A Few New Pieces Of Test Equipment

[compucat]

I have been working on vintage radios and TVs for quite a few years now but never had much in the way of test equipment. Until now I have been using a Sears Range Doubler VOM I bought new in 1984, a B&K CRT tester I got off of Ebay and a Sencore bar/dot generator. That is about it. While restoring my RCA 17" console TV I decided it was time to upgrade be test bench as it were. I bought a Knight 600A emission type tube tester, Simpson 260 VOM and an RCA vintage oscilloscope.

The tube tester was in really good shape. It is the bench top model in the metal cabinet. I replaced the single paper cap, the line cord and the mis-matched screws holding it together. The handle I added as there was none on the cabinet. It works good and at last I no longer have to guess if tubes are good or just blindly substitute them.

The Simpson 260 is a Series 7P unit that I found NOS complete with box, instructions, test leads, alligator clips, even original batteries in plastic bag (corroded of course). I found out this unit was made during the 1980s. It works perfect of course and is a great bench top meter.

I have wanted an oscilloscope for ages but could never afford what I thought was a "decent" scope, especially for TV work. This RCA unit is not high end by and standards but is well built, works, and is serviceable. I had to buy two to get parts to make one good one. The picture showing it out of the case is because I am waiting for the new spray paint on the metal case to dry. I still have to replace the line cord. Someone added a fuse holder but it was one of those inline types with the cord at each end just tacked in. I replaced that with a chassis mount fuse holder and wired it more neatly. I replaced the binding posts, added new knobs (Those rubber things were useless) and added a BNC connector so i could use a standard scope probe. The image on the CRT is of the calibration waveform the scope produces internally. It now seems to be quite stable and I think it will do for checking basic waveforms and determining if oscillator stages are running, that sort of thing. Someday maybe I will upgrade to a more modern scope.

Now I am just about ready to continue on the restoration of the RCA TV and am even getting motivated to do a few of the radios I have had sitting around for ages.