BEB #52: Tektronix Nightmare: Rotten 561A Oscilloscope

Tektronix 561A Oscilloscope with faulty CRT, 3A6 dual trace amplifier plug-in unit, 3B3 time base plugin, missing flyback transformer, rust, damages, sand, broken handle, faulty tubes, and so on.

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Footage recorded on 14th of July 2017 in Dobl, Steiermark. Edited and uploaded to YouTube on 16th of July.

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[paulbione]

What a shame Max!! And no refund from the seller either!! It's a pity to see such quality equipment so neglected that you can't even salvage parts. It's definitely the worst condition of any tek scope I've ever seen.

[msylvain]

It is weird how the front panel looks clean compared to the insides, maybe they did clean it for the ebay photo ?

[abscomm]

Sorry that you got taken for a ride. I hope you complained and left negative feedback. To sell something like that for 99 Euros is outrageous!

[theradiomechanic]

From the quantity of tubes that have air in them ( the white color means air got in them ) I suspect this scope was running and the tubes were hot then something poured water into the scope.
This would cause the glass of the tubes to crack and allow air in. Could have been in a building that had a fire and the fire suppression sprinklers sprayed water on it.
The amount of rust adds to the suspicion that water was poured on it and left for quite a while. But again, the tubes must have been hot when it happened.

[Cavemannspace]

This is one of the most depressing Tek/electronics videos I have ever seen. So sorry for your purchase. I have two of these scopes and another of the same model that is made for rack mounting. One of them is missing tubes. The other two work. They are great for audio, radio, and TV repair and other fun.

[leononinckx]

I suspect this unit came from a top-secret submarine which was decommissioned in the late seventies. That would explain all the sand and rust.

[PaulHigginbothamSr]

I think to call it quits would be a blessing. What you need to do is find a gung-ho high-school freshman, year 9 and tell him what a challenge this scope would be to restore. Then give him all the help you can over the phone but limit the calls to one hour per week. Find him a flyback transformer and tubes.

[peteb]

I found one in New Zealand that works but it's just as filthy inside. I paid NZD$30 for the thing. I was very concerned when i called to collect it when the seller said i had to see it powered up. I let it run less than a minute. I plan to restore it because it's technology comes from an era when we humans were putting men on the moon (and letting off Nuclear Bombs) and you can bet somewhere these 'scopes were being used on such tasks....

[daviddaigle]

I just grabbed one of these from an old electronics shop for 30 bucks! Totally works too lol

[warehouse-myin]

How much are these worth in working order ? My friends dad has one in his bar, still works but not used ha He has it in there there for display purposes now, fits in with the 007 theme - I always said it looked like espionage gear ha

[Tangobaldy]

we call it polystyrene as Styrofoam is a trademarked brand of closed-cell extruded polystyrene foam. We also hate polystyrene because it get all over the place and clings to everything.

[beakytwitch]

Yum yum ! Steampunk fodder for an art school, maybe ?

[TecKonstantin]

he tried the air packing stuff, but with that load, got popped XD

[toddanonymous]

I wonder if they sell Deoxit in 55 gallon drums :)

[ytrewq]

I could not even think of selling somebody something like that!... I hope the seller did not scam you out of too much for that tragedy?... For shame on him!...

[arthurharrison]

99 euros ($115.20)? I hope you got a refund. Thanks for sharing this!

[patmx]

That poor scope! Sorry to see you got taken. Some eBuy are awful.

[cat-lwkq]

I don't know why people go crazy over these Tek scopes, just buy a good used Hitachi, they are great scopes, and I've seen them for $75 on ebay.

[praestant]

How said it was left out in the barn so long. Would have been a nice piece if restorable.

[thetechgenie]

I would have filed a claim as seller didn't show, or mention it being corroded and sitting outside. Why would the seller even bother to sell crap like that is beyond me? I would have just scraped it at that point. Maybe saved the knobs that not broken as others maybe able to use that, other then that everything else is shot.