Hoffman Amplifiers Tube Amplifier Forum
Amp Stuff => Tube Amp Building - Tweaks - Repairs => Topic started by: Big chief on October 11, 2024, 10:10:14 am
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Lost everything in flood.
Must replace all my test equipment.
Can any one tell me what is good to buy
Signal generator
Ociliscope
Multi meter
As mine were very old and obsolete don’t understand new technology
Thank you
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Multimeter - well you could spend a bundle on a Fluke or others, but these were suggested on this forum a couple of years ago going for $20 and I bought one. It is actually a really nice meter with quite good specifications. It'll get you by without stressing the wallet.
https://www.amazon.com/Ranging-Digital-Multimeter-Battery-Alligator/dp/B06ZZG2F2N/ (https://www.amazon.com/Ranging-Digital-Multimeter-Battery-Alligator/dp/B06ZZG2F2N/)
There are some critical reviews and many good reviews. I have used mine alongside my Fluke 87 and it reads dang close to the Fluke. It's not for critical lab work but that isn't what we do with guitar amps. I've never even opened that package with the test leads and accessories as I have many others to use.
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just seen a post from an insurance adjuster, "DO NOT USE THE WORD FLOOD, say "my stuff was ruined by water intrusion from ......""
I've had my digital Tektronix scope for ~~20 years, never a glitch, Model 1012B, i'm sure the prices are way down since the thousands it cost new. same with my Fluke 87. options I find real handy; True RMS, Min/Max/Avg measuring, on a scope, having FFT (spectrometer) feature if you know n understand how to use it.
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Lost everything in flood.
Very sorry to hear this.
Was it just the basement or the whole house?
Are you in NC. or Fl.?
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Most 4-channel digital scopes have an on-board sig gen (e.g. Rigol DS1074Z). I like Rigol scopes, but any brand should be really good these days, as long as you avoid the ultra cheap $100 Chinese ones.
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I live in Florida lost house
Thanks to every one who answered me I’ll follow your lead and buy the equipment you guys
Suggested I do work on amps and guitars for my friends don’t charge any labor I just want to keep busy and not set and watch the boob tube lol
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So sorry to hear this.
Will be praying for you and your wife.
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I have a really good Klein multimeter. Basically bulletproof, comes with really good probes, cost about $80 Canadian.
Signal generators, if needed for anything beyond audio frequencies, you might have to shell out some money, or look for quality vintage gear on the cheap. The Sig gens on the scopes won't get you to any kind of am radio frequencies, never mind fm or vhf.
But in that regard, you can use an app on your phone to get you up to like 50 kHz.
Keep your eye out on Facebook marketplace or other buy and sells for a decent oscilloscope. Lots of good deals for a few hundred dollars. I just picked up at tektronix 2 channel scope from the 60's for $50. All tube, I'll probably have to rebuild it (if possible), if not, I picked up a bunch of tubes, a transformer, and some other quality parts. But, if you're looking for something to keep your mind off things, that kind of project will certainly keep you out of trouble.
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Many thanks to all you great people on this site for all your help through out the years
Thanks for your prayers and best wishes to all
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The new 12-bit Rigol and Siglant scopes seem pretty much impossible to beat for the price. I'm really torn behind getting the Rigol DHO804 or the Siglant SDS804X HD right now. Lots of pluses and minuses. Neither has a built in function gen, but the Siglant has an option which can be controlled from the scope. But then, the Rigol can be quite easily hacked up to like 250MHz and a higher waveform capture rate. In most ways, the Siglant is slightly better, but to get to some of the better features you need to pay for some upgrades, and the form factor of the Rigol (and the Vesa Mount) is REALLY appealing to me. The Rigol DHO914S has the function generator built in, and a logic analyzer if you do any digital work, so if you have a little more budget, that's an option.
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THIS (https://www.amazon.com/1HZ-500KHZ-Functional-Generator-Seesii-Frequency/dp/B08NSR5GYR/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?crid=28GJV2PY104W9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.gN8To0Nh78rHeyURr8US6VlDIwtTn1VeaTSgIlGEb1Lxxg7Ccbp0VJo5uMXALq_JQcdW4wLah6lgADMFL1-FF8_3IFGj0_uuFadEq2ozTT2azfGSSK3k94bPMa8reXNiW1ih-CRG_roxQ9ppcyPZdyWmjzuJm_6M9N0X63GjUFhJn68KD_I8uL0reF3kACwA6jUFovtYlmaEhdXt6XzGlkstRmrjSH4UZ7ejSthbDOI.N4RrDvzu6uHNpIcGkAsoGvj6u9OdzYRb3v8pVIOE_F4&dib_tag=se&keywords=fg-100+dds+function+generator&qid=1728887116&sprefix=FG-100+%2Caps%2C94&sr=8-1-spons&sp_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9hdGY&psc=1) Function generator is not great (honestly, kind of a pain to use), but it's also about $30. Now, a lot of reviews out there are from people who got non-functional units, mostly because they were using knock off TL072's in the filtering and buffering section (which aren't that hard to replace, if you don't mind messing with SMD parts), but many others (including myself) got units which are fine. The interface is a pain, but if you're on a budget, and don't need higher radio frequencies, it's fine. Mine has a 3dB down point which is noticeably higher than the spec, and stayed clean up to around 1MHz (though the level was quite low), so I may have gotten really lucky.