Refurbishing a Tektronix TDS7104 Oscilloscope
A Tektronix TDS7104 oscilloscope was purchased at a flea market for $300, despite its initial high price tag. The device, known for its 4-channel design with 1 GHz bandwidth and 10Gs/s sample rate, required some refurbishment. The first challenge was a dim screen, which was resolved by upgrading the CR2032 backup battery. The PowerPC-based controller board running VxWorks was another component that needed attention.
The scope, initially used at Cypress Semiconductor for high-bandwidth signal measurements, featured BNC connectors for simplicity, and a resistive touch-controlled LCD screen capable of advanced measurements. The scope's hardware and software options could be enabled through license keys, though the protection scheme had been cracked.
A common failure was a dead PowerPC backup battery causing the TekScope application to hang. Additionally, a dead power supply or issues with the main video card, a Chips & Technologies 69000, could prevent the display from functioning correctly. Making a backup image of the 6GB IBM Travelstar hard drive was recommended, as the scope's drive had corrupted sectors. The 69000 graphics card required its settings to be switched to a True Color 24-bit mode.
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