Reviving a $300 Tektronix TDS7104: A Full Refurbishment Saga
Refurbishing a Tektronix TDS7104 Oscilloscope
A hacker rescues a Tektronix TDS7104 oscilloscope from a flea market for $300, then documents the grueling process of bringing it back to life. The journey involves replacing a dead CMOS battery, imaging a failing hard drive, and even reinstalling Windows 2000 Pro from scratch via a virtual machine and USB boot. Along the way, he shares hard-won tips: don't remove the front panel unless absolutely necessary, and beware of broken plastic tabs. The result? A fully functional 1 GHz scope with advanced jitter analysis, ready for the bench.
Even by today’s standards, the specs exceed those of hobbyist class oscilloscopes, think Rigol and Siglent, though there’s a price to pay in terms of weight, 39 pounds, and volume.