7250

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6 GHz Transient Digitizer

Produced from 1986 to 1992(?)

Manuals

(All manuals in PDF format unless noted otherwise)

Manuals – Specifications – Links – Pictures

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

The input is through a 50 Ω N connector on the rear panel, which loops through, rather than being terminated internally. Like in the 519, there is no vertical amplifier.

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 60 kg (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.

Key Specifications

	— 7250 mainframe —
Bandwidth	6 GHz (measured as -3 dB @ 7 GHz, -6 dB @ 9.6 GHz, and -8.5 dB @ 14 GHz in Haas, Warman, van Ewijk, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 60 (3), March 1989)
Rise time	50 ps
Resolution	Vertical, 11 bits. The digitizer captures 512 samples in one shot.
Sweep	1 μs/Div to 50 ps/Div (1-2-5), equivalent to max. ~1 terasample per second
Sensitivity	fixed 500 mV/Div (no vertical amplifiers in the signal path)
Max. input	2 kV spikes < 1 μs
Triggering	External only, requires 50 ns pretrigger signal
	— 7250 Opt. 01 External Delay Line —
Bandwidth	4.5 GHz
Rise time	≤75 ps
Delay	55 ns
Attenuation	4.5 dB
Input / output	50 Ω N connectors
Trigger pickoff	20 dB attenuation, 300 ps rise time, BNC connector

Links

Tektronix 7250 advertising video, 1987 (VintageTEK Museum @ YouTube)

Prices

	Year	1988	1990
7250	Catalog price	$99,995	$104,000
7250	2016 value	$204,000	$192,000
Opt. 01 Ext. Delay Line	Catalog price	$12,500	$12,500
Opt. 01 Ext. Delay Line	2016 value	$25,500	$23,000

Issues

The 7250 has two 3.6 V ½AA 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.

Pictures

Front
Front inside
Rear
Rear inside
Memory board