used a scope of ANY kind.. and dont really knwo how to use this DSO..

how does a beginner learn how to use this thing?  WITHOUT being overwhelmed by too much techno-bable?

[Reply #10 on:]

 So Tek earned their reputation and premium pricing due to quality and performance delivered to hard working folks with no time for finicky or flaky test equipment. Now that all applied to the good old analog days, and I have no experience with 'digital scopes', so I have no idea if Tektronix still is a leader in quality, features and performance as it once dominated in the analog days.

Lefty

Whilst this is all true, selling to schools and colleges isn't the same as selling to an electronics engineer - price is very important -
 if you're buying ten scopes that spend most of their time sat in a cupboard you want value for money.

Absolutely true. But on the other hand I've been told that high school and college students can be very hard on test equipment, so some thought on how rugged and internally protected a scope is might have some bearing on it's true long term cost for the school?

Lefty

[Reply #11 on:]

I bought a 60 MHz TEK 2213 for $85.00, $55.00 for the scope and $30.00 ground service from the right coast. Given a choice I would take that 465 of Lefty's in a heartbeat.
That wasn't however the purpose of my post.
In wandering around I found a fairly nice how to for an Oscilloscope that I thought I'd share. Great Primer for beginners and still a surprise for the 'more experienced operator'...

Bob

[Reply #12 on:]

I bought a 60 MHz TEK 2213 for $85.00, $55.00 for the scope and $30.00 ground service from the right coast. Given a choice I would take that 465 of Lefty's in a heartbeat.

Actually 'my' 465 was the property of my employer at the time, and I had to give it back to them when I moved on to the next company. But all my employers bought Tek scopes for their employees that required them in their job function.

But coincidently my personal scope is also a 2213 and serves my purposes well.

That wasn't however the purpose of my post.
In wandering around I found a fairly nice how to for an Oscilloscope that I thought I'd share. Great Primer for beginners and still a surprise for the 'more experienced operator'...

Bob