Re: Scope Probes off Ebay

On Tue, 9 Apr 2024 01:42:22 +0200, Klaus Vestergaard Kragelund
<klauskvik@hotmail.com> wrote:

On 08-04-2024 16:24, John Larkin wrote:

On Mon, 8 Apr 2024 15:30:57 +0200, Klaus Vestergaard Kragelund
<klauskvik@hotmail.com> wrote:
 

On 08-04-2024 06:40, Chris Jones wrote:

On 8/04/2024 11:36 am, John Larkin wrote:

On Mon, 8 Apr 2024 11:06:52 +1000, Chris Jones
<lugnut808@spam.yahoo.com> wrote:
>

On 8/04/2024 2:57 am, John Larkin wrote:

On Sun, 07 Apr 2024 14:51:29 +0100, Cursitor Doom <cd@notformail.com>
wrote:
>

I never learn. I bought a used "Agilent 500Mhz probe" off Ebay for 50
quid as the highest bandwidth probe I thought I had was a 150Mhz Tek
one. Anyway, I have a large selection of old probes lying around so
decided to check to make sure the "Agilent" one was genuine. Not
surprisingly it turns out it isn't. I haven't calculated what it's
real bandwidth is. I've established it's not as sensitive as the
150Mhz one and that's all I need to know. Whilst I was going through
this palarva, I tested a old probe I came across that I've never used
before and was amazed at the improvement in signal I got with it. I've
just Googled its part number and it turns out it's a 3.5Ghz passive
probe! I never even knew I had one so fast. I would never have ordered
the "500Mhz" one if I'd known I had this forgotten-about one already.
So the fake's going back for a refund and I won't be ordering  any
more probes from anywhere in the forseeable future.

>
The HP54006 is a 6 GHz probe, into a 50 ohm scope.
>
https://www.dropbox.com/s/lxq4ujmkvo755uy/HP54006_probe.zip?dl=0
>
They show up on ebay now and then. There's one now, asking $150.
>
You can make your own with some of those Caddock resistors. The
Caddocks have some magical recipe. And unlike a fet probe, they are
hard to damage. I use them to probe 7 ns 1400 volt spikes in my
Pockels Cell driver.
>
And you can do a GHz at least with a 1-cent axial or mini-MELF or 0805
resistor on the end of a coax. 450 ohms makes a 10:1 probe. Fast
circuits are often low impedance circuits and don't mind a 500r or 1K
load.
>

>
>
Which Caddock part number?

>
In the zip file.
>

>
>
Thanks, I only looked at the pdf before. For usenet posterity the zip
file contains Agilent document 54006-90002 and a photo of a probe made
from a SMA connector with a resistor marked MD1248 950 1%, and a packet
of resistors marked CADDOCK Part No. 0699-2371 (MD1247) Rev B Model
MG680 Resistance 450 Ohm Date 12-7-88 Date Code 8845 amongst other things.

This is comparison with sub pF probes vs just a resistor/coax. Seems the
performance from the coax is very similar to high end active probe. From:
>
http://www.sigcon.com/Pubs/straight/probes.htm
>
Notice, that you can
have a rather long pigtail on the coax probe and it won't affect the
signal.

 
We often probe without a ground connection at all, with fet and Z0
probes. You get a bit more noise but you see what's going on.
 
Critical signals get their own "probe" built into the board, with a
coax connector.
 
https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/jpy8onicfd1yrlzyp8qc2/T660_Phemt_Oscillator.jpg?rlkey=f5uzzmpmc3z6edqz48c47o31q&raw=1
 
That's the clock from a triggered LC oscillator.
 
https://www.dropbox.com/s/674b2w56c0q9orn/Burst_1.jpg?raw=1
 
 
SMB, when there's enough room.
 
 

I do that too, also for all PSU rails. And add resistor in series with
the feedback path of PSUs, then it real easy to do gain/phase measurements
>
I add 900ohm resistor on the board before the UFL, I guess you do the same?

450 usually, for 3.3v type signals.

High voltage dividers are another story.