What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[ChrisLX200]

Bought this 1:5 video distribution amplifier for £2.99 thinking it might be useful for distributing a 10MHz reference from my Racal Rb counter. Well I wasn't going to be losing much if it didn't work    It's basically 50 Ohm but it came with three 75 Ohm terminators as well. Seems to work OK if I put a 10MHz signal through it from my function generator..

[vk6zgo]

Bought this 1:5 video distribution amplifier for £2.99 thinking it might be useful for distributing a 10MHz reference from my Racal Rb counter. Well I wasn't going to be losing much if it didn't work    It's basically 50 Ohm but it came with three 75 Ohm terminators as well. Seems to work OK if I put a 10MHz signal through it from my function generator..

The standard for video is 75 Ohms, but the mismatch won't be much of a problem.

[ChrisLX200]

Bought this 1:5 video distribution amplifier for £2.99 thinking it might be useful for distributing a 10MHz reference from my Racal Rb counter. Well I wasn't going to be losing much if it didn't work    It's basically 50 Ohm but it came with three 75 Ohm terminators as well. Seems to work OK if I put a 10MHz signal through it from my function generator..

The standard for video is 75 Ohms, but the mismatch won't be much of a problem.

Yes I know - and I guess the reason why it came with these adapters...

[Mr. Scram]

Bought this 1:5 video distribution amplifier for £2.99 thinking it might be useful for distributing a 10MHz reference from my Racal Rb counter. Well I wasn't going to be losing much if it didn't work    It's basically 50 Ohm but it came with three 75 Ohm terminators as well. Seems to work OK if I put a 10MHz signal through it from my function generator..

Did you fix the spot on the DMM?

[Macbeth]

Bought a milligram weighting scale:

It came in a fancy box, with a 5 g and 10 g reference weight as well (the 5 g reference shows 4.999 g and the 10 g reference shows 9.995 g). Needs 2 AAA batteries. I think it is very good quality for the price, I can recommend it if you need such a scale:

http://cgi.ebay.de/132225160852

Does it allow you to use those weights to recalibrate the scale? Also what is it like at the corners rather than the centre? I have 2 scales which are an order of magnitude less sensitive. One of them is great no matter where your load is on its bed, the other gives +/- 2 counts predictably. I obtained the 2x 50g weights separately and used them to recal using the zero and 100g adjustments

But for the price it looks great.

Though sadly this is considered drug paraphernalia by some authorities.

[PartialDischarge]

Bought a 5W blue laser

[ChrisLX200]

Bought this 1:5 video distribution amplifier for £2.99 thinking it might be useful for distributing a 10MHz reference from my Racal Rb counter. Well I wasn't going to be losing much if it didn't work    It's basically 50 Ohm but it came with three 75 Ohm terminators as well. Seems to work OK if I put a 10MHz signal through it from my function generator..

Did you fix the spot on the DMM?

Nope - it doesn't show until it's been powered up for an hour or two. If I select inverse display it doesn't show at all. Must be a heat thing I guess..

[FrankBuss]

Bought a milligram weighting scale:

It came in a fancy box, with a 5 g and 10 g reference weight as well (the 5 g reference shows 4.999 g and the 10 g reference shows 9.995 g). Needs 2 AAA batteries. I think it is very good quality for the price, I can recommend it if you need such a scale:

http://cgi.ebay.de/132225160852

Does it allow you to use those weights to recalibrate the scale? Also what is it like at the corners rather than the centre? I have 2 scales which are an order of magnitude less sensitive. One of them is great no matter where your load is on its bed, the other gives +/- 2 counts predictably. I obtained the 2x 50g weights separately and used them to recal using the zero and 100g adjustments

The manual doesn't say anything about calibration. 10 g now shows 10.018 when the weight is in the center, and 10.022 when it is over the cylinder at the side which goes into the case. Should be no problem, because the plastic cover can be placed upside down in the center. But looks like +/-0.2% error, because last time it showed 9.995 g, maybe depending on temperature (it is a bit colder here now)? But tricky to measure. Before I cleaned the reference weight of fingerprints with a paper towel, it was 3 mg more, maybe I should use some solvent, and then not touching the weights with bare fingers.

The LED weight is the same, which means the error is relative. Still good for the price, I don't need it very accurate, but was just interested in weighting parts.

[Mr. Scram]

The manual doesn't say anything about calibration. 10 g now shows 10.018 when the weight is in the center, and 10.022 when it is over the cylinder at the side which goes into the case. Should be no problem, because the plastic cover can be placed upside down in the center. But looks like +/-0.2% error, because last time it showed 9.995 g, maybe depending on temperature (it is a bit colder here now)? But tricky to measure. Before I cleaned the reference weight of fingerprints with a paper towel, it was 3 mg more, maybe I should use some solvent, and then not touching the weights with bare fingers.

The LED weight is the same, which means the error is relative. Still good for the price, I don't need it very accurate, but was just interested in weighting parts.

The IPK and its copies change weight due to external influences and tarnishing all the time, which is a problem. They will address these issues by eliminating the IPK as the definition of the kilogram and defining it based on constants instead.

Technically the IPK itself never changes weight, because it is the definition of weight. It's copies do, as they change relative to the IPK.

[jkanint]

Galaxy S8+ and TunesBro Android Manager.

[FrankBuss]

Frank, how is the Bitcoin miner you built in 2014 or so doing?

I lost interest in the project, because it would never generate any substantial money with the high hash rates at the moment. Would be still fun to do it when I have some more time and feel like I want to finish it.

[ChrisLX200]

Resistance decade box - bigger than I thought it would be.

Also, I orderd 1 ltr of MG Chemicals Rosin Flux a couple weeks ago, it got delivered somewhere else (not where Amazon said it was) and I claimed against them for the loss and was refunded. A neighbour brought it round today - took her time! Still, can't complain - I guess it was free in the end..

[Specmaster]

Decade box looks nice, much more precise than my homemade one, these switches look so much more chunky as well 

[Mr. Scram]

Resistance decade box - bigger than I thought it would be.

Also, I orderd 1 ltr of MG Chemicals Rosin Flux a couple weeks ago, it got delivered somewhere else (not where Amazon said it was) and I claimed against them for the loss and was refunded. A neighbour brought it round today - took her time! Still, can't complain - I guess it was free in the end..

I looked at a similar one with different colours, but it went for stupid money.

Since missing out on the previous affordable one, I've been seeing opportunities to use one all over the shop 

[Mr. Scram]

I just noticed it reads CCCCCCCO. Peculiar 

[HighVoltage]

Resistance decade box - bigger than I thought it would be.

Also, I orderd 1 ltr of MG Chemicals Rosin Flux a couple weeks ago, it got delivered somewhere else (not where Amazon said it was) and I claimed against them for the loss and was refunded. A neighbour brought it round today - took her time! Still, can't complain - I guess it was free in the end..

I bought the same one a few month ago and was surprised of the good quality of this resistance box.
Once in a while they show up for a good price.

[Specmaster]

Today I have purchased my second soldering station after reading about others peoples experiences with different brands etc, and it seems that Metcal is one of the ones to get if possible. The price of them makes it a no-nbo for me but apparently there is one that offers 75% of the performance at a fraction of the price that gets favourable responses so here we go, with a UK plug of course.

[ChrisLX200]

Resistance decade box - bigger than I thought it would be.

Also, I orderd 1 ltr of MG Chemicals Rosin Flux a couple weeks ago, it got delivered somewhere else (not where Amazon said it was) and I claimed against them for the loss and was refunded. A neighbour brought it round today - took her time! Still, can't complain - I guess it was free in the end..

I bought the same one a few month ago and was surprised of the good quality of this resistance box.
Once in a while they show up for a good price.

I've just been checking this one out and it appears to be accurate across its range. Not sure why there is a 'callibration' sticker on it though - what is there to adjust?

I've seen some stupid prices for these things new - like over £600!

[Freelander]

I bought a few things at a large local auction here in the UK and took delivery today. It was an auction for a factory closedown and there were lots of Thurlby PSUs on offer. I got a nearly new PL330D dual programmable supply (32V 3A dual with RS-232 and GPIB) really cheaply, also a Keithley 2000 bench meter and a TTi LD300 load.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/electronic-loads/0535632/

There must have been over a hundred Thurlby PSUs and there were so many they were being sold in lots of 6 or 9 at low prices. But there were a few programmable ones sold separately and I got lucky. I was tempted to buy 20 or 30 more PSUs and sell them on ebay but I don't want the hassle.

So you can expect to see lots and lots of Thurlby dual PSUs appearing on UK ebay in the coming weeks...

Hi G0HZU What sort of prices were they going for so we know what to bid the ebay bods ? 


ps, sending your callsign in Morse would be like playing a tune, very musical !, it is like the sound of a marching band  

[Mr. Scram]

I've just been checking this one out and it appears to be accurate across its range. Not sure why there is a 'callibration' sticker on it though - what is there to adjust?

I've seen some stupid prices for these things new - like over £600!

Calibration is not the same as adjusting! Watch the recent Keysight calibration laboratory videos. Clients will do a lot to avoid adjusting their equipment. Knowing the error and tracking it over time is much more valuable.

[ChrisLX200]

A £10 ebay score  - this Raytek MX thermometer. Seems to work OK. Looks well made (German manufacture) unlike many others at this price point. No longer made so I don't know what the original selling price was.

[thm_w]

Today I have purchased my second soldering station after reading about others peoples experiences with different brands etc, and it seems that Metcal is one of the ones to get if possible. The price of them makes it a no-no for me but apparently there is one that offers 75% of the performance at a fraction of the price that gets favourable responses so here we go, with a UK plug of course.

I purchased the same unit, its great value for the money.
Although I did change out the handle for a push-in style that brings the tip closer to your fingers (metcal style handle), for precision work.
When you first power it on with the new tip, the temperature readings will go crazy, after some minutes it should settle down.

[Specmaster]

That will be dead handy for tracking hot spots like shorts on PCB's and parts getting excessively hot. I use a cheap Lidl variant for that and its quite effective in that role.

[Specmaster]

Today I have purchased my second soldering station after reading about others peoples experiences with different brands etc, and it seems that Metcal is one of the ones to get if possible. The price of them makes it a no-no for me but apparently there is one that offers 75% of the performance at a fraction of the price that gets favourable responses so here we go, with a UK plug of course.

I purchased the same unit, its great value for the money.
Although I did change out the handle for a push-in style that brings the tip closer to your fingers (metcal style handle), for precision work.
When you first power it on with the new tip, the temperature readings will go crazy, after some minutes it should settle down.

Thats interesting, could you tell me which handle you used for that was there any modifications required to effect the change?

Big question for me now is will it arrive before Christmas??

[ChrisLX200]

That will be dead handy for tracking hot spots like shorts on PCB's and parts getting excessively hot. I use a cheap Lidl variant for that and its quite effective in that role.

Looks like Raytek are now part of Fluke (Fluke Process Instruments) and indeed the recommended replacement is now a Fluke branded device. Also, this model is the MX4+ which was top of the range at the time. Going to have some fun playing with it