20-07-2020, 12:36 PM
Crikey Rob!
This is like having a barn full of classic cars, but you don't yet have a driving license! Your problem is not lacking transport - you haven't learnt to drive yet
Rather than throwing money at kit, you need to invest some time in learning about electronics. You can't buy that - you have to put the graft in.
But all that said, none of us know how you came by this new 'scope - perhaps the price was too good to refuse...
The good news for you is that this Philips 'scope is basically an early Combiscope. This means you can use it as an entirely analogue 'scope, and ignore the digital side of things. That is what I would recommend you did. Earlier I recommended the Philips PM3215 or PM3217. These are essentially analogue-only versions of the PM3305, but with improved specs. And they are simpler internally, so run cooler and are easier to fix.
Is it better than the Tek? That's a tricky one to answer. Personally, I like Philips more than Tek, but I'm fully aware that others will strongly disagree. I sometimes like to support the underdog - my radio collection has a lot of Hacker sets, but a fair few from Fidelity too
In this contest, they are quite closely matched in terms of spec, so it might come down to personal preference. The Philips PM3215 has a better control layout for beginners (which is why we bought loads of them for training), and this PM3305 is very similar (but with extra complexity for the digital stuff on the RHS) so you might find it a better instrument to learn on. But it takes more bench space because it's wider than the Tek.
As others have said, the digital modes are very limited by modern standards, and again, I would ignore them. But they're not as limited as some might think, as the low sample rate is mitigated by equivalent time sampling. This 'scope even has an LED to warn you when its switched from real time sampling to equivalent time sampling (the one labelled "Repetitive signals only"). Philips were always good like that.
I should say that quite a few posts have arrived since I started this, and I've edited it down quite a bit as a result. Part of the time taken to write this came about because I wanted to dig out an original Philips catalogue from 1987. If I had more time, I'd scan in the 3 pages detailing this model.
Just a word of warning - there is a later version of this 'scope in the newer plastic-chassis case that they switched to in the mid/late '80s (with soft keys and an LCD readout). We have one at work, but I can't remember the model number. While it still works well, I did notice that a PCB in there has loads of leaking surface-mount capacitors, and sooner or later, the electrolyte will start eating PCB tracks. I have no idea if the PM3305 uses similar caps - perhaps not, given that its older - but that's something I would check for ASAP. I haven't decided what to do with the one at work - there's no point having someone fix it given the cost of labour, but while it still works, it's hard to justify throwing it away. If we did, would I rescue it and restore it? Much as I love Philips, I really doubt it... I've spent many hours repairing a Tek audio analyser with that failure mechanism, and it's a constant game of whack-a-mole - you never know when it's going to go wrong again, and because the breaks are invariably underneath giant SMT ICs, you have to spend an age figuring out what needs to be linked to make it go again. Luckily they only used those caps on one PCB, but it's a massive one that had about 30 of them. Total nightmare! Don't mention 1990s camcorders
Hope this helps,
Mark
This is like having a barn full of classic cars, but you don't yet have a driving license! Your problem is not lacking transport - you haven't learnt to drive yet
Rather than throwing money at kit, you need to invest some time in learning about electronics. You can't buy that - you have to put the graft in.
But all that said, none of us know how you came by this new 'scope - perhaps the price was too good to refuse...
The good news for you is that this Philips 'scope is basically an early Combiscope. This means you can use it as an entirely analogue 'scope, and ignore the digital side of things. That is what I would recommend you did. Earlier I recommended the Philips PM3215 or PM3217. These are essentially analogue-only versions of the PM3305, but with improved specs. And they are simpler internally, so run cooler and are easier to fix.
Is it better than the Tek? That's a tricky one to answer. Personally, I like Philips more than Tek, but I'm fully aware that others will strongly disagree. I sometimes like to support the underdog - my radio collection has a lot of Hacker sets, but a fair few from Fidelity too
In this contest, they are quite closely matched in terms of spec, so it might come down to personal preference. The Philips PM3215 has a better control layout for beginners (which is why we bought loads of them for training), and this PM3305 is very similar (but with extra complexity for the digital stuff on the RHS) so you might find it a better instrument to learn on. But it takes more bench space because it's wider than the Tek.
As others have said, the digital modes are very limited by modern standards, and again, I would ignore them. But they're not as limited as some might think, as the low sample rate is mitigated by equivalent time sampling. This 'scope even has an LED to warn you when its switched from real time sampling to equivalent time sampling (the one labelled "Repetitive signals only"). Philips were always good like that.
I should say that quite a few posts have arrived since I started this, and I've edited it down quite a bit as a result. Part of the time taken to write this came about because I wanted to dig out an original Philips catalogue from 1987. If I had more time, I'd scan in the 3 pages detailing this model.
Just a word of warning - there is a later version of this 'scope in the newer plastic-chassis case that they switched to in the mid/late '80s (with soft keys and an LCD readout). We have one at work, but I can't remember the model number. While it still works well, I did notice that a PCB in there has loads of leaking surface-mount capacitors, and sooner or later, the electrolyte will start eating PCB tracks. I have no idea if the PM3305 uses similar caps - perhaps not, given that its older - but that's something I would check for ASAP. I haven't decided what to do with the one at work - there's no point having someone fix it given the cost of labour, but while it still works, it's hard to justify throwing it away. If we did, would I rescue it and restore it? Much as I love Philips, I really doubt it... I've spent many hours repairing a Tek audio analyser with that failure mechanism, and it's a constant game of whack-a-mole - you never know when it's going to go wrong again, and because the breaks are invariably underneath giant SMT ICs, you have to spend an age figuring out what needs to be linked to make it go again. Luckily they only used those caps on one PCB, but it's a massive one that had about 30 of them. Total nightmare! Don't mention 1990s camcorders
Hope this helps,
Mark
