What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[george graves]

I got this DC millivolt reference source from Time electronics. Good for some calibration stuff. Like new.

Would love to see a tear down of that and get to know how it works.  Care to lone it to Dave?   

[Johnny10]

A HP5335A

Missing front bezel
1982
10544 Crystal Oscillator
Works !

Loud !

[Falkra]

I got this DC millivolt reference source from Time electronics. Good for some calibration stuff. Like new.

Would love to see a tear down of that and get to know how it works.  Care to lone it to Dave?   

Hehe.

The older model has a video teardown (by Sullcom on Youtube).
But those are the older models (that still work well and can be found for a decent price on ebay).

[Faith]

Show then powered up later!!

Here we go. Still in the middle of setting everything up as I'm only just winding down from my relocation.

But I've managed to quickly get these up and running just to make sure they work.

Voltage readback is pretty accurate with no load attached.

I did test current briefly with a load and while it isn't quite as accurate it's still within claimed spec.

They're pretty quiet for most part so I'm really pleased about that (especially with the units powered on but with their outputs off).

[Zbig]

They seem nice. Too bad Keysight is on my shitlist after the U127x EMC issue debacle.

[karoru]

Now if only Chinese could copy this elegant design instead of producing n-th variation of "Zhaoxin million channel superb honorable quality PSU for 100$" hell and maybe we'd get not expensive, simple and reliable PSUs for those that don't need feature bloat of Rigol ones:)

[karoru]

Zhaoxin in China is a shitty brand that only cellphone fixing technicians will use. No one in R&D uses that shit. So does Atten, also a shitty fixing technician's favorite brand.
It's not about who can copy the design -- anyone can, but building a knock off $500 PSU in tens of copies won't make money as quick as $100 PSU in thousands.
Good Chinese PSU brands are Rigol and Itech (BK Precision's OEM, owned by BK).

Yes I know, I didn't want to say nothing bad about China (as there are reputable brands, as you said), I was just saying that it wouldn't be too expensive to build a knock-off PSU of this Agilent (from what I remember it uses their typical topology known for years) one and it would be nice "medium price range" device, without paying "HP tax". Like Hakko knockoffs can give you nice bang per buck;)

[R005T3r]

For 65 bucks isn't that bad... Considered it's a brand new item.

[nctnico]

They're pretty quiet for most part so I'm really pleased about that (especially with the units powered on but with their outputs off).

Oohhh those E36100 power supplies look soooo nice and micro-Ampere current readback as well  I think I want a couple of those too!

[6581]

Bought some 0.1mm nichrome wire. Because, you know, you never know when you need some. And then you better have some handy, 'cause that'll save the day. Some stranger on the street asks if I've got 0.1mm nichrome wire and of course I do. Here, have some. And he'll be like - awesome, you saved my day! And that's why I bought some.

[2N3055]

Bought some 0.1mm nichrome wire. Because, you know, you never know when you need some. And then you better have some handy, 'cause that'll save the day. Some stranger on the street asks if I've got 0.1mm nichrome wire and of course I do. Here, have some. And he'll be like - awesome, you saved my day! And that's why I bought some.

LOL

[canibalimao]

Bought some 0.1mm nichrome wire. Because, you know, you never know when you need some. And then you better have some handy, 'cause that'll save the day. Some stranger on the street asks if I've got 0.1mm nichrome wire and of course I do. Here, have some. And he'll be like - awesome, you saved my day! And that's why I bought some.

If I had 1 cent for every stranger that asked me for a 0.1mm nichrome wire...

[Sbampato12]

Bought some 0.1mm nichrome wire. Because, you know, you never know when you need some. And then you better have some handy, 'cause that'll save the day. Some stranger on the street asks if I've got 0.1mm nichrome wire and of course I do. Here, have some. And he'll be like - awesome, you saved my day! And that's why I bought some.

I had a math teacher, that often said something like that in the end of the classes. Something like, now, if someone stop you at the street, and ask "hey, could you help me with this matrix determinant...", you could say "Oh yes, ....." and save the day!

The stranger name always was "amigão", something like buddy or big friend....

[razberik]

That was actually arranged as a joke. (Hidden camera ?)
Somebody asked a stranger "Sir, do you have wrench no. 15 ?". He replied he doesn't and then suddenly appeared another stranger, question was repeated to him and he replied "Yes, take your pick" and he revealed his coat with pockets full of wrenches. 

[FlyingHacker]

Bought this lovely Lambda dual channel 0-250V current limited lab supply. Outputs are of course isolated, and can be combined is series for 500V or in parallel for more current.

Quick eval and light tear down here:

https://youtu.be/xS4Ijlds0ko

[karoru]

Bought this lovely Lambda dual channel 0-250V current limited lab supply. Outputs are of course isolated, and can be combined is series for 500V or in parallel for more current.

Quick eval and light tear down here:

https://youtu.be/xS4Ijlds0ko

Beautiful power supply:) I had a small heart attack when you started poking the knob with your little finger just near the unscrewed positive terminal with device set on 250V (considering you had bridged V- with GND on both channels).

[FlyingHacker]

Beautiful power supply:) I had a small heart attack when you started poking the knob with your little finger just near the unscrewed positive terminal with device set on 250V (considering you had bridged V- with GND on both channels).

I just about had one when I realized I was actually touching that live alligator clip. I lambasted myself in the pop up captions if you watched on YouTube. Thankfully I was not grounded.

That will teach me to make videos around high voltage!

[Falkra]

Sweet ! Awesome power supply.

[Cubdriver]

That would be sweet for re-forming filter caps in tube gear!  Nice!!

-Pat

[FlyingHacker]

That would be sweet for re-forming filter caps in tube gear!  Nice!!

-Pat

Exactly why I got it... among other things, like calibration, etc.

[karoru]

I just about had one when I realized I was actually touching that live alligator clip. I lambasted myself in the pop up captions if you watched on YouTube. Thankfully I was not grounded.

That will teach me to make videos around high voltage!

Yeah I know, but that one was less obvious:) As you noticed, it's actually not that easy to electrocute oneself with DC unless your floor is wet and you're wearing Australian tactical footwear like Dave, but it's better safe than sorry.
And we better not spread questionable practices amongst people - if someone wants to touch live wires as a career, one goes to sparky school and gets proper licence, then one will do it every day installing 230V terminals to households, combined with working on heights with questionable quality devices you use to climb an electrical mains pole:))

[Cubdriver]

What did I buy today?  Not a bloody thing!  Spent about two hours in L.A. traffic driving from Orange County up to Apex Electronics only to find that they were closed for the day.   

And then spent nearly that long driving back.  Oh well.  I suppose on the positive side, I saved (at least for the moment) some money...   

<scampers off to look at evilBay  >

-Pat

[Richard Crowley]

I made a trip to Orange County (just south of Los Angeles) a few weeks ago for the 50th anniversary reunion of my high-school class. Alas the traffic in the basin is so bad that there was no practical way of driving up to Sun Valley to visit Apex.  I may plan another trip and fly into Hollywood-Burbank airport which is much more convenient to Apex.

I tried visiting one of the last electronics surplus stores in Orange County, but it was gone and is now a sleazy shop for cheap auto electronics (and tires and wheels).  So apparently there are no more electronics surplus shops in Orange County. 

[Cubdriver]

I swear the traffic seems worse on the weekend than it is during the week!  It stinks about all the surplus houses closing down.  Apparently I started traveling out here a decade or so too late for all the prime stuff.  Coworkers talk of the glory that was the TRW swap meet in Lawndale; these days it seems to be more computers and consumer electronics than anything else...  Don't get me wrong, I still go if a visit is timed right, and have come away with some fantastic bargains, but can only imagine how much financial trouble I'd have gotten in to had I been there ten or fifteen years ago!

-Pat

[bitseeker]

What did I buy today?  Not a bloody thing!  Spent about two hours in L.A. traffic driving from Orange County up to Apex Electronics only to find that they were closed for the day.   

Well, that's a drag. Does the LA area ever not have traffic these days? Every time I've been there there seemed to be congestion at all hours of the day and night.

<scampers off to look at evilBay  >

Speaking of which, I bought a variety of little things such as tweezers, SOP clips, cables, etc. as well as one of those $10 timing GPS modules as a basis for my upcoming universal/frequency counter repairs. Now, I just have to find the thread I read months ago about those modules to refresh my recollection on how to go about setting it up.