Author Topic: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread  (Read 14557957 times)

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Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1600 on: June 23, 2017, 05:46:56 pm »
No wonder those knobs looked familiar, but I just couldn't quite put my mental finger on it when I saw the photos in your earlier post about the scope. Yep, they're from the modern version. That's neat. So, when you later upgrade to a DSOX, you'll have lots of spare knobs for it. :-DD

Getting parts from Keysight can be an interesting experience. In my case, perseverance paid off, but it took a few months. I look forward to reading your story.
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline JPortici

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1601 on: June 23, 2017, 09:54:14 pm »
It needs assistance (doesn't boot)
but for 150 britbucks inc. shipping.. how could i leave it there, with no bids?

to say that it is big it is an understatement.
it is HUGE. way huge-r than tek mainframes.
and heavier, too but at least with big size comes a big CRT, unlike with tek ;)

Wow I just bought a scope off Ebay too, yours is way hugerer than mine.  :phew:

Start a repair thread if you can!

and now it's working >:D
 

Offline WastelandTek

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1602 on: June 23, 2017, 10:08:46 pm »
Hi, I'm WastelandTek, and I havent purchased a piece of gear for...10 days
I'm new here, but I tend to be pretty gregarious, so if I'm out of my lane please call me out.
 

Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1603 on: June 23, 2017, 11:34:42 pm »
Hi, I'm WastelandTek, and I havent purchased a piece of gear for...10 days

Damned slacker!!  What are you waiting for?!?   :P

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 

Offline smurph

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1604 on: June 23, 2017, 11:41:17 pm »
It needs assistance (doesn't boot)
but for 150 britbucks inc. shipping.. how could i leave it there, with no bids?

to say that it is big it is an understatement.
it is HUGE. way huge-r than tek mainframes.
and heavier, too but at least with big size comes a big CRT, unlike with tek ;)

Wow I just bought a scope off Ebay too, yours is way hugerer than mine.  :phew:

Start a repair thread if you can!

and now it's working >:D

Awesome!!!!  Don't you just love getting a fixer-upper (And I do mean "upper" in the sense of your addiction) that works out.  Lucky for us, when the unit doesn't turn on one day, they get rid of it.  People used to try and fix these things before scrapping them.  Not any more.  Good news for us!

One of the biggest issues seems to be dead NVRAM batteries.  Most equipment will display an error and out the door they go!  Solder a new battery in, maybe do some calibration routine (which causes more TE to be obtained), and working!  I have had at least two piece of TE with this issue from my latest binge.  But then...  sometimes they are hopeless causes too.  But knowing that risk and then getting one back working makes it all the more sweet.

So a TE addiction could possibly be related to a gambling addiction...  Ugh oh!

Steve
 

Offline smurph

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1605 on: June 23, 2017, 11:44:50 pm »
Hi, I'm WastelandTek, and I havent purchased a piece of gear for...10 days

Damned slacker!!  What are you waiting for?!?   :P

-Pat

Yeah!  It has only been less than 4 hours for me.  I'm still ganked up!

Steve
 

Offline WastelandTek

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1606 on: June 24, 2017, 12:11:44 am »
Hi, I'm WastelandTek, and I havent purchased a piece of gear for...10 days

Damned slacker!!  What are you waiting for?!?   :P

-Pat

uhhhhh...   payday?
I'm new here, but I tend to be pretty gregarious, so if I'm out of my lane please call me out.
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1607 on: June 24, 2017, 01:55:57 am »
I hadn't bought TE for a while (more than 1.5 months), but then an HP 3469A came along. Not that I need another DMM (bench or handheld), but it's different, came with a printed operating/service manual, and the price was right. So, now I have too many + 1 multimeters.
« Last Edit: June 24, 2017, 01:58:02 am by bitseeker »
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Offline xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1608 on: June 27, 2017, 12:44:22 am »
I hadn't bought TE for a while (more than 1.5 months), but then an HP 3469A came along. Not that I need another DMM (bench or handheld), but it's different, came with a printed operating/service manual, and the price was right. So, now I have too many + 1 multimeters.

I just looked that one up. Hadn't seen it before. Does it have the red LED "dots" for the display? That's a cool look. Is it working or do you have another project in this one?
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Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1609 on: June 27, 2017, 12:59:30 am »
Yeah, I've seen some of the "B" series ones, but rarely an "A" and no scanned manuals. How could I resist such a mysterious little beast? The operating condition was "unknown", but it has all its buttons, switches, and the HP logo/badge. It's on its way, so I'll post more about it when it arrives.
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline Cubdriver

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1610 on: June 27, 2017, 01:49:41 am »
Yeah, I've seen some of the "B" series ones, but rarely an "A" and no scanned manuals. How could I resist such a mysterious little beast? The operating condition was "unknown", but it has all its buttons, switches, and the HP logo/badge. It's on its way, so I'll post more about it when it arrives.

Very cool.  There is certainly a dearth of photos of the 'A' model on the net.  Nice find!  The form factor looks like the smaller analog meters, but with a digital readout.  Interesting piece of history in the transition to lower profile bench DMMs.

-Pat
If it jams, force it.  If it breaks, you needed a new one anyway...
 

Offline JPortici

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1611 on: June 27, 2017, 07:11:14 am »
It needs assistance (doesn't boot)
but for 150 britbucks inc. shipping.. how could i leave it there, with no bids?

to say that it is big it is an understatement.
it is HUGE. way huge-r than tek mainframes.
and heavier, too but at least with big size comes a big CRT, unlike with tek ;)

Wow I just bought a scope off Ebay too, yours is way hugerer than mine.  :phew:

Start a repair thread if you can!

and now it's working >:D

Awesome!!!!  Don't you just love getting a fixer-upper (And I do mean "upper" in the sense of your addiction) that works out.  Lucky for us, when the unit doesn't turn on one day, they get rid of it.  People used to try and fix these things before scrapping them.  Not any more.  Good news for us!

One of the biggest issues seems to be dead NVRAM batteries.  Most equipment will display an error and out the door they go!  Solder a new battery in, maybe do some calibration routine (which causes more TE to be obtained), and working!  I have had at least two piece of TE with this issue from my latest binge.  But then...  sometimes they are hopeless causes too.  But knowing that risk and then getting one back working makes it all the more sweet.

So a TE addiction could possibly be related to a gambling addiction...  Ugh oh!

Steve
In my case the mainframe's problem was on the crt video cable assembly/driver. A ""gentle"" hit on the side made it work again.

Then i had to go away for vacations D:

Well yes, there is still a lot to do like actually fixing the problem, cleaning all the encoders and switches, upgrading the fans with sonething with a bearable noise level and checking the plugins, if the self cal every couple of minutes is correct and why it changes the amplitude scale on its own...
Photos will come ;)

But i knew i could make it, picking up something for peanuts and an easy fix
 

Offline VK5RC

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1612 on: June 28, 2017, 09:23:02 am »
I have been very good (or bad depending on how you look at it)- but saw in an old HP catalogue what looked interesting to me - an HP 8901A Modulation Analyzer.
One is now winging its way to the Great Southern Land :-+
Whoah! Watch where that landed we might need it later.
 

Offline xrunner

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1613 on: June 28, 2017, 11:25:48 am »
I have been very good (or bad depending on how you look at it)- but saw in an old HP catalogue what looked interesting to me - an HP 8901A Modulation Analyzer.
One is now winging its way to the Great Southern Land :-+

Big Iron! Be nice for deviation measurements around here.
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Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1614 on: June 28, 2017, 05:43:55 pm »
That looks mighty hefty!
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline AF6LJ

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1615 on: June 28, 2017, 08:06:44 pm »
That looks mighty hefty!
They are not that heave, a friend has one on his job bench..
I recently helped him rearrange his bench, the only thing that weighed of any consequence was the broken HP-8569 I removed from his bench. (65LBS)
Sue AF6LJ
 

Offline WastelandTek

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1616 on: June 28, 2017, 08:09:30 pm »
my god...it's full of stars
I'm new here, but I tend to be pretty gregarious, so if I'm out of my lane please call me out.
 

Offline smurph

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1617 on: June 28, 2017, 09:25:52 pm »
That looks mighty hefty!
They are not that heave, a friend has one on his job bench..
I recently helped him rearrange his bench, the only thing that weighed of any consequence was the broken HP-8569 I removed from his bench. (65LBS)

The Fluke 6080 I just got weighed in at a solid 70 lbs.  And then there is the Tek 492 "portable" spectrum analyzer that weighs 54 lbs.  Amazing what we consider portable now days is different than when these things were made!  These old things can be portable "if you must" and have hand trucks.   :-DD

Steve
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1618 on: June 28, 2017, 10:30:10 pm »
Yeah, it's portable, alright, compared to a mainframe computer I suppose. :-DD

Which reminds me of this chap.

45 minutes:


Or the short version (16 min):
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline VK5RC

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1619 on: June 29, 2017, 04:24:36 am »
@W-Tek   HiHi, my life is closer to...... open the pod bay doors Hal.....
« Last Edit: June 29, 2017, 04:36:07 am by VK5RC »
Whoah! Watch where that landed we might need it later.
 

Offline smurph

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1620 on: June 29, 2017, 04:42:08 am »
OMG!  That was me 30 years ago!  Only I brought a Motorola MVME88k mainframe home with me.  Not nearly as big.  But still BIG by even Y2K standards.  I got it from the Motorola office in Darmstadt, Germany.  I had stopped in there one trip to talk to those guys and ended up walking out (figuratively) with the thing.  Same procedure.  Take it apart, move it in separate trips.  Then had it shipped to the US via sea freight container.  I still have that monster sitting right next to me.  :)  It weighs about 400 lbs.

Somehow, I now find myself wanting a S890.  Man, I really have mainframe envy now!  I'm just glad that kid doesn't have a test equipment addiction...  yet.  We couldn't compete with him if he did. 

I have to hand it to his parents, being so supportive and all.  I had to wait until I got out of the house before I could pull something like that off. 

Steve
 

Offline Berni

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1621 on: June 29, 2017, 05:10:01 am »
They are not that heave, a friend has one on his job bench..
I recently helped him rearrange his bench, the only thing that weighed of any consequence was the broken HP-8569 I removed from his bench. (65LBS)

The Fluke 6080 I just got weighed in at a solid 70 lbs.  And then there is the Tek 492 "portable" spectrum analyzer that weighs 54 lbs.  Amazing what we consider portable now days is different than when these things were made!  These old things can be portable "if you must" and have hand trucks.   :-DD

Steve

My working HP 8566B (22GHz SA) is perfectly portable within the same room, it sits in a U42 server rack that is on caster wheels.
« Last Edit: June 29, 2017, 05:11:38 am by Berni »
 

Offline AF6LJ

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1622 on: June 29, 2017, 04:39:12 pm »
Yeah, it's portable, alright, compared to a mainframe computer I suppose. :-DD

Which reminds me of this chap.

45 minutes:


Or the short version (16 min):
The equivalent to this in amateur radio is when a ham buys a broadcast transmitter.
Sue AF6LJ
 

Offline bitseekerTopic starter

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1623 on: June 29, 2017, 09:53:18 pm »
The equivalent to this in amateur radio is when a ham buys a broadcast transmitter.

Ah, yes. Doesn't Paul Carlson have one or a part of one? I think it was a night transmitter or something.
TEA is the way. | TEA Time channel
 

Offline WastelandTek

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Re: Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread
« Reply #1624 on: June 29, 2017, 10:01:51 pm »
The equivalent to this in amateur radio is when a ham buys a broadcast transmitter.

Ah, yes. Doesn't Paul Carlson have one or a part of one? I think it was a night transmitter or something.

yes, and the TWO Tek 500 series scopes hanging from the ceiling, that guy's shack is off the freaking hook
I'm new here, but I tend to be pretty gregarious, so if I'm out of my lane please call me out.
 
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