Products > Test Equipment

Tek TDS5054B for under 1K USD still good in 2023?

(1/2) > >>

ptech1231:
Hi all,

I have an opportunity to purchase a very good condition TDS5054B for 800 USD.

I'm wondering if this is still a good buy in 2023 or should I look for something else.

I currently have a Picoscope 3204D that I use for my projects but I don't like that I need to have my laptop connected to and that it doesn't have knobs and buttons.

The TDS5054B caught my eye since it's a higher end scope that I think I won't be outgrowing for a long while. The tekprobe interface also has a lot of accessories that I can get affordably on the used market.

DaneLaw:
Are high bandwidth essentiel for your need?
If not, I would think twice before jumping on a multiple old decade scope running windows 2000 which can be a pain as ones main scope.
Im not sure what the bootup time is on one of these, but wouldnt be suprised if its around 1½ to 2 minutes if its still on a mechanical drive.

Are you able to repair it yourself, change caps etc. as some people loves to fiddle with that, while others dont, and just want a hazzle free experience.
Here in 2023 you can get some quite decent new model scopes for under a grand, but they aint 500Mhz.

KungFuJosh:

--- Quote from: DaneLaw on July 24, 2023, 07:38:21 pm ---Here in 2023 you can get some quite decent new model scopes for under a grand, but they aint 500Mhz.

--- End quote ---

Not that far off though. The regular price of the SDS2104X+ is $1400, and it's been on sale closer to $1k. That can easily be improved to 500MHz.

Someone:

--- Quote from: ptech1231 on July 22, 2023, 08:28:28 pm ---The TDS5054B caught my eye since it's a higher end scope that I think I won't be outgrowing for a long while. The tekprobe interface also has a lot of accessories that I can get affordably on the used market.
--- End quote ---
This is an excellent point, for "fancy" scopes it is fairly common to spend as much money (or more) on the probes as on the scope its self. Tekprobe is affordable :)

Weston:
Buying probes with the tekprobe interface make sense because a lot of adapters exists. You should be able to get the Tektronix 1103 external power supply for the tekprobe interface for <$200 off ebay if you are patient, <$300 if you want something now. And a lot of companies (Siglent and Rigol at least) have adapters from tekptobe to their own probe interface.

Its a bit funny, for some active probes there are tekprobe and tekVPI versions and the tekprobe version sells for a lot more on ebay because there are no adapters to use tekVPI probes with other equipment (I think there are some IP issues involved?).

Beyond the built in tekprobe interface do the other features of the TDS5054B make sense? A scope running an old version of windows is going to be a bit of a pain to deal with and take a long time to boot. You might find the limited memory depth and lack of protocol decodes (?) limiting. And not to mention the lack of warranty and possibly hardware issues with something that old.

Price wise you are pretty close to a (software unlocked) SDS2104X+ or MSO5074 with similar bandwidth, and they both support a logic analyzer too.

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

There was an error while thanking
Thanking...
Go to full version
Powered by SMFPacks Advanced Attachments Uploader Mod