Agilent 33250A Waveform Generator

Another in a pile of test gear sent in by viewer Matt... let's take a look!
#franlab #test #gear
- Music by Fran Blanche -

[Edmilho]

Amazing equipment! Here in Brazil it is very expensive. It's about the value of a popular used car. Congratulations on the video and the channel!

[andreas]

As for that snot on the caps
Agilent/HP generally used silicone based stuff. That should not cause an issue in decades.
Arbitrary - as you certainly already figured out (but people watching this might be asking..)- lets you define your own waveform, like a sound file basically. Great if you need specific test signals.
The scope's input was set to x100 probe (right menu) so everything the numbers on the graticule are scaled by a factor of 100.
As for that handle on the generator, keep it well stored as they tend to get brittle on some of these instruments so even if you don't need it yourself it might be a searched-for spare part.

[NackDSP]

I spent many years twisting the knobs on one of those scopes and that model generator on my desk at work. Connect them to a PC and you can automate a lot of testing. I would load a heart waveform into the ARB and use it for testing heart monitors.

[calfee]

A bonnie and a joy forever. That's one professional grade piece of kit. We hobbyists depend on Moore's law to bring those specs, but it takes 10 years to do it affordably. Really enjoyed the video!

[merashallan]

That's a nice piece of kit and it couldn't go to a more deserving person! I hope it comes in handy for future projects!

[NullStaticVoid]

super jealous. That looks like an excellent piece of gear!
I've got a BK Precision func generator and it's more than a bit flaky. Also it's output has a very limited range, which makes it annoying to interface with audio equipment that I want to test.

[sasgeek]

Very good demo using the oscilloscope! Surely the only way to show what the signal generator does

[jurjenbos]

Learnt a new word today in the expression "that's major cappage in there". Love you video, Fran! Always interested in the inside of what I am not allowed to open.

[ScottfromBaltimore]

I'm glad to see that the scope is working well enough to play a role!

[VeganAtheistWeirdo]

Having no experience with these myself, I was delighted when the display lit up in color. Nerds will be nerds, I suppose. 😂 Really enjoying Matt's treasure trove of donations -- what an MVP!

[evilrslade]

Nice. I work in a commercial electronics lab, we have a couple of these. Decent quality for the price.

[dosgos]

Bumbling around but with plenty of insightful comments. Great teaching methodology and fun to watch. Love this "new age" equipment series. Keep making them!

[PicaDelphon]

Now this is what I really Like to See..

[drskelebone]

Me: That's a damn good square wave.
Fran: That's actually pretty damn good!
XD

[ChipGuy]

9:35: Got a 33220A from Agilent and all the yellow T491 tantalums failed on mine. One after the other. But since I replaced them everything is fine.

[radiokua]

I like how your old scope on the left of the bench is marked like a railroad car. TCS&H Railroad. 🙂

[abarratt]

Nice piece of kit!

Accountants never understand this stuff. I'm still using an ancient HP spectrum analyser from the 1980s, vector display, the lot. It'll never, ever break. Probably not in cal, may not even be possible to calibrate it, but it serves a purpose.

Yet, there's accountants who insist on writing off this kind of stuff in 3 years "for tax reasons". I have come across such creatures. I've have voted with my feet and elected to not work for them...

[Peter_A]

You missed the most interesting buttons! 😃
(Choose waveform and New waveform in the Arbitrary wave setting)
Do you by any chance have some mixed TTL & CMOS board that would trigger differently if you have a complex wave with different level peaks? Could be a nice demo...

[stuckathome]

You have a broken coil @12:21 (right to the DSP). You might want to have a look at that.

[deltaray]

Ha! I recognized that sticker from the movie Brainstorm. Nice