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Scientific Instruments at HP

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Hewlett-Packard began by offering instruments for engineering and scientific research. These devices, including the initial oscilloscopes designed by Bill Hewlett, offered unmatched accuracy and reliability and were crucial in first establishing Hewlett-Packard’s reputation for innovation and quality. The company continued to focus heavily on instruments for decades. Indeed, when the company eventually entered the market for computers and related technology, it was as an offshoot of the company’s instruments business. A tour through the devices in this collection reveals the ways in which Hewlett-Packard was a tech leader long before the advent of the computer revolution.

Photo of a microwave signal generator with a crowd gathered around during a demonstration in 1947.
Well Equipped: HP WW2 Tech
The Sanborn Viso Cardiette device opened with front panel open showing printing area.
Via Viso Cardiette: HP and Sanborn
Photo of Noel
Noel “Ed” Porter: A Company Man
Photo of the HP 1601L Logic Analyzer with various wires attached.
Talking in Code: HP 1601L
A woman soldering a component for the HP 5360A computer counter.
The HP 5360A: Measuring to the Moon
An HP team reviewing shelves of 5100A synthesizer components.
The HP 5100A: A New Approach to R&D
Photo of the Q-Meter used by a Rutgers University professor to study Nuclear Magnetic Resonance.
Buying Boonton: An HP Acquisition
A man poses in front of the Hewlett-Packard 524A radio frequency counter.
Measuring The Airwaves: HP 524A
Employees moving the HP 8400A microwave spectrometer in 1964.
Fingerprinting: HP 8400A Spectrometer
A display showcasing the instruments from the Sanborn Division of Hewlett-Packard in 1967.
Doctor’s Orders: HP Acquires Sanborn
Bill Hewlett accepting the James S. Cogswell Outstanding Industrial Security Award on behalf of Hewlett-Packard in 1973.
Securing the Cogswell Award
A photo of Hewlett-Packard's complete 1959 product line of 380 test and measurement instruments and accessories.
HP’s 20th Anniversary Product Collection
Photo of the HP 200CD oscillator (front/left).
The 200AB and 200CD: Always Improving
The Dymec nuclear systems console, photographed in 1956.
Going Nuclear: HP and Nuclear Research
Photo of the Hewlett-Packard 5988A gas chromatograph / mass spectrometer system.
Hewlett-Packard’s Anti-Pollution Instruments
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  • About the Archives
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    • EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP
    • MERGERS, ACQUISITIONS & SALES
  • Explore The Vault
POWERED BY
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© 2022 Hewlett-Packard Company Archives. All rights reserved.
HP, Inc. Terms of Use and HPE Terms of Use