Tektronix TDS5054B-NV-AV oscilloscope repair

[feedback.loop]

This scope stopped powering up at some point. The motherboard was found to be at fault. After some attempts to troubleshoot the motherboard, a similar board was picked up on eBay for a reasonable price, which brought the scope back to life.

[shuvodutta]

I own a Tek TDS5054B & had the exact same cap. failed (PC motherboard is Intel D865GLC) but it has not prevented booting the scope. My scope was having issue mainly with the OS (Win2K) & luckily I could get the Recovery Disk Set (which worked) from xdevs.com. I've checked the cap. in circuit with LCR meter & found no short, fortunately it has not spewed it's guts all over the places. As I was not having the replacement cap., I've cleaned & left it as it's for the time being. I'm away from my lab. at present & can't access my desoldering station, don't want to attempt replacing a PTH component on a multi-layer board without it. I've ordered & received the spare caps. (from Nichicon) in the mean time though. I've another board as spare but has not checked the cap. yet, visually the cap. looks good on that board. My TDS5054B got upgraded to more RAM & SSD. I'm yet to share my adventure here on this forum. 

I really enjoy your videos & happen to own few of the same equipment you've (PACE stations, Agilent Dynamic DC Sources & this TDS5054B.).

I've found something interesting reg. TDS5000B series during my repair process & shared the details here in this thread, https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/tektronix-tds5054b-record-length/
(not trying to hijack this thread in anyway. )

[feedback.loop]

In my previous video this scope was repaired by replacing its motherboard with a similar one that was found on eBay. In this episode the original Intel D865 motherboard was repaired and recapped.

[Per Hansson]

Nice job, a note on the capacitors: Ultra low ESR electrolytic capacitors for motherboard use are no longer being manufactured.
Having been phased out if favor of solid polymer capacitors.
So all you can find today is old stock or counterfeits on eBay basically
I would be a bit weary if the caps for the CPU's VRM where exposed to high heat when the fan failed.
But you did show that the board does not boot with a dead fan so it might not be a problem.
And as you also said there are plenty of solid polymer caps there also so even if the electrolytics do fail it is probably no big dead.

[Per Hansson]

I posted the below quote to your Youtube video, as it might be useful for some I created a floppy image without the update BIOS and attached it here.
It has about 1MB free space which should be enough the save the old BIOS, if not the ramdisk is still included so that can be used instead.

The original Intel BIOS has been removed from their website but is available via the internet archive, the "iFlash" version creates a floppy disk that contains the iflash executable file, looking with a HEX editor it does support saving the old BIOS, I just tested this in Dosbox not a real board as I don't want to risk it flashing something! https://web.archive.org/web/20191119133955/https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/10130/BIOS-Update-BF86510A-86A-?product=50354

[feedback.loop]

Thanks for the flash utility, but I don't see there a way to save the splash screen (they call it user area or something). The BIOS in the Gateway board is BF86510A.15A.0087.P21. Not the freshest one, but I don't see a need to update the BIOS. It would be interesting to copy the Tektronix splash, but it seems that the "user area" can be written only, not backed up. Maybe I am missing something.

[Per Hansson]

Ok, my idea was that you would save a copy of the BIOS delivered with the Tektronix branded motherboard.
Maybe you can use Flashrom if the Intel flasher does not allow saving the BIOS: https://flashrom.org/Flashrom
Edit: Seems not, guess the only way to save the BIOS is with an external programmer then
https://flashrom.org/Supported_hardware#mainboards_note97

[feedback.loop]

I don't see a point in transferring the BIOS. This operation will not affect the splash, as I understand.

[Per Hansson]

It will, the splash screen is stored in the BIOS chip.

[feedback.loop]

Not with iFlash utility I believe. Perhaps, desoldering and copying the FLASH chips would, but I don't really want to go that far.

[Per Hansson]

I have attached a PDF that explains the use of a custom splash screen.
The PDF links to another Intel page that is also down, but it has been archived:
https://web.archive.org/web/20090224102258/http://intel.com/design/motherbd/gen_indx.htm

The utilities listed are not available on the Internet archive but I did find them with a cursory Google search...
They do confirm that it is the Intel flash utility that is used to load the image, but of course you don't have it...
Well maybe you could capture it with a capture card

If you just want to disable the Gateway splash screen you can do that by enabling "Silent boot" under the "Boot" menu in the BIOS.

P.S: Here is the help output taken with a HEX editor from iFlash.exe, of note is the "user area" that I guess would be saved with the option: /sU

Code: [Select]

GUI-mode options:.       
/m - Monochrome display           
/b - Use BIOS video calls.       
/t - Use EGA/VGA line count       
/n - Do not use pointer device.

Code: [Select]

Command-line mode options:.       
/h - Help (this text).       
/q  - Quiet mode; errors only, and no prompts.       
/qb - Quiet mode; No beeps.    Standard options:.       
/r - Force reboot after update     
/@ - Use override file.       
/f - Force CMOS defaults next POST
/d - Verbose debugging output.       
/p pathname  - Program FLASH device with contents of 'pathname'..       
/nr - No reboot when complete (SMI flash method).       
/rb - Reboot before update (non-SMI flash method).

Code: [Select]

Special Operations:.       
/v pathname  - Verify current flash with contents of 'pathname.'.       
/x pathname  - eXamine flash header of 'pathname'..       
/sX pathname - Save resident flash area to 'pathname' (or 'vvvv'BIOS). X = { 'B'IOS, 'L'anguage, 'U'ser, 'R'ecovery } area..       
/ae - Erase OEM CMOS Defaults..       
/ac - Copy Custom CMOS Defaults into the OEM CMOS Defaults..       
/af - Force OEM CMOS Defaults next POST..       
/ag pathname  - Get OEM CMOS Defaults to 'pathname'..       
/as pathname  - Set OEM CMOS Defaults with contents of 'pathname'..       
/ew pathname  - Write BMI settings with contents of 'pathname'..       
/er pathname  - Retrieve BMI settings to 'pathname'..       
/md - Load default modules only (like recovery)

[feedback.loop]

I just tried "iflash /su user.dat", but nothing happens at all (same with /sb or /sr)

[Per Hansson]

Ok yes I found another report with another user that had problems with it.
Maybe the correct syntax includes /p but it seems very dangerous to try since that is for flashing too...
Did the utility actually try to do something or did it just come back showing the help syntax again?

Anyway yesterday I found the right tool to add a splash screen, but it does not seem to support extracting it, it is attached to this post.
But I have an idea, look in c:\boot.ini if the oscilloscope uses a custom KERNEL
If it does please upload the one it specifies.
If no custom KERNEL is shown upload the default Windows one with filename: NTOSKRNL.EXE from the Windows System32 folder.

You can also try the following tool to make a BIOS backup, but it might not be easy to flash back since the Intel flash tool uses a custom format.
But it might be possible to extract the splash screen from it, so that would be two possible sources, the other being the custom kernel.
https://m.majorgeeks.com/files/details/universal_bios_backup_toolkit.html

[YetAnotherTechie]

maybe /sU instead of /su 

[Per Hansson]

Yea, worth a try.
I'm also wondering what they mean by: (or 'vvvv'BIOS)
Maybe try with just: iflash /sU A:\

[feedback.loop]

maybe /sU instead of /su 

I don't think that DOS is case-sensitive, but I did try that. Nothing happens.

[feedback.loop]

Ok yes I found another report with another user that had problems with it.
Maybe the correct syntax includes /p but it seems very dangerous to try since that is for flashing too...
Did the utility actually try to do something or did it just come back showing the help syntax again?

Anyway yesterday I found the right tool to add a splash screen, but it does not seem to support extracting it, it is attached to this post.
But I have an idea, look in c:\boot.ini if the oscilloscope uses a custom KERNEL
If it does please upload the one it specifies.
If no custom KERNEL is shown upload the default Windows one with filename: NTOSKRNL.EXE from the Windows System32 folder.

You can also try the following tool to make a BIOS backup, but it might not be easy to flash back since the Intel flash tool uses a custom format.
But it might be possible to extract the splash screen from it, so that would be two possible sources, the other being the custom kernel.
https://m.majorgeeks.com/files/details/universal_bios_backup_toolkit.html

It immediately responds like this with no other apparent effect:

> iflash /sU splash.dat
Intel Flash Memory Update Utility  Part 643643-055

I don't understand what does this have to do with Windows kernel?

[coromonadalix]

Its not kernel related,   it is for the bios manipulation   like image splash change  or other functions

Iflash
https://www.intel.ca/content/www/ca/en/support/articles/000005691/boards-and-kits/desktop-boards.html

[Per Hansson]

I don't understand what does this have to do with Windows kernel?

Sorry for not being more clear, at the end of your second video at the 9:16 mark we can see that a custom Windows 2000 boot splash screen was used.
My idea was to extract that from the Windows kernel and use that for the BIOS.
It does look the same, only centered vs off-center and with black background in the BIOS version.

[feedback.loop]

I don't understand what does this have to do with Windows kernel?

Sorry for not being more clear, at the end of your second video at the 9:16 mark we can see that a custom Windows 2000 boot splash screen was used.
My idea was to extract that from the Windows kernel and use that for the BIOS.
It does look the same, only centered vs off-center and with black background in the BIOS version.

Ah, right, I thought about that: forget about extracting it from the original board, just replace the Gateway splash with some other Tektronix logo.
I am not sure I am willing to pursue this. I ended up not using the Gateway board in the scope. I might even sell it. It would be nice to make it look identical to the Tektronix board, but I am loosing interest since it seems to take a lot more effort than I thought. Perhaps, the best thing is to disable "silent boot" so that Gateway splash would not show up, and forget about it.

[Per Hansson]

In the attached ZIP file are three files:
TEKTRONIX.bio is created with the Intel Integrator Toolkit that I attached previously, it is a full BIOS file based on the one linked in post #4
TEK.USR is created using Splash07 which is a tool for perhaps older mainboards, not sure it is supported by the D865GLC.
Tektronix.bmp is a logo I found in the Ghost archive provided on Xdevs here: https://xdevs.com/fix/tds5000b/ extracted from the ntoskrn1.exe file inside it.

I would start with the graphical iFlash utility and try to load the TEK.USR file, as this is the least intrusive:

   Press Enter at the title screen.
   Select ‘Update FLASH Memory Area From a File’.
   Select ‘Update User Data Area’.
   Highlight the file to be flashed and press Enter.
   To continue with programming press Enter.

If that does not work then the full TEKTRONIX.bio file can be flashed instead.
But I would NOT do that on a genuine Tektronix mainboard, only a third party one that you want to make look like the original.

[feedback.loop]

In the attached ZIP file are three files:
TEKTRONIX.bio is created with the Intel Integrator Toolkit that I attached previously, it is a full BIOS file based on the one linked in post #4
TEK.USR is created using Splash07 which is a tool for perhaps older mainboards, not sure it is supported by the D865GLC.
Tektronix.bmp is a logo I found in the Ghost archive provided on Xdevs here: https://xdevs.com/fix/tds5000b/ extracted from the ntoskrn1.exe file inside it.

I would start with the graphical iFlash utility and try to load the TEK.USR file, as this is the least intrusive:

   Press Enter at the title screen.
   Select ‘Update FLASH Memory Area From a File’.
   Select ‘Update User Data Area’.
   Highlight the file to be flashed and press Enter.
   To continue with programming press Enter.

If that does not work then the full TEKTRONIX.bio file can be flashed instead.
But I would NOT do that on a genuine Tektronix mainboard, only a third party one that you want to make look like the original.

Thanks. Not sure I should risk this. Maybe.
By the way, I noticed that the Gateway splash somehow depends on the installed processor. In my scope repair video I showed it with Celeron. It had "Intel Inside" logo on it. With P4 this logo changes to "Intel Inside" with "pentium 4" on the bottom part of the logo. I wonder how does this work, and whether it might present a complication.

[Per Hansson]

Intel calls that their "badge" in their Integrator Toolkit that I attached previously.
Inside that is a readme (Splash screen instructions-865-875.txt) with this text:

9. To display the Intel Badge at boot:
   a.  Click Badge > Display Badge.
   b.  Click Badge > Edit Badge Location > Lower Left (or desired position).

Note that I did not enable this in the BIOS I posted yesterday (TEKTRONIX.bio)

[feedback.loop]

I found another thread about TDS7000 series: https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/tek-csa7404-repair-project/msg3070532/#msg3070532

There someone posted Tektronix logodata.usr file. So I flashed it instead of the Gateway splash, and the result is attached. Not exactly as the original motherboard, but close enough.