N
The Tektronix Type N is a sampling plug-in for 500-series scopes. It was the first sampler produced by Tektronix. Its risetime is specified to be under 600 picoseconds.
Type N was introduced in 1960, superseded by the Type 661 Sampling Oscilloscope system a year later, and discontinued in 1964.
Type N is a complete sampling subsystem, using the 500-series oscilloscope just as a power supply and a display. The oscilloscope is operated in X-Y mode and gets its horizontal signal from the Type N plug-in instead of from the scope's sweep circuitry. The input signal is applied through a 50 Ω GR-874 connector.
The sampling circuit of the Type N is primitive. It uses a single diode, the "interrogate diode", D5480. The strobe pulse is added to the input signal using a passive summing circuit. Consequently, the amplitude of the kick-out pulse from the input is high, about 150 mV.
The vertical scale of the Type N is fixed at 10 mV/cm, making Type N one of the few Tektronix plug-ins with fixed vertical gain. In practice, attenuators such as the 017-011 can be placed in the signal path, external to the Type N, to achieve the desired sensitivity. Using an input attenuator also has the effect of attenuating the kick-out pulse seen by the device under test.
According to Stefan Graef (http://www.messmuseum.de/tek661.htm),
The engineer behind the N was Norm Winningstad. He worked at Hughes Aircraft Electronics Division and was offered a job at HP's oscilloscope division to join their Sampling Scope team. After getting informed about the work he went to Tektronix developing the N (according to: "A narrative history of Hewlett-Packard from 1939-1990" by John Minck).
For calibration of the timebase of the Type N, the 013-028 Timing Standard was produced.
Type N units with serial numbers from 101 to 220 did not come with a probe power connector on the front panel. A field modification kit was sold to add the probe power connector. After serial number 220, probe power was included from the factory.
Key Specifications
Rise time | 600 ps |
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Bandwidth | ~580 MHz |
Deflection | 10 mV/Div (fixed) |
See Also
Pictures
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Vertical signal path schematic
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Block diagram
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Calibration adaptor
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Reference to Type N in 1961 General Electric Tunnel Diode Manual
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Components
Some Parts Used in the N
Part | Part Number(s) | Class | Description | Used in |
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12AL5 | 154-0038-00 | Vacuum Tube (Double Diode) | high-perveance dual diode | 3A2 • 3B2 • 545 • 545A • 549 • N |
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 |
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 |
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 |