7250

The Tektronix 7250 is a digitizing oscilloscope with 6 GHz bandwidth. It uses a scan converter CRT for digitizing. From the scan converter, the trace is transferred to memory boards conventional RAM.

The input is through a 50 Ω N connector on the rear panel, which loops through, rather than being terminated internally. The captured waveform can be transferred to a computer via a GPIB interface or can be viewed on the built-in monitor, which is a conventional computer-style CRT display and has menus.

At 132 pounds, it is the heaviest one-piece oscilloscope ever sold by Tektronix. It was made by Intertechnique in France where it was sold as the IN7000, and rebranded by Tektronix for sale in the United States.

Specifications

Frequency response of a 7250 has been measured as -3 dB @ 7 GHz, -6 dB @ 9.6 GHz, and -8.5 dB @ 14 GHz. (Haas, Warman, van Ewijk, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 60 (3), March 1989)

Vertical resolution is 11 bits. The digitizer captures 512 samples in one shot. The fastest sweep is 50 ps/Div, approximately 1 terasample per second. Sensitivity is 500 mV/Div.

Due to the absence of vertical amplifiers in the signal path, the 7250 can handle 2 kV spikes without damage.

Issues

The 7250 has two 3.6 V 1/2AA lithium batteries on each memory board. With time, these batteries die, which will cause the 7250 to fail its power-on self test. New replacements are still (2011) widely available.

Manuals

• Tektronix 7250 Manual (PDF)
• Tektronix 7250 Catalog Entry (PDF)
• US Patent 4147988 Describing the Technology Used in the 7250 (PDF)
• Basic Code for GPIB Access to 7250

Pictures

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  Front.

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  Front inside.

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  Rear.

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  Rear inside.

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  Memory board.