[time-nuts] FW: HP-5372A operation with no CRT display.
ed breya
eb at telight.com
Tue Jun 30 20:40:15 UTC 2020
Looking back at the OP, it appears the display is at least partially
working, since there is some HV to light a dim spot on screen. I don't
know what this display looks like inside, but imagine it's one or two
small boards mounted open-frame on the CRT mechanical assembly, and
connected to the instrument by one or two cable/connector assemblies. It
should be possible to remove the whole thing onto a bench, and run it
out in the open for better access.
The first thing to do is close inspection, looking for any obvious
problems like puffy or leaky capacitors and burnt parts, loose/broken
connections, and possibly fuses open. Power supply problems are the most
likely culprits, so if you can figure out the internal power
distribution at least somewhat, you can make some measurements. These
kind of units likely run on a single bulk supply at a standard voltage
like +12 (most likely since most magnetic raster CRTs use 12V heaters)
or +24, and you should be able to find out from the schematics for the
rest of the system.
Are the signals in the interconnections labeled? If so, the power should
be identified, and also try to figure out what each signal is supposed
to do. You already know the sync and video, etc, but also look for
anything else like an enable or standby signal. What I'm getting at here
is that depending on the overall supply architecture, when the 5372A is
in standby (keeping the OCXO on) it could be that a lot of stuff is
actually powered, but disabled. Related to this, is there a GPIB or
other command that can turn off the display and lock out the front panel
when in remote-only mode? If there is some form of on/off provision, a
signal failure here could shut it down even if the rest is OK.
There are lots of possibilities, but it narrows it down a lot if you can
proof the supplies and external controls.
Ed
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