Covid19 shutdown causing loss of lab/tool assets

[Jonathan9192]

NO....not too late. In fact, all of the equipment I put up for sale or give-away in MEF's flea Market within the Parking Lot forum are still there (accessible only to MEF members).

Okay, thanks for the clarification :-)

I haven't yet gotten any further than attempting power-up on the LeCroy 7200A, finding I do have the front panel Power Switch illuminate, but the FAN's don't run. So, next move is opening up the unit, unplugging boards and reseating everything to see if it's just contacts (wishful thinking). I do have the service manual for it. May just be a power supply issue, though it could also be the video card. if it's the EPROM that contains the BIOS to run the system that as died, or things like that, then I'm in trouble.

To me, this sounds like the power supply has an issue.
When I received my 7200A, literally *all* electrolytic capacitors in the PS turned out to be leaky.
I desoldered them, cleaned up the mess using some IPA and re-populated the board with the following replacements from RS Components:
3 pcs. 496-1814 (220uF, 450V)
6 pcs. 684-1775 (820uF, 50V) (only available high-performance replacement for 470uF, 40V with matching size)
2 pcs. 684-1740 (1000uF, 35V)
5 pcs. 653-9188 (100uF, 100V)
36pcs. 684-1725 (220uF, 35V) (only available high-performance replacement for 150uF, 35V with matching size)
Sometimes, one has to be careful when choosing replacement capacitors in a switch-mode power supply,
since the design could rely on certain parameters of the original caps which might change when choosing a replacement type too far off.
My 7200A runs beautifully with these replacement caps, so I think the choice was about right.
One more thing in the power supply is the green or black "Phoenix" brand connector.
It supplies the plug-ins with power (the thicker red/white and white/red cables). Apparently, it was underrated for the current drawn by the plug-ins,
and this lead to problems in some of the versions of the 7200A. The agreed solution to this (as advertised by LeCroy service personnel)
is to replace the connector and on the circuit board, connect the ground pins all together which seems to help distribute the current more evenly.

Should you need any EPROM dumps or programmed replacement parts, just let me know and I will send you backup images
of mine or burn them into new parts, which I could send to you via mail.

The 7200 instrument is still in my lockers, as is the 9100 AFG. I did finally pick up the remote control keyboard for the 9112 AFG, but haven't tried powering it up. I've misplaced the manual for it, along with my copy of EASYWAVE (I think that's their software). I have an older Win 98 computer with a National Instruments IEEE-488 interface card in that machine to run these instruments. I'll have to make another run to the lockers to find that, along with the box full of HP-IB cables.

The 9100 I'll give away. Even if I can get the older 68000 based 7200 back up and running would be cool, though when I first had that 7200A up and running, with an IBM keyboard connected to it, sitting on the scope cart drawer below the instrument to talk to it, and a LaserJet to print out screen shots.....I was impressed. Very cool scope. But, WHAT A BOAT ANCHOR. Definitely has to live on that Tek K217 scope cart. I haven't brought that home yet.

I completely agree with what you report on the 7200A user experience. Currently, I am trying to get the SCSI interface working.
The LeCroy service was so nice as to provide the source code for the PC software (ACQUIRE.EXE and SEQTRAN.EXE) which seems to be unobtainable nowadays.
I put these into my github repository along with an exemplatory python code to control the 7200A and fetch data from it: https://github.com/jonathanschilling/LeCroy7200A
Maybe this is of use for you too...?

This sounds like you are certainly well-enough equipped to get this system up and running completely.
All the best wishes from my side that you get this setup up and running smoothly :-)
I'll keep an eye then on the MEF's flea market for the 9100.

Shipping to Germany, as well as tariffs would be the biggest issues, I suspect.

Cheers,

Steven

I got my 7200A from eBay USA and had it transported to Germany via the eBay international shipping program.
In the end, the shipping expenses were as much as the device cost itself, but it certainly was worth it.
I searched the internet for the service manual of the 7200A, since I needed the power supply schematics to repair it beyond just replacing the capacitors.
As I did not find them anywhere, I asked the LeCroy service, who had some low-quality scans available which (for the moment) were enough to get the power supply up and running again.
However, you might probably understand that it is much more satisfactory to have a well-readable schematics at hand for the devices you use.
Not only can one learn from them (as e.g. from the old Tektronics oscilloscope manual as well), but I would like to e.g. build the external trigger board
which sadly was not included with by 7200A. So, if we could arrange in any way a shipping of the 7200A service manual, I would gladly pay any expenses.
Regarding the 7200A itself, I seem to understand that you would rather like to keep it for the moment? ;-)

Cheers,
Jonathan

[nevetslab]

Say, that's a great offer with regards to any of the EPROM and other chip codes that may be at fault in this system. I'm NOT set up with any of the Digital Programming gear to handle it. Digital isn't one of my technical forte's, so it takes me a lot longer to sort thru a system that has obvious hangups for the system to work. I have a friend in Flint, MI who also bought one of these, and he's well schooled in the digital domain, having been a computer service tech for years. I'm not certain of the status of his 7200A at this point, but he had to deal with the video card on his unit, and seems to me after he had to change that card, things weren't working the way they did prior to the system going down.

When I had produced all of the LeCroy Documentation, I was still working at BGW Systems (Pro Power Amp mfgr), and they had this terrific Xerox color copier up front that could produce B-size double-sided documents, and made exquisite Black and White, as well as color copies. I spent hundreds of hours reproducing service documents from my large technical library....all of my Teketronix, LeCroy, HP, Wavetek, Bruel & Kajer, etc are originals. I used to sell high res reproductions of manuals on ebay, then having the time to do it, and the copier to do it with as well. It did get expensive buying my own color ink to keep the machine fed, along with the heavier color bond media.

Now, the best I can do is at least pick up more of the heaviier color bond to print on, but will have to make due with a Sharp B-size copier/printer, that does reasonable quality images...you can set the resolution to max for that crisp image. I'll be able to run off the 7200A Documentation for you as I get the time.

Many thanks on the details you've provided here. And, great to have someone to confer with on issues found as I scratch my head in wonderment as a beautiful scope that costs as much as any find BMW motorcar costs.

I'll get back to you

Steven