7912

The Tektronix 7912 is a series of high-speed digitizers that take one 7000-series vertical plug-in and one 7000-series horizontal plug-in. The primary markets for the 7912 series were nuclear and laser research.

Manuals – Specifications – Links – Pictures

All 7912 models use the same internal CRT-based, digitizing scan converter tube (T7912, 154-0698-00) that is not visible from the outside. The signal from the vertical plug-in deflects a writing beam through distributed deflection plates. The electrons hit a small flat rectangular solid state target, conceptually similar to the image sensor in a digital camera. The resolution of the target is 512×512, giving 512 points in the time domain and 9-bit linear quantization of the input voltage. With a 7B92 sweeping the whole X-axis in 5 ns, and the 7912 capturing 512 samples in that sweep, the 7912 performs the function of a 100 GSample/s A/D converter.

7912 Series Models

• The R7912, introduced in September 1973 (Ref.1), achieved a bandwidth of 500 MHz with a 7A19 vertical amplifier plug-in.
• The 7912AD (1978) had 500 MHz bandwidth and introduced a standard GPIB interface.
• The 7912HB (1987) extended bandwidth to 750 MHz (using a 7A29P amplifier).

• The LM7912 is a Tektronix R7912 modified by Lockheed Palo Alto Research Lab for extended bandwidth.

Project Staff

• Carlo Infante, Program manager
• Jim Cavoretto, Project Engineer
• Al Allworth, Don Roberts, and Stu McNaughton, Electrical Engineers
• Walt Lowy, Engineering Technician
• Ray Hayes, Ken Hawken, Bob Culter, Hal Cobb, Ed Ritz, and Bo Janko, CRT Engineering
• Loyal Strom, Helene Albright and Ken Nesvold, Prototype Support
• Doug Giesbers, Larry Pearson and Phil Lloyd, Mechanical Engineering
• Nick Hughes and Ray Blohm, Instrument Manufacturing