[Test-Equipment] Hickok 288X signal generator

[Brian Burns]

Hello Nigel,

Thanks very much for your thoughtful reply!

The board looked so professionally installed that I assumed that it was put
in by the factory. I'll see if I can determine the indistinct numbers on it,
and look for information amongst Heath products. I'm also assuming that
after all this time it is non-functional. I should keep in mind what someone
once told me, that "assume" makes an ASS out of U and ME  (;->)... 

Google turned up a couple of people that have done restorations, and I'm
trying to contact them to get the benefit of their experience.

By the way, since my wife of 47 years is a MacFarland (highlander), and I'm
a Burns (lowlander) we have determined that is likely the cause of all our
conflicts. We have read all of Walter Scott's novels, and having been
subjected to Ivanhoe in high school, I was very much surprised to find that
he has a great sense of humor! At the end of his border conflicts novels you
can't really tell which side he is on, which is a great tribute to his skill
as a writer.

Cheers,

Brian
 

Hi Brian
 
I've never come across the 288X so took a look around on Google and found
the manual on BAMA.
 
It's a very nice looking unit, but unless production continued for a very
long while I doubt that marker board was really factory installed.
 
The manual I found was dated 1946 and shows the 288X to be very much
entirely tube based, not too surprising at that time:-), and your marker PC
being marked "Heath" suggests it might well have been a Heathkit  module
added later.
 
It's also possible that at least one of those IC numbers you've quoted could
be a date code from 1976.
 
If you haven't already found the manual I'd suggest taking a look.
 
Even if the marker board is a later addition it seems like it  could be a
useful add on, and if the rest of your unit does match the  manual then it
shouldn't be any less restorable than you'd  expected to start with.
 
Regards
 
Nigel
GM8PZR
 
 
 
In a message dated 20/04/2014 20:21:49 GMT Daylight Time,
brian at lessonsinlutherie.com writes:

Hello  All,

I just acquired an Hickok 288X signal generator thinking that this  old
timer would be entirely tube based, and hence within my pay-grade for
restoration.
Imagine my surprise when removing it from its cabinet that the  first thing
I saw was a printed circuit board with 5 integrated circuits!  Four were
Texas Instruments IC's with numbers  like:

Z7647

443-7

The pcb was labeled "Heath", contained  all the circuitry for the 10, 100,
and 1000 kHz markers, and was clearly a  stock part, factory installed.

I'm not sure when the unit was made, but  the IC's are surely around 50
years old, and I would guess are no longer  functioning, and that
replacements are non-existent. 

All of which  leads me to the question of what to do with the old girl. As
it stands it's  just a box of parts for me, but I hate to tear into a well
made piece of  gear that might be restorable. 

As the man wired home on arriving for  the first time in Venice:

"Streets are full of water-please  advise"

Cheers,

Brian











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