Oscilloscope for newbie...

[I'm a beginner!]

So I haven't needed a scope yet because I've stuck to simple stuff because I'm new to it all, but one day it would be nice to have one...
Then this gets dropped on my desk at work with the words "something went phufutt. If you can get it working it's yours to keep"
Well I dragged the thing home and took the cover off... this could be a fun, although not a quick project!
I have counted at least thirty one valves in this!!
I haven't checked yet for whatever went "phufutt" there hasn't been time, and I'm working away from home the next two weeks, so I won't be able to check it any time soon...
If anybody recognises it or has worked on one or has heard of it or knows of anything that used to be a common "phufutt" issue with them please let me know.
I'm thinking If I can't get it working then at least the case would be a cool home for an amp!!

[olddawg]

Truthfully I would not was my time on that boat anchor. You can find a working low frequency scope for $50 if you look around. That one is usable to scavenge parts from. Maybe.

[Jazz P Bass]

Also , the caps may be full of PCB laced oil.

[Enzo]

They probably are. Now what do we do with them? Landfill?

Google "solartron CD523" and a bunch of hits come up, for example:
Solartron Oscilloscope - CD523. - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

[Justin Thomas]

Agreed. Check it for usable tubes (and potentially usable oddballs too), keep some knobs, small parts, etc. Turn in the rest for scrap metal. Copper goes for 2.00 bucks around here...

Justin

[blindboybenton]

So I haven't needed a scope yet because I've stuck to simple stuff because I'm new to it all, but one day it would be nice to have one...
Then this gets dropped on my desk at work with the words "something went phufutt. If you can get it working it's yours to keep"
Well I dragged the thing home and took the cover off... this could be a fun, although not a quick project!
I have counted at least thirty one valves in this!!
I haven't checked yet for whatever went "phufutt" there hasn't been time, and I'm working away from home the next two weeks, so I won't be able to check it any time soon...
If anybody recognises it or has worked on one or has heard of it or knows of anything that used to be a common "phufutt" issue with them please let me know.
I'm thinking If I can't get it working then at least the case would be a cool home for an amp!![ATTACH=CONFIG]23389[/ATTACH]

Hi

I think you just need to buy a better single or dual trace one. Here in the uk i can get a scope off ebay cheap.. So bite the bullet and get one.. Mine i got for free. I asked my MD at my day job and he let me have it for nothing.. Which is unlike him

BBB

[jazbo8]

Two suggestions: 1) keep the Solartron and restore it when you get a chance, which is a good project by itself, you can learn quite a bit about analogue electronics and tube equipment construction techniques, and anyway these old scopes are worth preserving IMO; 2) build a simple IC buffer for your PC soundcard and use free software scopes (there are many to choose from) on the PC/labtop - which is more than adequate for most applications.

Jaz

[Gingertube]

Yes,
Old CRO's are a good source of superior quality tubes. If you want something for hobby work at home, save a bit more and go for something like this:
Buy RIGOL DS1052E 5.6" TFT LCD 50MHz 2-Channel Digital Color Storage Oscilloscope
An earlier model is what I use at home.
Cheers,
Ian

[I'm a beginner!]

Hi everybody!

Thanks for the replies - I don't get to use the internet often as we are not really very connected here.
I think that it will help to keep one of the shelves in my shed from floating away until I get some free time, and I will probably try and fix it. I am hoping to learn from the process - I have already learned that there were nasty things called 'pcb oils' and I have looked them up and now know to be aware that they may be lurking in other old equipment that I may find. So now I will be approaching old equipment with much more caution and awareness than if I hadn't posted this here and got the replies! I hope to learn much more when I try to fix it. Besides, it just looks way too cool to send to landfill! I have some good photos of the insides, but have struggled posting them as the images are over 4.0mb, so I will try to adjust them and might have some joy posting them later.

With regard to obtaining usable scope, bearing in mind that I am a beginner so won't be needing anything fancy for a lloooooooong time, I wondered if anybody has any experience with anything like these and knows whether or not they would be of use for amp work?

2 Channel PC Computer Digital Storage USB Oscilloscope | eBay

5 Channel PC Computer Digital Storage USB Oscilloscope + CD | eBay

are they basically what jazbo8 was suggesting in his option 2?

[jazbo8]

The USB based scopes is a bit fancier with their built-in ADC's, but most of them can not handle HV either, so a buffer may still be needed if you plan to work on tube amps with HV.

My suggestion is cheaper, just one example of a PC scope: VisualAnalyser, there are many more but this is one of the best ones and happens to be included in the Analog Device App Note here. So all you need are: a pair of 10:1 scope probes (which you can make also), a simple buffer and free PC software scopes.

Jaz

[Steve Conner]

If "something went phut" it was most likely an electrolytic capacitor. They have a finite shelf life, and that thing looks like it predates World War 2.

I suggest you just replace all the electrolytics, cross your fingers and fire it up.

Edit: I don't recommend a soundcard-based scope for any serious work. PC soundcards all use sigma-delta converters that can distort the appearance of waveforms quite seriously. Having said that, they are better than no scope at all, and they make great audio spectrum analysers.

[I'm a beginner!]

Thanks for replies everybody!

I suggest you just replace all the electrolytics, cross your fingers and fire it up.

Definitely worth a try...

Edit: I don't recommend a soundcard-based scope for any serious work. PC soundcards all use sigma-delta converters that can distort the appearance of waveforms quite seriously. Having said that, they are better than no scope at all, and they make great audio spectrum analysers.

Not had chance to look into those yet. I'll check the links this evening. Would those USB digital storage ones be any better? Or do you think they would just provide a different set of issues?

[jazbo8]

Agreed the PC "scope" is better for FFT, but I think it should be good enough for beginner "non-serious" work, if one wants to get an idea of what's going on in the circuit, as oppose to knowing precisely what's going on in high rez and in real time.

Jaz

[Enzo]

Read through the various scope threads in the Music Electronics section.

Where are you?

You ancient scope is great eye candy if nothing else. Just having something like that with its big selector knobs and stuff shouts science lab to the ignorant masses. I sometimes buy things at surplus just because they look cool with a bunch of knobs. Serious.

But as to your need, you need a very basic scope. No one makes a scope with too low a bandwidth. Your local ham radio gathering probably will have one for sale cheap. ANd working used ones can often be had cheap.

In fact for the inexperienced, I really think the fancier scopes are a distraction. They have so much capability you get bogged down in the details and are maybe not so sure what you are even looking at on the screen.

[trobbins]

Just to round off one aspect of this Solarscope CD523 from Solartron, I am reusing its Willesden power transformer (295015) in a 200W bass amp. The transformer is an awesome beast: sealed, oil filled, with ceramic bushings, and made to military specification RCL.215. It features:
440-0-440V @ 220 mA; 32+34 DCR
200-0-200V @ 80 mA; 43+43 DCR
6V3 CT 4.8A; 6V3 CT 4A; 6V3 CT 4A; 5V 2.8A
110-0,110-0,20-10-5-0. 1.2+1.2 DCR

And all windings test > 2,000Meg insulation at 1kV.