Comment by vitally3643
1 day ago
I'm finally fulfilling a childhood dream of restoring a Heathkit oscilloscope. I managed to nab a functioning IO-12 at the thrift store for $75!
Don't tell my husband that I spent more than $200 on parts and supplies for it.
I've wanted a Heathkit since I learned about them as a teenager, and this is the first one I've ever seen in the wild. The original owner left the date he assembled it and his callsign written on the inside! I looked him up and he died in 2013, but by sheer happenstance I'm restoring it 58 years to the day that he initially built it. I got super lucky with this unit because as far as I can tell, it's only been run a few hours in its entire life. I really only have to replace aged components because they're physically breaking down, I expect the thing will outlive me once I'm done with it. Can't wait to hand it off to a bewildered young EE in another half century.
This is really cool! My dad always talked about the one he had when he was much younger.
In a similar vein I’m teaching my son to rebuild an old ‘62 VW that’s been in the family since ‘62 and am constantly reminded of how nice it is when things are simple. And I’ve learned that the dollars spent are not that important when you are having fun and learning or teaching something!
$275 to restore a long-held childhood dream is cheap, I hope your husband wouldn't complain about that.