Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

@mnem
don't need to hide, I am fully aware that I am not a Miss World contestant. Don't intend to be. In fact, I find myself very  similar in character to Alice (the one from the Dilbert saga).

My fist of death is nothing to be sniffed at

But thanks for the quick explanation of that phrase. Had not seen that context, so...

*peeks out from behind the never-ending taco truck*

LOL... I never imagined you as the petite/wilting flower type; more like that which my mother used to refer to as "an inconvenient female". But that extended silence sortof did seem a little... pointed.

mnem
Inconvenient females are the only kind worth the effort.

[xrunner]

Fluke 8050A appeared on eBay. Unstable readings due to beer accident   

Well, we've all been there....

LOL yea, I've caught my own DMMs drinking beer when I come back to the house. I've scolded them repeatedly to no avail.

 

[mnementh]

mnem
 

[Cerebus]

@mnem
don't need to hide, I am fully aware that I am not a Miss World contestant. Don't intend to be. In fact, I find myself very  similar in character to Alice (the one from the Dilbert saga).
My fist of death is nothing to be sniffed at

But thanks for the quick explanation of that phrase. Had not seen that context, so ...

It's just a variation on the "You don't look at the mantelpiece while you're poking the fire" trope.

The version handed down to me was slightly different to the version Mnem had handed down to him and has a rather more satisfying explanation of the "coyote" element. It goes:

Sometimes you end up sleeping with someone who's so ugly that you need to put a brown paper bag over their head while you're doing it. Sometime they're so ugly that you put another bag over your own head, just in case the one they're wearing slips off. Sometimes they are so exceptionally ugly that when you wake up in the morning you chew off your own arm like a coyote rather than wake them up by trying to pull the arm out from under them.

[bd139]

Ok the TM500 collection has started with the modest purchase of an empty one slot TM501 chassis 

[mnementh]

Fluke 8050A appeared on eBay. Unstable readings due to beer accident   

Well, we've all been there....

LOL yea, I've caught my own DMMs drinking beer when I come back to the house. I've scolded them repeatedly to no avail.

 

I had that problem til I switched to Tito's. Now they're all self-cleaning. 

mnem
 

[mnementh]

Fluke 8050A appeared on eBay. Unstable readings due to beer accident   

Well, we've all been there....

Ummm... in your case, I 'spect the unstable readings are due to meeting up with a mate and "accidentally" drinking 3 pitchers of beer. Yourself.

mnem
*remembers singing the wibbly-wobbly-walky-walk song more than a few times myself*

[Robert763]

I'm going back into the eBay pit again for yet another item, more details to come if I'm successful, not wishing to ruin my chances by one of you lot bidding against me 

Is it just me, or is eBay picking up again?

Was it the Agilent/Keysignt [sic] 54622D MSO? bit grubby but a bargain at £120.

[Cerebus]

Fluke 8050A appeared on eBay. Unstable readings due to beer accident   

Well, we've all been there....

Ummm... in your case, I 'spect the unstable readings are due to meeting up with a mate and "accidentally" drinking 3 pitchers of beer. Yourself.

mnem
*remembers singing the wibbly-wobbly-walky-walk song more than a few times myself*

[Fx: googling] So, 1 pitcher = 3 1/3 imperial pints (aka proper pints)  = 1.89 L.

OK, guilty as charged; the evening's only just starting on 2 pitchers (6 2/3 pts), but in my day I probably wouldn't have stopped at 3.

[dl6lr]

Or, of course the two attached mp3s are designed to wake people up with extreme prejudice.

"Mine is the last voice you will ever hear! Do not be alarmed!"

[tggzzz]

Not having had time to look for a manual, I didn't realise those were options. Plus there's no indication of installed options on the case exterior. Opening it up shows that, as you expected, the mVdc/ohms option is not installed.

I'll get the manual, possibly replace the blue Philips electrolytics. I suspect the tweaking might be the zero offset and the scale for ranges other than 10V.

Since I got both just because they have nixies, I might have to decide whether to sell the 8300A or 8125A https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/fluke-8125a-military-dmm-teardown/msg2540730/#msg2540730

Interesting, it should have a plate on the back listing the options. I can't think why anyone would remove it.

To put on another unit they robbed the related parts out of this unit for...? 

mnem
 

Unlikely, it's a very thin foil, there's no way I can see of removing it without ruining it.

It turns out that mine has that foil, and it indicates no options, even though it has the ac voltage option.

My excuse for not seeing it was that I mentally dismissed it as boring compliance information. I was expecting something terser. Silly me.

[mnementh]

"Look again... it's on your left." *sound of rummaging* "No, your other left."

mnem
Been dere, dunnat. And sometimes I was both sides of the conversation...

[Specmaster]

I'm going back into the eBay pit again for yet another item, more details to come if I'm successful, not wishing to ruin my chances by one of you lot bidding against me 

Is it just me, or is eBay picking up again?

Was it the Agilent/Keysignt [sic] 54622D MSO? bit grubby but a bargain at £120.

Nope, I wasn't going to disclose what it was unless I won it, sadly my cheeky bid was wiped out in an instant once it got nearer to the end of the auction, kinda surprised me seeing as manuals on this item seem to be unobtainable. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/time-electronics-calibrator-type-2003-0-05-grade-/255123035734

On the other hand, I think I have enough references to ensure that my meters, even if they are not ultra-high standards, are more than sufficient for my requirements. 

[Martin.M]

yes it works.

The 1957 connected with the 2021 checks the tube exactly. TEA Time :-)



 

[tggzzz]

I'm going back into the eBay pit again for yet another item, more details to come if I'm successful, not wishing to ruin my chances by one of you lot bidding against me 

Is it just me, or is eBay picking up again?

Was it the Agilent/Keysignt [sic] 54622D MSO? bit grubby but a bargain at £120.

Nope, I wasn't going to disclose what it was unless I won it, sadly my cheeky bid was wiped out in an instant once it got nearer to the end of the auction, kinda surprised me seeing as manuals on this item seem to be unobtainable. 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/time-electronics-calibrator-type-2003-0-05-grade-/255123035734

On the other hand, I think I have enough references to ensure that my meters, even if they are not ultra-high standards, are more than sufficient for my requirements. 

IIRC those have many internal trimpots, so you can ensure your meter (singular) doesn't need to be adjusted.

[Robert763]

Hmm, put a cheeky low (<25%) offer in on an Item I've been watching on ebay for a while. It's lab equipment, not typical TE. The offer was accepted   
I'm going to get a delivery of a 128kg (yes 1/8 of a ton) bit of kit, see below. Most of the weight is lead (Pb not cable). It's obviouly for breaking, I won't even be able to lift it off the pallet
It contains a number of radiation detectors that I intend to flip. Anyone need some 12mm thick lead plate before I weigh it in?
Hopefully it won't contain any radioactive material but 3 similar unit's Ive bought still had test sources in them 

[0culus]

Hey Vince...if you get a chance can you take a photograph of the connections to the fuse holder underneath your 575? I tracked down a new one to replace the broken one in my second 575, but something looks odd about the way it's wired. I don't wanna get my other one off the cart because I'm lazy. LOL 

[Vince]

Well that's one lazy bastard we have here !

Here you go, still hot from the oven...

[bd139]

Suicide wiring 

[Vince]

What do you mean BD ?

[Saskia]

blank unisolated AC in contacts. Make you bzzzzzzt when you touch them even accidentally.

[shakalnokturn]

Suicide wiring 

Should be fine, they made sure it was on the neutral. 

Just don't blow the fuse...

[Saskia]

weight loss restarted after a our trip to Austria. 5 kg loss in 2 weeks.
which reminds me:

[Vince]

blank unisolated AC in contacts. Make you bzzzzzzt when you touch them even accidentally.

Ah that's all ? Well  all glowing Tek scopes are like that... there is 3000 or 500V DC all around the scope for you to die from, so the mere 240V AC from the power socket is understandably hardly a concern in comparison !? 

I thought BD spotted a particular wiring problem / bodge on my particular unit. Didn't think he was making a general purpose comment on all Tek scopes. My bad.

[Vince]

Suicide wiring 

Should be fine, they made sure it was on the neutral. 

Just don't blow the fuse...

? Fuse blew yesterday :

https://www.eevblog.com/forum/repair/tektronix-type-575-curve-tracer-repair-and-restoration/msg3682549/#msg3682549

I am still alive...  I still don't get what's wrong... it's wired according to the original schematic, it's just a bloody fuse in series with the AC and transformer primary, just like in any modern appliance I have ever seen.

You will have to be much more specific please, because I am really at a loss as to what bothers you here ?! 
I hate to be the one missing the elephant in the room, but...