7A12

The Tektronix 7A12 is a 120 MHz dual-trace vertical plug-in for 7000-series scopes. This original 7000-series plugin allows to compensate large dc offset voltages, however the offset voltage is not available on the front panel to be measured externally as with the 7A11.

Manuals – Specifications – Links – Pictures

Switches on the front panel control miniature relays in the signal path, such as those selecting input attenuators, through logic circuits. It uses the 155-0032-00 as a gain stage and the 155-0022-00 for channel switching.

The 7A12 was designed by Roy Hayes (who also designed the 3A3 and 3A8 before leaving for HP Loveland in Jan 1971). The Evaluation Engineer for the 7A12 was Peter Starič, co-author of the book "Wideband Amplifiers" with Erik Margan.

There were two mistakes, concept errors, that doomed the 7A12 from day one. The first was in deciding to use the Tektronix IC process (the "Standard Process") for the signal path. This process had an Ft of only 1 GHz, too slow for a plugin expected to provide 150MHz bandwidth in the fastest mainframe, the 7704.

The second day one mistake, later pointed out by Tom Rousseau, was to arrange the two channels vertically. Roy wanted to be able to go from one sensitivity (deflection factor) to another without having to go through all the sensitivities in between as happens with a rotary switch. The vertical row of push buttons was attractive an functional. The complexity required three circuit boards, two identical circuit boards, one on each side of a center board. That is expensive and complex.

Tom Rousseau designed a new dual trace plugin with discrete components that had 80 MHz bandwidth on a single circuit board and was much less expensive to manufacture. He did this on his own, not at management's request. Management liked it. It became the 7A18. Later Tom had the advantage of a later, faster IC process. He used the M84 (155-0078-xx), already in production for the 485, and circuitry similar to the 7A18. This became the 200 MHz 7A26, the best selling Tektronix plugin of all time. Tektronix made a literally gold-plated 7A26 and gave it to him in recognition.

See https://vintagetek.org/100000-7a26-plug-in/

Key Specifications

Bandwidth	120 MHz (79xx) / 105 MHz (77xx) / 55 MHz (74xx)
Deflection	5 mV/Div to 5 V/Div (1–2–5), variable up to 12.5 V/Div
Input impedance	1 MΩ // 24 pF
Timing	Delay difference between channels < 500 ps
Channel isolation	At least 3000:1 at 75 MHz
Maximum input	350 V DC + Peak AC at 1 kHz or less
DC offset	At least ±500 divisions

Links

• 7A12 page @ amplifier.cd
• 7A12 page @ barrytech.com

Pictures

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  Front view

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  Front view

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  Attenuator schematic with relays

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  7A12 Amplifier PCB

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  Left side view

Components