Not all "old" analog scopes are huge. The Tek 465/475 series is about
the same width as the TDS210 and about 2.5 times the depth. The later
Tek 2000 series (1980s vintage) are about the same size and
considerably lighter than the 475. You are probably thinking of the
Tek 7000 series which were never intended for general electronics work
but rather as fixed lab-type units capable of accepting lots of
different kinds of plug-in modules.

As for precision, most modern scopes are only 8 bit vertical
resolution. If you turn on averaging, you can often get about 2 or 3
more effective bits. The horizontal accuracy is pretty good,
especially with measure functions. However, at 8 bits vertical, their
amplitude measuring ability is not much better than a well-adjusted
analog scope. Some of the later analog scopes also have cursors with a
readout.

Sean


On Sun, Feb 20, 2011 at 5:58 PM, William "Chops" Westfield
<westfw@mac.com> wrote:
>
> On Feb 20, 2011, at 2:01 PM, Michael Watterson wrote:
>
>> Get a second hand Analogue CRT model if you have only $90 and need a
>> scope and the PC soundcard isn't good enough.
>
> And you have lots of room. =A0Old analog scopes were designed in an age
> when real estate was a lot cheaper, and they fit in the average
> college dorm or apartment like an SUV fits in a bike rack.
>
> When I saw the TDS210 at Fry's (one of the relatively early "low
> profile" digital scopes), it was the first time I knew that a personal
> scope was in my future. =A0(But they're still pricey, even used...)
>
> (I wonder how often the precision of a good scope is actually used, vs
> simpler use as a "visualization tool.")
>
> BillW
>
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