Suggestions on repair of an HP 54201D  - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: boston617
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 10, 2015, 01:23:19 am
content: Got a 54201D for nothing and was told that it worked, but I would have to get the probes for it. Got it home and...powers up but nothing on the screen. There is screen burn, and once I opened it up, there are a few status LED's on the top board that show the 'NORM' indicator lit up.Now my questions are:A) is it worth repairingB) is it usable to a novice with scopesThe only suggestion I have been given is to part it out for parts sale/salvage, but I'm not sure that is the right way to go.I have used an old Heath scope and one Velleman unit, but they were not this level of lab equipment. I do some kit building and modding, and repairs to bring things back to life when they fail.ps: Sorry if this is in the wrong section

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2015, 01:34:53 am
content: Quote from: boston617 on March 10, 2015, 01:23:19 amThat's a hard question to answer with the info presented. Obviously, the first question you have to answer is: What's broken? Then, we can explore if it's worth repairing. If the CRT is gone, then prolly not, but ... we don't know what is wrong with it.It all depends on this and the availability of parts, your skill, your desire to fix it and so on.Just making a WAG - I'd guess it's not worth messing with, but I really don't have enough info to even speculate much.

author: radhaz
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2015, 01:45:18 am
content: Download the manual to make sure you're using it right.http://www.keysight.com/en/pd-54201D%3Aepsg%3Apro-pn-54201D/300-mhz-digitizing-oscilloscope?pm=PL&nid=-536900196.536898018&cc=US&lc=eng

author: boston617
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 10, 2015, 02:06:26 am
content: When I had it open and powered, the back of the crt energizes, and there is a faint constant crackling sound. But from my memory, that can be normal for a crt. But I haven't used a crt in a while, so I could be wrong on that.On the off chance of it being the crt, I did look for a replacement, and came up with nothing for the model.I have tried the key-down power-on to see if it would do anything, and the crt remained blank.I can do a bit more investigating to see if there is anything else dead or fried, but from my initial inspection it looked good (nothing leaking, scorched, or heat-darkened), although it needs a dust cleaning.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: March 10, 2015, 02:12:49 am
content: Quote from: boston617 on March 10, 2015, 02:06:26 amUnplug it from the outlet and re-seat all the connectors you can find inside, especially the one at the back of the CRT. It's worth a shot anyway.

author: boston617
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: March 11, 2015, 01:48:35 am
content: It does seem that the crt or its' circuit has failed. I have reseated everything I could and there is still no signal. Tried my DMM to check power, and there is power there, but I can only check so much without blowing the rear out of my meter. I did find a place that might have some used but working spare parts for it, as they have a few other HP/Agilent models with similar tubes and designs. I called them and they are looking to see if they have a compatible tube and/or controls, and will call back either with prices or that they don't have the parts.On a side note, I was able to get a working Tektronix 2211 (DOM 1990?) with 2 probes for $100.It's good enough for what I am doing, and gives me time to figure out the 54201's issues.I have included a pic of each, you can see the screen burn on the HP...

author: Charles_z
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: August 11, 2018, 04:10:28 pm
content: Hi Boston617, I got a HP 54201D in an auction. It powered up normally. But failed the selftest with RT, RR errors for both channels. I think the analogy board need to be repaired and other boards should be good. If you need other boards for your repair, please let me know. I am in New Jersey.