Book: "The Oscilloscope at work" - UK Vintage Radio Repair and Restoration Discussion Forum

G6Tanuki · 19th Aug 2018, 6:15 pm

Bought at the local car-boot for 50p.

It's interesting - a rework of a book originally published in French. The foreword reveals a distinct tension and antagonism between the original author and the reworker.

It's also interesting in that, though published to the UK in 1954, much of the circuitry/design-mentality could easily have come from a decade earlier.

[Example: all the valves used in the examples are WWII-or-a-few-years-beforehand octals].

I can imagine the guys at Tektronix getting hold of a just-off-the-press copy of this and thinking they truly had nothing to worry about from the European Oscilloscope-competition!

Ed_Dinning · 19th Aug 2018, 7:49 pm

Hi Tanuki, I have the original version and it proved very useful for the various scope I designed many years ago.
Certainly one of the "classics"

Ed

G6Tanuki · 19th Aug 2018, 8:10 pm

Yes it's an interesting book from the technical perspective but it really does show how much behind UK/Europe was compared with the US by the early-1950s.

I recall as a student in the late-1970s reading some US manuals on scopes that were published in 1948, in which things like neon-relaxation-oscillator/Thyratron-timebases were mentioned as historical oddities.

All the designs used B7G/B9A valves.

John M0GLN · 20th Aug 2018, 10:08 am

I have had the 1956 revised edition now for almost 60 years and have always thought that although very interesting it's surprising that the equipment used is so basic ( the 'scope used to produce many of the trace photos has, ignoring the rectifiers, only 4 valves and a thryratron ) and many of these photos are very poor with flyback lines and looking out of focus, seems strange when it was published for 'Wireless World', the book itself is excellent being a hardback with dust cover and the print paper very good quality.

I still get it out for a read.

John

19th Aug 2018, 6:15 pm	#1
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 14,007	Book: "The Oscilloscope at work" Bought at the local car-boot for 50p. It's interesting - a rework of a book originally published in French. The foreword reveals a distinct tension and antagonism between the original author and the reworker. It's also interesting in that, though published to the UK in 1954, much of the circuitry/design-mentality could easily have come from a decade earlier. [Example: all the valves used in the examples are WWII-or-a-few-years-beforehand octals]. I can imagine the guys at Tektronix getting hold of a just-off-the-press copy of this and thinking they truly had nothing to worry about from the European Oscilloscope-competition! Attached Thumbnails

19th Aug 2018, 7:49 pm	#2
Ed_Dinning Dekatron Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne & Wear, UK. Posts: 8,195	Re: Book: "The Oscilloscope at work" Hi Tanuki, I have the original version and it proved very useful for the various scope I designed many years ago. Certainly one of the "classics" Ed

19th Aug 2018, 8:10 pm	#3
G6Tanuki Dekatron Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Wiltshire, UK. Posts: 14,007	Re: Book: "The Oscilloscope at work" Yes it's an interesting book from the technical perspective but it really does show how much behind UK/Europe was compared with the US by the early-1950s. I recall as a student in the late-1970s reading some US manuals on scopes that were published in 1948, in which things like neon-relaxation-oscillator/Thyratron-timebases were mentioned as historical oddities. All the designs used B7G/B9A valves.

20th Aug 2018, 10:08 am	#4
John M0GLN Octode Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Southport, Merseyside, UK. Posts: 1,156	Re: Book: "The Oscilloscope at work" I have had the 1956 revised edition now for almost 60 years and have always thought that although very interesting it's surprising that the equipment used is so basic ( the 'scope used to produce many of the trace photos has, ignoring the rectifiers, only 4 valves and a thryratron ) and many of these photos are very poor with flyback lines and looking out of focus, seems strange when it was published for 'Wireless World', the book itself is excellent being a hardback with dust cover and the print paper very good quality. I still get it out for a read. John