EEVblog #986 - Mailbag

[EEVblog]

More mailbag!



SPOILERS:
Classic Handheld Defender Arcade Game Teardown!
Stemtera Arduino in a Breadboard
https://stemtera.com/
German Testo 760-3 Multimeter Teardown and Mini Review with temperature sensor.
+ Tesco Clamp Meter
https://www.testo.com/en-AU/testo-760-3/p/0590-7603
Non-Linear Systems Touch Test 20 Multiemter Teardown
Zilog Z80
Sony Clie Organiser
Magellan 310 GPS
Hioki OL-64 1966 analog multimeter teardown

[boffin]

Non-Linear went on to make a computer called the KayPro - an early CP/M system, and one of the early luggables (it's basically the computer that killed Osborne)

[Barny]

I knew it sounds funny for the english speaking folk.
But ther are many "bad" city's in Germany / Austria.

Bad means bath in english and indicates that in this town is a thermal bath.

An aditional info:
If you are in Germany or Austria and come around a town with "Hall" in theire name, there was / is a salt-mine.

[0xfede]

SGS is now STM and still has some fabs here in italy.
Wiki page:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/STMicroelectronics

PS: I love the vintage Arcade replica game, you lucky.

Cheers,
0xfede

[capt bullshot]

I knew it sounds funny for the english speaking folk.
But ther are many "bad" city's in Germany / Austria.

Yes, realized that "Bad" pronouncing right while watching the video. Otherwise "Bad whatever" is so common here, I'd never thought of it beeing pronounced in English.
There's another one: In the village I'm living, there's a quite common last name "Failing" - so common I never thought of pronouncing it in English. Until someone pointed out that "Restaurant Failing" is a rather funny name for someone not born here.

[Barny]

Near the town I grow up where villages called "Wankham" and "Sicking".
They had regulary bus loads of people, which stoped, took a photo with the village - sign and drove to the next village.

Here in Austria we have many villages with funny sounding names.

[rollatorwieltje]

I knew it sounds funny for the english speaking folk.
But ther are many "bad" city's in Germany / Austria.

Yes, realized that "Bad" pronouncing right while watching the video. Otherwise "Bad whatever" is so common here, I'd never thought of it beeing pronounced in English.
There's another one: In the village I'm living, there's a quite common last name "Failing" - so common I never thought of pronouncing it in English. Until someone pointed out that "Restaurant Failing" is a rather funny name for someone not born here.

Occasionally I see busses from this company: http://www.fuecker-busreisen.de/

They changed their spelling to Fuecker, but on some busses (including the one in their website header) it's still written as Fucker

[Stephan_T]

it's still written as Fucker

It is a bit hard to recognize, but it is Fücker and not Fucker.
As it is "Bad Homburg" and not "Bäd Hombörg".

[Avacee]

Keeping up with the F-word strand there is a town in Austria called "F**king".
This autumn I'll be going there with some friends for a backgammon tournament so we can play to win "The F**king Cup at the F**king Tournament" 

I loved the layout of the traces in the handheld arcade game - very artistic - much nicer looking than all these new fancy modern angles 
Never having done PCB layout is there a reason for such curves or why modern PCB's now seem to only use straight lines? (I assume software preference/the auto-router or is there a technical reason?)

[rrinker]

 Being in an area predominantly settled by Germans, many towns along the river are <something> Haven. (from hafen, or port)
One well know model railroad designer was famous for using pun names for the fictitious towns on his designs, and on one he had the town of Bee Haven. Which, he noted in the text description for the design, was famous for their annual beauty pageant to crown the next Miss Bee Haven.

[Windfall]

Which, he noted in the text description for the design, was famous for their annual beauty pageant to crown the next Miss Bee Haven.

Only biker chicks need apply.

[MobileWill]

Wow, a Sony Clie UX50. I have one that I was thinking of sending in. That thing what pretty sweet for it's time.

[ebastler]

I knew it sounds funny for the english speaking folk.
But ther are many "bad" city's in Germany / Austria.

Bad means bath in english and indicates that in this town is a thermal bath.

But I can see why "Bad Homburg" brings a chuckle -- with The Donald having made sure that everybody is aware of all those "bad hombres"... 

[f4eru]

For the NLS Moldymeder, the big electrolythic on a board with two spade connector wires is most probably mounted when the battery option is not at it's place. There's a big space for the battery, ans the same wire-spades probably connect to a Nicad battery.

The teflon isolated wires, teflon penetrators, wired relays, etc... are clearly done to minimize the leakage current !!
This is a neat quality design for the day, except for EMC, which was bad for every digital meter of the time.

For the generator torch, ikea has a neat one with supercap, which doesn't wear out and has a nice design.

[BU508A]

Wanna have a beer?



 

Wikipeda states:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fucking_Hell

Edit: Link to the picture

[joeqsmith]

Are there plans to do a full review of some of the new meters?   That first looks pretty bad.  I would be interested in knowing if the other one is similar in how it turns off.

[Paul Moir]

No UL on the Testo?  It's got CSA(C US) just like Fluke uses.  Cough.
I think the reason there's no REL mode on these is so that you can't make incorrect measurements accidentally.  I suspect the electrician oriented Fluke 17x series has no REL for the same reason:  it's been dumbed down.
Personally, I think not having a direct-from-power-on continuity check function in a field meter is a total fail.

[ebastler]

Are there plans to do a full review of some of the new meters?   That first looks pretty bad.  I would be interested in knowing if the other one is similar in how it turns off.

I think Dave should get back to this in another video, and test the meter which he had not torn apart before. He had pulled the test unit apart (further than one would have to even to change the fuses), and we can't exclude the possibility that this caused the strange behavior upon changing the probes. Dave briefly mentioned that possibility, but then kept ranting about the awkward behavior of the Testo meter.

Also, while I certainly prefer a rotary switch personally, there is no reason to nag about the pushbutton operation. They chose this for a reason (single-handed operation while you are holding the meter in one hand); this is a multimeter aimed at electricians in the field, after all.

I found Dave's approach quite unprofessional; he was potentially damaging the reputation of a quality brand for no good reason.

[capt bullshot]

No UL on the Testo?

For European manufacturers UL is nothing but a royal PITA. So if you don't plan to sell to USA, you skip it. Criteria on product safety according to European standards and UL are quite similar, reaching similar levels of safety, but different in many annoying details, so eventually you have the double amount of cost and effort to fulfil both. Some would call this protectionism ...

[RGB255_0_0]

No UL on the Testo?

For European manufacturers UL is nothing but a royal PITA. So if you don't plan to sell to USA, you skip it. Criteria on product safety according to European standards and UL are quite similar, reaching similar levels of safety, but different in many annoying details, so eventually you have the double amount of cost and effort to fulfil both. Some would call this protectionism ...

Pretty much. As long as you don't need to be UL listed for NFPA/NEC compliance then it's pointless going for VDE, CSA and UL.

[McBryce]

While we're on the subject of teaching Dave and the world some German. The "Ich bin ein Berliner" statement became famous because it DOESN'T mean "I am a Berliner", it means "I am a Jam Donut".

Ich bin Berliner = I am from Berlin.
Ich bin ein Berliner = I am a Jam Donut.

McBryce.

[ebastler]

While we're on the subject of teaching Dave and the world some German. The "Ich bin ein Berliner" statement became famous because it DOESN'T mean "I am a Berliner", it means "I am a Jam Donut".

Ich bin Berliner = I am from Berlin.
Ich bin ein Berliner = I am a Jam Donut.

McBryce.

That's an urban legend. Nobody was in nitpicking mode back then or misunderstood the statement, and I am pretty sure it became so well-known because the Berliners (and Germans in general) were genuinely touched by the token of solidarity.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner (German only, sorry)

[McBryce]

While we're on the subject of teaching Dave and the world some German. The "Ich bin ein Berliner" statement became famous because it DOESN'T mean "I am a Berliner", it means "I am a Jam Donut".

Ich bin Berliner = I am from Berlin.
Ich bin ein Berliner = I am a Jam Donut.

McBryce.

I know, but that doesn't make it any less funny and the urban legend is why most people still remember it.

McBryce.

That's an urban legend. Nobody was in nitpicking mode back then or misunderstood the statement, and I am pretty sure it became so well-known because the Berliners (and Germans in general) were genuinely touched by the token of solidarity.

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ich_bin_ein_Berliner (German only, sorry)

[tszaboo]

Near the town I grow up where villages called "Wankham" and "Sicking".
They had regulary bus loads of people, which stoped, took a photo with the village - sign and drove to the next village.

Here in Austria we have many villages with funny sounding names.

Obligatory The Grand Tour:
https://youtu.be/deK_4ZZKfxg?t=56s
Safe for workspace.

[thm_w]

I think Dave should get back to this in another video, and test the meter which he had not torn apart before. He had pulled the test unit apart (further than one would have to even to change the fuses), and we can't exclude the possibility that this caused the strange behavior upon changing the probes. Dave briefly mentioned that possibility, but then kept ranting about the awkward behavior of the Testo meter.

Also, while I certainly prefer a rotary switch personally, there is no reason to nag about the pushbutton operation. They chose this for a reason (single-handed operation while you are holding the meter in one hand); this is a multimeter aimed at electricians in the field, after all.

I found Dave's approach quite unprofessional; he was potentially damaging the reputation of a quality brand for no good reason.

Agreed except for the last part, he's not an electrician and anything electrician oriented sent to the mailbag is open for flogging