HP 5257A Transfer Oscillator

Look at the tiny insulating beads!

First teardown under my new documentation rig, a HP 5257A Transfer Oscillator. The 5257A is really a remarkable piece of equipment, a magnificent example of Hewlett Packard’s mastery of both mechanical and electrical engineering. Despite performance to 18GHz, the insides of the transfer oscillator are just as familiar to watchmakers as electrical engineers.

The closeups are from my Galaxy S – which has a surprisingly good camera!