Tektronix 2205 recap?

[Mr Lurpak]

Hi there. I got a few Tektronix 2205 Oscilloscopes in very good condition - the questions are:

1. should I recap if the scope works?
2. would you do ALL caps or just the RIFA and high voltage ones?  what about the electrolytes not on mainboard and Power supply?
3. Is the 2205 prone to caps failure in general?

[Bryn]

If you think a recap is necessary, go for it.

But as for your other question, yes, the oscilloscope in question is prone to this kind of failure, given that it's an ancient piece of technology (over 30 years old actually).

[Jeff eelcr]

Experianced judgment is best, I do not own a 2205, however I have a 2225 and a 2815.
The 2225 had a supply cap go bad the first year, then a few years ago I replaced all the other caps.
The 2815 still has the same ones it started with.
Jeff

[MarkL]

You'll find a lot of opinions on this, but mine is if the scope is working, don't mess with it.  This and other forums are littered with posts from people who attempted prophylactic recaps on working equipment and instead created a repair project.

I would say the only exception is if the RIFA cap is showing signs of aging, such as severe yellowing or fine cracking, then replace it.  Or if there is a known history of RIFA failure on this specific model, replace it.

Optionally, you could verify your power supply voltages and ripple limits as described in the 2205 service manual.  If any power rail is out of spec, then replace the filter cap(s) on that power rail and re-check.

[Mr Lurpak]

Thanks, yeah RIFA caps is the no-brainer. Thanks for valueable inputs.