Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cerebus]

From the "Nothing To See Here; Move Along..." Dept...

Just returned from an eyeball QSO with 25 CPS at a Tim Horton's not too far from my new place. Our meeting was... productive. 

mnem

And there’s the picture of the meeting.   It was great spending the afternoon shooting the test equipment breeze over coffee!

It just looks so....Canadian 

What? No snow, not a Maple leaf in sight, and, most concerning, not a single item of Hockey equipment anywhere. Couple of Loonies through...

[tautech]

It was great spending the afternoon shooting the test equipment breeze over coffee!

That's the bit I really enjoy too.....customers coming to collect gear and stopping for a good ol' yarn about things.

Then they ask if I'm 'that tautech guy' on EEVblog and then discussion goes full TEA.
Ya meet some nice chaps in this game. 

[mnementh]

From the "Nothing To See Here; Move Along..." Dept...

Just returned from an eyeball QSO with 25 CPS at a Tim Horton's not too far from my new place. Our meeting was... productive. 

mnem

And there’s the picture of the meeting.   It was great spending the afternoon shooting the test equipment breeze over coffee!

It just looks so....Canadian 

What? No snow, not a Maple leaf in sight, and, most concerning, not a single item of Hockey equipment anywhere. Couple of Loonies through...

Well okay... it's not like just because I moved to Canada I'm going start carrying a hockey stick and playing "kick the baby"...

mnem
Well, not in public ehhh...

[cyclin_al]

Obviously the halo was 'shopped into that pic... 

mnem
 

Well, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Conclusion: Lady Cop must have been the photographer of that picture 

[cyclin_al]

Somebody here who wants to build some death traps?

Find here some inspirations:



There are more in his video channel....         

There are still some idiots around that claim that natural selection doesnt work. 

Ooooohhh! electric cock ring!!! I'll take three!!! 

mnem
What could possibly go wrong...?

Well, each to their own, but I suppose plugging it could have a similar result to Viagra but YMMV.

That's HOT .... as in hot as a localized air fryer ... it says 6A on the plug 

[Fungus]

Somebody here who wants to build some death traps?

Find here some inspirations:

To be fair: He puts it in a plastic box at the end of the video.



Me? I'd have no idea where to find a box like that. Just like most of the other people who'll watch that video without knowing the box is a safety element (its' just to make it look pretty, it works fine without it!)

He also neglects to mention the exact number of LEDs. Is that important? Nah... and I prefer red ones anyway.

[BravoV]

Somebody here who wants to build some death traps?

Find here some inspirations:

To be fair: He puts it in a plastic box at the end of the video.



Me? I'd have no idea where to find a box like that. Just like most of the other people who'll watch that video without knowing the box is a safety element (its' just to make it look pretty, it works fine without it!)

He also neglects to mention the exact number of LEDs. Is that important? Nah... and I prefer red ones anyway.

That is the box of common electrical tape, like Scotch and etc.

[mnementh]

Somebody here who wants to build some death traps?

Find here some inspirations:

To be fair: He puts it in a plastic box at the end of the video.



Me? I'd have no idea where to find a box like that. Just like most of the other people who'll watch that video without knowing the box is a safety element (its' just to make it look pretty, it works fine without it!)

He also neglects to mention the exact number of LEDs. Is that important? Nah... and I prefer red ones anyway.

Scotch/3M Tartan electrical tape is what comes in that box. The cheaper brands don't usually bother with such a nice thick hinged one. And if you prefer red LEDs, you'll need to use 30-50% more of them or a higher value ballast resistor; they like a much lower forward voltage than green or blue.

mnem
*toddles off to ded*

[cyclin_al]

I currently have reduced the electrical part of these Dell AA23300 PSUs to this quick & dirty hack; it turns the PSU on and sets the output voltage to a nice stable 13.85-13.90V at idle. These will do up to ~14.1V before they trip OVP; this gives a little leeway to ensure stability.

I've tried multiple different attacks to slow down the idle RPM, but anything that makes any appreciable difference in the noise level causes it to go into shutdown or start doing a POST loop.

Currently exploring mechanical means of noise reduction.

mnem
 

I haven't seen one of these units before... is the fan just plain noisy or is it being driven at higher than necessary RPM?

My first idea was to swap the fan for a quieter one.  Google says it has a proprietary connector, but in theory it should not be hard to bodge the connector onto another fan.  Of course, that would go right out the window if the fan control is also proprietary.

Do you think the PSU is shutting down or POST looping since it is failing BIT with the slow fan speed, or could it actually be going over-temp with not enough air flow?  If the PSU is being over-protective and failing BIT, then how about scaling the RPM signal with a counter/divider?  We did something similar once for a rally car.  Guy bought a rally computer which expected 4 or 5 pulses per wheel revolution.  On his particular car, the wheel sensor he finally rigged up would only pulse once per revolution.  So, the signal was out of the range of calibration.  A 4x multiplier was used to get enough pulses to make the computer happy.  Accuracy was only equivalent to wheel circumference anyways which was still good enough normally (but, that is another story).  Google says the fan RPM is 3.3V signal, so that might be possible.

[cyclin_al]

Somebody here who wants to build some death traps?

Find here some inspirations:

To be fair: He puts it in a plastic box at the end of the video.



Me? I'd have no idea where to find a box like that. Just like most of the other people who'll watch that video without knowing the box is a safety element (its' just to make it look pretty, it works fine without it!)

He also neglects to mention the exact number of LEDs. Is that important? Nah... and I prefer red ones anyway.

Scotch/3M Tartan electrical tape is what comes in that box The cheaper brands don't usually bother with such a nice thick hinged one. And if you prefer red LEDs, you'll need to use 30-50% more of them or a higher value ballast resistor; they like a much lower forward voltage than green or blue.

mnem
*toddles off to ded*

I was waiting for someone to suggest using a bunch of ultraviolet LEDs.  Yeah, that would be a bright idea 

Then again, that would be totally safe in the GWN since our mains voltage is half of that.

@mnemeth, save those tape boxes if you still have any.  I have never seen them here in the GWN.  All our tape seems to be packaged in cellophane wrap.

[cyclin_al]

And now for my original reason for logging in tonight:

Does anyone know what a fair price is for a used working Fluke 8060A multimeter?
I might be able to get one locally if I am lucky.
I want *need* more multimeters, handheld or bench.
(to be honest, I should at least get some proper leads for the few I already have before getting more)

The recent inexpensive Fluke 27's available in the US were too expensive when shipping and crossing the border was factored in.

[mnementh]

I'll see if I have any of those Tartan boxes in my toolbox. 

Naahhh... not overheating. This thing is all MOSFET; virtually no heat generated at idle. It has 2 40mm fans in LO-HI compressor mode (one high volume fan direct into a high velocity fan for higher total static pressure) to get lots of cooling in a small package. Their minimum RPM is based on the idle requirements of a multi-XEON or similar server; still a considerable amount of current draw. Any quieter fan would also be slower, and would do the same thing due to lower Tach output.

I've tried several recommended mods; even scabbed in a 7808 to power them (they're PWM controlled); but like I said... anything that successfully dropped RPM to a tolerable volume also made the PSU immediately either shut down after a few seconds or go into limp/POST-loop mode.




I'm currently working on a rear housing with a muffler built in; that's what this thing is. Just my 3DP is being all kinds of a dick to me right now. Guess it didn't like being moved. 

mnem
*knocks self unconscious with a compressor mallet*

[cyclin_al]

I'll see if I have any of those Tartan boxes in my toolbox. 

Naahhh... not overheating. This thing is all MOSFET; virtually no heat generated at idle. It has 2 40mm fans in LO-HI compressor mode (one high volume fan direct into a high velocity fan for higher total static pressure) to get lots of cooling in a small package. Their minimum RPM is based on the idle requirements of a multi-XEON or similar server; still a considerable amount of current draw. Any quieter fan would also be slower, and would do the same thing due to lower Tach output.

I've tried several recommended mods; even scabbed in a 7808 to power them (they're PWM controlled); but like I said... anything that successfully dropped RPM to a tolerable volume also made the PSU immediately either shut down after a few seconds or go into limp/POST-loop mode.




I'm currently working on a rear housing with a muffler built in; that's what this thing is. Just my 3DP is being all kinds of a dick to me right now. Guess it didn't like being moved. 

mnem
*knocks self unconscious with a compressor mallet*

I am guessing the PSU is monitoring the fan RPM and expects it to be above some minimum.  So when you drop the RPM, it goes below some threshold and the PSU goes into an error state.  The counter/divider idea was to trick the PSU into thinking the RPM is in the proper range, even though the actual RPM is less.

Could you use a Signal Generator to test that theory?  Disconnect the fan RPM line and feed a generated signal into the RPM monitor, and then you can take over control of the fan.

[mansaxel]

I haven't seen one of these units before... is the fan just plain noisy or is it being driven at higher than necessary RPM?

Mostly, it is about the enclosure being two sheets of metal lower than 1.75". In those 42mm you simply can't put a horizontal-flow fan that pushes enough air to cool the PSU without revving it. 

Additional constraints come into play in the intended application, where you need to pull air in one end, and push it out the other, and you will have another unit on top, another below, and another to one side. The supplies will typically be placed in pairs for A/B supply, into 1HE computers stacked 40 to a bay frame, so there is really no alternative to create a pretty narrow high-speed jet of cooling air.

I've experienced this exact supply in a parallel super computer consisting of 442 compute nodes in 12 rack cabinets. The heat load when the moron HVAC engineer shut the cooling off to do something that did not require shutting the cooling off was impressive. Temperature rise rate more than 1° science-degree per minute, starting at 24°...

[mansaxel]

And now for my original reason for logging in tonight:

Does anyone know what a fair price is for a used working Fluke 8060A multimeter?
I might be able to get one locally if I am lucky.
I want *need* more multimeters, handheld or bench.
(to be honest, I should at least get some proper leads for the few I already have before getting more)

The recent inexpensive Fluke 27's available in the US were too expensive when shipping and crossing the border was factored in.

I paid US$70 which probably is a bit much, but it works and the display is pristine. Add GSP and the pain is obvious.

Still looking into an Israeli 27, because some of them come with the HV probe.

In reality, I should care for my bank account and wait for the Gossen unit I did buy last week. 

[bd139]

With all these things it’s not how much it costs but how much you’re willing to pay. On that front I rather like bargain hunting. It’s more fun.

[Specmaster]

With all these things it’s not how much it costs but how much you’re willing to pay. On that front I rather like bargain hunting. It’s more fun.

Exactly that, anyone can always get what they want by shelling out the dough, but getting it at a real bargain price more than doubles the fun of ownership. The other advantage of course is that you can get more great TEA items for your money.

[Specmaster]

And now for my original reason for logging in tonight:

Does anyone know what a fair price is for a used working Fluke 8060A multimeter?
I might be able to get one locally if I am lucky.
I want *need* more multimeters, handheld or bench.
(to be honest, I should at least get some proper leads for the few I already have before getting more)

The recent inexpensive Fluke 27's available in the US were too expensive when shipping and crossing the border was factored in.

I paid US$70 which probably is a bit much, but it works and the display is pristine. Add GSP and the pain is obvious.

Still looking into an Israeli 27, because some of them come with the HV probe.

In reality, I should care for my bank account and wait for the Gossen unit I did buy last week. 

I’ve never seen anything remotely worth paying the massively inflated prices for, most items from Israel look like they’ve been dragged through a swamp first.

[mansaxel]

I’ve never seen anything remotely worth paying the massively inflated prices for, most items from Israel look like they’ve been dragged through a swamp first.

The 27 would survive the swamp. That's why it's being considered. 

[bd139]

Depends. It could have been used as a projectile attached to the front of a Qassam rocket

[Specmaster]

I get your point, but why would you buy from Israel when there are meters in far better condition that appear in the UK from time to time?

[Robert763]

I'll see if I have any of those Tartan boxes in my toolbox. 

Naahhh... not overheating. This thing is all MOSFET; virtually no heat generated at idle. It has 2 40mm fans in LO-HI compressor mode (one high volume fan direct into a high velocity fan for higher total static pressure) to get lots of cooling in a small package. Their minimum RPM is based on the idle requirements of a multi-XEON or similar server; still a considerable amount of current draw. Any quieter fan would also be slower, and would do the same thing due to lower Tach output.

I've tried several recommended mods; even scabbed in a 7808 to power them (they're PWM controlled); but like I said... anything that successfully dropped RPM to a tolerable volume also made the PSU immediately either shut down after a few seconds or go into limp/POST-loop mode.




I'm currently working on a rear housing with a muffler built in; that's what this thing is. Just my 3DP is being all kinds of a dick to me right now. Guess it didn't like being moved. 

mnem
*knocks self unconscious with a compressor mallet*

I'd stick a 8 pin PIC in the circuit. measure the generated fand voltage / PWM and generate correct RPM to keep the control circuit happy. You could also use it to actually switch the fans to high speed when you need too. one of the 8 or 14 pin PICs with internal clock is more than adequate, no support components required. 

[BU508A]

And now for my original reason for logging in tonight:

Does anyone know what a fair price is for a used working Fluke 8060A multimeter?
I might be able to get one locally if I am lucky.
I want *need* more multimeters, handheld or bench.
(to be honest, I should at least get some proper leads for the few I already have before getting more)

The recent inexpensive Fluke 27's available in the US were too expensive when shipping and crossing the border was factored in.

Imho: if it is in somewhat good working condition (and looking nice and clean) I'd say something around 50 - 60 EUR.

[tggzzz]

And now for my original reason for logging in tonight:

Does anyone know what a fair price is for a used working Fluke 8060A multimeter?
I might be able to get one locally if I am lucky.
I want *need* more multimeters, handheld or bench.
(to be honest, I should at least get some proper leads for the few I already have before getting more)

The recent inexpensive Fluke 27's available in the US were too expensive when shipping and crossing the border was factored in.

I paid US$70 which probably is a bit much, but it works and the display is pristine. Add GSP and the pain is obvious.

Still looking into an Israeli 27, because some of them come with the HV probe.

In reality, I should care for my bank account and wait for the Gossen unit I did buy last week. 

I’ve never seen anything remotely worth paying the massively inflated prices for, most items from Israel look like they’ve been dragged through a swamp first.

25s are safe for use in an explosive atmosphere; I expect 27s are the same.

A swamp in Israel?

[BravoV]

I'd buy that for 25 whatevers.

Thermaltronics SHP-S handpiece will work with it. Those are 40GBP approx. Just add a cartridge and tip and job done.

Bd, look what you've done  , its your fault. Cost me about 38 bucks for both though. 

I've been a humble and loyal Hakko 936 user for years, I guess once I have the hand piece and the cartridge, I will be officially Metcal-ed ? 

Anyone has spare unused SP200 handpiece and cartridge, even used ?