For free: 7104, 7834, many plug-in modules, C1001 video, two scope mobiles.

[MaxwellFaraday]

TL;DR
For free.  7104 and 7834 scopes with lots of giblets.  Includes many plug-in modules, two scope mobiles (Model 3 and K212), a C1001 video unit, and a bunch of other stuff.  See pics.  Gear is not working and is located near San Francisco.  All were very well maintained throughout their life.

Longer Story
A couple years ago I was searching for an older analog Tek oscilloscope to dissect, understand, and hopefully repair.  Basically an anatomy lesson.  I found what I was looking for and much, much more.  Long story short, I ended up “winning” a very large surplus equipment auction for a ridiculous amount of lab equipment at too-low of a price from the IBM Almaden Research Center in San Jose.  Winner's curse.

I got what I was looking for (475A and 2445B), but ended up with way more gear than I could handle.  I’ve given away much of the haul, but I have a couple pieces of equipment that I could not bring myself to part with because I wanted to find someone who appreciated the beauty in what I had mistakenly and undeservedly ended up with.  For reasons I don’t quite understand, I didn’t want to give this gear to someone who was going to pointlessly tear it apart or sell it on eBay to someone who would act similarly.

As you can see from the pictures, I have many plug-in modules and some camera gear for these scopes.   Everything is included.  For the right person, the price=free and delivery is included to the 415 or 650 area codes.  My professional licenses allow me to travel during this nuttiness, so that’s not a problem. 

I am not knowledgeable enough to provide much information beyond what is in the pictures.  Hopefully someone on this forum knows someone who is deserving of this gift horse.  This might be a great project for someone who is hunkering down during this coronavirus time. 

Why
I genuinely appreciate the Tektronix legacy.  When I open these old scopes, I am struck with an awe that reminds me of Persian rugs and San Francisco victorian trim -- truly remarkable creations made by an anonymous or near-anonymous guild of people that represent an era of hand-craftsmanship that has passed.  As it is with victorian trim and Persian rugs, the beauty so transcends the utilitarian function that the old Tek circuit boards make me want to say to the designers and builders, “Oh, stop it.  You’re just showing off now.”

Please think if you know someone who might be a good steward of this gear.  I am not worthy.  I have no urgency to part with this equipment, but it would give me great pleasure to find someone who appreciates these scopes.

I’ll try to answer any questions.  I have higher resolution pictures if they'd be helpful to you.  You can pick up the gear at my house (zip code 94901) or I can drop it off in either the 415 or 650 area codes.  I am not interested in splitting up the lot and cannot ship.  Thanks.

[bitseeker]

That's awesome! Alas, I haven't the space right now. Posted an announcement in the TEA thread to see if we can find a good home for it.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/test-equipment-anonymous-(tea)-group-therapy-thread/msg2975158/#msg2975158

[james_s]

Wow that's amazing, I wish I had the space, I guess it's good that I'm not nearby. There is certainly value in some of that stuff, the single plug in chassis seem to be popular on ebay and people do still use these scopes. I don't think you have to worry too much about someone buying one just to take it apart, the parts are likely not going to be very useful other than for repairing other gear in that family.

[mnementh]

Thanks for stewarding this collection so conscientiously; your post describes with great eloquence my feelings towards vintage Tek gear, and I hope you do find the right soul to take them home and cherish them the way we do.

No, I am NOT that soul. While my survivors will have to pry my 2465s from my cold dead fingers, the realities of parenthood at retirement age have forced me to re-evaluate my own dragon's hoard of shiny TE. I just wanted to stop in and say thanks. 

Cheers,

mnem
"What's it worth? It's worth keepin'." ~grand-dad

[worsthorse]

That is an awesome collection. Alas, San Francisco and Portland are too far apart and, honestly, I don't know enough to repair most of what you have, though there are people out there who do. Most of my Tek gear is in the 4XX, 5XX, and 24XX class.

I do hope you find a good home for it! 

[Someone]

My my, a DCS01 in the flesh. You'd be surprised how effective eBay is for finding collectors/users of this equipment.

[edavid]

My my, a DCS01 in the flesh. You'd be surprised how effective eBay is for finding collectors/users of this equipment.

OP says he has a C1001, and that's what's in the photo.  AFAIK a DCS01 is a C1002 camera + DX01 digitizer.

[Brumby]

Oh .... whimper ....

Just too far away - which is probably just as well, otherwise I'd be sleeping with it ... in the garage (if I was lucky).


Your sentiment of it being appreciated is endorsed by everyone here.  Let's hope we find someone who will do just that.

[james_s]

If it comes down to it you might break up the lot into more manageable collections. Make each of the scopes complete with a reasonable collection of plugins, offer the remaining plugins and power chassis separately. You could check sold items on ebay to figure out which plugins may be worth selling individually for at least enough to be worth your time in packing it up. Most of the stuff can be appreciated without being one huge lot that very few people will have room for.

[MaxwellFaraday]

Thank you for the suggestion.  You may be (and probably are) correct in your divide and conquer strategy.  At this point, I still cling to the dream of finding someone to take the entire lot. 

Maybe you can answer a question for me.  Is this a fool's errand to even try to give this gear away?  Are these scopes not terribly special and worth the effort?  I tend to think that at some point in time we will look back at the Tek gear we thoughtless tossed away in the same manner that we look back at old pictures of neighborhoods that were thrown away in the enlightenment of urban renewal.  A "what the hell were they thinking?" kind of feeling.

[edavid]

You'll have zero trouble giving away the 7104, and there is a lot of other good stuff in the pile as well.  Feel free to ask for some money for it.

You should post on craigslist if you haven't already.  In non-lockdown circumstances it would be claimed within a few hours.

You might want to give a little more detail on "Gear is not working".

[bitseeker]

Selling or giving these away is not a fool's errand. However, finding someone to take it all greatly reduces the size of your target market. Then, requiring a transaction just within the northern and peninsula Bay Area reduces it even further.

There are many who truly appreciate Tek gear, but they're in many places.

[james_s]

Somebody will absolutely want those scopes, plugins and other parts. I'd love to have one and if you lived in my town I'd drive right over to take a look and probably take one home despite the fact that I have a serious shortage of space for gear and really I have zero real need for a fancy analog scope but those are *so* cool and high end. But the entire lot, even if I could go pick it up I would have to pass on that if I had to take it all, unless I want to end up single. The only other option is if I found a temporary staging area to sort through it all, find one complete set of stuff that I wanted to keep and then quickly find other homes for the rest. That's all moot though since I'm ~1500 miles away.

You've got a fantastic collection of amazing classic gear there, there is no shortage of people who can use and cherish it, but finding someone who can use ALL of it is going to be a big challenge.

[MaxwellFaraday]

Thank you for the suggestion.  I could post this stuff on Craigslist or eBay, but I would get so much more pleasure out of giving it away to someone who really wants and appreciates it.  When I was more naive, I gave stuff away on Craigslist.  What a never-ending parade of nutbags.  oh, boy.  Plus, I think my parents are a half a chromosome away from being abject hoarders, so I am conscious of where some of my junk would end up.  I know the pathology.

[edavid]

Well, in the Bay Area craigslist is pretty active for test equipment.  Maybe list it for $300 or so to keep away the worst of the time wasters?  You don't have to take the money.

You could also donate to a makerspace/hackerspace, but that would probably have to wait until after the lockdown ends.

[bitseeker]

Thank you for the suggestion.  I could post this stuff on Craigslist or eBay, but I would get so much more pleasure out of giving it away to someone who really wants and appreciates it.  When I was more naive, I gave stuff away on Craigslist.  What a never-ending parade of nutbags.  oh, boy.

Yes, I've posted stuff for free on Craigslist, too. Not an experience I would repeat.

Well, in the Bay Area craigslist is pretty active for test equipment.  Maybe list it for $300 or so to keep away the worst of the time wasters?  You don't have to take the money.

Now that's a clever idea and could be a very pleasant surprise for whomever ends up "winning" the item. I'll have to remember that one.

[james_s]

I once tried giving away my old sofa for free on craigslist and dealt with flakes for days. Eventually I posted it for $10 and it was gone that afternoon.

[aeberbach]

Hey, I'm going to direct a friend to this thread - he's just finished building a truly MASSIVE shed so I know it won't be full yet!

[1audio]

Is he in the SF Bay Area? I have 2 7854's and a lot of other stuff that need homes as well.

I have tried maker places and schools with no success. I'll try the craigslist option although we should not be pursuing anything that involves meeting people for a while.

[james_s]

A 1:1 transfer ought to be fine, we should be avoiding groups and it's not a bad idea to avoid personal contact but I don't think it would be a problem to set something out on the porch and say hi to the person who comes to get it. Obviously if one is or has recently been sick then it's best to wait.

[tggzzz]

Post this "advert" on the TekScopes group, and you will find people interested.

[MaxwellFaraday]

Scopes giblets were delivered to San Jose yesterday afternoon, 3/31/20, to someone I met through this posting.  Thank you to everyone for their support and encouragement.

[bitseeker]

Excellent!

[worsthorse]

First, good on you for offering this gear to people that are wanting to use and maintain it. Its a mitzvah, for sure.   

And do I wish I was still spending time in the bay area... some of the equipment you've mentioned I've been trying to find for years!  I am glad you've found a home for it.