TDS5104B Pros/Cons - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / testgear

author: cncjerry
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 04:07:13 am
content: Hello, I recently came across a TDS5104b for what looks like a low price and I'm wondering if I 'need' it. Pros? Cons? What would you consider to be a good deal on one?I have a TDS3054B and a TDS744 that's been upgraded to a 784a as well as other scopes. I don't need another scope but the 5104b looks like a killer deal.Thanks.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 04:36:08 pm
content: Quote from: cncjerry on April 24, 2016, 04:07:13 amIt's been a while when I last saw a TDS5000 scope but I very well remember that even back then when they were new they weren't great. The TDS5k's architecture is really slow, often painfully so, and as soon as these scopes are tasked with something demanding they tend to lock up. It also still has that weird "FastQcq" mode where measurements don't work, and the UI has been designed for mouse control not touch, and is one of the poorer UIs I've seen on scopes.The 'B' was just a rehash of the original TDS5k, which is rooted in the early 2000's. If I remember right even the 'B' runs Windows 2000, and that was sold until 2011 if my memory serves me right.QuoteFrankly, I wouldn't buy one for my own use, because no matter how cheap it is I know that the dog slow architecture would annoy the hell out of me.If it's reallly incredibly cheap and fully working then I might buy it just to put it on ebay and wait being sold for some ridiculous amount of money (as most Tek gear does), and then use the profit to buy a better scope (anything else than Tek, really!).

author: cncjerry
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 05:18:30 pm
content: That's what I was thinking, buy it, play with it a little and ebay it. The guy is asking about 1/5th the going ebay rate.One of these days I'm going to buy an Agilent or non-Tek scope to see what all the fuss about. I played with a couple and liked the display persistence but when I got my 3054b it seemed just as good. I'm not one for bells and whistles as most scopes have these days and my 3054b does what I need it to do. I also like the display on my 784 because it looks crisp but I know it is much, much slower than a modern scope.

author: Someone
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 24, 2016, 11:36:35 pm
content: If you don't mind using a mouse to drive the menus then its quite a capable scope, two things to consider is it uses the older Tek probe interface and there are no serial decode options. But you'll find it a big step up from a TDS3054B if you've got the space for it. Its a full windows OS and the external monitor display can be used as an extended desktop if there are any basic serial terminals etc which are useful to have running on the bench.

author: TiN
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 04:12:37 am
content: TDS5KB compared to TDS3K is night in day in usability. I use 5034B weekly and also have 7404, both are very similar. Yes, they are slowish, not fancy-pancy as modern scopes, but if you can get one cheaply (below 1K$), it's not bad scope, especially compared all the budget stuff on the market (both new and used).

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 03:02:42 pm
content: Quote from: cncjerry on April 24, 2016, 05:18:30 pmIf that's really the going rate (i.e. actually sold items) and not asking price then buying it for selling it on would make it a great deal which can earn you some $$$.QuoteIf the 3054B does what you want then there probably isn't much gained in buying a better scope.If you do find that you could use a better scope, though, then I'd consider selling the TDS3054B (which still goes for a lot of money), and combined with the profits from reselling the TDS5kB you could certainly buy yourself a very nice scope.

author: cncjerry
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 03:20:06 pm
content: The guy wants $1,300 for it and though I haven't made an offer, it's been for sale for a while so I can probably get it for 1K. Just wondering if it is worth it. Neither of my current scopes can hit the frequencies I've needed lately of 1.3G.

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 05:01:25 pm
content: Quote from: cncjerry on April 25, 2016, 03:20:06 pmA quick search on ebay suggests that these scopes still fetch around $3k+ so buying it for $1k for selling it on would be a possibility.However, I would not buy it as a scope to keep, not just because its so slow. Even less so when you really need to look at 1.3GHz signals, for which you would reasonably be looking at a 2Ghz scope at least.The good news is that if you manage to sell that TDS5104B for $3k, that money should be enough to buy you a decent 2nd hand 2Ghz scope. So there are possibilities.

author: MartinX
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 06:29:08 pm
content: I have used a TDS5034B quite a lot and it is big, slow and noisy, really noisy, there is a full W2000 PC in there that needs to boot at start up, the advantage of the PC is hat you can save to the internal HD so you don´t have to wait for a slow USB interface and you can quickly type in meaningful file names with the keyboard.I think the front panel layout is one of the better ones Tek has done, certainly better than the current one with the zoom wheel taking up half the front panel.All the basic and most used trigger functions have dedicated buttons and there are LED´s indicating the settings and trigger events, why most scopes hide away the most used setting of the trigger in some menu is a mystery. If the scope has advanced trigger options installed there is a lot of useful functionality in there.If it was fanless and had super fast response time this would be one of my favourite scopes.

author: andy2000
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 06:58:27 pm
content: I have a TDS5054 which I've been repairing and upgrading.Although there are plenty of them listed on ebay for high prices, they seem to top out around $3k for ones that actually sell.Make sure it has the touch screen option unless you're sure you'll be happy using a mouse frequently.Make sure it passes all the self tests since there doesn't seem to be much knowledge about these scopes in the open (compared to the TDS5, 6, 7XX series).It's good that it's the B version since they have a socket 478 P4/Celeron PC motherboard rather than the socket 370 PIII/Celeron of the original version. The PIII is limited to 512MB RAM, but the P4 can take 2GB.If you plan to keep it for a long time, I would max out the RAM and install the fasted CPU that's supported. It should help speed up the user interface and help if you decide to run any other software on the scope. You might even be able to upgrade the motherboard if you're really motivated.

author: simmconn
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: April 25, 2016, 10:10:19 pm
content: I'd say $1300 is the range I would consider buying a TDS5104B. About a year ago I bought a Tek VM5000HD (essentially a TDS5104B with option 2M and video measurement options) around that price point. It was a decent scope, although a bit dated. It is one of the few Windows-based 1GHz scopes that still use the TekProbe interface, which means you can use cheap, plentiful and relatively robust active probes such as P6243 and P6245 directly without expensive adapters. The thing I don't like is the fan noise. Eventually I sold it at a wash and upgraded to a VM6000HD (essentially a DPO7104). It is still loud but considerably better than the TDS5104B.

author: cncjerry
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: April 27, 2016, 01:05:35 am
content: Thanks for all the input. I guess at that price it isn't a killer deal. The one thing I like about the scope is that it has the full desktop and you can do some additional analytics with a speadsheet right on the scope opposed to transferring to a PC. But I don't need another scope and the 3054b as well as my 784 are way beyond my owon toy already (except my owon has a battery). So I have 6 or 7 scopes, not quite 20, but I have two spectrum analyzers that count double or so...I think I am going to pass or maybe make a low offer, maybe $800. At that price I could upgrade the CPU, add memory and take it on as a project.Thanks again.

author: John.Paul
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: April 28, 2016, 03:12:04 pm
content: NOTE: This message has been deleted by the forum moderator Simon for being against the forum rules and/or at the discretion of the moderator as being in the best interests of the forum community and the nature of the thread.If you believe this to be in error, please contact the moderator involved.An optional additional explanation is:

author: Wuerstchenhund
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2016, 05:44:19 pm
content: Quote from: John.Paul on April 28, 2016, 03:12:04 pmFrom that link:Seriously? $19k+ for that old, slow, lowly 1GHz 5GSa/s scope? Is that a joke?If in 2016 you pay that much for a 5GS/s 1GHz scope running Windows 2000 then I'd say you need to get your head examined.Just seeing this and some of the other prices ($9k+ for a LeCroy WavePro 7300?) I wouldn't even dare to ask how much they charge for renting out a TDS5104B, but it seems rental prices are top secret anyways unless you give up your contact details through registration, which alone should ring any alarm bells.I guess cncjerry could just buy the scope he was offered for what this company probably charges for a month worth of rent.QuoteSeeing the asking prices I'd rather consider just buying a new scope from the manufacturer, which after incentives will very likely be cheaper than one of the "Refurbs" (refurbished by whom?) offered from TRS.BTW: I assume you work for that outfit, because I doubt any non-affiliated person would write such a marketing attempt. And if you do then I have to question why you did not declare this open and properly, as it is expected from resellers and manufacturer representatives in this forum, and as should be standard behavior for any reputable business.

author: Meth
author_rank: Contributor
timestamp: April 28, 2016, 06:00:16 pm
content: I guess it depends on your needs, but my experience of the Windows based Tektronix scopes we have at work - just about everyone in our development team struggles to drive them!Personally I hate using them, I find the interfaces are badly laid out and and unintuitive, they are slow to start-up, they appear to crash when turning off, and just general usage makes me feel like I'm never confident it's fully set up right.We've got a few TDS3054's (I have one at home too) and some Hamegs and they always seem to get snapped up first.If you're in it for a play and then move it on then all well and good - you might really like them - but I'm not a fan.