Hackaday · Creativity & design

Restoring a 1960s Tektronix Oscilloscope

A recent video showcased a 1960s Tektronix 545A oscilloscope, highlighting its modular design and significant weight.

The oscilloscope weighed nearly 70 pounds and featured plug-in modules for reconfiguration, a common feature of "mainframe" oscilloscopes from that era. This particular model accepted a vertical section plugin, while the mainframe contained 75 tubes and the plugin added six more.

The device consumed approximately 500 watts of power. The video also touched upon common issues with these older scopes, such as problems with the graticule.

The specific oscilloscope in the video was not functional. It was noted that these scopes used ceramic points susceptible to regular solder, requiring a special silver solder for repairs. The restorer has made progress but further work is needed to fully repair the unit.

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