HP 8080A Mainframe 8091A 8092A 15402A 8093A x2 15401A Plug-In System

HP 8080A Mainframe 8091A 8092A 15402A 8093A x2 15401A Plug-In System

The Hewlett-Packard 8080A is a modular pulse generator mainframe designed to house a family of interchangeable plug-in modules that together form a complete pulse generation and timing system. This listing includes the 8080A mainframe chassis fully loaded with six plug-in modules: the 8091A Rate Generator, 8092A Delay Generator/Frequency Divider, 15402A Channel module, two 8093A 1GHz Amplitude plug-ins, and the 15401A output plug-in. The system powers on and the front panel illuminates; a "NOT CALIBRATED" label is present on the left side of the chassis.

Specifications & What's Included

• Mainframe: HP 8080A
• Plug-In 1: HP 8091A Rate Generator – 1 GHz, covers GHz / MHz / kHz / Hz ranges with Vernier control
• Plug-In 2: HP 8092A Delay Generator / Frequency Divider – Channel B Delay with LED numeric display, Freq Select, Reset
• Plug-In 3: HP 15402A Channel Module – multiple BNC output channels, Reset input
• Plug-In 4 & 5: HP 8093A 1GHz Amplitude Plug-In × 2 – Amplitude controls with +5V / +1.2V / 0V / -1.2V / -2V switching, BNC output (MAX 2V / 100mA each)
• Plug-In 6: HP 15401A Output Module
• Front panel controls: Rate (GHz–Hz), Period, Slope (NEG/POS/MAN), Risetime (<1ns / >1ns), EXT Input BNC, Trigger Output BNCs, Freq. Select, Line ON/OFF switch
• Trigger Output: +2V MAX, EXT VOLT labeled on panel
• Power: Line +10% –22%, 48–440 Hz (per rear panel label)
• Display: LED numeric readout for Channel B Delay
• Connector type: BNC throughout
• Form factor: Benchtop mainframe
• Dimensions: 18" W × 17" D × 5" H (approx.)
• "NOT CALIBRATED" label present on left side of mainframe

Applications

The HP 8080A plug-in mainframe system was a high-performance pulse and timing generator platform introduced by Hewlett-Packard in the late 1960s and used through the 1970s and into the 1980s. It belongs to HP's modular instrument philosophy, where a single chassis accepts interchangeable plug-in modules to build custom measurement solutions — a common approach in that era of HP instrumentation. With a 1GHz rate generator (8091A), delay generator/frequency divider (8092A), and dual amplitude plug-ins (8093A), this configuration covers a wide range of pulse generation, timing, and signal amplitude tasks. Systems like this were used in semiconductor test, digital circuit characterization, radar and communications research, and general electronics laboratory work. The 8080A family is now considered vintage test equipment; it is primarily sought by engineers maintaining legacy systems, collectors of classic HP instrumentation, and labs that need period-accurate signal sources. Compatible accessories and additional plug-in modules from the HP 8080 series can expand the system's capabilities further.