Tektronix MDO4104C-6 Mixed Domain Oscilloscope (MDO4000C) Review & Teardown

[Hugoneus]

A full review, teardown and specially designed experiments with the MDO4000C!

You can watch the video here: [1 Hour & 22 Minutes]
youtu.be/po_WLLFr-w4

More videos at The Signal Path:
http://www.TheSignalPath.com

[ruairi]

Fantastic video as usual, thank you!

[mySystemEngineer]

Hi Shahriar,
you are the best engineer i know.
by your recommendation i first watched your previous B series model review.

[Dubbie]

Great video as always. Wondering why it hasn't been posted to Patreon? I'd be more than happy to pay for this one.


Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

[tmbinc]

Very interesting, thanks a lot!

Comparing with my DPO5034 (https://goo.gl/photos/dGy6WveTGwSdKgC4A - block diagram https://photos.google.com/share/AF1QipO476qh31x8zEEjAioZGXwLE8N_c5yuo6B3rg4k55-MQk-gu35gzyiasX5_aQCPfw/photo/AF1QipNmGJ5eG6rrdl6JyVaks7f8WoFbTegYycS1BEzu?key=OXR1c0VUdEdEOU45aG5QdmdId1hLejNCOWRqS3ln ; There's also a blog post on http://debugmo.de/2013/03/whats-inside-tektronix-dpo5034/ but I haven't updated the links since google photo screwedmigrated me over ), I'm really curious - what is the device next to the MSO header? It's unpopulated on my board, but I wasn't be able to identify it in Shahriar's video either.

Is that part of the AWG or the Multimeter?

On the UI side, I appreciate the push-buttons a lot. The DPO5k is borderline unusable because there are just not enough frontpanel buttons (the DPO/MSO/MDO4k does a much better job though).

FWIW, on the DPO5k, there are 2 ADCs, 4 Demuxes for just 4 channels. Starting with 1GHz bandwidth, they support 10 GS/s by interleaving them. Unfortunately I only have the DPO5034; the analog frontend can be hacked for higher bandwidth with decent success, but only the 1GHz version has the additional HDF144C(?) amplifiers. (Interestingly, the DPO4034 non-B has them, and Bandwidth can be software-hacked, but ultimately they don't support ADC interleaving so you're limited by the 2.5GS/s limitation). (So, if anyone has a spare 1GHz analog frontend from a DPO4104B or DPO5104, I'd be very interested...)

[kaz911]

First thanks for the review - great as always. Unfortunately your support donation system is VAT imposed for us EU users. so 20% gets wasted. So maybe find alternative means for support?


If anyone needs the ORIGINAL MDO4054-6 - I have one for sale as I want to upgrade to the C version Still love the original - but would like to be able to use the SignalVu app. Pretty much same device - and still almost as cool PM me for more info. The MDO is complete and we can talk about if you want any of my option sticks (I have some option sticks and a DPO4BND stick which I'm keeping...

[Hugoneus]

Great video as always. Wondering why it hasn't been posted to Patreon? I'd be more than happy to pay for this one.


Sent from my phone using Tapatalk

Thanks, I have to catch up with those things. I will do it soon.

[AF6LJ]

That was good I really enjoyed. it. Thanks.

[Hugoneus]

First thanks for the review - great as always. Unfortunately your support donation system is VAT imposed for us EU users. so 20% gets wasted. So maybe find alternative means for support?


If anyone needs the ORIGINAL MDO4054-6 - I have one for sale as I want to upgrade to the C version Still love the original - but would like to be able to use the SignalVu app. Pretty much same device - and still almost as cool PM me for more info. The MDO is complete and we can talk about if you want any of my option sticks (I have some option sticks and a DPO4BND stick which I'm keeping...

Does Tek do a swap? Pay some money to get it upgraded?

[kaz911]

First thanks for the review - great as always. Unfortunately your support donation system is VAT imposed for us EU users. so 20% gets wasted. So maybe find alternative means for support?


If anyone needs the ORIGINAL MDO4054-6 - I have one for sale as I want to upgrade to the C version Still love the original - but would like to be able to use the SignalVu app. Pretty much same device - and still almost as cool PM me for more info. The MDO is complete and we can talk about if you want any of my option sticks (I have some option sticks and a DPO4BND stick which I'm keeping...

Does Tek do a swap? Pay some money to get it upgraded?

I did get an offer but it makes a LOT more financial sense to sell the MDO4054-6 and buy a slightly used MDO-C series. And being in EU there is the "Not in the USA" tax - so products here gets a SRP boost of 20-40% compared to US (excl. VAT) So I import most my gear from the US.

But the MDO's do not exactly sell like hot cakes which I do not understand - apart from the terrible slow UI at time - the scope and Tek probes in general are really great. Better probes than general Keysight IMHO. I'm slowly when budget allows - buying good Tek Active & Differential probes 2nd hand - and plan to get some adaptors so I can use them on my Keysight as well.

I do love the MDO's protocol decode options and trigger options more than my Keysight 3000T series.  And I must say the " option sticks " are both a blessing and a curse. Easy to misplace - but great you can yank the options out and take to another scope. So Keysight 3000T for speed - and MDO' for detail work and mixed domain & protocol decoding. And my MDO CAN do USB decode - where the 3000T can only trigger on USB decoded signals....  - but not show decoded USB protocol - which I find a completely stupid "marketing ploy"