Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Vince]

Wow...why do I sense a strong dislike of M. Carlson ?!

Did I miss something ??  I am very new to TEA so it's more than likely that  I did ?

Been following him for a few years now, it's thanks to him that I learned the basics about tubes (young enough not to have never been taught them or exposed to them as a student...) and eventually felt confident enough one day, that I though OK let's get an old Tube Tek, I feel I know enough not to electrocute myself and understand enough of the schematics that I might stand a chance of fixing one of these beasts.... and it worked ! I bought a little type 317 and managed to fix its numerous problems, now works like a champ.

Only things I don't like about him is the constant HV security warning 10 times per video.... hey in Europe we have 400V DC in each every consumer piece of gear thanks to SMPS everywhere... does that mean we need a warning every time we want to fix a 5 Euro USB charger ?! 

Don't like either his constant "if you want to learn more about this mysterious marvelous secret ultra sensitive capacitor leakage tester of mine, just join/pay for Patreon !! ".  Yikes... are you doing your YT videos merely as a teaser to get paying "customers" because you are bored of your day job and want a full time career on-line ?! Nothing wrong with that, but please state so explicitly, be honest about it....

But well, no channel / people is perfect, so that doesn't keep me from enjoying what's on offer and what there is for me to learn.
Plus you don't have to watch each and every video... it's easy just to no click the "Play" button...

As for his huge collection of probably non working Tek scopes... well of course they don't work, how would you find the time to restore that many (+ just as many other random pieces of gear that are not shown in this video)... does that mean he should refrain from buying them ? I don't ! Have 18 of them, only the first one, the little 317 is restored... have 4 more of these 317, do I plan on restoring all of them to concourse condition ? NO !  They will stay there for parts, to maintain the restored 317 and help fix the other Tek scopes...
It's hard to find these scopes local enough that you can drive them, ever rarer to find them at a decent / reasonable price.. so when I can get hold of one, I go get it first, then think second. Because when it's gone it's gone...

Other example.. have a cool type 585A, the old one that nearly made it to 100MHz. But it's in pretty rough shape. over a year ago on the French CL I spotted a type 585 (vanilla), in GREAT shape, at least from the pic I see of the exterior... but it's a bit expensive at 90 Euros given that the seller is an ass and doesn't want to take the side panels of to take pictures of the inside, nor even consider lowering the price given we don't even know if it powers up, if the CRT and main transformer are OK or not..... but it's 250kms away from me, it's about doable with my car, both practically and financially... so I am sure at some point I will go and get it, because it's too nice to pass, and I could restore it using the bits from my crusty 585A, since 99,99999% of the scope is the same between A and non-A. Good thins about this seller being an ass is that 12+ months later, it's still not sold, ad is still on-line ! 

Does that mean I am worthless ?! 


Again not saying Carlson is perfect, but who is on this fucking planet ! 
I thought a bit of fairness would not hurt...

[bd139]

My problem with Mr Carlson, apart from the fact he looks like my friend Paul which confuses the fuck out of me, is that he does some really stupid shit:

1. Twisting SMD electrolytic caps off a board with pliers.
2. Selling designs for magic boxes with dubious credentials.
3. Living in a coffin made of Tektronix scopes if there is an earth tremor.

Plus I have to watch his videos in 1.5x speed so I don't die before the end.

[Vince]

My problem with Mr Carlson, apart from the fact he looks like my friend Paul which confuses the fuck out of me, is that he does some really stupid shit:

1. Twisting SMD electrolytic caps off a board with pliers.
2. Selling designs for magic boxes with dubious credentials.
3. Living in a coffin made of Tektronix scopes if there is an earth tremor.

Plus I have to watch his videos in 1.5x speed so I don't die before the end.

Ah OK, so nothing serious then, phew. Thought I missed.

Lack of credential is something I have always noticed on YT... if you pretend to teach people about EE, then the least is to show your resume on the "about" tab in your YT channel, so we no if we can at least reasonably believe that you know what you are talking about. But no youtuber does that, always baffles me. 

As for the coffin, well that's his problem...

Twisting SMD caps I remember a video where he explained why he preferred this method. But like you I would be too afraid of ripping pads no the boards...

x1.5 speed actually  when like me you are NOT a native English speaker, it's a PLUS ! 
Well... of course once I got used to him speaking, yes I do find it a bit slow... and also sometimes he repeats the same thing 10 times in one video, it's irritating.

His attitude regarding his mystery leakage tester is what bothers me the most indeed... but nobody forces me to subscribe to his Patreon thing so this leakage tester shall remain forever a mystery. Plus, from an engineering perspective, even though I am no engineer.... baffles me. He claims it can test caps at super low voltages... but excuse me how can you KNOW FOR SURE how a cap or anything behaves under 600V... unless you actually SUBJECT it to said voltage ! 101.....   

But again, just because something is not perfect does not mean there is no good to be taken. Why throw the baby out with the bath water ?! Or something like that, hoping it translates OK....

[BU508A]

My problem with Mr Carlson, apart from the fact he looks like my friend Paul which confuses the fuck out of me, is that he does some really stupid shit:

1. Twisting SMD electrolytic caps off a board with pliers.
2. Selling designs for magic boxes with dubious credentials.
3. Living in a coffin made of Tektronix scopes if there is an earth tremor.

Plus I have to watch his videos in 1.5x speed so I don't die before the end.

4. his repetitive explanations are annoying and tiring (to me)

I do much prefer the way, how Shahriar from The Signal Path explains things.

[mansaxel]

I won an AKG C535EB on local auction site this last weekend

To all intents and purposes an all-in-one C451EB + CK5. I've never used a C535EB but the C451EB + CK5 has been one of my favourites for more years than I care to remember. If someone waved one at me for ~95€ I'd probably stutter for how quickly I'd try to say "Take my money".

Oh, indeed. I'd do the same with the old modulars, i.e C451EB or the C460 series. Somehow not as enthusiastic over the CK391, it is simply lacking that sheen. Luckily I own a pair of KM85i that more than enough make up for that.  The input list tonight was:

1	Kick	EV PL33
2/3	OH	KM85i
4	Double Bass	Sennheiser 935
5	Guitar	Studio Projects B1
6	Sax/Clarinet	Studio Projects B1
7	Lead vocals	C 535 EB
8	Announcer	Beyerdynamic M80
9/10	SPX90 return

Everything, of course, was on black König & Meyer mike stands, and I've fixated the thread adapters with Loctite so there's only ever BSW 3/8" thread available. That UNEF 5/8" thread belongs on N connectors, it's -- IMNSHO -- a very bad stand adapter thread.

This is about as much as I can deal with on this mixer. I'd love to put my hands on a Soundcraft 200 Delta, say a 24 input frame. They're old enough that it's not all Spirit by Soundcraft cheapness; but instead they're quality through and through.

[bd139]

His attitude regarding his mystery leakage tester is what bothers me the most indeed... but nobody forces me to subscribe to his Patreon thing so this leakage tester shall remain forever a mystery. Plus, from an engineering perspective, even though I am no engineer.... baffles me. He claims it can test caps at super low voltages... but excuse me how can you KNOW FOR SURE how a cap or anything behaves under 600V... unless you actually SUBJECT it to said voltage ! 101.....   

Oh yes that's the one that gets me.

Prepared educational slide:

[Saskia]

small update:
went to bank. 10 years fixed apr 1.17% for quartermillopesos @1.5kpesos/month

Due to new legislation it is almost impossible to get a mortgage if the "official payback period" extends into your retirement.
Which means I have to work an additional year and pay it back in 10 years.
FFS.

[Vince]

Yep already mentioned his repetitiveness.

As for Shahriar , I follow him too of course.. but content is very different so can't compare.
Different style for sure., but so what ? Are all YT channels supposed to be formatted the same ?!...
As for credentials, Shariar is no better than Carlson or our Dave Jones... their YT channel/ page gives absolutely zero indication on who they are what they have done. It's only after watching dozens of videos over dozens of videos that you slowly, progressively gather who they are, and then only can you say OK they must know what they are talking about ... at least much more than I do !

Again, no particular love affair with Carlson or any youtuber, I am nit into "religious"/cult of any kind, EE or else... but just think it's fair to be fair with people and give credit where credit is due. Carlson know a lot more than the average joe about restoring old tube stuff, so I take that from him. I take what I like and discard what I am more critical about... just like with EEVBlog or TEA or politicians or my mum and dad or neighbours.. it's just life eh ?

Being 100% negative about anyone is just suspicious to me... that's all 

[mnementh]

Now this is what a real repair queue looks like. Geez I just wish I had half that space for my lab

Look what you can achieve if you don’t get married! 

I just watched that video. I feel so inadequate. 

Very surprised that there are reels of SMD, think he only do tubes. Is it a basement or the floor will collapse 

Its a basement, and he does a lot of SMD work, all of his new inventions are done with SMD, its a great channel, and he takes a lot of care to fully explain what he is doing.

Yeaaahhh... I'm telling you dude; this guy has a walk-in freezer with shelf after shelf of neatly boxed and indexed human lips.

mnem
And when nobody's watching he sits in a wing chair, smiling beatifically & dipping cookies in his tea while he listens to them sing...

Uhhh-huhhhh... Listening to him drone on aboot how amazing the climate control in his new place... I was forced to remember this post from a while back. 

mnem
Ayuppp... that's  why he needs such amazing climate control...

[Vince]

His attitude regarding his mystery leakage tester is what bothers me the most indeed... but nobody forces me to subscribe to his Patreon thing so this leakage tester shall remain forever a mystery. Plus, from an engineering perspective, even though I am no engineer.... baffles me. He claims it can test caps at super low voltages... but excuse me how can you KNOW FOR SURE how a cap or anything behaves under 600V... unless you actually SUBJECT it to said voltage ! 101.....   

Oh yes that's the one that gets me.

Prepared educational slide:

Nice sketch, didn't know about this artistic side of yours ! 

[med6753]

I have no real problem with Carlson and I usually enjoy his videos in spite of his repetition. I understand why because he realizes many beginners view his videos.

But him and I work together? No way, it would be like Clash of the Titans.   

[mansaxel]

but excuse me how can you KNOW FOR SURE how a cap or anything behaves under 600V... unless you actually SUBJECT it to said voltage ! 101.....   

Oh yes that's the one that gets me.

I'd just like to add a reality observation: There's a reason the crank Megger puts out 0,5 KV. Because nothing tests for high voltage resilience like ... drum roll ... High Voltage!

And that's why things like PAT and installation testing is done with something that approaches the actual conditions present.

[Vince]

Due to new legislation it is almost impossible to get a mortgage if the "official payback period" extends into your retirement.
Which means I have to work an additional year and pay it back in 10 years.
FFS.

I don't know how it is here in Frog land in this regard, but I guess it makes perfect sense ? I mean they make their decision based on your current income, no more than 30+% of your income. As soon as you retire your income usually drops considerably, hence that means your monthlyu payment would then represent a lot more than 30%, hence no-no. Logical.

[bd139]

Being 100% negative about anyone is just suspicious to me... that's all 

I'm 100% negative about everyone so I am never disappointed 

[med6753]

Yeah there's quantity and quality. I'd rather have a decent 7104 and some TM500 with some nice plugins and a selection of probes instead of that entire room.

True. The difference between his collection and mine is that all mine have been restored and work. Yes, I have some units squirreled away as spare part units but that's necessary to keep the working units in good order. You can bet that nearly 75% of what is sitting on his shelves need some sort of repair.

I think that you'll find that you're wrong about that ratio, I'd say that it was much nearer to 25% need some sort of repair / adjustment, most of his stuff for repair is in his other labs or on the floor like the analogue 1GHz scope.

Knowing what I know about Tek equipment you're wrong. Most of what is sitting on those shelves is obviously lab discards and I'll bet lame attempts from Hobos at Ham fests giving up trying to repair it. 

[Vince]

Being 100% negative about anyone is just suspicious to me... that's all 

I'm 100% negative about everyone so I am never disappointed 

Sounds like Louis Rossmann ! Keeps saying he is a very pessimistic person and how GOOD that is in practice, since he can only be pleasantly surprised ! ...

[Cerebus]

Plus I have to watch his videos in 1.5x speed so I don't die before he gets to the end of e-v-e-r-y  l-o-n-g  s-l-o-w  t-e-d-i-o-u-s  s-e-n-t-e-n-c-e.

TFTFY

[med6753]

Being 100% negative about anyone is just suspicious to me... that's all 

I'm 100% negative about everyone so I am never disappointed 

Yep, you suck. And so do I. There, we're even on the negative side. 

[mnementh]

...But again, just because something is not perfect does not mean there is no good to be taken. Why throw the baby out with the bath water ?! Or something like that, hoping it translates OK...

Because I have a life and things to get done, and if I had to listen to that schizophrenic flat affect droning on and on for more than 15 minutes I'd be out on a rooftop with a rifle clearing a path to perdition.

Sometimes the package is just as important as the content; there's a metric fuck ton of content out there, and I don't need to suffer such misery. I can get anything he has to offer in a dozen other places (like Dave's channel, which comes minus the plugging for mystery meat component testers that are at least 40% science fiction) without having to put up with it.

mnem

[bd139]

Being 100% negative about anyone is just suspicious to me... that's all 

I'm 100% negative about everyone so I am never disappointed 

Sounds like Louis Rossmann ! Keeps saying he is a very pessimistic person and how GOOD that is in practice, since he can only be pleasantly surprised ! ...

He's another one that pisses me off.

I had an argument with him on here once over the fitness of his repairs by suggesting that they should be used only for fast data recovery and not as a permanent solution and it's disingenuous to send someone away with bodged wires on or near carefully laid out transmission lines on boards, lest it corrupt their data quietly one day. That's not a repair, that's a DR hack. Also he has a lot of really shitty reviews on the Internet and carefully controls perception of himself and his company.

I also disagree with him on right to repair which he has been pushing consistently for ages only because it enables his business to expand into ripping off desperate consumers for repairs when the manufacturer has dumped them on the street after a year. I am a proponent of forcing the manufacturer to look after the product for the entire useful life on the penalty that they have to buy it back if they can't repair it within a reasonable time window and at the end of the life buy it back for material value and properly recycle it at their own cost. People don't want to repair their stuff - they just want it to work. Having a right to repair means the manufacturer can make their product someone else's problem. "fuck off and fix it yourself" will be the standard warranty. That's no better than today.

Hrumph 

Being 100% negative about anyone is just suspicious to me... that's all 

I'm 100% negative about everyone so I am never disappointed 

Yep, you suck. And so do I. There, we're even on the negative side. 

Someone I can finally agree with 

[Vince]

...But again, just because something is not perfect does not mean there is no good to be taken. Why throw the baby out with the bath water ?! Or something like that, hoping it translates OK...

Because I have a life and things to get done, and if I had to listen to that schizophrenic flat affect droning on and on for more than 15 minutes I'd be out on a rooftop with a rifle clearing a path to perdition.

Sometimes the package is just as important as the content; there's a metric fuck ton of content out there, and I don't need to suffer such misery. I can get anything he has to offer in a dozen other places (like Dave's channel, which comes minus the plugging for mystery meat component testers that are at least 40% science fiction) without having to put up with it.

mnem

Sure, videos are long but it's just edutainment, by definition you only watch it if you feel like it and have nothing better to do. Just like any YT channel or TV program or radio show or whatever distraction, or even more so TEA itself !  Been off TEA for 2+ weeks because... well had work to be done in the house, so didn't feel like spending time trying to keep up with the high traffic and very low SNR on TEA ! But when I feel like it and don't want to do any work on the house... well, why not have a look at TEA see what's going on there!    But will I complain about TEA's SNR ?  No, never.. it is what it is, it's up to me to do whatever I feel with it, nobody forces me ! 

[BU508A]

As for Shahriar , I follow him too of course.. but content is very different so can't compare.

I do not compare the content, different subjects, different level.
I'm comparing the presentation of both of them. While you have to be very concentrated and staying alert with Shahriar's videos,
the opposite is the case with Mr. Carlson. Listening to him makes me feel like a dumb person and it drives me crazy how
he is stretching things. Whenever I've watched a video from him I'm having the finger on my mouse to jump forward.
His explanations are for me falling in the same category as click-baiting. Teasing with something interesting and then
stretching it endlessly until it becomes uninteresting and I'm jumping forward to something more interesting, e.g. squeeze pimples.

[Saskia]

Due to new legislation it is almost impossible to get a mortgage if the "official payback period" extends into your retirement.
Which means I have to work an additional year and pay it back in 10 years.
FFS.

I don't know how it is here in Frog land in this regard, but I guess it makes perfect sense ? I mean they make their decision based on your current income, no more than 30+% of your income. As soon as you retire your income usually drops considerably, hence that means your monthlyu payment would then represent a lot more than 30%, hence no-no. Logical.

Vince: yes in general, however over here they are not allowed to factor in money from a life insurance (which is often used over here to save up some money, get a lump sum and pay off a mortgage) or from the pending sale of your old apartment or house.

I had the fixer (sorry, broker) who is offering this new house look at my apartment and got an appraisal of 140kpesos.
Cannot factor those in because I have not sold it yet. If I sell it before I buy the house I will be out on the street which I kinda dislike. If I sell it after buying the house, I would have to pay a stiff penalty for paying back early.
So it will be cheaper to take all the options for the 5% extra payback without penalty, crank up the monthly payback sum and try to get rid of the mortgage ASAP.
Good thing is that I might actually manage to get rid of the mortgage in 8 if I liquidate all my stuff (or the right person for which the US pays a bounty ...)

Oh well. Anyone in need of a Jag or a Milwaukee Iron gizmo ?

[Andy Watson]

Sure, videos are long but it's just edutainment, by definition you only watch it if you feel like it and have nothing better to do.

I liked what Carlson was presenting and he did/does cover some interesting stuff. But the last couple of videos that I attempted to watch I had to give-up. After 5-10 mins of video I was screaming at the screen "FFS stop yapping and do something."  The mystery voodoo capacitor leakage thing was the final straw for me - it became obvious that he was "playing for time" to maximise his youtube returns. And as for subscribing to his patreon to find-out what half-baked woo was on offer, it wasn't worth the 1$ (or whatever) just to satisfy my curiosity.

[tautech]

As for Shahriar , I follow him too of course.. but content is very different so can't compare.

I do not compare the content, different subjects, different level.
I'm comparing the presentation of both of them. While you have to be very concentrated and staying alert with Shahriar's videos,
the opposite is the case with Mr. Carlson. Listening to him makes me feel like a dumb person and it drives me crazy how he is stretching things. Whenever I've watched a video from him I'm having the finger on my mouse to jump forward.
His explanations are for me falling in the same category as click-baiting. Teasing with something interesting and then stretching it endlessly until it becomes uninteresting and I'm jumping forward to something more interesting, e.g. squeeze pimples.

Anyone that works for Bell labs and does videos.....you pay attention.