Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Yahoo, didn't Ebay buy their Auction side?

AFAIK no. They just shut it down. I think they only kept it for Yahoo Japan.

DPD just informed me that my 6237B will be arriving today. Then I can find out to what extent it is bust.

Actually running way ahead on software schedule (thanks to RabbitMQ being awesome) so have some time to burn. Never deliver a software product early or on time; people will expect it every time then!

[Specmaster]

Yahoo, didn't Ebay buy their Auction side?

AFAIK no. They just shut it down. I think they only kept it for Yahoo Japan.

DPD just informed me that my 6237B will be arriving today. Then I can find out to what extent it is bust.

Actually running way ahead on software schedule (thanks to RabbitMQ being awesome) so have some time to burn. Never deliver a software product early or on time; people will expect it every time then!

Ain't that the truth🤣

From mobile device so predictive text might have struck again [emoji83]

[tggzzz]

Actually running way ahead on software schedule (thanks to RabbitMQ being awesome) so have some time to burn. Never deliver a software product early or on time; people will expect it every time then!

Or isn't worth much.

Houdini well knew that. He used to quickly escape while hidden behind a small curtain, then sit on a chair reading a newspaper while the audience thought he was in difficulty.

[bd139]

Yes indeed. My father never got that. He was forever chasing up people for days for invoices for 30 minutes work here and there because they perceive the value not in the change of state of the universe that was accomplished but the arbitrary cost divided by the time in which it took.

Even when I repair peoples laptops on and off now I will give a high estimate just to get paid the 50 quid or so I usually charge for 15 minutes aggregate of work done (and that’s cheap in this bit of London!)

TEA I run unlike a business. It’s for intellectual gain rather than financial so I’m happy that I get to fix something as the gain is just education and some engineering insight. If I make a financial loss there’s always another form of gain.

[Specmaster]

TEA I run unlike a business. It’s for intellectual gain rather than financial so I’m happy that I get to fix something as the gain is just education and some engineering insight. If I make a financial loss there’s always another form of gain.

Its nice to do both, then its a win win 

[bd139]

Yeah true. I'm going for break even. I've managed to kit myself out nicely with new kit like this so it's winning so far

[Specmaster]

I'm about half way through the training manual on the 3390 and I'm super impressed with its capabilities.

Problem I'm having now is deciding which other scope to part with, Iwatsu with its slightly bent vernier and delayed timebase shafts which all the time I've had, hasn't put a foot wrong, the Hitachi with the cursors and megazoom, likewise hasn't put a foot wrong, or the 1740A which has been trouble since I got it, performs really well though, is twice the bandwidth of the other two but last night the 2nd channel vertical vernier started to act like the 2nd channel vertical position control  decisions decisions 

[bd139]

I would turd polish the 1740A and lose that. It's a time bomb of hybrids

[Specmaster]

I would turd polish the 1740A and lose that. It's a time bomb of hybrids

I have to admit, I'm leaning towards that way already, I could sell the other boards I pulled from the donor one separately. I love the Iwatsu with its 4 channels and the Hitachi with its 3rd channel and also magazoom with cursors so the deck is stacked pretty heavily against the 1740A.

Or maybe all 3 of them and get another Philip 4 channel combiscope?

[med6753]

This showed up yesterday....



Doesn't look like much but it's the PSU re-cap package for the 2465. I'll be doing the work when I have to take a furlough from work next month.

[bd139]

I like soldering in electrolytic caps. It's therapeutic.

Something that is NOT therapeutic however is some garages burning down round the corner from me. Been smoked out all afternoon and all the roads are closed. This has slowed my HP power supply delivery down considerably as indicated by stalking my DPD driver all day! 

[med6753]

I like soldering in electrolytic caps. It's therapeutic.

Agreed, but re-capping the 2465 PSU is very extensive and time consuming. So I would prefer a big stretch of uninterrupted time to do it. The week of July 8 - 14 I have to take a mandatory unpaid furlough from work. That's perfect. It will be hot and humid outside and I hate the heat. So it will give me an excuse to stay inside in the A/C. 

[Specmaster]

Just keep your fingers crossed that road closures and smoke don't prevent DPD from making the delivery to you.

I like soldering in caps as well, very calming activity, but seeing as 3390 is only 10 years at best I think it warrants a re-cap just yet, would have thought its got at least another 10 years to go before its required given how little usage its had and will be getting in its future.

[bd139]

I'd leave the 3390. That's still in good territory.

The 6237 turned up and as expected it's in good condition but misbehaving. The +20V and +18V outputs are rammed at max rail voltage and the -20V is zero. Based on more than one supply being rammed, it'll be somewhere round the reference circuitry I reckon.

Quite surprisingly the date code on this is VERY late. It's actually circa 1991 looking at date codes which was right near EOL for these supplies before they were replaced with the E36xx series.

Will follow the excellent service manual and resolve this.

This is why I like these. Check out the engineering:

[bd139]

Found it already. 7.5V reference zener is kaputt, hosed, nuked, zonked.

[nixiefreqq]

I would turd polish the 1740A and lose that. It's a time bomb of hybrids

did you say that just to provoke me?

you can take my 1740's when you pry them from my cold dead hands.



ps   ok....i would not say that around swmbo.....since she would not see a down side to the deal.

[Specmaster]

Good work, yes those are properly engineered and should last many years yet, love the analogue meters as well, makes it much easier to set the parameters.  I think with digital we all strive to be as near to perfect as it's possible to get,  even though it's not critical.

[bd139]

you can take my 1740's when you pry them from my cold dead hands.

Hahahaha. That's quite a collection there. I did previously own a 1740A and did rather like it for ref

Stuffed another bench power supply across the hole where the blown up zener was and guess what? Bloody works perfectly. Now mystery manual misprint makes it difficult to find out what the hell variety of zener this is. It's currently just a shorted zener with an HP part number is 1902-0650 which is apparently a 1N4353B. Hmm suspicious. Turns out after doing some googling it should read 1N5343B and the pairs of digits are transposed!  technical author failure. Fortunately RS stock for £2.27 inc delivery for 5. Be here Monday

One deadode:

[Specmaster]

I would turd polish the 1740A and lose that. It's a time bomb of hybrids

did you say that just to provoke me?

you can take my 1740's when you pry them from my cold dead hands.



ps   ok....i would not say that around swmbo.....since she would not see a down side to the deal.

I actually love using my 1740A, feels nice to the touch and is beautifully liad out. It has some very nice touches internally and some crap ones as well. The rotary switches are both a clever design and bad at the same time, clever but poorly executed as they wobble all over the place when operated putting flexing action onto the boards that they plug into. That said, once you know how, the whole scope can be quickly dismantled for servicing.

Major downsides are the hybrids and their sheer size and weight and that a factor that making me examine the longevity of mine in my collection.

[nixiefreqq]

I would turd polish the 1740A and lose that. It's a time bomb of hybrids

did you say that just to provoke me?

you can take my 1740's when you pry them from my cold dead hands.



ps   ok....i would not say that around swmbo.....since she would not see a down side to the deal.

I actually love using my 1740A, feels nice to the touch and is beautifully liad out. It has some very nice touches internally and some crap ones as well. The rotary switches are both a clever design and bad at the same time, clever but poorly executed as they wobble all over the place when operated putting flexing action onto the boards that they plug into. That said, once you know how, the whole scope can be quickly dismantled for servicing.

Major downsides are the hybrids and their sheer size and weight and that a factor that making me examine the longevity of mine in my collection.

yep.  they are easy to disassemble and that is a big plus.  but those post pin headers that connect the assemblies have gotten to be a source of annoyance.  unless you enjoy wigglin' boards every now and then to eliminate a jumping trace .

can't see a flaw in your logic.   but TEA is not logical.  some things you like just because you like 'em.

[med6753]

The only HP scope I've used is the 180A. They were used  in IBM mainframe test in the mid 1970's before going to Tek 475's. I found the HP to be easy to use and decent but a lot of other techs thought they were junk
.

[tggzzz]

I actually love using my 1740A, feels nice to the touch and is beautifully liad out. It has some very nice touches internally and some crap ones as well. The rotary switches are both a clever design and bad at the same time, clever but poorly executed as they wobble all over the place when operated putting flexing action onto the boards that they plug into.

Worst feature: abrading the PCB track as they are rotated.

Second worst feature: when reassembling, getting both the timebase knobs in the right position simultaneously.

[nixiefreqq]

I actually love using my 1740A, feels nice to the touch and is beautifully liad out. It has some very nice touches internally and some crap ones as well. The rotary switches are both a clever design and bad at the same time, clever but poorly executed as they wobble all over the place when operated putting flexing action onto the boards that they plug into.

Worst feature: abrading the PCB track as they are rotated.

Second worst feature: when reassembling, getting both the timebase knobs in the right position simultaneously.

and how about the lubricant that turned green and hard as a rock at about the 25 year mark?

[Specmaster]

I actually love using my 1740A, feels nice to the touch and is beautifully liad out. It has some very nice touches internally and some crap ones as well. The rotary switches are both a clever design and bad at the same time, clever but poorly executed as they wobble all over the place when operated putting flexing action onto the boards that they plug into.

Worst feature: abrading the PCB track as they are rotated.

Second worst feature: when reassembling, getting both the timebase knobs in the right position simultaneously.

Yes I would think abrading the tracks is a problem a scope that has been used a lot, thankfully, thats not mine, it is almost as good as new inside and you spot on with the timebase knobs/shafts they are a real pain  in the arse.

[nixiefreqq]

I actually love using my 1740A, feels nice to the touch and is beautifully liad out. It has some very nice touches internally and some crap ones as well. The rotary switches are both a clever design and bad at the same time, clever but poorly executed as they wobble all over the place when operated putting flexing action onto the boards that they plug into.

Worst feature: abrading the PCB track as they are rotated.

Second worst feature: when reassembling, getting both the timebase knobs in the right position simultaneously.

Yes I would think abrading the tracks is a problem a scope that has been used a lot, thankfully, thats not mine, it is almost as good as new inside and you spot on with the timebase knobs/shafts they are a real pain  in the arse.

maybe its an inherited trait.

in 1968 my old man was 'bout the only guy in the greater philly area to buy a racing green import called a "cortina".  what a piece of dog shit it was.  every morning before cranking it over he had to look underneath to see what had spontaneously fallen off it overnight.  the ford dealer never could make it right and finally took it back (he got a torino to replace the little green turd).

to this day he loves that damn cortina.

and I love my 1740 series scopes.