This post will document my recent repair of a Tektronix 284 Pulse Generator. This device was introduced by Tektronix in 1967. It can produce:

A 50kHz, 200mv fast risetime pulse. Typically, tr < 70 ps

A 100 kHz, 1 MHz, or 10 MHz square wave at 10, 100, or 1000 mV

A 100 MHz or 1 GHz sine wave at 100 mV

The Tektronix 284 can be used to check the risetime of oscilloscopes, (both sampling and real time) amplifiers, transistors, transient responses, and for TDR work. The pulses are generated by a tunnel diode which is a semiconductor device capable of changing states very quickly. Tunnel diodes were invented in the late 1950’s in Japan and widely used in test equipment through the 1970’s. Tektronix used tunnel diodes in “pulsers” like the 284 and many oscilloscopes including the … Read More »