310

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The Tektronix 310 is a compact portable oscilloscope, designed by Frank Hood and John Kobbe, that was introduced in 1955.

It is a 4 MHz single-trace, single-timebase scope with a 3" (7.5 cm) round CRT.

A revised version, the 310A, was introduced in 1959. While the 310 used printed-circuit boards, the 310A returned to ceramic strip construction in the interest of reliability. Is this the only time that a Tek design was moved from PCB back to ceramic strip?

The Hickok company produced a clone of the 310A under a US military contract as the AN/USM89B.

Key Specifications

Bandwidth 4 MHz (3.5 MHz below 0.1 V/Div, AC coupled)
Rise time 90 ns (100 ns below 0.1 V/Div, AC coupled)
Sweep 0.5 μs/Div to 0.2 s/Div 1–2–5
Deflection 10 mV/Div to 50 V/Div, 1–2–5 (below 0.1 V/Div only AC coupled)
Input impedance 1 MΩ // 40 pF
X input 1.5 V/Div (variable down), 500 kHz, 100 kΩ
Z input 20 Vp-p at rear "CRT Cathode" binding post
Calibrator 50 mVp-p to 100 Vp-p, 1–2–5; 1 kHz
Power 175 W

P2 phosphor was standard. P1, P7 and P11 were also available.

Links

Documents Referencing 310

Document Class Title Authors Year Links
IBM 223-6725-2.pdf Application Note Tektronix oscilloscopes (IBM Customer Engineering Manual) 1960

Documents Referencing 310A

Document Class Title Authors Year Links
IBM 223-6725-2.pdf Application Note Tektronix oscilloscopes (IBM Customer Engineering Manual) 1960

Internals

The scope cabinet was hinged to allow it to be opened like a book and operated for access to the circuitry for service purposes.

Cooling

The 310 is a tube scope and consumes 175 watts, but it does not have a fan. It therefore tends to run hot, particularly when used in a hot environment with still air. It has a 74 °C (165 °F) thermal cutoff switch in series with the primary of the power transformer.

For extended use in one place, a tilted fan base, the FB310 (part number 016-012) was available. The fan base blows air upward through the perforated bottom panel of the 310. While the scope had universal primary wiring options, the fan base did not. Separate models were available for 115 VAC or 230 VAC operation.

The scope has feet on the rear panel to allow it to be operated on the floor with the front panel facing up, but the manual warns against prolonged operation in this orientation.

Components

The 310 is a nearly true pure vacuum-tube scope, but in the power supply there are some silicon rectifiers, and there is one germanium point contact diode in the circuit.

Early examples of the Tektronix Type 310A used commodity 3WPx CRTs. At some point in production, they switched to the Tek-made T3100 CRT, which is compatible with the 3WP2.

310A changes

Unlike later Tek instruments, where the incremental model designated by an “A” suffix only occurred with a significant specification or performance enhancement, the original 310 and 310A were essentially identical. They even shared the same manual and schematics. The main difference was the wiring construction. needs to be checked - different tubes used according to the manuals

The original 310 pioneered the use of circuit board construction, rather than the trusted ceramic strip point to point wiring. The circuit boards were two-sided, however, Tektronix did not use through-hole plating although this had been introduced in 1947[1]. Rather, all of the holes for component mounting and interconnect contained a rivet which was expanded in a press before the components were installed in the board. The rivets themselves were not soldered to the copper foil traces, and relied on the pressure from the crimp to make contact. This proved to be extremely unreliable, with many intermittent connections resulting in high warranty- and after-warranty failure.

The 310A model essentially used the identical circuit design, but returned to the trusted ceramic strip construction method.

The 310A also replaced the selenium plate rectifiers in the power supply with silicon diodes. Tek offered a retrofit kit, to be installed in the service centers, to upgrade older scopes with selenium rectifiers.

Other changes during production

During the lifespan of the 310, Tek evolved its color scheme. The original 310 scopes had a case painted with a blue metallic hammer tone color. Later units moved to the crinkled “Tek Blue” color still in use today.

Like most old Tektronix devices the mains transformer holds an indefinite(!) warranty.

Price

$595 in 1955 ($6,700 in 2023 dollars)

Pictures

310

310A

Hickok AN/USM89B

Components

Some Parts Used in the 310

Part Part Number(s) Class Description Used in
12AT7 154-0039-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Triode) dual high-gain triode 161 180 310 310A 315 316 360 502 502A 511A 512 513 513D 514 514AD 514D 516 524 529 RM529 544 546 547 556 565 570 3A2 75 3A75 1M1 A B C G H K L ML M N K R S Z Keithley 610B
12AU7 154-041 154-0041-00 154-0287-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Triode) dual medium-μ triode 104 104A 122 160 161 162 181 190 310 310A 316 317 3C66 502 502A 507 511A 512 516 517 517A 524 526 535 536 545 545A 545B 547 549 555 561 564 570 575 581 581A 585 585A C D E N Q Hickok 1825
12B4 154-044 154-0044-00 Vacuum Tube (Triode) power triode 126 310 310A 316 317 502 502A 524 526 541 541A 535 535A 545 545A 546 547 570 549 551 555 513 581 581A 585 585A Keithley 610
3WP 154-0059-00 CRT series of flat-faced 3" mono-accelerator CRTs 315 310 360 Telequipment S31
5642 154-0051-00 154-0079-00 Vacuum Tube (Diode) directly-heated high-voltage rectifier 310 310A 316 317 360 453 502 502A 503 504 506 513 515 516 524 529 RM529 533 533A 535 536 543 543A 543B 545 545A 545B 547 551 555 556 560 561 561A 561S 564 567 570 575 581 581A 585 585A 647 647A
5651 154-052 154-0052-00 154-0288-00 Gas Discharge Tube (Voltage regulator) 87 V voltage reference 128 160 310 310A 502 503 504 511A 512 516 517 524 526 531 531A 535 536 541 541A 543 543A 543B 545 545A 545B 570 549 581 581A 585 585A
6AL5 154-016 154-0016-00 154-0038-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Diode) high-perveance dual diode 163 181 190 1M1 310 310A 315 316 317 3B1 3B1S 3B2 3B3 3B5 502 502A 503 511 511A 512 516 517 517A 524 526 535 535A 545 545A 549 551 565 570 581 581A 585 585A C T Telequipment D52 Telequipment D56 Telequipment S52
6AN8 154-078 154-0078-00 Vacuum Tube (Triode/Pentode) triode-pentode combo 310 310A 316 317 360 502 502A 516 517 517A 526 565 570 575 N
6AQ5 154-017 154-0017-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) beam pentode 310 310A 316 360 507 511A 512 517 517A 524 536 570 575
6AU6 154-0022-00 157-0073-00 157-0059-00 154-0284-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) RF pentode 107 160 181 190 60 2A60 72 3A72 3C66 310 310A 316 317 360 502 502A 506 511 511A 512 513 516 517 517A 524 526 529 RM529 531 531A 535 536 545 545A 546 547 549 555 561 561A 561S 564 565 567 570 575 581 581A 585 585A 80 C CA Q
6BH6 154-0026-00 154-0285-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) pentode 130 162 310 310A 512 517 517A 524 Nelson-Ross PSA-011
6BQ7A 154-028 154-0028-00 157-0022-00 157-0003-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Triode) dual triode 107 163 181 310 315 316 360 524 531 532 535 536 541 545 570 T
6CL6 154-031 154-0031-00 154-0286-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) 7.5 W power pentode 132 310 310A 316 317 515 524 525 531 535 535A 545 545A 545B 549 570 581 581A 585 585A 3A74
6U8 154-0033-00 Vacuum Tube (Triode/Pentode) triode-pentode combo 130 160 163 310 315 316 524 535 545 T
T3100 154-0362-00 154-0363-00 154-0364-00 154-0365-00 154-0366-00 154-0058-01 154-0059-01 154-0060-01 154-0061-01 CRT 3" CRT 310 310A 315 360


Some Parts Used in the 310A

Part Part Number(s) Class Description Used in
12AT7 154-0039-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Triode) dual high-gain triode 161 180 310 310A 315 316 360 502 502A 511A 512 513 513D 514 514AD 514D 516 524 529 RM529 544 546 547 556 565 570 3A2 75 3A75 1M1 A B C G H K L ML M N K R S Z Keithley 610B
12AU7 154-041 154-0041-00 154-0287-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Triode) dual medium-μ triode 104 104A 122 160 161 162 181 190 310 310A 316 317 3C66 502 502A 507 511A 512 516 517 517A 524 526 535 536 545 545A 545B 547 549 555 561 564 570 575 581 581A 585 585A C D E N Q Hickok 1825
12B4 154-044 154-0044-00 Vacuum Tube (Triode) power triode 126 310 310A 316 317 502 502A 524 526 541 541A 535 535A 545 545A 546 547 570 549 551 555 513 581 581A 585 585A Keithley 610
5642 154-0051-00 154-0079-00 Vacuum Tube (Diode) directly-heated high-voltage rectifier 310 310A 316 317 360 453 502 502A 503 504 506 513 515 516 524 529 RM529 533 533A 535 536 543 543A 543B 545 545A 545B 547 551 555 556 560 561 561A 561S 564 567 570 575 581 581A 585 585A 647 647A
5651 154-052 154-0052-00 154-0288-00 Gas Discharge Tube (Voltage regulator) 87 V voltage reference 128 160 310 310A 502 503 504 511A 512 516 517 524 526 531 531A 535 536 541 541A 543 543A 543B 545 545A 545B 570 549 581 581A 585 585A
6AL5 154-016 154-0016-00 154-0038-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Diode) high-perveance dual diode 163 181 190 1M1 310 310A 315 316 317 3B1 3B1S 3B2 3B3 3B5 502 502A 503 511 511A 512 516 517 517A 524 526 535 535A 545 545A 549 551 565 570 581 581A 585 585A C T Telequipment D52 Telequipment D56 Telequipment S52
6AN8 154-078 154-0078-00 Vacuum Tube (Triode/Pentode) triode-pentode combo 310 310A 316 317 360 502 502A 516 517 517A 526 565 570 575 N
6AQ5 154-017 154-0017-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) beam pentode 310 310A 316 360 507 511A 512 517 517A 524 536 570 575
6AU6 154-0022-00 157-0073-00 157-0059-00 154-0284-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) RF pentode 107 160 181 190 60 2A60 72 3A72 3C66 310 310A 316 317 360 502 502A 506 511 511A 512 513 516 517 517A 524 526 529 RM529 531 531A 535 536 545 545A 546 547 549 555 561 561A 561S 564 565 567 570 575 581 581A 585 585A 80 C CA Q
6BH6 154-0026-00 154-0285-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) pentode 130 162 310 310A 512 517 517A 524 Nelson-Ross PSA-011
6CL6 154-031 154-0031-00 154-0286-00 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) 7.5 W power pentode 132 310 310A 316 317 515 524 525 531 535 535A 545 545A 545B 549 570 581 581A 585 585A 3A74
6DJ8 154-0187-00 154-0305-00 Vacuum Tube (Dual Triode) dual triode 111 132 161 310A 316 317 502 502A 503 504 506 515 516 519 526 529 RM529 533 535 536 543 544 545 545A 545B 546 547 549 555 556 561A 561S 564 565 567 581 581A 585 585A 661 1A4 1S1 60 2A60 63 2A63 67 2B67 3A1 3A1S 3A2 3A3 3A6 3A7 72 3A72 75 3A75 4S2 51 3B1 3B1S 3B2 3B3 3B4 3M1 3S76 3T77 3T77A 9A1 9A2 1121 80 81 82 86 B O W Z Telequipment D56 Telequipment S32A Telequipment D52 S-311 Telequipment TD51 Telequipment S52 Telequipment S51 Telequipment Type A TU-4
8425 154-0022-07 Vacuum Tube (Pentode) RF pentode 3A72 310A 317 526 Q
T3100 154-0362-00 154-0363-00 154-0364-00 154-0365-00 154-0366-00 154-0058-01 154-0059-01 154-0060-01 154-0061-01 CRT 3" CRT 310 310A 315 360


References