Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

OK, I'm not getting notified when someone posts to this thread. I was assuming it was dead today. Instead it's normal activity. 


See......I never get the memos. 


I must be a mushroom. They keep me in the dark and feed me bullshit

You need a notification to let you know something was posted here?? That's like having a notification that time has elapsed! 

McBryce.

Oh go piss up a rope. 

Now all of sudden notification is working. 

[Kosmic]

Newark (North American Farnell) is having a sale on their old line of multimeters. Their Tenma in-house brand. Most of them are rebranded Uni-T but for the price it's not that bad.

Input protection seem to be OK, Got 1000V ceramic fuse, solid input jack.   

From the silkscreen it seems to be a UT-171A rebrand. Those sold for almost 3 times that (2.89, actually, at todays USD rate) at Distrelec here, so yeah, nice buy.

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/uni-t-ut171a-pictures-and-first-impressions/

From the above thread, it appears street price at release 6-ish years ago was somewhere around $160-170, so still a good discount off that. joeqsmith said he sortof liked the UT-181, which I believe was UNI-T's flagship hh meter at the time.

mnem
 

If it's like the UT61E, the Asian market version is probably not going to be the same inside

[bd139]

Tek plugin pile arrived. Grubby with added spidery goodness but as described. Very little corrosion and the important one is in pretty good condition.



Money shot of the 7CT1N. Needs some cleaning and a couple of switch springs replacing but in ok condition. No damaged knobs or controls. Will test when I get a mainframe, repair and use



The fate of the remaining plugins has to be decided. So far the following will likely happen:

7M11 - this is a monster of a plugin containing a bunch of delay lines and GR-874's. I will sell this as is.

7A15A - main knob broken. BER. This is really not very interesting. Probably strip for attenuator modules.

7A18 - channel selector knob broken. BER. Lots of good stuff inside. Strip for attenuator modules, knobs, ASICs.

7B50A - non delaying timebase. Will wait and see if it works in a mainframe or not. If it does I will sell it. If not I will strip for attenuator modules, knobs, parts.

You now have a supply of knobs for the broken ones on the 475. May not be exact match but will work.

Actually some news on that front. There’s only one broken knob on the 475 and there’s a broken looking 465 with that knob on it and some good feet finishing on eBay tonight about 20 miles past somewhere I’ve got to go anyway tomorrow. Serendipitous? We shall see.

When I strip the modules down I will bag them properly labelled with NSNs as I have a box of 1000 crack baggies here 

[Specmaster]

Of all the names so far recommended for quality test leads, Probemaster are the stand-out ones in my view, but said, I don’t see what they bring to the table over and above the leads from Fluke or the gold-plated leads from Brymen, both of which I already have. I have about 40 leads with the mini grabbers on, which work well on any new work, but are less satisfactory when being used on for measurements on old equipment under repair. This I suspect is because of the tarnishing of the leads being connected to and the lack of serrations on the grabbers to penetrate through the layers of crustiness on those legs/leads.

What I'm really looking for is a supply of adaptors for 4 mm male to 4 mm female bananas and forks to 4 mm female bananas so that I can use standard safety shrouded test leads on other meters that cannot be retrofitted with safety sockets.

Any ideas, eBay has given me a supplier of 4 mm male to female adaptors, so its the fork to female that seems to rather hard to locate.

[Bad_Driver]

for our native speakers some german sayings - more on request 

[med6753]

What I'm really looking for is a supply of adaptors for 4 mm male to 4 mm female bananas and forks to 4 mm female bananas so that I can use standard safety shrouded test leads on other meters that cannot be retrofitted with safety sockets.

Any ideas, eBay has given me a supplier of 4 mm male to female adaptors, so its the fork to female that seems to rather hard to locate.

I have those and they work well. But oddly they state 30V just like the ones you pictured. 

[Specmaster]

What I'm really looking for is a supply of adaptors for 4 mm male to 4 mm female bananas and forks to 4 mm female bananas so that I can use standard safety shrouded test leads on other meters that cannot be retrofitted with safety sockets.

Any ideas, eBay has given me a supplier of 4 mm male to female adaptors, so its the fork to female that seems to rather hard to locate.

I have those and they work well. But oddly they state 30V just like the ones you pictured. 

Yep, I already have some of the male to female one and they say 30V but I've used them on 250V with no issues, maybe that could be the makers name or something? Have you got some of the fork to females ones?

[med6753]

What I'm really looking for is a supply of adaptors for 4 mm male to 4 mm female bananas and forks to 4 mm female bananas so that I can use standard safety shrouded test leads on other meters that cannot be retrofitted with safety sockets.

Any ideas, eBay has given me a supplier of 4 mm male to female adaptors, so its the fork to female that seems to rather hard to locate.

I have those and they work well. But oddly they state 30V just like the ones you pictured. 

Yep, I already have some of the male to female one and they say 30V but I've used them on 250V with no issues, maybe that could be the makers name or something? Have you got some of the fork to females ones?

No, I don't.

[mnementh]

I keep thinking to try some of these:

https://www.amazon.ca/OuShiun-Reusable-Magnification-Glasses-Reading/dp/B0836N5CJN/

on my magnifying lamp to get just a little more magnification for those hard to read components. They're made of that cling vinyl, only supposedly optical quality and "wash & reuse" maintenance, etc.

If I come across them at "stoopit cheap" prices, I might take a chance on some. 

I have used them to add bifocals to plain sunglasses, when I needed to read a map and see infinity. They work, they aren't perfect, they have the advantage that they can be adjusted to match the glasses and your inter-pupilliary distance.

I like head-mounted visors that have multiple lenses/magnifications, since they can be used with your ordinary prescription glasses. Occasionally I get out my stereo microscope when I need to inspect something closely.

I have those too... which is why those cling lenses haven't been a priority. If I come across them at a few dollars a set, I'll prolly use them to fill out a Amazon Prime shipping minimum.

mnem
 

[McBryce]

OK, I'm not getting notified when someone posts to this thread. I was assuming it was dead today. Instead it's normal activity. 


See......I never get the memos. 


I must be a mushroom. They keep me in the dark and feed me bullshit

You need a notification to let you know something was posted here?? That's like having a notification that time has elapsed! 

McBryce.

Oh go piss up a rope. 

I thought you'd never ask! 

On a more TEA note: https://www.ebay.de/itm/353658253154 (over-priced, but maybe he/she would take an offer when they realise that no-one will buy it for that price?)

McBryce.

[beanflying]

Of all the names so far recommended for quality test leads, Probemaster are the stand-out ones in my view, but said, I don’t see what they bring to the table over and above the leads from Fluke or the gold-plated leads from Brymen, both of which I already have. I have about 40 leads with the mini grabbers on, which work well on any new work, but are less satisfactory when being used on for measurements on old equipment under repair. This I suspect is because of the tarnishing of the leads being connected to and the lack of serrations on the grabbers to penetrate through the layers of crustiness on those legs/leads.

What I'm really looking for is a supply of adaptors for 4 mm male to 4 mm female bananas and forks to 4 mm female bananas so that I can use standard safety shrouded test leads on other meters that cannot be retrofitted with safety sockets.

Any ideas, eBay has given me a supplier of 4 mm male to female adaptors, so its the fork to female that seems to rather hard to locate.

Have a trawl in Frankie's store. Not the cheapest but some oddball nicer stuff. 2mm to 2mm in particular. https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/f-t-2000/m.html

[Kosmic]

Of all the names so far recommended for quality test leads, Probemaster are the stand-out ones in my view, but said, I don’t see what they bring to the table over and above the leads from Fluke or the gold-plated leads from Brymen, both of which I already have. I have about 40 leads with the mini grabbers on, which work well on any new work, but are less satisfactory when being used on for measurements on old equipment under repair. This I suspect is because of the tarnishing of the leads being connected to and the lack of serrations on the grabbers to penetrate through the layers of crustiness on those legs/leads.

What I'm really looking for is a supply of adaptors for 4 mm male to 4 mm female bananas and forks to 4 mm female bananas so that I can use standard safety shrouded test leads on other meters that cannot be retrofitted with safety sockets.

Any ideas, eBay has given me a supplier of 4 mm male to female adaptors, so its the fork to female that seems to rather hard to locate.

Have a trawl in Frankie's store. Not the cheapest but some oddball nicer stuff. 2mm to 2mm in particular. https://www.ebay.com.au/sch/f-t-2000/m.html

Frankie's store is now completely empty for me. I don't see anything in there anymore. Look like he doesn't want to ship to Canada anymore. Too bad, he had some good items.

[beanflying]

Maybe try a .com link instead of the .com.au one  https://www.ebay.com/sch/f-t-2000/m.html?item=171162377470&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

[Kosmic]

Maybe try a .com link instead of the .com.au one  https://www.ebay.com/sch/f-t-2000/m.html?item=171162377470&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

Nah I already tried different link and it's completely empty for me. He probably has listed his items for certain regions.

[beanflying]

Excludes: US Protectorates, APO/FPO, Africa, Central America and Caribbean, Middle East, South America, New Zealand, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Macau, Philippines, Taiwan, Bermuda, Canada, Greenland, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Russian Federation, Albania, Andorra, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Republic of, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Gibraltar, Greece, Guernsey, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Jersey, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malta, Moldova, Monaco, Montenegro, Romania, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Svalbard and Jan Mayen, Ukraine, Vatican City State, Afghanistan, Armenia, Azerbaijan Republic, Bangladesh, Bhutan, China, Georgia, India, Kazakhstan, Korea, South, Kyrgyzstan, Maldives, Mongolia, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan

Yep seems a couple of suspect members of the Commonwealth are on the banned list 

[mnementh]

Jeezus... this guy is protesting against making kids wear masks in school. And the audience is cheering. And this video has gone viral.

That's right... protesting masks, not against making his children go back to school in person while we're still in the middle of a pandemic which will be a death sentence for some of them... he's protesting against even the most minimal protection against that fate.

Fucking moron.

mnem
Texas is ground zero.

[Specmaster]

That guy is clearly nuts, just the opposite of what I was saying yesterday where school kids in school here are being encouraged by UK government to not wear masks and also no more social distancing, only teachers have to maintain the 1m rule. School kids only required to wear masks in crowded places such as school buses and public transport, where they can come into contact with people that they don't normally do so.

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-covid-19-operational-guidance

[Vince]

On a more TEA note: https://www.ebay.de/itm/353658253154 (over-priced, but maybe he/she would take an offer when they realise that no-one will buy it for that price?)

A reasonable offer would be 50 Euros for parts, which is a far cry from the 500 he is asking so... I doubt he will ever sell it.

[bd139]

Damn got outbid on the local 465 

[Vince]

Damn got outbid on the local 465 

Well you have been having enough luck recently to last you about 10 years, so it's only fair the luck now goes to some other people, you can't have it ALL BD ! 

[Neomys Sapiens]

What I'm really looking for is a supply of adaptors for 4 mm male to 4 mm female bananas and forks to 4 mm female bananas so that I can use standard safety shrouded test leads on other meters that cannot be retrofitted with safety sockets.

Any ideas, eBay has given me a supplier of 4 mm male to female adaptors, so its the fork to female that seems to rather hard to locate.

I have those and they work well. But oddly they state 30V just like the ones you pictured. 

Yep, I already have some of the male to female one and they say 30V but I've used them on 250V with no issues, maybe that could be the makers name or something? Have you got some of the fork to females ones?

All by Staeubli (MC). The first adaptor for shrouded plug to non-shrouded plug is a simple one, while the next ones are fitted with a preader mechanism that ensures their locking into the jack.
Also various adaptors for shouded plugs to cable lugs.

[mnementh]

The sticker in the previous post, warning of potential cancer and reproductive harm, was on a FUCKING DRYWALL KNIFE. What the hell are Californians doing with drywall mudding tools that gives them cancer and causes reproductive harm?  Using the handle as a sex toy?  Scraping the rubberized coating off and brewing toxic tea?  There’s such a thing as going too far with ridiculous warnings, and I think this more than qualifies.  At this rate, they should just make a list of stuff that DOESN'T cause cancer on the left coast - it would probably have less than a dozen things on it.



 

-Pat

(Edit to add - I'm on the east coast in Connecticut, so it won’t cause me to get cancer or suffer reproductive harm)

High levels of chrome in the SS blade, the production of which supposedly creates hexavalent chromium which can still be present on the product after purchase. All chromed steel and non-food-grade SS products are required to carry this warning if they might be shipped to CA.

So no, being in Conn does not protect you from this, nor does it make the danger any less real... the only difference is that the governing body of CA has recognized this danger and is taking steps to warn the population.

Which would become abundantly clear if you had just arsed yourself to go to the URL so prominently placed on the sticker you are ridiculing. 

Cheers,

mnem
If you think the EPA is the problem, then you are part of the problem.

[mnementh]

The 5D lens at work:   

I keep thinking to try some of these:

https://www.amazon.ca/OuShiun-Reusable-Magnification-Glasses-Reading/dp/B0836N5CJN/

on my magnifying lamp to get just a little more magnification for those hard to read components. They're made of that cling vinyl, only supposedly optical quality and "wash & reuse" maintenance, etc.

If I come across them at "stoopit cheap" prices, I might take a chance on some. 

mnem
*toddles off for some couch tuber time widda family*

Why not just fire up your microscope? 12cm working distance with no effort and with just a tad more effort a further 5 to 10cm can be had from using it and as a result far greater magnification.

Nothing more than the convenience of having it right there. As I said, not a high priority.

mnem
 

[bd139]

Damn got outbid on the local 465 

Well you have been having enough luck recently to last you about 10 years, so it's only fair the luck now goes to some other people, you can't have ti ALL BD ! 

Yeah this is true. I get the feeling lady karma will now shoot me down. Perhaps my place will burn to the  ground 

[med6753]

The sticker in the previous post, warning of potential cancer and reproductive harm, was on a FUCKING DRYWALL KNIFE. What the hell are Californians doing with drywall mudding tools that gives them cancer and causes reproductive harm?  Using the handle as a sex toy?  Scraping the rubberized coating off and brewing toxic tea?  There’s such a thing as going too far with ridiculous warnings, and I think this more than qualifies.  At this rate, they should just make a list of stuff that DOESN'T cause cancer on the left coast - it would probably have less than a dozen things on it.



 

-Pat

(Edit to add - I'm on the east coast in Connecticut, so it won’t cause me to get cancer or suffer reproductive harm)

High levels of chrome in the SS blade, the production of which supposedly creates hexavalent chromium which can still be present on the product after purchase. All chromed steel and non-food-grade SS products are required to carry this warning if they might be shipped to CA.

So no, being in Conn does not protect you from this, nor does it make the danger any less real... the only difference is that the governing body of CA has recognized this danger and is taking steps to warn the population.

Which would become abundantly clear if you had just arsed yourself to go to the URL so prominently placed on the sticker you are ridiculing. 

Cheers,

mnem
If you think the EPA is the problem, then you are part of the problem.

Oh brother, here we go.  I think I'll go over to Home Depot and lick a dozen drywall knives.