What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[rdl]

I bought a Sony receiver once. If you turned the volume up past 40% the "protection" circuit would kick in and shut off the audio. I just put up with that because I lived in an apartment and didn't really need to be playing it loud anyway. After a couple of years it developed a habit of latching the volume control motor when you pressed "up" on the remote. You would have to quickly walk over and turn it down manually. Coincidentally, the "protection" circuit stopped working at the same time. This resulted in blowing a fairly expensive speaker. I ordered a different amp to replace it and when it arrived, the Sony went back in its box and into storage where it remains to this day.

[nfmax]

I once came across a top-of-the-range Sony FM tuner, being used as an off-air monitor at a BBC studio. It was intermittently distorting. It turned out to be a design flaw - the OPAMP driving the final audio output was biased only by the leakage through the electrolytic capacitor on its input, so its DC operating voltage was prone to wander, sometimes provoking clipping.

We checked the circuit diagram, and this was obviously how it was 'designed'. There were DC voltages marked at key points, and sure enough, the voltage at the left & right channel OPAMP inputs was several volts different.

And nobody noticed, and nobody checked it. I wonder if it was ever tested over its specified operating temperature range?

[capt bullshot]

Sony stuff: That's the reason(s) why in Germany Sony is pronounced like "So nie" - never this way 

[Watth]

An Extech EX330!

[thm_w]

I'm more into headphone gears, so here amps mean HPAs.
Just check out their spec. No THD, no SNR, no nothing, just beautiful marketing BS.
Check out this one: https://www.sony.com/electronics/audio-components/ta-zh1es/specifications#features

Specs only say power output @1% THD. That's rubbish.

So would SNR capture the level of hiss with no input? I bought some Kanto amp/speakers and they were completely unusable due to hiss. Now I'm not surprised they don't state SNR in the specs.

Swapped them out for an Alientek D8 and its far superior (quoted SNR of 100dB, classD but MAX9722 for headphones). Some hiss is still present, but the amp is much smarter and will shut the output off as soon as no input or 0 volume is present. So hiss is not noticeable (wonder if sony figured that out). I can't really grasp why you'd use classD for headphones, unless you are conserving battery.

[bjcuizon]

I got some things from the local second hand shop:
- lots of surplus wire (unknown length) probably more than 10 meters each. The topmost one on the picture looks like it has a silicone jacket as it is flexible, and is roughly 14awg. The one in the middle is some ~24awg thin ones, probably 15m or more in length. The bottom one is cat5 something...most likely for ethernet. They are all for $5. 

- and a vintage (1953, it's what I get on the date code) General Electric 7-2584a dual band pocket receiver for 2 bucks It was quite dusty when I saw it and I had to do a bit of cleaning.

[cdev]

That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.

[bjcuizon]

That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.

I'm not really sure, it just says in the yellowish sticker paper in the battery compartment: "DATE CODE: 5329"

[rsjsouza]

That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.

I'm not really sure, it just says in the yellowish sticker paper in the battery compartment: "DATE CODE: 5329"

It is a GE 7-2584 that can be found in several eBay listings. The date code may well be 29-March-1985 but given one of the photographs on the internet says it is "Made in China", that puts it well into the 1990s or early 2000s.

The first transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, was released in 1954.
 

[bjcuizon]

That radio looks to me to be maybe from around the the 1980s? Thats my guess.

I'm not really sure, it just says in the yellowish sticker paper in the battery compartment: "DATE CODE: 5329"

It is a GE 7-2584 that can be found in several eBay listings. The date code may well be 29-March-1985 but given one of the photographs on the internet says it is "Made in China", that puts it well into the 1990s or early 2000s.

The first transistor radio, the Regency TR-1, was released in 1954.

Okay, thanks for the info. Yeah, it's probably really made in the late 80's as cdev said. Anyway, it was a really good bargain.

[nowlan]

It was the Aneng AN8008 that Dave recommended and specifically warned not to mix it up with the lesser AN800x models.

Crap! Bought an 8002 too. Local seller, but didn't ship for a week, until i followed up. Still looking for 2 AAA to play with it.

[Specmaster]

Just ordered some capacitors, resistors, binding posts and an ABS project box from Mouser for stock mostly.

[NottheDan]

Got a Fluke 8050A with a few marks on the case but in fine working order and a Philip Harris Digicounter that had the 250A fuse substitution mod installed. Of couse the screw inser is missing and I don't have a replacement at hand.

[s8548a]

Got a couple of cool gadgets from Mr.Franky.

[ChrisLX200]

I was after a Rb standard to feed 10MHz into my Racal 1998, Siglent 1025, and Tek scope, but I spotted a slightly beaten-up (but still functional) Racal 2202R so bought that instead.
It has two 10MHz outputs on the rear, and two additional unpopulated (blank plugged) outputs. Anyone aware what is required to get those extra outputs functional?

[Specmaster]

Got a couple of cool gadgets from Mr.Franky.

Those cables etc positively look like they're orange to my eye?

[Mr. Scram]

Those cables etc positively look like they're orange to my eye?

The cable in the background is a bit orange too, so I guess it's the white balance or camera.

[djos]

It was the Aneng AN8008 that Dave recommended and specifically warned not to mix it up with the lesser AN800x models.

Crap! Bought an 8002 too. Local seller, but didn't ship for a week, until i followed up. Still looking for 2 AAA to play with it.

Just grab a stack of Aldi batteries, these days they are better than Duracell as they don't leak in low power devices.

[djos]

Got a Fluke 8050A with a few marks on the case but in fine working order and a Philip Harris Digicounter that had the 250A fuse substitution mod installed. Of couse the screw inser is missing and I don't have a replacement at hand.

Omg, I literally had tears escaping from laughing too hard, that is brilliant! 

[Specmaster]

Got a Fluke 8050A with a few marks on the case but in fine working order and a Philip Harris Digicounter that had the 250A fuse substitution mod installed. Of couse the screw inser is missing and I don't have a replacement at hand.

Omg, I literally had tears escaping from laughing too hard, that is brilliant! 

Trying looking at the 100A fuse and I reckon you'll have found your missing screw 

[URI]

I ordered *a few* workshop depots (or storage cabinet German: "Kleinteilemagazine") of two different sizes to (re?)organise my bench.

I will build a kind of shelf frame made of wood to mount them into because I don't want to drill a large number of holes into the wall to fasten every depot individually.  I only rent the flat I'm living in. 

[BU508A]

Sooner or later I'll get this one from RAACO:



Save a lot of space and is making life a lot easier.

Edit: Link to raaco:
https://raaco.com/productsgroups-1120.aspx?GroupID=Skuffereol

[Mr. Scram]

Sooner or later I'll get this one from RAACO:



Save a lot of space and is making life a lot easier.

Isn't there a bunch of wasted space in the middle?

[URI]

Sooner or later I'll get this one from RAACO:
[image snipped]
Save a lot of space and is making life a lot easier.

Isn't there a bunch of wasted space in the middle?

You hit the point! 

[BU508A]

Isn't there a bunch of wasted space in the middle?

What do you mean? 

A friend of mine has one of these and I found them very efficient in terms of using space. And you can move them around easily.