In this video I take apart a vintage HP spectrum analyser to salvage any useful parts. Support me on Patreon: www.patreon.co... My eBay store: www.ebay.co.uk... Facebook group: / 1313077415524264 Email: andrewantennas@gmail.com
I bought one of these on eBay that was in a panel mounted display and it had a lot of problems. I had to rebuild the attenuator switch because somebody had tried to repair it. The little buttons holding the finger wipers had broken off, but they were still in the case and I was able to drill small holes in the nylon(?) and use very small screws from some other source to fasten them back on. The plastic itself seemed fine. The small plastic buttons or weld look like a poor construction compared to the quality of the rest of the machine. It really is an undertaking to disassemble and reassemble that switch and the one next to it. It can be done and the manuals do give the details. Mine seems to work well now, but I'm not sure if it works on the higher ranges, as I'm able to see lower frequency signals even when it's in the higher ranges.
I really think that these plastic parts can be reproduced using a 3D printer, even at home, with the appropriate dimensions, of course. This could bring to life many usefull instruments and other tools of degrading plastics. BTW, I really love your videos, they are very informative and educational. Keep up the good work.
I've been looking to get a yig oscillator for one of these. The only one on ebay is for 750$. That is ridiclous but if you have one laying around I could really use it
I am often amazed at the greed and stupidity of some ebay sellers. I have had a spares Tek scope shipped from the states for $40! How the hell can they charge that sort of money for a tiny attenuator that will fit in a jiffy bag? Cheers Andrew interesting stuff.