Tektronix TDS 540 - let the fun begin

[Old Don]

The brown truck guys just delivered my next project, a Tek TDS 540 (not A), S/N starts with "B"  and it has options - 13, 1M & 2F. Has RS232, GPIB and Centronics ports, but no floppy drive. Scope does boot, has several failed self tests: Failed --> Acq/proc interface, Acquisition, Attn/Acquisition plus Cal says check error logs. Haven't had time to do more other than to unbox & power it up. Will open it up and check for other issues, but Mouser will soon be getting an order for replacement cap's and then we'll see what still remains.

Question to the forum, is having the floppy drive desirable still? Does the non-A support the drive? If so, is it hard to add or requires special parts/programing? I've got a box full of new Teac floppy drives in storage from my laptop repair days, but can't find any pictures of the necessary ribbon cable. I do have many ribbons of various lengths if I need to add the drive.

Or does the RS232 option allow remote storage of the same data as floppy, but on computer hard drive?

Guess I've got some reading of manuals to do.

[nctnico]

I'd bin it. 3 acquisition errors means the electrolyte from the leaking capacitors have caused lots of damage.

[Jwalling]

I'd bin it. 3 acquisition errors means the electrolyte from the leaking capacitors have caused lots of damage.

Aww. C'mon, there's always a chance. Start with cleaning the boards with Simple Green, Rinse with water and dry, then clean with Isopropyl alcohol. The run an SPC to see if it passes; they'll often pass with a good cleaning before you bother to replace the caps.

[eurofox]

The brown truck guys just delivered my next project, a Tek TDS 540 (not A), S/N starts with "B"  and it has options - 13, 1M & 2F. Has RS232, GPIB and Centronics ports, but no floppy drive. Scope does boot, has several failed self tests: Failed --> Acq/proc interface, Acquisition, Attn/Acquisition plus Cal says check error logs. Haven't had time to do more other than to unbox & power it up.

You are lucky that he didn’t drop it over the fence in your garden.

With respect to the floppy disk, just buy a USB floppy drive, it is cheap and this ways you can move data from your scope to your computer easily.

[Alex Eisenhut]

Also note: it's spelled Tektronix. 

[Old Don]

Yes, Tektronix - fingers sometimes type what they want and not what I'm thinking. Good think I wasn't typing Fluke.   

To the naysayers - I repaired laptops for years and coke or pepsi ate more mobo's than blown caps ever did. Maybe after I pop the top I might change my mind. 

Adding a USB floppy sounds like a good idea, but would require a USB port I would think. I do have some external RS232 Floppy drives, but I would think the software would need to be already there to be able to use one. Lack of floppy drive will have to wait until scope passes self test.

[Electro Detective]

Good luck with it mate!   

Don't be put off by any towel tossers, and don't be shy to post some pictures... the uglier the better     

I'm well stocked with popcorn for keeping up with retro recovery posts     

[Old Don]

Cap's on order. I can see some on the boards have leaked, but until the cap's arrive I won't put the boards under my microscope and see if any traces have been eaten up. Compared to newer laptops the boards are much less densely stuffed and lots of room to work.

If I can clear up the failed tests then the only remaining issue is one missing foot from the metal case. Three-legged horse otherwise. 

[snoopy]

There's a heap of repair videos for these scopes on youtube

[eurofox]

I got a TDS540 many years ago, it was a good scope, only problem, massive and noisy.

[Old Don]

There's a heap of repair videos for these scopes on youtube

That's what got me interested in doing this one.

It is massive and it is noisy, but I'm half deaf and isn't going to be portable so once in place the weight won't matter. The HP scope we had in the navy was even bigger and took 2 people to move when the ship was bouncing around. Navy figured anything with handles was portable and I guess if battleships had handles they'd tell a sailor to go move it. 

I traveled back in the '70's & '80's with one of the tiny 2 ch Tek storage scopes as a field engineer and those things were broken more than they worked. I guess today one of the $100 Chinese digital scopes could replace one of those things.

[snoopy]

There's a heap of repair videos for these scopes on youtube

That's what got me interested in doing this one.

It is massive and it is noisy, but I'm half deaf and isn't going to be portable so once in place the weight won't matter. The HP scope we had in the navy was even bigger and took 2 people to move when the ship was bouncing around. Navy figured anything with handles was portable and I guess if battleships had handles they'd tell a sailor to go move it. 

I traveled back in the '70's & '80's with one of the tiny 2 ch Tek storage scopes as a field engineer and those things were broken more than they worked. I guess today one of the $100 Chinese digital scopes could replace one of those things.

You won't get this level of performance from any scope for $100 !!