Scope on a rope Re: [sdiy] I have seen the light (litteraly)

[anthony]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Scott Gravenhorst" <music.maker at gte.net>


> "anthony" <aankrom at bluemarble.net> wrote:
>>I'm glad this thread started, it made me get really sad that my scope was
>>broken. But then it seems to have fixed itself. I did give it "The Fonze".
>>That helps a lot. I also refer to that as "percussive maintenence".
>
> A word to the wise:  While I saw my father do this and "fix" an ailing TV, 
> it
> is not considered a proper or good technique, should not be praised and is
> highly discouraged.  If smacking the equipment "fixes" it, it is almost a
> guarantee that the problem will return at a random time, probably a time 
> most

Good points and I agree. And while I did these things and joke about them, I 
did not actually see it make an improvement. I said "that helps a lot" which 
was an off-hand remark, which I suppose I should have qualified by saying
"It didn't do a dem thing".

The nature in which my scope came back to life was gradual. When I first 
fired it up several days ago after leaving it sit for a long time one of the 
time-bases seemed to be malfunctioning. Over time as I played with it (after 
a few days of losing hope and almost giving up) it seemed to start working. 
I messed with it for hours last night and it just seemed to get better and 
better as I messed with it. This morning it's almost like it's even better. 
But I am still a little worried in spite of being glad that it works, 
because I do not know what was actually wrong with it. I did give it a very 
close visual inspection inside. I was not able to look at the pots and 
switches (which is where I assumed the problem was). Everything that I could 
see looked fine. I couldn't say I know exactly everything I should have 
looked for, but there were no loose wires, no cracked things, no patches of 
corrosion (which is what I was afraid I'd find).

One theory I have is that a thin film of gunk settled down inside the pots 
and switches and messing with them a bunch wiped it away. When I first was 
trying to get it to work everytime I moved a switch or pot the display would 
show tons of noise. Now it does this very little.

I don't really consider that to be a satifactory theory. I mean as far as 
wanting that to be the problem because I have no way of knowing if it really 
fixed itself or is just appearing that way for now. My experience has been 
that once switches and pots get noisy they usually stay that way. But maybe 
that's if it is only from wear.

This is a scope that saw rigorous service at NWSC Crane and was retired from 
duty. For whatever that's worth. I figure it means it's still good for audio 
but not much else. That's my hopeful worst case scenario anyway.

I stopped really using "The Fonze" technique when I had a guitar amp that 
acted up. Those things can shock your ass off through a guitar and no joke! 
I don't think I have (m)any lives left so I exercise caution at every 
adventure.

I use it as a facetious term akin to "waving a dead chicken bone over it".