What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[Kjelt]

There are still companies selling new versions of it (or at least still list them in their catalogue)
the fritsch one looks ridiculously similar to my 20 year old unit.

Yes I know but it is ridiculously priced either 
For that money I build my own semi manual P&P, a project I hope to start after my CNC machine is finished.

[Specmaster]

I just pulled the trigger on this HP3468A bench/portable meter and recently I purchased this Fluke 8840A which arrived this week and I'm very happy with it, despite being 30 years it is still within calibration and good condition throughout. I'm hoping that the 3468A will be the same and will compliment my 3478A nicely.

[Mr. Scram]

Can you tell more about why you picked this model?

[kripton2035]

Quote from: Mr. Scram on Today at 16:50:10

Can you tell more about why you picked this model?

AC and DC TIG, enough amps, and 9 presets available to store your settings for different metals.
watched some videos on youtube from guys explaining it was a good device. (most of them in german ...)
I did not want a plasma cutter with it because plasma is with compressed air, and TIG is with argon
so you have to switch the gas each time you go from cut to TIG. I will buy a separate plasma cutter (and a MIG may be) later.
and the price was quite nice 700 EUR with a foot pedal, less 100 EUR of ebay gift, total 600 EUR.

https://www.ipotechnik.de/ntf-ac-dc-super-tig-200di

[TERRA Operative]

https://www.ipotechnik.de/data/image/katalog_izdelki/845_image.jpg?v=1530194050

Looks a bit like the Chinese made Cigweld 'Weldskill' units I used to work on.

[kripton2035]

I think they are made by many brands, yes.

[nanofrog]

Picked up some more silicone wire for DIY leads and probes.

[tooki]

Picked up some more silicone wire for DIY leads and probes.

I have that, too, it’s great!! Plus the same from Mueller — it’s even softer (but also several times more expensive due to the much finer stranding).

I’m curious, when you get around to opening it, whether you find the two colors to be equally soft. I remember that with mine, one color is a tad softer than the other, though I don’t remember which is which at the moment.

[nanofrog]

Picked up some more silicone wire for DIY leads and probes.

I have that, too, it’s great!! Plus the same from Mueller — it’s even softer (but also several times more expensive due to the much finer stranding).

I’m curious, when you get around to opening it, whether you find the two colors to be equally soft. I remember that with mine, one color is a tad softer than the other, though I don’t remember which is which at the moment.

Both seem equal to me. Perhaps an age difference in the stock you received? 

As per Mueller's wire (413 strands), it's close to what Probemaster is using (440 strands).  And all of my Probemaster leads I've purchased are notably more flexible than the Pomona 6733.

Mouser is selling the 18AWG Mueller wire by the foot (1 - 99ft @ $1.38 per) instead of either 10ft or 25ft lengths, so I may have to break down and pick some up. For HV/industrial use though, the inner white layer of the Pomona 6733 would certainly be useful IMHO to let the user know if the wire is no longer meeting spec.

[Groucho2005]

First attempt with the telescope:

[FrankBuss]

Nice telescope. What model is it and that mount do you use? And how did you photograph the moon? Once I tried the moon with my Canon EOS 6D, but just a telephoto lens and a tripod, which was sufficient, but for longer exposure time I guess I need a motor powered mount, aligned to the polar star.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QWyhRqupsNcSJqQc6

[Groucho2005]

Nice telescope. What model is it and that mount do you use? And how did you photograph the moon?

Telescope: Bresser Messier MC-100/1400 OTA
Tripod: Rollei C5i photo tripod
Camera: Nikon D5300, prime focus
Software used: AutoStakkert, Registax

I recorded a 1 minute clip @1080p, 50fps and stacked ~400 frames.

Here's the full image, it seems the forum software resizes:
https://4.img-dpreview.com/files/p/E~forums/61561676/d0f0647febf446a0b9be9ad819d02302

[FrankBuss]

Stacking sounds like a good idea. Does the camera do it? I guess I don't need a motorized mount, if I stack images, if the software can align them.

[Groucho2005]

Stacking sounds like a good idea. Does the camera do it? I guess I don't need a motorized mount, if I stack images, if the software can align them.

The camera may have some stacking functionality but it's much better to use dedicated software. I use AutoStakkert for stacking (https://www.autostakkert.com/) and Registax (https://www.astronomie.be/registax/) for wavelet processing. There are plenty of tutorials out there, Google is your friend.

[julianhigginson]

Yes I know but it is ridiculously priced either 
For that money I build my own semi manual P&P, a project I hope to start after my CNC machine is finished.

yeah if I hadn't been offered the one I was, I would have gone with something like this to start:
https://www.tindie.com/products/Abacomtech/ezpick-manual-pick-and-place-machine/
It's not much, but it keeps the vacuum tool more or less vertical and steadies your hand for placing. so it's the basics. Plus it generally keeps itself out of the way of the board.

Then add a few manual reel feeders like this:
https://www.ebay.com.au/itm/1-set-5-way-SMT-SMD-resistor-capacitor-reel-Feeder-for-DIY-Prototype-Pick-Place/281172131862

And some kind of lazy susan I can plop small parts boxes onto.
https://www.ikea.com/au/en/catalog/products/40176460/

And that was basically my best alternative to what I got.


I think there's definitely room in the market right now for a simple and limited but still decent quality manual PnP (with $ and attention spent in the important areas like smoothness and ease of movement, and a simple easy component management system) that a good number of people would buy. even if it was the same price as the cheaper auto ones. Sometimes you just want a reasonable number of parts with relatively easy access, and a nice stable tool to manipulate them into place.

Imagine this, but with an auto rotating parts carousel instead of just 10 feeders. I think that would be well worth the $ they ask, if it's well built and reliable.
https://smtcaddy.com/collections/smt-caddy-systems/products/smt-caddy-starter-package



On the pure DIY side, there's some projects online you could combine to make something very cool. though a lot of the DIY designs that do proper X-Y rails seem to have physical design that surrounds the PCB more than I'd like...  still they are out there and documented so shouldn't be too hard to duplicate.
Also there's this, which looks great - an SMT parts sucker with pressurised blow-off for dropping the parts precisely.
https://www.element14.com/community/groups/open-source-hardware/blog/2016/11/07/building-a-smt-pick-and-place-buddy

[Kjelt]

Thanks for the overview, I knew these machines some are pretty neat others a bit useless.
I will be building my own gear, I have no idea yet how it will involve but in my head it is something between an automatic P&P and manual P&P, something joystick and shortcut operated. Next project, first have to finish my CNC machine. 

[gamalot]

Yet another package from China. 

- 5 packs of breadboard jumper wire

- 1 pack of 40-pin headers

- 2 triax cables

- stainless steel long rod screws

- 5 pcs PGA2320 stereo audio volume control ICs

- LTFLU and  hermetically sealed voltage divider

[URI]

Some new 820µF/200V electrolytic caps.

Needed four to eight. Took ten because of the quantity discount.   
Summer is fading. I'm going to continue the repair of my HP 6114A (https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/hp-6114a-repair-(fault-regulation-seems-to-work-voltage-low-output-ripple)/)

[julianhigginson]

Thanks for the overview, I knew these machines some are pretty neat others a bit useless.
I will be building my own gear, I have no idea yet how it will involve but in my head it is something between an automatic P&P and manual P&P, something joystick and shortcut operated. Next project, first have to finish my CNC machine. 

There's a video on youtube where someone adapted his CNC to be a PNP, with button and slider control of the axis movements and buttons for pickup and drop.
I think the problem with that, as well as many of the existing DIY machines (and the cheaper commercial ones) is that the PnP head can't move that far, and there's often also limitations to external access around the edges of the movement due to construction.... As a result, they can't access enough different parts.

If you have to make piles of parts on or around the PCB so you can then pick and place them onto footprints, I think the machine is very limited and is going to still have a lot of the fiddlyness of a full manual setup.

A carousel is annoying in some ways because you need to load compartments up with parts, and you lose orientation like you get from a reel or tube... but once they are in there, it gives you the ability to reach a lot of parts while only taking up a relatively small amount of space inside the range of the PnP head.

The modern Fritsch unit has an option you can buy called the Paternoster, which looks amazing.. would be very cool to DIY.. it's basically a desk-sized automated parts library. you have a bunch of boxes in it that are full of parts, and each row as 12(?) parts boxes in it, and it has lots of rows, so can store many hundreds of different parts... you can set things to bring up each row as you need it.
https://www.fritsch-smt.de/en/manual-pick-place/lm900/feeder/

[Kjelt]

There's a video on youtube where someone adapted his CNC to be a PNP, with button and slider control of the axis movements and buttons for pickup and drop.
I think the problem with that, as well as many of the existing DIY machines (and the cheaper commercial ones) is that the PnP head can't move that far, and there's often also limitations to external access around the edges of the movement due to construction.... As a result, they can't access enough different parts.

If you have a link would appreciate it 

If you have to make piles of parts on or around the PCB so you can then pick and place them onto footprints, I think the machine is very limited and is going to still have a lot of the fiddlyness of a full manual setup.

Agree, I find the DIY solutions with the strips stuck somewhere a big mess and nice for one off but unhandable for small series (keep on sticking).

A carousel is annoying in some ways because you need to load compartments up with parts, and you lose orientation like you get from a reel or tube... but once they are in there, it gives you the ability to reach a lot of parts while only taking up a relatively small amount of space inside the range of the PnP head.

It takes up so much unused space in the middle, it looks great but not that space sufficient and there are limited amount of parts to be placed. You probably want one carousel per project but then what do these cost a piece   

The modern Fritsch unit has an option you can buy called the Paternoster, which looks amazing.. would be very cool to DIY.. it's basically a desk-sized automated parts library.

Wow, wow, wow. Any idea what the price is ?
503 parts, let me think, resistors in the E12 range in three package sizes is only 216 boxes, that leaves 300 boxes for capacitors, jellybean parts and small ic's.
That is enough for me and most hobbieists    Or put a second one besides it 
The challenge for DIY is the lid mechanism.
You can really tell the difference between the good ones and the bad ones (from Ebay are some really bad).
The lids tend to snap off after a dozen times or get kind of stuck.
If you make the mechanism smooth you don't even need the lids on each box.

[rsjsouza]

Local seller advertised as "Tandy stuff" with an absolute bargain price for the lot in pristine condition with all manuals.
The 1400LT will be on the operation room as soon as I make room for it (the screen is sadly not working). The 102 is perfect, as well as the barcode reader and the printer. The tape recorders and the Modemphone are in unknown condition.

[electronics man]

received some smd soldering practice boards

[Specmaster]

That 102 look very much like what we used to call a Newbrain over here, but I doubt it is the same machine though.

[bsudbrink]

Whoa!  That ModemPhone is sweet! 

[rsjsouza]

That 102 look very much like what we used to call a Newbrain over here, but I doubt it is the same machine though.

This one?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grundy_NewBrain

Whoa!  That ModemPhone is sweet! 

I found it amazing as well. I have never knew such thing existed. And the manual even has the schematics! I only hope it was not zapped by lightning - a common thing when modems were plugged to telephone lines 24/7.