[wiseleo]

The 16500-series logic analysis system mainframe has its little siblings as 1650-series and 1660-series. The 16700-series logic analysis system mainframe has its little siblings as 1670-series.

They support oscilloscope cards, except when they don't. Those are the 16530-16534a boards. Specifically, the earlier scope boards 16530-16532a have been reported to not show a trace over X for an unknown reason. I will investigate that in the near future. You will want the 16533a or 16534a oscilloscope boards. Alternatively, you can simply purchase the integrated oscilloscope versions of these analyzers.

You'll notice the 1670G model in the article has the 2ch scope built in. That scope works over X11.

This a deep rabbit hole, but my 16500B from 1992 came with a 102-channel logic analyzer and a 2ch 250MHz 1gsa oscilloscope. There are many other interesting boards it can support and I am acquiring them as opportunity presents itself. It cost me $150 including shipping. :)

Here's a good starting point into these machines. https://youtu.be/6w5w3ezpVHE?si=BfsiazkXvHK-L1MV

If you want your mind blown, consider that the 16500A came with a color touch screen in 1988 (I checked HP archives) and it could already be configured for X11 networking with the appropriate add-in card. There's also Windows software to operate these systems over a modem. The blank mainframe cost $7200.

[Aloha]

I went on eBay and bought one - about 100 dollars landed.

... and I was able to get it to send X11 to my Mac within about a half an hour, the UX on this thing is actually really good, and the touchscreen very responsive.

I'll go on ebay later for a scope card or two, it has some sort of logic analyzer, but its missing the breakout pods for it. Either way, I'm happy, getting X working felt like summoning the dark arts.

There are apparently material differences though between the 16500L and the 16500H - I have an H, the manual for the L indicates a telnet interface.

[tverbeure]

I bought 2 16500A for $20 each. The seller had a whole pallet of them.

I’ve had my fun with it: https://tomverbeure.github.io/2022/10/05/Sony-CHM-9001-00-CR... and https://tomverbeure.github.io/2022/06/17/HP16500a-teardown.h..., but they’re just to bulky and heavy for bench top use.

The IR touch screen is awesome though: I reverse engineered the whole PCB into a schematic (it’s a pretty pedestrian LED matrix), and one day I want to do something fun with it.