[TwinFinnley]

I'm trying to decide on an oscilloscope to add to my DIY tools, but I'm still a bit lost. As it is, I'm looking at getting a Tektronix 465 because of how well people have said they preform; moreover I emailed a trusted source (I haven't asked to quote him so I will leave his name out) who said it was a good unit to get. However, I'm also looking at other units in the 2200 series and was wondering if they were of lesser quality or not (2215, 2225, 2232). Additionally I am looking at the 466 and 475 Tektronix units. Is there one that is superior to the rest?

Thanks

 

[digger945]

eBay - oscilloscope Reviews & Guides

FWIW, I finally went with a used TDS-420. Every scope will have pros and cons and everyone has different opinions. I figured the only way to learn more about it was to go ahead and buy a couple of them and use them to find out for myself. That's not my advice, that's just what I ended up doing after a lot of research and head scratching, and not enough money to go whole hog. There are a couple of other threads here at HF about scopes also.

 

[TwinFinnley]

Digger, thanks a ton, that link is so helpful! Now all I have to do is find a scope in my price range...

 

[deltaydeltax]

I have a pretty old broken scope I'll sell you for really cheap. One channel kind of works, and the other, well, it did work at one point I'm sure. Who knows? It may be a pretty cool project to get into. If your intersted, I'll dig it out of the closet and get the part number off of it. I'm certain it is a Tektronix scope.

 

[tangent]

The reason people keep recommending the 465 is it's about the last scope Tek made that a DIYer can repair. And because it's a Tek, it doesn't often need repair.

The 2200 series and later all use custom ICs that haven't been in production for years, sometimes decades. Repair means finding another broken unit with a different problem so you can scavenge it for parts. The thing is, though, all models in a series will tend to fail in similar ways, so often finding the parts scope is difficult. Broken scopes usually won't be diagnosed at point of sale, so you just have to buy them and hope for the best.

We have a TDS-320 at work, your new 420's little brother, and it is a very solid little machine, still quite useful today, 15 years past when we bought it. It's a DSO, so you can use it for more things than a CRO like the old 465.

In fact, the current low end of Tek's line are basically just miniaturized versions of these 90's scopes. There's nothing exactly like the TDS 420 in Tek's current line. If there were, it might be called a TDS1014B. The modern ones are better in some ways, of course -- more samples, more memory, modern I/O, sharp LCD display, color available, smaller -- but the main thing the new scopes have is that they just cost less than the old ones did when new.

 

[luvdunhill]

Quote:

Originally Posted by tangent /img/forum/go_quote.gif If there were, it might be called a TDS1014B

Perhaps TDS1014 would be more appropriate, but yes, good point.

 

[TwinFinnley]

Assuming its in good working order, what is a good price for a Tektronix 465B dual trace 100 MHz oscilloscope?

Quote:

Originally Posted by deltaydeltax /img/forum/go_quote.gif I have a pretty old broken scope I'll sell you for really cheap. One channel kind of works, and the other, well, it did work at one point I'm sure. Who knows? It may be a pretty cool project to get into. If your intersted, I'll dig it out of the closet and get the part number off of it. I'm certain it is a Tektronix scope.

Thanks for the offer, but I wouldn't be able to handle that kind of project yet Maybe sometime when I have the knowledge, tools, and experience.