What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[tautech]

The problem with dry wood shavings on oiled steel, is they soak up the oil. Leaving the metal unprotected - and in contact with wood, that tends to attract moisture too. As well as being a bit acidic sometimes.

I'll have more pics tomorrow, hopefully. Arranged to pick up all the accessories then, lighten the machine where possible, measure for transport, etc. And if I can remember this time, will be able to tell the brand and model number, instead of looking like a fool.
And btw, I've already been told to NOT remove the headstock.

Tautech thanks for those links. I should send that guy pics of my old Sheraton model A lathe, since it seems to be a pretty early one, and he asks for them.

Leave the tailstock and carriage on too and secure them at the far end of the bed as it helps balance. 
Yep, send Tony an email, he's fanatical about this sort of gear and when I sent pics of my Harrison 12 he hadn't seen one optioned like it. 
I lifted mine onto a tandem trailer, slung under a forklift....yes under as there's no risk of it toppling over and at home had a tractor with a loader that could lift it and maneuver it into the shed where just a short travel on rollers had it into position. 
Good luck, hope it goes without incident.

[Brumby]

There are a bunch of large CNC lathes listed in Sydney for $1. The "PLEASE take it away!" price.

I had to look.  Wasn't hard to find - but the sizes were an order of magnitude greater than the space I have available.  Not small ... and certainly overkill for anything I could ever imagine.


Yeah ... Big.

[julianhigginson]

I bought a new router.

This router runs the most sophisticated software I have seen so far: RouterOS.
Steep learning curve, I'm sure, but I'll learn.

I ordered one today too... Should arrive Wednesday.

[gonzo_the_great]

As a direct quinciquonce of the postings on this forum, about hacking the Siglent SAA3021X specan..... I brought one of them.
Well, actually three, some friends were suitably impressed by Dave's YT reviews (and the option of hacking) that they wanted one also.

[Kjelt]

Finally today my new lenses for my Leica A60S stereomicroscope arrived 

I have this microscope for over four years now and I love it except one thing: the minimum zoom is 5x which results in a field of view of around 46 mm and the height to the table was okish with aprox. 10cm.
The main issue that I faced was that when I started to solder, I often had to look away from the microscope in order to move the tip in the aproximate area.
So the actually minimum zoom was just too large for my personal taste.
Now there was no solution till I stumbled upon this shop:

1) Leica A60 Objective Lens Adapter
https://www.engraver.com/leica-a60-objective-lens-adapter/

2) Leica 0.63 Objective Lens 10446319
https://www.engraver.com/leica-0-63-objective-lens/

I ordered directly from Leica which made it more expensive but that is also where the microscope came from but at first they did not know this even existed   
In the brochures of the A60 it is also not mentioned.

Anyway today they arrived and now I have a field of view in the minimum zoom of a stunning 77mm (around 3x) and the height to the table to the ledlight is now 14 cm.
I am very happy with the result, this makes smd soldering way easier and TH soldering also an option (my eyesight is deteriorating at age so this is an extra bonus).

Only negative is the price (1/5th of the price of the microscope) and the max zoom has ofcourse decreased proportionately from 30x (4,6mm FOV) to 18x (12,6mm FOV).
The latter is not a big problem, if really needed I can always unscrew the adapter+lens and have my original settings back in a minute.

[daqq]

...I need help.

[Mr. Scram]

Oops, just bought another Deckel for an incredible price 
https://www.ricardo.ch/kaufen/modellbau-und-hobby/werkzeuge-und-zubehoer/werkzeuge/werkzeugfraesmaschine-deckel-fp2nc/v/an935098816/
Have to fix it though, but it's a Dialog 4, so it should be easy.
Will pick it up in the next few days, can't wait for it.

I can't say I'm not a bit jealous. That's a steal and a nicely modest size too.

[PA0PBZ]

...I need help.

Ooh, I always wanted one like that! Alright, who am I kidding, I still want one...

[manzini]

due to a recent heart attack and resulting, a lateral hemiplegia (lossing walk and arm with hand) this is my new gadget:
a Compex theta 500.......


and this


 
a Compex theta 500.......

ps:after shopping  discover that for hemiplegia theta 600 have more and specific programs somebody know how to upgrade as a "rigol DS"? (FUNDS EXHAUSTED)
happy to be alive but my live forced to stand by for some months..... don't worry near 50 old, things happens.

[Cubdriver]

...I need help.

Nah.  I think you're doing fine on your own so far.   

-Pat

[Specmaster]

Today I brought this HP3466A bench meter on Ebay, it was a bit scruffy and had a broken handle, no test leads or manual and the seller said that they had powered it up and it lit up but could not test it further. I made an offer way below his asking price and was somewhat surprised when he accepted it.

I got it home and switched it on plugged in some meter leads and the "b" segment of the last digit was not working, so off came the lid and there was another surprise waiting for me, it actually had the battery option fitted and a quick voltage measurement showed that it a small charge in it so was hopefully working and only wanted charging? I cleaned up the contacts that I could see with switch cleaner, undid and remade any plug and socket connections and powered it up, yep, "b" segment was working.

I ran through some spot checks on known currents, resistances and voltages and I had another surprise, it was in calibration. I glued the handle back together again and left it to set, cleaned up the meter and removed a ton of old calibration stickers, the newest one was 2002 and left the battery on charge. Later I refitted the handle and disconnected the line and the meter was running on battery power, so now not only did I have yet another bench meter but also another DMM portable meter. so it really was a great bargain for me 

[japasetelagoas]

due to a recent heart attack and resulting, a lateral hemiplegia (lossing walk and arm with hand) this is my new gadget:
a Compex theta 500.......


and this


 
a Compex theta 500.......


ps:after shopping  discover that for hemiplegia theta 600 have more and specific programs somebody know how to upgrade as a "rigol DS"? (FUNDS EXHAUSTED)
happy to be alive but my live forced to stand by for some months..... don't worry near 50 old, things happens.

Hope you get better soon! 

[TAMHAN]

I am based in Bratislava and have a HP 4195A which works well except for aging caps. If you need some reference measures done, let me know.

(Som blitzko a Hotel Albrecht)

[bitseeker]

Today I brought this HP3466A bench meter on Ebay, it was a bit scruffy and had a broken handle, no test leads or manual and the seller said that they had powered it up and it lit up but could not test it further. I made an offer way below his asking price and was somewhat surprised when he accepted it.

I got it home and switched it on plugged in some meter leads and the "b" segment of the last digit was not working, so off came the lid and there was another surprise waiting for me, it actually had the battery option fitted and a quick voltage measurement showed that it a small charge in it so was hopefully working and only wanted charging? I cleaned up the contacts that I could see with switch cleaner, undid and remade any plug and socket connections and powered it up, yep, "b" segment was working.

I ran through some spot checks on known currents, resistances and voltages and I had another surprise, it was in calibration. I glued the handle back together again and left it to set, cleaned up the meter and removed a ton of old calibration stickers, the newest one was 2002 and left the battery on charge. Later I refitted the handle and disconnected the line and the meter was running on battery power, so now not only did I have yet another bench meter but also another DMM portable meter. so it really was a great bargain for me 

Nicely done! It's always great when a mystery purchase ends up needing just a little TLC.

[Mr. Scram]

I was wondering: do people here actually make it a habit to buy old equipment for multiple thousands of dollars? Or are those just the numbers attached to eBay listings that do not get snapped up, with the actual prices being much more benign? I understand that it's a serious hobby or even lifestyle for some, but even then the cost seems prohibitive for most.

[bitseeker]

Well, it depends. If the thing isn't worth the asking price, then it's going to sit on eBay. There's no shortage of such opportunistic listings. So, they aren't an indication of what people actually pay for equipment.

Personally, thousands of dollars for a piece of old equipment is outside my budget and risk tolerance level.

[macboy]

To get a better idea of real market value, look only at sold listings, not asking prices on unsold listings.

[nanofrog]

To get a better idea of real market value, look only at sold listings, not asking prices on unsold listings.

Definitely. 

Check the Completed Listings box on the left-hand side to see the actual selling prices.  Of course, there are the occasional idiots that buy at some ridiculously high price. Do note some have been repaired/restored & calibrated by the seller, which will go for more (they usually offer an actual warranty as well).

[VK5RC]

It also depends on the item, asking price, usual price,  known issues / faults etc. I paid multiple thousand type sums for an "As is" 3458, with the RAM warning. It went well, ultimately saving me  several thousand dollars - but the risk was not small. The history of the dealer, photos, and the type of instrument also come into the equation.
I am not good at microprocessors, especially 1980s types - so I avoid items in which that could be a significant issue.
Rob

[bitseeker]

Note that for sold listings with Buy It Now and Best Offer enabled, eBay's displayed price (at least on the US site) is the BIN price. The actual amount paid may have been less.

[Mr. Scram]

It also depends on the item, asking price, usual price,  known issues / faults etc. I paid multiple thousand type sums for an "As is" 3458, with the RAM warning. It went well, ultimately saving me  several thousand dollars - but the risk was not small. The history of the dealer, photos, and the type of instrument also come into the equation.
I am not good at microprocessors, especially 1980s types - so I avoid items in which that could be a significant issue.
Rob

Yeah, the 3458 is what prompted me to ask the question. I can't really imagine that many people being prepared to shell out more than 3000 dollars on second hand equipment, no matter how good the specifications may be, especially if I take any WAF into consideration. Yet it seems to be fairly common here. Sure, this would be the one place for it to be common, but still. Of course, a multimeter is just a start and at that rate, your garage will be stuffed with gear worth more that your house in no time.

[Cubdriver]

I *generally* tend to limit evilBay purchases to under $200, with most falling in the sub $125 shipped range.  Occasionally I'll go over that, into the 5-600 range, but only for rather rare and/or very desirable (IMO) things.  I've found that patience is definitely a virtue on the 'bay.

-Pat

[TerraHertz]

Well, what I didn't buy today, is that lathe I mentioned. Dammit.

Despite having paid a $200 deposit, having a signed agreement of sale and price, and the remainder of the cash in my pocket while trying to arrange a meeting to pay him and start collecting the gear, today the seller back-slid.
I can only assume he decided to accept a higher offer. It's now showing as 'sold'. Though he lied about it to my face, and made feeble excuses.
He did return the deposit, but arranged the meeting to do that on false pretext.

So, if anyone was considering dealing with this guy: https://www.gumtree.com.au/s-seller/NICK/31359368
I'd advise against it. He's shifty, dishonest, unprincipled and very difficult to deal with. Quite far on the odd side.

[tautech]

Heartbreaking THz, I feel your pain. I was gunna mention something about the Aussie gene pool but think it's best not. 
We're old enough to know these things happen for some reason even though we can't at the time see what.

So you're still in the market for a large faceplate.............

[Mr. Scram]

Heartbreaking THz, I feel your pain. I was gunna mention something about the Aussie gene pool but think it's best not. 
We're old enough to know these things happen for some reason even though we can't at the time see what.

So you're still in the market for a large faceplate.............

We're old enough to give these things a reason, you mean?