Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

Subject: Tools. It is my policy that my tools are not to be borrowed unless I go along with it. In many cases that pauses the potential "borrower" and they go else where. Been down that road before and I learned my lesson. I've even had someone have the audacity to ask if they could borrow my car.  But they got shut down real quick when they discovered it was a stick shift. The moron couldn't drive one.  Luckily all those ugly days are far in the past. 

Subject: Burn-ins. There's a good reason why I do them. The previously 100% functional 2430 took a crap out. On boot up a solid 4 digit fail. I haven't had a chance to really investigate it but it appears to be a calibration check issue with channel 1. Will dive into it further next week. Good thing I have the parts mule. It appears I'm going to need it.

Other stuff: The order of beaded tants for the 475A showed up. Next week I'll start to replace them then cal check the attenuator decks.

[tggzzz]

2 If the possibilities are either conspiracy or cock-up, go for the cock-up every time.

As an engineer, cause and effect is innately appealing, and random chaos is and unpleasant thought. I suspect many others, both engineers and mundanes, have similar feelings.

But in the real-world, cockups are the usual explanation, and random chaos is often beneficial (look at comms theory and practice) to the extent that there's a useful aphorism. "If it is possible to optimise, then optimise. If not possible, then randomise".

[bd139]

Oh joy we have one of those ebay buyers on the radar. Takes a week to pick up the item from the post office then complains it doesn't work when it clearly does. I suspect they used it for what they wanted to use it for and now want to send it back.

Am setting all my other auctions to spares/repair only!

[PrecisionAnalytic]

The order of beaded tants for the 475A showed up. Next week I'll start to replace them then cal check the attenuator decks.

I still have the Shopgoodwill.com 7904 and 475A I need to work on.  I did power on and test a little the 475A and other than smells like a machine or maybe auto shop... seems to be working so far.  The 7904 and modules are still in a box. Figured I need to learn more electronics and RF engineering to repair and modify before I get into working with the analog system more.

Returns are for losers... unless they got defrauded by counterfeit junk or sold not what was claimed.  Then politely ask for a refund.  If it's sold for parts... it's probably parts. 

Strange though is when the item can be bought from the Goodwill Store and you buy it on eBay for like 10 to 100 times more than the Goodwill Store sold for most likely.  I figure someone is earning an honest living in those situations.

Suck it up if it sold for less a few days later. 

Deal with the fact you didn't buy it when it was so unbelievably cheap and you knew that was the one.  ~$100 SG504 moment.

[worsthorse]

Oh joy we have one of those ebay buyers on the radar. Takes a week to pick up the item from the post office then complains it doesn't work when it clearly does. I suspect they used it for what they wanted to use it for and now want to send it back.

Am setting all my other auctions to spares/repair only!

that sucks and is why i have not started selling on ebay. every test equipment seller i know has way too many stories like that. makes it hard on legit buyers, too, because it obfuscates valuable information. of course, CL and hamfests come with their own quirks...

[bd139]

To be fair it’s the first one I’ve had for a couple of years.

Hamfests are the worst. Best to assume everything is knackered and has been futzed with by a muppet with a slightly too hot soldering iron. I’ll only ever pay the “broken value” at them which is basically how much I can get on eBay for all the bits I can see aren’t broke! 

[0culus]

As promised, HP calcnuttery photos.  The 15C came this morning, and it looks great sitting next to my 16C. I guess now this means I need to complete my Voyager collection. 

[bd139]

Excellent. Thanks for posting. This thread is the pinnacle of the internet 

[chris_leyson]

Bought my first BLDC, Microchip AC300022, Hurst DMA0204024B101. Really sweet 30 ozin torque and no detent torque. It's going to drive a rotary dancer arm for a small coil winder and hopefully I can control the wire tension from 25g to 500g depending on how I "wire up the pulleys". I could use it as a small torque wrench so it counts as test equipment.

[Specmaster]

Oh joy we have one of those ebay buyers on the radar. Takes a week to pick up the item from the post office then complains it doesn't work when it clearly does. I suspect they used it for what they wanted to use it for and now want to send it back.

Am setting all my other auctions to spares/repair only!

that sucks and is why i have not started selling on ebay. every test equipment seller i know has way too many stories like that. makes it hard on legit buyers, too, because it obfuscates valuable information. of course, CL and hamfests come with their own quirks...

Yeh, the problem there is course is the price will fall like a stone so you'll be giving everything away[emoji24]

[0culus]

Excellent. Thanks for posting. This thread is the pinnacle of the internet 

Indeed! 

Marc playing with a high speed gyroscope, related to the AGC project. Man if the bearing were to seize and that thing were to fly apart, I don't think those safety glasses would cut it. 

[malagas_on_fire]

Big day in LIDL on leftovers locally. got some pll radio 2E which can be used to discharge batteries ;  scisors 1, shelf for medication that can be used to store components , screws 1E and apart from the promotion a small zoomable flashight 3.99E ( E = Euross: )  that uses one AAA batt, claims 5W cree led

[bitseeker]

I would love to, but I have promised the unit as a door prize for my radio club's buy and sell.
Rob

No problem. Had to at least try for one.

[ArthurDent]

post #27248

"I just received the Fluke 8840A after some SAD.  Paid ~$50 total US."

I bought a Fluke 8842A at a fleamarket that looked in excellent condition but the seller said it had problems and was asking $20. They had removed the smoked display cover to use on another unit but other than that it looked great. They explained the problem was that the meter gave an error on A.C.. I talked them down to $16 and when I got it home found that it was within specs and that the A.C. option wasn't installed and that explained the error 30 it was displaying when you tried to use the A.C. function. I cut a piece of smoked plastic from an old HP counter to cover the display that looks halfway decent and now have a good back-up bench DMM.

[mnementh]

https://youtu.be/85cL1HisrNc

mnem
 

[Martin.M]

http://www.wellenkino.de/video/54601a-7475a.mp4

 

[nixiefreqq]

hamfests are the devils playground!!!!

went to one down in Maryland this morning having taken a pledge not to touch.

came home with a freaking 7 segment led counter.  it is the only one I will admit to owning (with leds that is), and is ugly as sin.  (looks to me like a turtle had sex with a shoe box).  but except for one stuck slide switch it worked 100%.  in the picture it is counting a 456.789 Mhz signal from an hp 8640b.

tried to resist the hp power supply.....but it was so damn cute.  (and I actually thought to myself....WWND?)

the up side was that there was not much really to fix.  so after the fest crap was wiped down the bench was empty it was time to tackle the 3 each hp 5255a units that were all wonky and just taking up space in the "needs attention" stack.  did some board swapping, and between the 3 of them one is now working like a new one.  the pic shows a 5.9 Ghz signal from the crap rf explorer generator.  (the error is in the generator not the counter or heterodyne converter).



 

[Martin.M]

this was a hard repair and restoration.
The cute Krohn-Hite is a Wien-Robinson with high selected parts.

[0culus]

this was a hard repair and restoration.
The cute Krohn-Hite is a Wien-Robinson with high selected parts.

Nice!!! BTW if you still want that Tek 7M13 plugin, I've still got it. PM me.

[Housedad]

hamfests are the devils playground!!!!

went to one down in Maryland this morning having taken a pledge not to touch.

came home with a freaking 7 segment led counter.  it is the only one I will admit to owning (with leds that is), and is ugly as sin.  (looks to me like a turtle had sex with a shoe box).  but except for one stuck slide switch it worked 100%.  in the picture it is counting a 456.789 Mhz signal from an hp 8640b.

tried to resist the hp power supply.....but it was so damn cute.  (and I actually thought to myself....WWND?)

the up side was that there was not much really to fix.  so after the fest crap was wiped down the bench was empty it was time to tackle the 3 each hp 5255a units that were all wonky and just taking up space in the "needs attention" stack.  did some board swapping, and between the 3 of them one is now working like a new one.  the pic shows a 5.9 Ghz signal from the crap rf explorer generator.  (the error is in the generator not the counter or heterodyne converter).

Nice stuff!  Cool. 

I never remember to check for hamfests around me and have not ever gone to one.    I'm in South Jersey just across the river from the Philly airport.  So not too far from you, apparently.  Any of them around here you think is the best?  There is one coming in Mullica Hill, NJ in September, and it's less than 5 miles away.

[0culus]

Had some time today to dive into the HP 15C owner's handbook. This little calculator is incredibly powerful. Sure it's not as fast as my modern HP calcs, but the user satisfaction level is through the roof. 

[nixiefreqq]

hamfests are the devils playground!!!!

went to one down in Maryland this morning having taken a pledge not to touch.

came home with a freaking 7 segment led counter.  it is the only one I will admit to owning (with leds that is), and is ugly as sin.  (looks to me like a turtle had sex with a shoe box).  but except for one stuck slide switch it worked 100%.  in the picture it is counting a 456.789 Mhz signal from an hp 8640b.

tried to resist the hp power supply.....but it was so damn cute.  (and I actually thought to myself....WWND?)

the up side was that there was not much really to fix.  so after the fest crap was wiped down the bench was empty it was time to tackle the 3 each hp 5255a units that were all wonky and just taking up space in the "needs attention" stack.  did some board swapping, and between the 3 of them one is now working like a new one.  the pic shows a 5.9 Ghz signal from the crap rf explorer generator.  (the error is in the generator not the counter or heterodyne converter).

Nice stuff!  Cool. 

I never remember to check for hamfests around me and have not ever gone to one.    I'm in South Jersey just across the river from the Philly airport.  So not too far from you, apparently.  Any of them around here you think is the best?  There is one coming in Mullica Hill, NJ in September, and it's less than 5 miles away.

my advice is that you stay away from hamfests.  no good can come from getting sucked into this swirling vortex of crazy.  they don't call it a rabbit hole for nuthin'. 

am located near gettysburg and have never been motivated to drive all the way to the delaware valley just to feed my addiction.  (todays fest was in frederick md).


hey oculus.....looked and looked at those calculators of yours.  can't seem to find an = key on either one of them.  maybe they fell off?

[0culus]

= key? = key?? I DON'T NEED NO STINKIN' = KEY!!!!!!

 

[Neomys Sapiens]

@Oculus: There's a matching ugly voltmeter to that counter. We should point him to one. That should keep NF occupied, so that he doesn't go looking for keys that did never belong there. Oh, and have someone put up a sign 'turtlepark' in his driveway.

[0culus]

I'm down for more TEA, vicarious or otherwise!!