K
The Tektronix Type K is a 30 MHz amplifier plug-in for 500-series scopes.
Type 53K/54K was designed by John Kobbe, and introduced in March 1955 along with the 541/545. In August of 1955, just five months after introduction, it was renamed Type 53/54K, and in 1959, when the 541A/545A mainframes came out, it got its final name, Type K. It was dropped after 1970, with Type L replacing it.
The name was deliberately chosen to be halfway into the alphabet. Slow plug-ins would use A-J and fast ones L-Z. This idea never went anywhere.
Key Specifications
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Max sensitivity is 50 mV/div, and bandwidth in a 545 is 30 MHz.
At the time of introduction, it was the only plug-in that could utilize more than half of the new mainframes' speed − the Type A, Type B, and Type C upgrades weren't ready until August 1956.
Types K, L, and T are tied for longest production life, at 16 years. B, D, and G are next at 15 years.
Type K was the fastest of the single-channel plug-ins, and the first plug-in to use T-coils. Tek did not equal it until Type L in 1957, and did not exceed it until Type 1A1 in 1964.
Earlier single-channel plug-ins had two inputs and a switch to select between them, making it convenient to probe two test points at once. The Type K design could not tolerate the extra stray capacitance, and the feature was dropped, never to return. (Exception: the 7A16P, which has two input connectors and provides the ability to select which one is fed to the amplifier.)
Late versions had a BNC connector instead of a UHF connector.
Types K and G are the only letter-series plug-ins where the Gain vernier is not concentric with the step attenuator.
Pictures
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schematic
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53/54K
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bottom view
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late style
Some Parts Used in the K
Part | Part Number(s) | Class | Description | Used in |
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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 |
12AU6 | 154-0040-00 | Vacuum Tube (Pentode) | RF pentode | 81 • 112 • 1L10 • 1L20 • 1L60 • 3L10 • 512 • 556 • 575 • 545 • 547 • 549 • 581 • 585 • A • B • C • G • K • H • L • ML • M • N • O • R • S • Z |
6AK5 | 154-0014-00 • 154-0206-00 • 154-0084-00 | Vacuum Tube (Pentode) | RF pentode | B • C • CA • G • K • L • ML • S • Z • 517 • 517A • 524 |