1950's Digital Electronics "Vacuum Tube Goodness" - Will It Still Work?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ส.ค. 2024
- Let's see if this 50's digital counter will work! This is an HP 521DR electronic counter. Let's power it up! For links, click the SHOW MORE tab below.
To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: / mrcarlsonslab
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To learn electronics in a very different and effective way, and gain access to Mr Carlson's personal designs and inventions, visit the Mr Carlson's Lab Patreon page here: www.patreon.com/MrCarlsonsLab
Hello sir, I currently have two B&K precision 1040 CB service masters. In the CB tech world these pieces of equipment are just gems, I’m sure you are familiar with them. Currently, I am so busy I won’t be able to repair them for awhile so I would like to ask if you would be up for the task to diagnose the issues and repair these for me, no rush needed as well. If you would like to give it a shot please leave an email contact for me. 73
I'd like to know what "a very different and effective way" means before committing. A sample lecture would help.
@@johnclawed He has been showing us how to diagnose, repair, refurbish and sometimes modify old and new electronics with modern, vintage and sometimes self invented equipment. I'm an electronics noob, and have learned a lot thanks to Mr. Carlson's channel. Have only been a patron for a few months and love it. Worth way more then the price. Go for it! "You are doing so at your own risk"🤪 Don't lick the b+ while grounded. I'm a wood tick by trade but am trying to transition into electronics or something that doesn't destroy my body. The new lab looks awesome and can't wait to see some of the upcoming projects. Keep Truckin!
@@lvstofly What is a wood tick?
@@johnclawed yeah, what's a wood stick?
Only a true tech guy would say 'The wonderful aroma of old electronics' lol! Love it!
I just had to smile when this thing gave the correct frequency readings. So old yet works like new. Amazing!
I've got a Tektronix 545 (Not A or B) oscilloscope like this. I remember hooking it up to all manner of "hi-tech" equipment when I got it back in '84 and being blown away by the fact that a piece of kit from 1956 was up to the challenge almost thirty years later!
Same : )
I was working at HP in the Lab (Analytical Instruments Division) and I simply still love this gear till today. We took so much care in developing it. Every detail had to be good. But I haven't seen this FC ever. Great stuff, thank you so much for it.
Being an old guy who loves old electronics, I have to say that it looks like a work of art with all those tubes lit up. Thanks so much Paul, for making these videos.
My Pleasure Gene!
Even though my grandfather wasn't into electronics, seeing older equipment like this come back to life sure makes me miss him. I wish I could turn the clock back 35 years so I could talk with him again.
@@MrCarlsonsLab When it was dark and the tubes were going it looked like a scene from Forbiden Planet.
@@djosbun I feel that way about my dad. Oh, we often didn't get along, but twenty years later I'm just starting to understand him.
Hindsight's a bitch!
@@sanityassassin8161 Agreed.
This piece of equipment brings back memories. It's a bit before my time, but I started work in a telecoms R&D lab back in the early 1960s. I used the big brother of the other HP counter Mr Carlson demonstrated recently. The place was 4 floors full of HP, Tetronics, R&S etc kit and we even had out own Mr Carlson! A guy who did nothing but repair and calibrate all the equipment. I seem to remember that one of his previous jobs had been in the TV repair department in the famous Harrods in London. Apparently they had a wooden shack on the roof, out of sight of the public where he worked.
Thanks for sharing your story Peter!
What often amazes me is the visible genius in finding efficient solutions at a time when every single active component was valuable and had to be used as well as possible. The electrical engineering is also easy to see and understandable with your own eyes. Today circuit technology is hidden in the nano world of modern circuits and has reached a level of complexity that only specialists can fully understand.
As an audio electronic designer myself, this is really mind blowing ☺️
Those devices from back in the day are masterpieces, and I can't imagine the amount of work knowing some of the complexity of those circuit. Fantastic work as usual Paul ! 🙌👍
Nothing leaves this bench not working ! , im a proud Patreon.
Amen..🤔
I'm not into electronics but I became a fan of yours because of these cool electronics from the past. Plus your relaxing voice that makes me fall asleep everytime. It's like an unintentional ASMR that is very soothing and relaxing to hear to the point that I am playing your vids whenever I'm having a hard time sleeping. I hope you start a sleeping podcast soon. Hihi. ❤️ Thank you and more power!
The build quality on that was stunning. Almost aerospace/mil-spec level. Wow. Really impressed that thing works flawlessly 70 years later. Very, very impressive.
I remember working on Navy UQN-4 depth sounder that had Nixie tubes. Never saw one go bad. HP made some awesome test equipment. Remember when we got their 8640 signal generators back in late 70s or early 80s.
Tony Pistol
Just to let you know as you missed the obvious.
It is NAVY and not Navy
NAVY is Miliary and Navy is the name ascribed to a color
As an example - take a good look at what is written on a NAVY aircraft.
The same applies to ARMY which is not the same as Army.
They sound the same but they are NOT the same - That is why it confuses you.
You go by the sound and NOT the actual meaning of the word.
Typically it is a result of extensive indoctrination and brainwashing resulting in a
dumbing-down process by corrupt CORPORATE GOVERNMENT so-called education
system that manufactures ignorance producing ZOMBIES that have eyes but cannot see -
ears and cannot hear.
Learn to pay attention to detail.
As a former military pilot, I can tell you that it is essential to pay attention
Aim for excellence Mr. Pistol
@@andrew_koala2974
You need to adjust your tin foil hat there buddy.
Next you'll be telling us that your name written in all caps refers to a corporate entity and not yourself so that means you don't have to pay speeding fines or require a driver's licence to _"travel"_ like so called _"sovereign citizens"_ are always harping on about.
There's a thing called _grammar_ and it is always changing because of popular usage but words like Army and Navy are capitalised but are not exclusively in all capitals. You can even refer to official government documents from these departments to see for yourself. Signage or aircraft or vessel markings follow different standards and protocols to written documentation.
If government education were dumbing down the populace then why is it that most advances in science and technology come from universities and from the most educated in society? So take your conspiracy theories elsewhere. Into those Facebook and TH-cam echo chambers full of high school dropouts, science deniers, anti vaxxers, and flat earthers, ok.
@@andrew_koala2974 just make sure your faraday hat is grounded and you should be ok. Thanks for your service.
Wow, I thought my 5350B Microwave Counter by HP was ancient. Bought it used at auction for about $100, and it has a crystal oven. 20 GHZ with 1 HZ resolution.
What a beauty!
It is always a good day when Mr Carlson post’s.
Wow, that is one piece of dense beauty! So cool.
P.S. as always, I really love the sound of that mike. It is so warm and cozy.
Excellent Paul. It's in great condition and definitely well looked after. A true credit to the designers and subsequent owners. It's in good hands now, that's for sure. Thanks for sharing👍
Thanks for sharing this vintage piece of high quality test equipment with us.
HP was the major player in electronics labs in the mid 20th century.
Another entertaining walk-through video - it continually amazes me how solid a lot of the equipment of the 50s and 60s continues to be. I have an all original HP 5221b counter from the late '60s that I use all the time and it appears to be quite accurate. As I understand, these were the bottom feeders of the HP counter line as they transitioned from discrete components solid-state to integrated circuits but hadn't made the jump to nixie tubes yet. While not as cool (or hot, as the case may be) as the all-tube counters, who is not mesmerized watching the nixie tubes as they switch from number to number.
I have an HP 521DR identical to this one that has been gathering dust on a shelf in the garage for at least forty years. It also seems to be working. I had considered just getting rid of it, but your video inspired me to clean it up and at least find a home for it where it will be loved and appreciated. It, like me, is a product of the 1950s and both of us are still working fine.
"Speak for yourself!" I mumble as I get up and my THIRD hip joint klunks back into place...
@@sanityassassin8161 ....both of us are still working fine (ish). There, I fixed it.
So clean and nice that it looks like it never has been in service.
HP of that era is just top of the line.
Impressive, but so was the pricetag at the time.
Compare that with what has the HP logo on it today...
You mean "Keysight."
@@sanityassassin8161 No I ment those plastic laptops that they produce.
In addition to the servers and ProCurve switches etc.
Keysight equipment doesn't have the HP logo on them.
@@geirendre Right you are. As I remember it, about twenty years ago HP sort of split and used their well-known logo to cash in on the PC market and spun off Agilent as their measurement arm. Is Keysight is HP's current measurement division -- or am I mistaken?
"Rack Rash" Mr. Carlton's expression is hilarious as well as being appropriate.
"Vacuum tube goodies" means lots of heaters which is a good thing in winter in northwest Canada. Thank you Mr. C. for sharing your interesting collection.
Love your video i love valve's i use to build audio equipment mono blocks .pre amps. Dacs
Turn tables. Turn arms.power supplys so keep the good work up your amazing and very knowledgeable
wow that was great to see. Amazing how long well built hardware lasts. Nowadays it'd be obsolete in 2 years and require 4 firmware updates to allow the user to change the display colour and font to comply with the latest UI guidelines. Lovely 😍
I do have to laugh when I see modern test gear with full colour LCD (or OLED) displays used to display a couple of digits and not much else. A right pain to fix if the display dies.
Or like those people with the "now unsupported" bionic eye, its obsolete and now you can't see.
These videos are so cool. Thanks as always for making them. You got to love the old stuff !
My Pleasure Don!
Amazing!
It is built like a tank & built to last!
I wish they still made some Electronics like this nowadays!
Well, I guess that's what we have Mr Carlson for👍
Just a beautiful unit that shows the difference between the pride they took back then and now. Almost 70 years later and the product still works.
Just keep in mind that this was a monstrously expensive top of the line piece of gear from a top-notch manufacturer. The vast majority of stuff from back then was nowhere near as good...
@@KeriRautenkranz Well sure but HP back then was right up there with Tektronix. HP today? I wouldn't buy it with your money.
Try getting that life from a smartphone.
@@paulstubbs7678 Cell phones are designed to go bad. How else can the rip you off every 3 years?
@@paulstubbs7678 Haha... wouldn't that be funny if Mr C digs up an intact iPhone 1 in 60 years or so?
Those old HPs are super cool. I just picked up an El Dorado 5 digit Nixie freq counter from the 70s. (and its original manual!) great videos as always!
You certainly do have a handle on what us old buggers love for tube porn back when electrons still flowed the proper way. If I recall, those counter units had four dual triodes as FF decade counters and used coupled neon lamps and CdS cells as a decoder - the latter practice was used by Panasonic well into the RTL desktop calc days.
The boys at the shop with their fancy DMM's laugh at me when I pull out the 40 y.o. 'sample and hold' Nixie Fluke. But it gets the job done.
Very, very impressive. The definition of quality and longevity! Thanks, mr. Carlson, for all these wonderful videos of fascinating equipment.
My pleasure!
Love your videos as always im learning and loving all your teaching me wishing I could get my hands on some equipment like you do cant wait for the next video
Thanks for watching!
Wonderful! Lovely to watch it thinking about it!
Vacuum Tune Goodness Indeed! WOW! That thing looks like it just came off of the assembly line! COOL! Well done Mr. Carlson!
Hi Mr. Carlson, thank you so much for sharing these videos. It's fun to look over your shoulder and wonder "will it work?"
Holy smokes! When you took the cover off I was shocked! The interior looked like the unit just came from the manufacturer. The unit was very well cared for.
And lived in a lab where they didn't allow smoking, otherwise it'd be coated with a layer of brownish tar.
SOOOO CLEAN!! The work too!
Not only the H-P quality, but also the care it received...
Great stuff!
Agree - doesn't look like it was ever used !
Omigosh! I can litterally smell the electronics through my monitor! *LOL!* Pertinax circuit boards, passive components, plastics, zinc, aluminium, hot tubes and transformers... Once you've worked with it, that scent stays with you for the rest of your life! :)
I must say that this video was also a flashback for me: The last time I used one of these exact same gems were in the fall of 1994, in the shop of an old friend of mine while calibrating a couple of function generators I'd built. His 521DR was well used, 100% original and still well within specs. (Annual calibration)
So thank you Sir, for giving me this happy little walk down Memory Lane, it was really appreciated!
Just like a little kid in the candy store, wonderfully fun stuff. Great job making things that most of us just don't understand FUN. thanks for your skill at pretty much everything. The hot rodding, electronic genius - aspiring comedian, magician with all things electric.
Thank You for your kind comment Jon!
Here is a comment for the YT algorithm. I love your videos with that steam punk technology!
My grandpa used to call these Room Heaters.
It's amazing how well the older tech still works...especially when todays stuff seems to fail in under a single year.
Love your channel keep up the good work!
Magnificent piece of equipment..beautiful 😍
Wow! Even a metal spring clip to hold the air filter in. Today that would be held in by plastic tabs that you would have to figure out how to pry apart (without) breaking them off! Great video! My other half got me a couple of vfd tubes for Christmas so I'm looking forward to working with these and nixies in the future. Thanks for bring new life to this old equipment that would likely otherwise go to waste. Even generations in the future will have these videos available to them!
Also, I'm very interested in the vacuum decade counters. In the future it would be cool to go over than in this or another restoration. 73's!
HP test equipment has always been of the highest quality and this unit proves it.
Thanks for sharing.
Paul i swear I could smell that unit warm up very cool
This is very interesting this unit was cutting edge and its older than I am very very cool thank you paul
In 1965, I was an electronics mechanic at the inertial navigation facility in the F-104G at the Danish Air Force. At the service workshop we had various test setups, in the top of one of the 19 '' racks with measuring equipment there was such a frequency counter. The main power supply to the plant was 115 VAC, 400Hz, but internally in the plant, the energy was converted to lower voltages: 4500 Hz and 375 Hz stabilized with crystal in 170 F component furnace.
This equipment is really amazing
Great to see someone enjoy the sight of tubes coming alive and then cooling. Glad to know I am not alone :)
It's funny, every time I see a 1950's space movie, I see just about everything you have as a project. :-)
What A Wonderful Machine Mr carlson's Sir Thank You For Sharing.
You are very welcome!
HP made such well built equipment. I remember looking through the back of our TV and watching the tubes glow.
The soft glow of nixie tubes never fails to make me happy!
👍👍Thanks Paul! That's an amazing piece!
Thank you for this look at some righteous test equipment! Just think of it, from a short time at voltage, that count is so close to spot on!
Seeing that gear in your lab warms the heart. Years ago, in high school, I had a wonderful experience. A room full of Tektronix, EICO, Simpson, HP, and Fluke. Racks full of former industrial and university gear.
Digging further, chassis punches, round and square. Bins of terminal strips and decent fabric wire.
When I studied electronics, my classmates were learning about circuit boards. Hell, I etched my own at home. Sadly, they liked the novelty, but had little interest in the history, the real engineering behind it. The magic and satisfaction of watching tubes come to life, and watching the difference as I got the plate current and bias...just perfect.
I digress. Watching you work, and the attention to detail, is joy to the heart.
My projects? If it didn't have tubes, point to point build, and high voltage, I wasn't interested. This was in the 80s.
For many years, I had a trusty restored EICO tube tester at home. My first oscilloscope? Yes. You'll love this. A Waterman S-14-A Pocketscope. Think I was 14 back then.
Thank you so very much for sharing your lab with us! Love every minute.
Bob
Thank You for taking the time to write Bob, and your kind comments too!
what an amazing piece of equipment!! thankyou for sharing! id love to see inside some old rohde and schwarz gear
Truly amazing is understatement. For me this is going to take some processing Mr Carlson. Im off now to sit in a cleanroom for seventy periods or so. I wonder how the counter feels now after all this time? Similar robotic type machines of some future maybe able to discuss this. 👍🇬🇧😷
Talking out loud here, but I really enjoy how I feel like we’re going on an adventure together when we (you haha) pop open a new device. My interest is peaked every time. Also, I believe its a testament to how much you know, as you’re willing to work with whatever is thrown at you. Ok back to the video ✌️
I do wish I had the knowledge and tools that you have, amazing work. Just had a display go completely out in a SS-425X graphic equalizer. Sounds and all functions work, just no display.
Awsome stuff Thank You
That is very interesting to hear your comment about the selenium rectifiers and capacitors! I did not know that.
Awesome piece of HP gear! Thanks for sharing. It would be great to see a TV-7 tube tester repaired on your bench. I bet you have one of those on your seemingly endless shelves of electronic toys...
Wow, that is fantastic!!! Very amazing! Greetings from Germany... Michael
Did a quick research and the DR was built in 1959. It is so funny and fun to watch this HP counter as I am doing so on my HP Compaq which has been a very good computer for me. I would love to find a counter but also want to find a NLS unit which would be the early ones in the mid 60s that my dad worked on. He was the guy who made sure they worked and for the new ones would find their limits. (NLS Non Linier Systems from Del Mar, California).
1 5 Enter, something about hearing that while looking at a 70 yr old piece of equipment that didn't sound right! Great video. Thank you, as always.
As the saying goes "They don't make em, like they use to." Things are just not made to last like this stuff was. Many thanks for another great video.
For real, man. Real iron in there...large old school linear supply that doesn't switch and squeal...you could warm meals on that thing. It's interesting to see the scales of it and how robust stuff could be and still remains. HP knocked it out of the park. Have an old distortion analyzer mid 60s from them. Still going. Uncle passed recently and I acquired his Hitachi 70s era 'scope. For over seas, it was very signature in style. Budget-conscious, but very Japanese and equally cool to see. Equally has stood well to time. SUPER similar pcb design, parts choice/brands, to virtually any hi-fi monster stereo of its time; kinda eerily similar to work on. Still shoots a killer trace up; little isopropyl on that sucker brought it back from the drink with all the pots lol. Oh and caps; a few had grown warts. Everything was easily marked and labeled to trim it...good times. SMD has some advantages, too. Biggest one is not having to pry stuff off. Hot air...10 seconds...done. Thru hole can be kinda rough to go digging out sometimes. Very give and take. Some audio stuff now that you can find in SMD is incredible. 30W class D audio amp the size of a dime.
Wow, that's an old unit..! Cool video Paul...It's a wonder it still works..! Ed..UK..😀
Nice old tube equipment! Some twenty years ago I dismounted a Northeastern type 14-20 tube counter, even bigger than this one! It had around 30 tubes, its power draw was around 600 watts! I still have the crystal oven from it, and one of the nixie tube modules with 4 electron tubes at the back, similar to what's in your counter
Beautiful device! Those number lamps are so cool, never seen anything so interesting, pity they are not around any more.
These videos are fun, some of these devices are older than I am but are working better!
HP and Tectronix made fantastic tube equipment! I enjoyed using it back then. I don't have a counter but I have 3 Tectronix scopes.
Great Video Mr C.
Thank you kindly!
This is just cool. The quality of the wiring inside is insane. If I had one of those and it worked that well. I'd absolutely be using it when I could. There's no reason not to. It will probably be working in another 70 years (well maybe with some capacitors replaced).
That's pretty cool! I could'a sworn I saw one of these as a kid, sometime in the early to mid '80s.
Interesting that it still works so well, maybe it never got much use.
One thing is for certain, HP always makes such beautifully engineered products. Lots of love went into this machine; all you have to do to see it is open the case.
perfect intro everytime paul :D
Love your channel. Thanks!
Thank you!
I have this very same model, also has an internal standard test function, again very stable, never had a single issue, received from an AEC lab.
Mr Carlsons lab your Digital Electronics vacuum tube from the 1950s is cool 😎 👌 👍
Where do you find this beautiful old equipment? I'll bet you have enough to put together a pretty credible museum.
Lovely device - the assembly clarity and quality is just splendid, and the thing was well kept altogether. Looks like you didn't really have to do any restoration on it :)
This was pretty amazing. Thanks!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Excellent
Excellent! Testament as to why the visual impact of nixie tubes are popular again.
i love to see how realtime electronics works!
My Dana counter with nixie tubes crapped out a few years ago. It was pretty awesome to watch it count and hold a super high frequency signal. ICs and nixie tubes are a weird combination.
Excellent content, thank you for making this video and sharing it with us. Did HP manufacture their own tubes or did they have them made by someone?
Thanks, Matt
Nice bit of kit!
Absolutely fantastic and fascinating! NOT BAD ! :) I love it!
That's so awesome!
Old HP stuff is gorgeous, inside and out.
Great video.
Thanks!
thank you for sharing
My pleasure Ray!
12:56 absolutely wonderful looks like stars in the sky ✨
Amazing!!!
Soo cool 😍
6:35 Holy cow, that's ridiculously clean!
Awesome video Paul! My brother said you kinda sound like Jim Carey 🤷🏼 Just want to thank you for all the hard work you do to bring us these educational and fun videos, keep up the good work! -Zeke
Thanks for watching!
I love these test equipment videos better than the radio ones.
"We are going to make it come to life"...
Sounds like a badass necromancer...
I used Nixi Tube HP sine wave generators in the 80's for Telecom.. Total tough equipment used by dozens of techs daily for years. They always works and the switches never failed.. Real workhorse equipment.
Mr Carlsons lab I like your utube videos