Tektronix TDS2001C

[Richard W.]

hello everyone,

I am looking for a affordable oscilloscope.
Mostly used for audio, power supplies and maybe some hf (shortwave range).

First i thought about buying a used Tektronix 2445. But then i saw the offer of a big electronics-store here in germany. It's a Tektronix TDS2001C for about 1100 US-dollars, reduced from initially 1400 USD.

Nice colour-screen, 500MS/s realtime, USB connection for screenshots and a keyboard.

Has somebody any experience with these scopes?
Are they worth the money?

Of course i will write a review and take some photos, if i buy it 

with best regards from bavaria

Richard

[Ronnie]

I have a brand new TDS2012B got it last March 7. It is a 100 MHz 2-channel 1GS/s scope with passive LCD screen. The color contrast is not that good but the reasons I bought a Tek scope are quality and reliability. Screenshots via USB memory is really nice.
I'll also be using it for audio pre and power amp design (class AB) and in the future class D. Did not go for a used analog Tek since there is little to find in my country, I live in the Philippines.
I think TDS2000C series (which replaced the TDS2000B series last October 2010) color contrast will be better since they are equipped with active TFT LCD screen.
Also memory is only 2500 points too small when compared to the Rigol DS1052E with 1 Mpoints; I have no problem with small memory as I'll be dealing mostly on analog circuits.
No plan of doing a teardown report; I will take some pictures for your reference.

[EEVblog]

I think the 2000 series is fairly poor value for money, unless you absolutely must have a Tek scope for some reason.
What is the local cost for an Agilent 2000 series scope?

Dave.

[Richard W.]

The Agilent scopes are much more expensive, about 1700USD.
(and have to be ordered online, i can buy the tek at a big local store. maybe a advantage in the case of warranty?)

Reliability, quality and of course the long warranty are important 

[grenert]

I haven't tried a Tektronix product recently, but certainly their older gear is top quality.  I can't imagine that you will consider the TDS2001C a "bad" oscilloscope.  Tek just doesn't make bad products.  There might be better values out there, or more features, but I would be shocked if they ever put their name on something that was junk.  That said, it's too bad you can't spend the extra money for the new Agilent or the Tek DPO2000 (currently heavily discounted in the USA, not sure about Europe).

In the USA, you can find really nice used Tek analog scopes for around $200.  Could you find something that cheap in Germany?  Sure, you run the risk of it breaking, but if it works when you buy it, it will probably last a while.  Maybe a local seller (amateur radio swap meet, test equipment supplier with used/refurbished items) has something you could try out in person to verify function.  Even if it dies, you could buy three of these for less than one new scope!  Also, for your interests (audio, power supplies, radio), nearly all of the development of these areas was done on analog oscilloscopes 

I agree that company/distributor support is important.  My interactions with the big names (Tek, Agilent, Fluke) have always been very good - responsive, helpful.  I could never go with a no-name brand unless it was really cheap.

[Richard W.]

I haven't tried a Tektronix product recently, but certainly their older gear is top quality.  I can't imagine that you will consider the TDS2001C a "bad" oscilloscope.  Tek just doesn't make bad products.  There might be better values out there, or more features, but I would be shocked if they ever put their name on something that was junk.  That said, it's too bad you can't spend the extra money for the new Agilent or the Tek DPO2000 (currently heavily discounted in the USA, not sure about Europe).

The problem is the frequency of use... thats why i don't want to spend more money.

In the USA, you can find really nice used Tek analog scopes for around $200.  Could you find something that cheap in Germany?  Sure, you run the risk of it breaking, but if it works when you buy it, it will probably last a while.  Maybe a local seller (amateur radio swap meet, test equipment supplier with used/refurbished items) has something you could try out in person to verify function.  Even if it dies, you could buy three of these for less than one new scope!  Also, for your interests (audio, power supplies, radio), nearly all of the development of these areas was done on analog oscilloscopes  Wink

There are a lot of used-testgear-sellers. With warranty and unrealistically high prices
The prices start at about 400€ (~556USD) for a old Tek. A good used Tek is about 700€ (~980USD)
So i came to the conclusion to buy a new one.

I agree that company/distributor support is important.  My interactions with the big names (Tek, Agilent, Fluke) have always been very good - responsive, helpful.  I could never go with a no-name brand unless it was really cheap.

[tekfan]

For troubleshooting or analog design I would pick the 2445. 150MHz bandwidth is plenty and for audio, power supplies and shortwave radio it's really the perfect scope. The low end digital tek scopes are quite a pain to use for troubleshooting since it is quite slow responding. The Tek 2445's responses are instant since there is no digital processing. You've got cursors for accurate time and amplitude measurments, quite a comprehensive selection of trigger options, it's a 4 channel scope, on the back you've got several outputs which you can connect to a counter for a even more accurate frequency display. The only downside is you can't store the waveforms. In that case just grab a camera and take a screenshot of the CRT.
Another bonus when using an analog scope is that you begin to understand what each control does and how an oscilloscope works. With a digital scope you'll just be constantly reaching for the autoset button.

I've got a Tektronix DSA602A digitizing scope that I rarely use since it is slow responding and unusable when troubleshooting equipment (this was one of the best digital scopes of it's time but now it's almost 30 years old and painfully slow slow compared to new high end digital scopes).

The older tek scopes are also repairable. Everything is trough hole design apart from the hybrid chips which are screwed directly on to the boards. Every part of the scope (time base, vertical amplifiers, trigger, readout...) is on it's own circuit board which makes repair much more easier. If the 2445 starts malfunctioning it's usually a sign the contacts on the hybrid chips must be cleaned or there's a bad cap somewhere. The TDS2001C basically has a single chip solution and is impossible to fix. When the digital one fails you'll just have an expensive paperweight (unless you've got a SMD rework station and access to custom Tektronix chips).