130

The Tektronix Type 130 is a self-contained instrument, designed by Cliff Moulton and introduced in 1959, that measures inductance and capacitance.

There are at least two versions of Type 130. Early units (SN 101-5000) have a narrow boxy case that slides off the chassis, brown paint, backlit meter, and are marked "TYPE 130 L,C METER". Later units (SN 5001-Up) have a wider, rounded case with side panels that pop off, blue paint, non-backlit meter, and are marked "TYPE 130 L-C METER".

Key Specifications

Ranges	3, 10, 30, 100 or 300 pF / 3, 10, 30, 100 or 300 μH full scale
Accuracy	3% FS, 1% FS with "careful" calibration using S-30 Delta Standard
Measurement voltage	<1 V for capacitors, <0.25 V for inductors, 120-140 kHz
Guard output	250 Ω source impedance, can drive 200 pF
DUT connection	UHF connector (DUT) + 4 mm jack (guard)

Manuals

Tektronix 130 Manual 070-231 (PDF) / 070-231 Manual Restored by Alan Hampel (PDF @ vintagetek.org, includes redrawn schematics)
Tektronix 130 Manual 070-231-01 (PDF, covers both cabinet types)
Tektronix 130 Factory Calibration Procedure (PDF)

Links

Q+A: Type 130 L-C Meter and S-30 Delta Standards. Service Scope No. 18, Feb 1963.
Silicon Chip, June 2020 - Vintage Workbench - Tektronix T-130 LC Meter: Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 (PDFs @ vintagetek.org)

Internals

The 130 contains an LC oscillator with a tank circuit formed by the device under test and a capacitor or inductor internal to the 130. The oscillator's frequency is measured by mixing it down using a fixed reference frequency, generating a pulse at each zero-crossing, and integrating (low-pass filtering) the pulse train. This produces a voltage that is proportional to the frequency difference between the LC oscillator and the reference oscillator. This voltage is displayed on a d'Arsonval (moving coil) meter on the front panel of the 130.