HI Folks!

Just got a very nice deal on a Tektronix 2335. I'm a newbie when it comes to Oscopes. I got a good square wave when I connected the probe to the built-in calibrator.

Any special care and feeding for thie new pet that I should be aware of?

The 2336 manual is on BAMA, it may be close enough to yours.

There are a few scope tutorials on the web.

Well. if there are compensation trimmers in your probe(s) you can look at the cal signal and adjust the trimmer for the squarest/flattest corners on the leading edges. I also do not leave my scope running with a trace on the screen for hours unused or anything like that. Remember that is a tube, and tubes have lifespans.

Hi Preston,

I'm glad to see you obtain a quality brand. Keep in mind though, that certain model Teks are more difficult to maintain/repair than others. The 465B and similar were solid units, popular because they are easy to maintain/service as were many of the Beaverton models. The Sony/Teks were alright and some of the 2200 line were ok, but nothing special. Your model is a ruggedized military version, using specialized parts in the HV section, including thick-film resistors, and proprietary Tek-made ICs that likely, are no longer available. Given that info., repairing it could be a real chore and a spare/parts unit would be handy to have. Here's some info. for you to download:

TEK 2335 literature/help tips

There are hoardes of quality, used scopes up for sale/auction and as hobbyists, we each need to do our homework prior to purchasing as to which brands and models will fill our needs and yet provide relatively easy servicing/maintenance/parts availability.

I haven't owned a 2000 series Tek, but looking at pictures and videos service accessibility looks to be a lot easier on them with most of the circuitry on a single board compared to a 465/475 where everything is shoe-horned inside the case with boards mounted every which way. I admittingly have never had to do any service on my 475, but having looked inside it I can't exactly classify it as service friendly. By comparison I think I could rip my 7854 down to a pile of boards in about 20 minutes. For future serviceability in a vintage scope, Tektronix will remain the best bet for a long time to come just due to the volumes of them that were sold and the abundance of information available on them.

-Mark-

Even turning down/off the trace brightness doesn't extend CRT life on high-end brand o'scopes as many tend to believe ---- phosphor aging and cathode aging (cathode oxidation produces lower temperature electrons via thermal cycling) results in reduced brightness and poor focus. Quality CRTs use a quality phosphor coating to begin with. The other method to extending CRT life is for the O'scope's design to employ immediate drainage of HV and trace blanking when the unit is powered off. Inexpensive scopes will have a trace that more slowly disappears when powered off.