Today I received a new addition for my lab: a Tektronix FCA3100 frequency / timer / counter /analyser as a replacement for my old HP 5334A. I wanted more resolution and better single shot time interval accuracy. I looked at a whole bunch of frequency counters both old (like the Stanford research SR602 and several Philips/Fluke units) and new. In the end I came across a good deal for the FCA3100 at Instrumex (located in Germany): 1650 euro ex. VAT. Given the high asking prices on Ebay for older gear in decent shape I decided to buy the FCA3100.
The FCA3100 is an older design which has been sold as Fluke rebrands and seems to originate from Pendulum which sells the same model as the CNT-91 . Older model means no ethernet and no storage to USB. Only a
(proprietary) USB interface (USBTMC) and GPIB. OTOH a Keysight counter like the 53230A which has all the modern I/O goodies is way more expensive and has the downside that it has limited ability to count 'negative' time intervals which is something that I have to deal with every now and then.
The unit I received came with the original packaging, calibration certificate, 2 years left on the factory warranty and still had the screen protector attached:
A quick check shows that it works:
I'm not sure the unit I got has ever been used. Why would the screen protector still be on if someone used it? Unfortunately I can't find a power-up or runtime counter. I had no problem registering the unit on Tektronix' website though. It also seems Instrumex has more of them because they didn't take the listing from their website.
Nice to see some more Tektronix gear getting into my lab!
edit: turns out the USB port is a USBTMC interface which accepts GPIB commands. This wasn't 100% clear from the documentation.