- 2026
- Jan
- 7
Checking out some recent acquisitions - #2 - Sencore PS120 Oscilloscope
While not really a “recent” acquisition, this oscilloscope was something waiting it’s turn on the bench. This came from the Fort Wayne Hamfest in 2024, and was - for the most part - taken because it was offered for a few bucks. I took it because I didn’t want to see it get tossed in the trash, and wanted to give it at least a chance.
I never really had any intention of using the device, but the rusty crusty case was interesting. Would it still work? Who knows. I also never really had intention of fixing the device, so there’s that. The device itself is a Sencore PS120 12MHz oscilloscope, and dates to about 1966.
Upon investigation, the obvious problems are, well, obvious. The case is very rusty as if this thing sat in a damp but not wet location for some years.
The face is similarly dirty, like this thing was in a barn or something.
There’s a lot of dirt inside the unit as well.
Of note here is the CRT, made by DuMont. The tubes themselves are a mix of brands, with the Sencore name still on about half of them. There’s nothing special here other than the CRT.
However, when looking into the chassis itself, there is one interesting note:
There’s a lot of Sprague Orange Drops in here, and I doubt those are original. I’m guessing someone was in here trying to solve problems. So let’s plug it in!
I originally thought about using my death cheater to power this thing, but the power input terminals have exposed holes. I soldered a power cord in and did some basic checks. The power switch works, and the resistance across the line is about 9Ω. That’s good, it’s the transformer primary. That’s not shorted, so let’s raw dog the thing. I plugged it into the isolation transformer with a 2A current limit. Hit the switch, and…
I get a dot on the screen. Great! However, nothing else. Focus and intensity work, but anything to move the trace doesn’t work. No manual movement, no sweep, no nothing. I’d guess this is why there are so many new capacitors in the thing, the previous owner was trying to fix this problem and gave up. The Internet says to replace capacitors and it will fix everything, but that doesn’t always work.
It does have a good CRT, and someone can probably use that. I remove my cord and will put this into the “Donate This Stuff” pile for later disposal.
That’s all for this one, it was either going to be a work or don’t situation, and it don’t work.
Stay tuned for more junk!
Next part of this series: Coming sometime!
Previous part of this series: https://wereboar.com … cent-acquisitions-1/