I am considering the purchase of the 54503A for my hobbyist test bench. The scope shows passing all the self test routines and cosmetically is in good shape. Is there anything I should be aware of such as external software support that is no longer available that the scope must have to operate that would render it useless for some reason. Any thoughts as to why this may not be a good purchase for a hobbyist?
Thanks,
Rowland
Thanks,
Rowland
Run the self tests and the self cal. Then apply a signal to each channel and slowly work up and down the attenuator ranges. Some of the older scopes had a software gold for the attenuator contacts. That soft gold makes for a good contact and less switch bounch. But, over time they contacts could become sticky and attenuator ranges may not switch or switch slowly. Most customers just use channel one, so it gets the most use and the other channels get little use. So if channel one goes bad, use a different channel. Those older scopes are out of support, so Agilent does not stock or sell any spare parts. If the scope breaks, we cannot help you fix it. Sorry.
I am not aware of any software you will need to have. Those scopes were ROM based so updating the software meant changing the ROMs. My stock of ROMs was depleted years ago. There is software like Intuilink that may work with those older scopes. Intuilink makes it easy to bring screen shots or data from the scope directly to Word or Excel.
If the scope works and you get it for a good price you are making a good deal. However, if any defects arise in the future, you may not be albe to fix the scope. You could also search the web for products like the 54600A or B, 54601A or B, 54602B, 54645A or D, 54610A or B. Those are new products than the 54503A and might give you better performance. But they are also outof support so repair is an issue. But, I do have ROMs for those products.
Good luck with your purchase.