What did you buy today? Post your latest purchase!

[tooki]

MX Keys keyboard and MX Master 3 mouse.
I needed something to switch easily between computers, but without the BT headache. So I got 2 unifying receivers for two devices and it's just a button press, independently for both devices (also one of the constraints I had). The thing is I bring work home, and company policies are pretty restrictive, but this is just plug and play. and I can work with two computers at the same time.
Although I was skeptical about the keyboard, after a short use I find the experience great. Minus is that it's partially customizable and settings not stored on board. Mouse looked great on the first touch, but somehow it has a strange center of mass, so far hadn't got used to it, definitely not a choice for games. A lot better cheaper options for that. OTOH pretty customizable for the mouse. Materials great on both devices...
The extra space on the bench and no wires make it worth.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I got an MX Vertical a week ago. We shall see whether it’s any better for my hand than the Performance MX (ancestor of MX Master series) I’ve been using. What I can say already is that I miss the freewheeling scroll wheel. :/

[BBBbbb]

MX Keys keyboard and MX Master 3 mouse.
I needed something to switch easily between computers, but without the BT headache. So I got 2 unifying receivers for two devices and it's just a button press, independently for both devices (also one of the constraints I had). The thing is I bring work home, and company policies are pretty restrictive, but this is just plug and play. and I can work with two computers at the same time.
Although I was skeptical about the keyboard, after a short use I find the experience great. Minus is that it's partially customizable and settings not stored on board. Mouse looked great on the first touch, but somehow it has a strange center of mass, so far hadn't got used to it, definitely not a choice for games. A lot better cheaper options for that. OTOH pretty customizable for the mouse. Materials great on both devices...
The extra space on the bench and no wires make it worth.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I got an MX Vertical a week ago. We shall see whether it’s any better for my hand than the Performance MX (ancestor of MX Master series) I’ve been using. What I can say already is that I miss the freewheeling scroll wheel. :/

Did you consider MX Ergo (trackball)? It's weird but two of my colleagues that use it say it's easy to get use to it and since you aren't doing any pushing gives you some flexibility on how you position your hand on it.
Although I haven't played games in a long long time, FPS (CS) got me hooked on precise/balanced gaming mouses and snappy moves, I'm missing clicks a lot with this one, and Ergo seems like a mission impossible for me. Master 3 has (at least they say) a new version of the wheel, and it's damn fan to scroll, but using a wheel as a middle click is a bit clumsy.

[shakalnokturn]

The museum is having a swap meet next week, but I managed to raid some stuff early.  Got my paws on a Tek 7603 with 7A18 vertical and 7B53A sweep plug ins, along with a pair of 7A26 verticals and a 7B50 sweep to go along with it.  Also snagged a non-working and somewhat dirty 465B and unearthed a Weston 1240 DMM.  Oh, and an old tank radio.  Not a bad haul for $40 in my opinion.



-Pat

The Weston has a very Enertec/Schlumberger/Solartron look to it, is there any link between them?

[coppercone2]

kester 0.4 and 0.8mm rosin solder eutectic

[Cubdriver]

The museum is having a swap meet next week, but I managed to raid some stuff early.  Got my paws on a Tek 7603 with 7A18 vertical and 7B53A sweep plug ins, along with a pair of 7A26 verticals and a 7B50 sweep to go along with it.  Also snagged a non-working and somewhat dirty 465B and unearthed a Weston 1240 DMM.  Oh, and an old tank radio.  Not a bad haul for $40 in my opinion.



-Pat

The Weston has a very Enertec/Schlumberger/Solartron look to it, is there any link between them?

There doesn't seem to be much about any of them posted online, but I did find a Schlumberger 1240 that appears to be identical looking externally other than saying 'Schlumberger' on the filter instead of 'Weston'.  The page on Radiomuseum indicates 1971 as the date for it, but I'm not certain that's the first year it came out.

https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/schlumberg_digital_multimeter_1240.html

I can't find anything 'official' about the Weston, but for what it's worth I opened it up and the semiconductors have late 1969/early 1970 date codes.  They look to be siblings, but which came first is anybody's guess at this point.  Markings on the Weston indicate it was made in the US and shows Weston as being in Newark, NJ.

-Pat

[kripton2035]

a xiaomi wowstick 1f+ for $26

[TerraHertz]

Not a bad haul for $40 in my opinion.

Seems like every single day lately I'm painfully reminded of how much better the 2nd hand test gear situation is in the USA, compared to Australia. Ditto for old tech documents.

Now you should have to pay many hundreds of dollars in shipping fees to actually get your hands on those goodies. If they survive the international carrier's random smashing process.

Oh well. I've had a few nice acquisitions lately.  Freebees:

A collection piece. Very old BWD 504 scope. Cleaned up like new, still to be repaired. No trace. I have the schematics.


Five of these old TI industrial control interfaces. Documentation still to be found.



14 solar panels, 215W each. Also all the mounting hardware.

And not so free.  A HP 6942A Multiprogrammer, with modules:
  69730A Relay Output     69730-60020   x4
  697xxA Resistor Output  697xx-60020   x1
Ebay cost: US $49.95
Shipping: US$70.00 in USA, US$330.10 to get it to Australia.



Plus some connectors and manuals for it. More shipping costs.

[tooki]

MX Keys keyboard and MX Master 3 mouse.
I needed something to switch easily between computers, but without the BT headache. So I got 2 unifying receivers for two devices and it's just a button press, independently for both devices (also one of the constraints I had). The thing is I bring work home, and company policies are pretty restrictive, but this is just plug and play. and I can work with two computers at the same time.
Although I was skeptical about the keyboard, after a short use I find the experience great. Minus is that it's partially customizable and settings not stored on board. Mouse looked great on the first touch, but somehow it has a strange center of mass, so far hadn't got used to it, definitely not a choice for games. A lot better cheaper options for that. OTOH pretty customizable for the mouse. Materials great on both devices...
The extra space on the bench and no wires make it worth.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I got an MX Vertical a week ago. We shall see whether it’s any better for my hand than the Performance MX (ancestor of MX Master series) I’ve been using. What I can say already is that I miss the freewheeling scroll wheel. :/

Did you consider MX Ergo (trackball)? It's weird but two of my colleagues that use it say it's easy to get use to it and since you aren't doing any pushing gives you some flexibility on how you position your hand on it.
Although I haven't played games in a long long time, FPS (CS) got me hooked on precise/balanced gaming mouses and snappy moves, I'm missing clicks a lot with this one, and Ergo seems like a mission impossible for me. Master 3 has (at least they say) a new version of the wheel, and it's damn fan to scroll, but using a wheel as a middle click is a bit clumsy.

Unfortunately my right thumb is by far my most painful appendage, so a thumb trackball like the MX Ergo would literally be my nightmare input device. (I even unenrolled my thumb from Touch ID on my iPhone to discourage myself from absentmindedly typing with that thumb, lest it get worse.)

So on my desktop, I use a mouse on the right and a trackpad on the left (retraining my left hand to trackpad was surprisingly easy). I try to remember to turn off the mouse so as to rely more on the trackpad.

[GreyWoolfe]

Oh yeah, I almost forgot, I got an MX Vertical a week ago. We shall see whether it’s any better for my hand than the Performance MX (ancestor of MX Master series) I’ve been using. What I can say already is that I miss the freewheeling scroll wheel. :/
[/quote]

I use Anker vertical mice myself.  Bought one to try and liked it.  Also bought one for Mrs Greywoolfe but her hand is too small.  This mouse is not for people who have small or medium hands.  I have large hands and it fits me just fine.    They are on my personal and company computers.  Along with MS natural 4000 keyboards and commercial grade adjustable keyboard/mouse trays, the setup is much easier on my arthritic hands.  I have no plans to switch back to regular mice.

[McBryce]

Five of these old TI industrial control interfaces. Documentation still to be found.

I used to program those heaps of junk (I preferred the Allen Bradley and Siemens solutions). I know where I could still get the documentation. However, it would the "printed on dead tree" version, not PDF. And those books were relatively thick.

McBryce.

[Terry01]

Took advantage of the sale on PB Swiss items at the big Swiss tool dealer to get the ratcheting handle I've been wanting for ages, a set of bits, a set of precision Torx drivers, and a scribe.

PB 8510 R-30 ratcheting screwdriver handle:
(Attachment Link)

E6 985 bit set:
(Attachment Link)

PB 8643 precision Torx driver set:
(Attachment Link)

PB 704 carbide scribe:
(Attachment Link)


I also got a Mitutoyo vernier caliper, also on sale:
(Attachment Link)

Nice set buddy! 

[TerraHertz]

I used to program those heaps of junk (I preferred the Allen Bradley and Siemens solutions).

I presume you mean you programmed whatever thing talked to these? They are purely I/O ports. I don't yet know what's on that 15 pin connector but I'm guessing something serial and dumb. It loops through the bases, but I don't know how many it can daisy chain.
Hopefully nothing too insanely proprietary.

I know where I could still get the documentation. However, it would the "printed on dead tree" version, not PDF. And those books were relatively thick.

Paper! That's much preferable to PDF for me. Apart from easier to read, it also means that eventually I can make sure they are scanned reasonably well.
Could you please see if you can actually find it?

These units are:
Base: Texas Instruments Inc  Johnson City Tenn 37601
    6MT 50-I  I/O  Mounting Base
Modules
  6MT13-D05L  DC input   4 - 28 VDC
  6MT31       16 input logic interface
  6MT32       16 output logic interface
  6MT14-40CL  DC output  10 - 28 VDC  1 amp.  Module DC+ to be 28V - 200VA Max

[McBryce]

Yes, I meant the controller that the cards were connected to.

I'll ask about the manuals, but they are in Ireland, so postage might be an issue.

McBryce.

[Black Phoenix]

Let me know what you think of it once you’ve had a chance to use it for a while. I was just looking for a new charger and that was one model I was intrigued by.

Ok I have some updates for you.

First I ask you to read this review, since it's the most complete I found with a lot of testing that currently I can't and don't have enough equipment at my disposal to evaluate so deeply:

https://lygte-info.dk/review/Review%20Charger%20Nitecore%20Digicharger%20D4%20UK.html

My opinion: If you have the need for a charger only for all kind of NiCd, NiMH, LifePo4, LiMn and LiCoO2 then this is the right one, since all the modes he uses can charge all this batteries. If you only need for NiCd and NiMH look elsewhere, the money asked for this one you can get the GP Battery GP PowerBank Universal PB19 that charges AA, AAA, C, D and PP3 and still save some money. I didn't also had the other types it charges for testing.

The slow charge you can activate when charging batteries lower that 750mAh is great to keep the life out of them, without warming too much the batteries. Although you have to select each battery and activate said mode on 1 per 1 basis, it doesn't have an option to cycle to all batteries and then select said mode (the selector only cycles between 1,2,3 and 4, it should be 1,2,3,4,All).

It detects batteries in reverse polarity, their charging and the main test also indicates when a battery is damaged and need to be throw away. Unfortunately it doesn't support a discharge more or "recycle mode" to charge a battery, discharge and charge again. In terms of time I can't give a expected time to charge 4 batteries because of that reason and that the batteries that I have currently have charge on them (Panasonic Eneloop Pro AAA and Panasonic Rechargable 2000mAh. Both Eneloops white I said I bought were fake. All Panasonic rechargeable batteries come in the plastic blister in pairs, with 2 also surrounded in plastic. Mine come separated, one by one and the writing were not consistent and with errors on printing. So I bought in HK the real ones, and since they didn't had normal Eneloops I had to choose other models). Although I put the ones I bought to charge, and 4 AAAs taken around 1:30 to charge from 3 almost 4 segments to full, at 375mAh each. The AAs were full charge.

It also doesn't detect non rechargeable batteries so care should be taken when putting batteries that you don't know the origin, it will try to charge everything you put there. You should also take care when charging AAAs, since they are smaller if not inserted correctly they may slide out since their diameter are smaller than the slot were they sit, and with that it have a gap on the sides, were moving the charger or tilting it will make them jump from their spot and stop charging. Type C batteries are only supported in the middle slots, for what I see. the side ones have higher walls that doesn't let them sit well.

The screen is always showing the battery current charge level, time, voltage and mA, cycling through each 2 sec. The said screen is also very good in terms of visibility, black with white segments and the backlight is always on, although you can turn it off by pressing a button.

Hope it answers yours questions and if you need anything more just ask.

[Black Phoenix]

As a separate topic, My shopping today:

Kokuyo Campus 50 sheets 5mm dot grid B5;
Kokuyo Campus binder B5.
Pentel Graphgear 1000 Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm;
Pentel Ain 0.5 HB leads;
Pentel Ain Black Plastic Eraser;

Now next thing to find a good PCB ruler.

[ChristofferB]

Just got a package with 2 BOC-Edwards XTC255H turbo pumps, with controllers, pirani gauge, and a ton of vacuum KF fittings!

Scrounged from a scrapped triple-quad mass spectrometer! Not bad for 60 € 

[beanflying]

As a separate topic, My shopping today:

Kokuyo Campus 50 sheets 5mm dot grid B5;
Kokuyo Campus binder B5.
Pentel Graphgear 1000 Mechanical Pencil 0.5mm;
Pentel Ain 0.5 HB leads;
Pentel Ain Black Plastic Eraser;

Now next thing to find a good PCB ruler.

Very Randomly ahead of you by a few days 

The Pencil has already arrived and works great. Now the question is am I paranoid in thinking I am being watched 

[Kjelt]

Just got a package with 2 BOC-Edwards XTC255H turbo pumps, with controllers, pirani gauge, and a ton of vacuum KF fittings!
Scrounged from a scrapped triple-quad mass spectrometer! Not bad for 60 € 

Nice what are you going to do with them?

[ChristofferB]

Just got a package with 2 BOC-Edwards XTC255H turbo pumps, with controllers, pirani gauge, and a ton of vacuum KF fittings!
Scrounged from a scrapped triple-quad mass spectrometer! Not bad for 60 € 

Nice what are you going to do with them?

I'm donating the quadrupole and one turbo to my university's mass spectrometry lab (Ho Ho Ho!).

For the rest, I have many plans! DIY mass spectrometry, physical vapor deposition, DIY electron valves, and so on! Having a proper ultrahigh vacuum system opens so many doors.

Not shown is also a mysterious device I THINK is an ion pump, which would give me around 2 orders of magnitude higher vacuum than even the turbo produces.

[TerraHertz]

I'm donating the quadrupole and one turbo to my university's mass spectrometry lab (Ho Ho Ho!).

I'm very envious. Working turbos _with_ matching controllers are almost impossible to come by.
Something you should do RIGHT NOW - cover the turbo inlet ports with about 4 layers of clean alfoil, wrapping it tight around the edges. Just leaving those ports open to settling dust from the air is a disaster. Oh, and DON'T give in to temptation and touch the blades with a finger to 'see if they spin' or whatever. Skin grease, you'll never achieve good vacuum, without giving the pump a serious cleaning with solvents in a vapor phase tank.

Also, what? You are donating one to your university? Why? They have way more money than you. Are those two turbos near identical? You really should keep both, one as a spare. Or are you not aware that it's very easy to kill a turbo with silly sequencing mistakes as you get familiar with vacuum system operation?  Google turbo blade crash images, if you didn't know.

Ditto the quadrupole. If it's just a bare unit sans the entire system it came from, there is near zero chance anyone is ever going to actually use it for anything.

For the rest, I have many plans! DIY mass spectrometry, physical vapor deposition, DIY electron valves, and so on! Having a proper ultrahigh vacuum system opens so many doors.

Re the first one, mass spectrometry, your chances are better if you set up a watch on your uni's chemistry lab dumpsters. Universities tend to just throw those incredibly expensive systems out and buy new ones regularly. Like the HP 5973 mass selective detector I have. Put out in the rain at Monash uni Chem Dept. when they upgraded. Unfortunately minus the controlling PC, software and HP-IB card, and matching gas chromatography unit, which I was told were simply discarded at different times, dammit. My chances of ever getting it going are very slim.

[Black Phoenix]

Very Randomly ahead of you by a few days 

The Pencil has already arrived and works great. Now the question is am I paranoid in thinking I am being watched 

Good people have good tastes!

[BravoV]

I've been exploited by local seller that knows I have a weak heart on quality rare electronic component, of course with cheap priced.  Yelled at me... "Want to see me to salvage it's copper savagely ?  Make a decision now ! ..."

Here we go, yet another isolation transformer 220V to 220V, and my 1st one is even gathering dust. 

Still not sure what to used for, as for test & measurement, I already have HV isolated diff.probe and isolated handheld scope. 

Shot with Fluke 189 for size comparison.

[ChristofferB]

I'm donating the quadrupole and one turbo to my university's mass spectrometry lab (Ho Ho Ho!).

I'm very envious. Working turbos _with_ matching controllers are almost impossible to come by.
Something you should do RIGHT NOW - cover the turbo inlet ports with about 4 layers of clean alfoil, wrapping it tight around the edges. Just leaving those ports open to settling dust from the air is a disaster. Oh, and DON'T give in to temptation and touch the blades with a finger to 'see if they spin' or whatever. Skin grease, you'll never achieve good vacuum, without giving the pump a serious cleaning with solvents in a vapor phase tank.

Also, what? You are donating one to your university? Why? They have way more money than you. Are those two turbos near identical? You really should keep both, one as a spare. Or are you not aware that it's very easy to kill a turbo with silly sequencing mistakes as you get familiar with vacuum system operation?  Google turbo blade crash images, if you didn't know.

Ditto the quadrupole. If it's just a bare unit sans the entire system it came from, there is near zero chance anyone is ever going to actually use it for anything.

For the rest, I have many plans! DIY mass spectrometry, physical vapor deposition, DIY electron valves, and so on! Having a proper ultrahigh vacuum system opens so many doors.

Re the first one, mass spectrometry, your chances are better if you set up a watch on your uni's chemistry lab dumpsters. Universities tend to just throw those incredibly expensive systems out and buy new ones regularly. Like the HP 5973 mass selective detector I have. Put out in the rain at Monash uni Chem Dept. when they upgraded. Unfortunately minus the controlling PC, software and HP-IB card, and matching gas chromatography unit, which I was told were simply discarded at different times, dammit. My chances of ever getting it going are very slim.

Ok, to be fair, one of the MS department guys is a friend of mine, and he's restoring the exact triple-quad instrument these parts are from, so the assemblies that are specific to that instrument would be a shame to butcher for generic-ish components. I don't really have any use for an octapole collision cell, aside from having it as a cool piece of super well engineered tech.

Turbos are safe, i only took the protection off for the photoshoot. And I'm not spinning it up before I've made a nice 19" rack controller box for it, with gauges for rough vacuum, high vacuum, motor speed and temp. Furthermore, the Pirani gauge i got with it has a set point which will be wired to the kill-switch of the turbo, so if the roughing pump starts to limp, it'll pull the plug on the turbo.

Granted, this might not save the turbo, as it takes it almost 30 mins to spin down from 80.000 RPM to standstill, but it's the best that can be done.

This will also eliminate the risk from accidentally turning on the turbo before the rotary vane pump.



And with regards to DIY MS: Ben fron the Applied Science youtube channel just built a super simple one. I think it could be done one step better with a linear quadrupole (and quad driver controllers are pretty cheap on the ebay)

And yeah, you caught the exact snag with adopting an existing system: very expensive software. I'm still battling with my 30 year old HPLC's win95 drivers.

--Chris

[rsjsouza]

I've been exploited by local seller (...)

'nuff said. The tipping point for me are threats of divorce.

Nice iron, though. 

[BravoV]

I've been exploited by local seller (...)

'nuff said. The tipping point for me are threats of divorce.

Nice iron, though. 

LOL  , thanks, now I don't feel alone.