wrote in message
oups.com...
The old Teks are lovely. My reluctance to invest money in them is due
to the lack of full support-there are chips and assemblies, plus the
CRT, that just are no longer available. For years I've hoped someone
would make replacement CRTs but it's not going to happen.

The new Tek scopes are all digitizing scopes with LCD displays. These
have many advantages but they do not, even with the "digital phosphor
technology", fully replace the analog CRT.

There are many fine Tek scopes out there from about a 30-year period
that are still good to use, and I don't mean to put off their buffs.
But they are just not supported by Tek anymore, and I don't want to
have to look at them when the jug, attenuators, or what have you fails
and it has to go to its final resting place.

It's interesting to note there is a company that-at ridiculous
cost-makes an aftermarket "mainframe" to allow 7000 series plugins to
be used with modern (or any other) scopes.


The parts are actually more available. How can you say a jug is not
available when every 7904 takes the same CRT as a 7704A, a mainframe that is
plentiful for $50?

Contrast this with the $500 (conservative) bill for a minor Iwatsu repair,
or the complete nonrepairability of any digital scope after the warranty
runs out.

Certain later Tek scopes should be avoided: the 2200 series and the 2400
series.
But the classic 7000 & 5000 series, and even the 500 series, are fine.

I have a Tek 555, built in 1961 or so, that I bought surplus from GE. It was
originally part of the Saturn V support project in Huntsville, AL. Every
time I turn it on, it works, unless it needs a tube. It has never needed
more.

If you really get stuck, Sphere in Canada has lots of Tek parts.