UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum - View Single Post - HP 8552A / 8554L Spectrum Analyzer help request

Radio Wrangler · 13th Dec 2020, 7:01 am

Start with the power supplies. Number-one suspect when several things seem to go wrong at once.

If your mainframe has a storage tube, you'll need to take special care to avoid damaging the tube. They can be ruined by incautious setting of the front panel controls. There is no protection against this. Consequently the number of properly working storage frames is a bit low. The best frame has a normal CRT with a dual phosphor, fast blue and a yellow afterglow. They seem to last well.

In some 140 series PSUs the references are neon bulbs, not zeners. They can go bad over time.

David

13th Dec 2020, 7:01 am	#5
Radio Wrangler Moderator Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Fife, Scotland, UK. Posts: 22,867	Re: HP 8552A / 8554L Spectrum Analyzer help request Start with the power supplies. Number-one suspect when several things seem to go wrong at once. If your mainframe has a storage tube, you'll need to take special care to avoid damaging the tube. They can be ruined by incautious setting of the front panel controls. There is no protection against this. Consequently the number of properly working storage frames is a bit low. The best frame has a normal CRT with a dual phosphor, fast blue and a yellow afterglow. They seem to last well. In some 140 series PSUs the references are neon bulbs, not zeners. They can go bad over time. David __________________ Can't afford the volcanic island yet, but the plans for my monorail and the goons' uniforms are done