By Larry Coonrod, Lebanon Express writer | Posted: Wednesday, April 16, 2008 12:00 am
Tektronix, a Beaverton-based manufacturer of electronic test equipment, recently donated a state-of-the-art oscilloscope to the Physical Systems Academy at Lebanon High School.
Lebanon was one of 22 Oregon high schools with an electronics program to receive a TDS 1002 oscilloscope on April 2 as part of the Tektronix Education Support Program.
"By supporting education, we are contributing to the success of our communities," said Mike Rizzo, Tektronix director of Americas marketing. "Through these donations, teens who are interested in electronics will have access to the tools they need to build a strong foundation of physics and other sciences."
The TDS 1002, which retails for about $1,000, is the same model used by Apple and other computer manufacturers.
"Thanks to this donation by Tektronix, many of Oregon's students can now work with the same electronics test equipment used by the world's leading consumer electronics companies," said Tom Thompson, industrial and and engineering system specialist for the Oregon Department of Education.
Most of the oscilloscopes used by LHS students are at least 18-years-old and lack many of the features and capabilities of more modern instruments such as the TDS 1002, said Steve Robinson, LHS electronic teacher.
Students use oscilloscopes to test electronic circuits they've designed and to tune radio equipment. The Tektronix oscilloscope is about a quarter of the size of the school's older models and can be connected to a computer to record results.
The new oscilloscope's automatic tuning feature gives students more time to use the instrument.
The TDS 1002 also is used in many university electronic engineering programs.
"This is a total industrial and universal oscilloscope," Robinson said. "It will give my students more qualifications for college."