I obtained a nice PM3350A a while back and have been without manual for a time since there was none freely available on the net.

I finally took the leap and called up Fluke, and wouldn't you know, they had one scanned and ready. I thought I'd share it here on gearslutz to save people the trouble, and since I've no better channel.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/63ps5gjyuf...nual%20Eng.pdf

The link will keep alive as long as my dropbox does. Just let me know if it stops working.

Hiya ,

Whats your thoughts on these?

I have a Fluke PM3084 atm and was looking to add a 2nd scope to my little rig.

I just do audio work synths and compressors and the like I really do not need a mega bandwidth scope. 60-100mhz is plenty.

I have tried the new rigol etc type DSO's but tbqh I just don't get on with them. I even bought one but sent it back.

Yes they do more but I just don't like how they work/display etc.

I had been looking at the 3350 but have not yet had opportune to tinker with one.

Any thoughts you had of negatives and positives would be nice to hear.

Thank you.

G

I'm a total newbie when it comes to this stuff, but I can say that aside from some initial confusion over what button does what, I found it very easy to use and have worked well with it. Some of the digital functions are handy, but I've not made a tremendous amount of use of them.

I've used it to calibrate synths. I cannot imagine any function or feature of a scope improving my experience far beyond what this one offers. Again, I'm a rookie, and I had barely even seen a scope before this one.

Hi
I feel a decent and fast analogue scope is slightly more 'trustworthy' as the screen does tend to show what is really there and little chance of 'aliasing' or other 'untoward' displays.
Matt S

kirklein : Ah ok cool all good thank you.

Matt : yes that is exactly it , I felt I was never entirely sure what I was looking at was 'real' or an artifact.

They also feel 'slow' to operate screen updates etc I am sure on some $20,000 agilent everything is all hunky dory but that is simply out of my price range/skill set.

If I need to go mobile different story.

I am also looking at the tektronix 2445A if anyone has opinions?

Thanks all.

G

If I'm not mistaken the 3350 has an analogue mode also. It is a hybrid after all. I would assume that the analogue mode does away with those problems, but I have not really paid attention to it.

Hi
I have that Tektronix and I like it a lot.
I actually have one and a 'dead' one as it's power supply went 'fizz' after a few years use. It was 'second hand' to me anyway.
There are some pieces of kit that give 'confidence' and these 'scopes' and Fluke multimeters seem to have this 'feel right' value.
I have several multimeters, one 41/2 digit 'expensive' but it reads relatively slowly compared to the several Flukes I have and it simply doesn't get used much.
I would love a mega 'scope' with FFT and all the bells and whistles but can't justify it.
Matt S

Good stuff , Thanks Kirk , I shall deffo take a gander.

Yes the fluke stuff feels very right. You can pick up the multimeters for next to nothing. Theres a chap on ebay who sells ex-military versions with ruggedised cases for literally peanuts.

I picked up a HP 3378A 5.5 digit bench meter as my main bench top meter but have several cheap flukes which get pulled in for tasks. At 25 quid a go or less they are absolute no brainers.

I will have to take a look at a 2445A in the flesh as well , Not sure where in the south of the UK there will be one but a looking I shall go.

Thank you all.

G

Hi
I got mine from Stewarts of Reading. This was a couple of years ago but hope he is still going as I may want to get my 'broken' one fixed at some point.
Matt S
Warning, he has loads of interesting gear, take a fixed amount of cash only!!

Hi
His website is up (Stewart of reading) and shows several (many!) scopes.
Shouldn't have done this, my wallet is beginning to scream!
Matt S

I finished doing a calibration of one of my synths just now. This is the first time I've used the 3350 with the digital stuff off. I was surprised to see how big the difference was. It's a lot easier this way to see what you're doing with making some of the adjustments.

The digital mode has of course the benefit of freeze, calculation functions and noise filtering which helps make things clearer sometimes. This seems to me like a nice way of getting some of both worlds, without paying 20K on a cutting edge monster.

Ah yes

Stewarts how silly of me.

I bought a fair bit of my stuff from there apart from handheld flukes , I had a complete mind blank. I have bought a PM3084 / HP 3487A DMM / 3312A Func Gen / Cheap but cheerful Racal Dana Freq counter and a nice dual Thurlby quad output 32v / 4a psu.

He and his mom who run that place are a pleasure to do business with.

Very approachable and amiable.

He will of course demo anything so I don't know why I didn't remember him.

Thanks for the reminder. Yes I took a fixed amount of cash to I found cash works very well there.. I also found him generous with value added guff such as some nice probe sets and the odd bnc to XYZ and bananas.

Very recommended.

I try to spend my money with real people rather than faceless Ebay's or whatever I enjoy the experiance and I like to think it helps local business. Karma n all that.

He has the phillips in stock as well as well as the Tektronix. I feel my wallet burning a hole as we speak.

Gareth

I have used both the Tektronix and the Philips discussed in this thread and I actually prefer to use the Philips. Go figure that Fluke somehow has a hand in the design through the Philips - Fluke Alliance.

Fluke ended up buying out Philips test equipment division in the late 80s / early 90s.

edit: I should mention why I suppose...

I get the exact same action out of the Philips as the Tektronix 2445A as far as reading wave forms is concerned. I think the display on the Philips is clearer, this could be the one I have in front of me has hardly been used while the Tektronix units I run into are always heavily used. I love the LCD display that tells me all of my settings too.

I prefer the digital controls on the Philips even though they feel a little cheaper than newer Tektronix oscilloscope digital controls.

I agree with everyone above...Fluke Multi-meters are the only way to go. Also, Fluke will scan any manual for any piece of gear that they have ever manufactured or any other piece of gear that was manufactured by a company they bought out. They scanned an extremely obsolete Nuclear Associates Isotope Calibrator manual for me...the gear is so obsolete I can't find any proof on the internet that it existed until they scanned a manual for me.

These 5530As are tough to come by though...the one I have right now is the only one I have ever seen while I have bought and sold a few of the Tektronix machines.