Upon the date 12:06 AM 4/18/99 -0700, James Willing said something like:
>At 11:55 PM 4/17/99 -0700, Bruce Lane wrote:
>>At 23:17 17-04-1999 -0700, Jim Willing wrote:
>>
>>>20 points extra if you can tell us why the unit in this picture:
>>>
>>>http://www.computergarage.org/Garage/Paxton/P049.JPG
>>>
>>>had enough significance to rank fairly high on my 'nab' list...
>>
>> I can't be 100% certain, but is not that an early digitizer, useful with
>>vintage Tek O-scopes?
>
>Well, it may well be... but that was not the reason... B^}
>
>(actually, I have no clue just what the thing does...)
Well, Bruce is pretty much on the money!
The 230 first appeared in the 1967 Tektronix catalog and is indeed a device
which provides digitised measurements from an oscilloscope. Still appeared
in the '71 catalog but I have no cats from '72 to '80 in my library.
However, the only scope it is designed to work with is the Type 568. The
output is in BCD and goes to data recording devices which can handle such
input. The 568/230 combination along with the Type 240 Program Control
Unit, Type 241 Programmer, and several other pieces make up early types of
data collection systems -the Type S-3110, S-3120 and S-3130 Digital
Measurement Systems. The cost of the S-3130 was US$42,500 in the '69
catalog. The Type 230 alone was US$2850 in the '67 catalog (US$3200 in the
'69).
Punched paper tape is used to store the program to drive the Type 240 and a
punch (made by Tally especially for Tek) is used to create same. The reader
is made by Remex for Tek. The 241 was setup using diodes which were pushed
into clips on a board. Probably steering diodes to connect programming
logic together.
There is a Disc Memory unit used on the S-3120 and 3130. The description is
interesting. To wit: "Disc Memory is an 8-track rotation Disc Memory
capable of storing 200 measurements per track . . . when used with the Type
240 or 240/250 Program Units . . . The format for any test is made up of
a fixed word length of 96 characters of 4 bits plus parity. . . . The
Disc Memory is made by Data Disc, Inc. especially for Tektronix." Cost was
US$6600 in the '69 catalog. Whew! Storage was expen$ive with that thing but
certainly more economical than true disc systems from IBM, DEC, CD, etc., etc.
To quote from the catalog description these Digital Measurement Systems
(the S-3110, etc.) were "designed to test IC's, transistors, diodes,
circuit modules, circuit boards and sub-assemblies in all segments of the
electronic industry."
Basically, the programmer would setup the scope to measure a signal and
switch that signal into the scope's input which shoved the analog output
into the Type 230 which would then squirt the BCD data out from its output
connector to the data logger.
Yes, this is possibly a piece which could be on topic in one's collection
as it originally *could* have been built into a system which tested
contemporary computer components/assemblies. To make it useful, you would
have to find a Type 568 scope. I'm sure you'd be able to take the BCD
output and record it somehow either by finding a BCD data logger or hacking
hardware together to have any of your computers read/record the data. Do
you recall seeing at Paxton's any other Tek gear which could have been rack
mounted with the numbers 240, 241, 250, etc.?
The Tek 31 Calculator, which was discussed here a couple of months ago and
of which myself and one or two others here have in their collection, was
certainly a much smaller, more capable and cheaper programmable data
collection controller than the 240 and 241 boxes and their accessories. It
came out about 1973 or so. My Tek 31 was part of a Digital Measurement
System once used in the IBM Endicott plant which "downsized" in 1984-85.
Just put the 20 points on my tab :-)
Regards, Chris
-- --
Christian Fandt, Electronic/Electrical Historian
Jamestown, NY USA cfandt_at_netsync.net
Member of Antique Wireless Association
URL:
http://www.ggw.org/awa
Received on Sun Apr 18 1999 - 14:43:56 BST
