Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[dl6lr]

Yesterday my Fluke 27 arrived (see photo attached). Last cal April 2009. GPETE sticker on the meter and display still had protective foil attached.
Mine has the test leads as well as the 6kV, 40kV and RF probe. And two sets of crocodile clips.
The battery had 5.2V and went right to the battery bin.
I thought the case has a nice insert for the probes but they are just floating around. Maybe designing some 3D-printed holders to be glued to the case in the future.

Compared to my Fluke 23, this is a giant.

[Neper]

It isn't just British planners, such "ticky-tacky" houses are everywhere.

Except in Germany where houses still have to be built like medieval fortresses, with the effect that fewer and fewer people can afford them.

[Robert763]

Anyone want a Marconi TF2370A SA? Free, basically working. Collection ONLY near Cambridge UK.
PERSONAL MESSSAGE ONLY

[ch_scr]

Anyone want a Marconi TF2370A SA? Free, basically working. Collection ONLY near Cambridge UK.
PERSONAL MESSSAGE ONLY

I see you started the dig proper now 
And good for you, keept at it 

[Specmaster]

Anyone want a Marconi TF2370A SA? Free, basically working. Collection ONLY near Cambridge UK.
PERSONAL MESSSAGE ONLY

Thats the equivalent of 2 boat anchors that one is   

[Cerebus]

So we are no longer Canucks in waiting; we are now US citizens only again. Even though the immigration lawyers told us we had all our LMIA stuff in order (and evidently we did), we didn't do the visitor status renewal thing correctly, and being stuck in the middle of a global pandemic was not good enough reason. We went to do the last part of the process as outlined by our lawyers; returning to the US and finalizing the LMIA at the border. However the visitor status problem borked that, and we spent 18 hours "not being detained" in the border station waiting area and our car before they told us officially to piss off back to the US.

We are at this moment regrouping just across the border in New York (no med, we're not coming to your idyllic little corner of the state), and going to visit my dad in NYC.

So short version: we're starting over. We may try the LMIA thing again depending on the results of the hearing, but by the time we get back on our feet and can think about such things, we'll probably be established somewhere close to my dad which is now my primary concern.

It was a nice, if very expensive, vacation.

mnem
*so very tired*

WTF? Well THAT sucks.

[Cerebus]

Unfortunately in Oz, smaller building blocks with mass produced houses are being pushed to reduce "urban sprawl".

Because you poor Aussies are afflicted with so little space, right? I don't know how you cope with the crushing population density there in Aus.

[Andrew_Debbie]

So we are no longer Canucks in waiting; we are now US citizens only again. Even though the immigration lawyers told us we had all our LMIA stuff in order (and evidently we did), we didn't do the visitor status renewal thing correctly, and being stuck in the middle of a global pandemic was not good enough reason.
mnem
*so very tired*

That is terrible.   Direct result of populist "keep them out" polices.


We came close to a forced move back to the US when our ILR (UK green card) application was initially turned down.

The reason:  Our most recent bank statement did not show our most recent salary deposit.  Never mind that we had given them 5 years worth of pay stubs and bank statements along with letters from HR saying we had current employment.


I had to beg the bank to generate a special statement and then have it couriered to Liverpool.   - In the end we got approval about a week before our visas expired.

[Cerebus]

Anyone want a Marconi TF2370A SA? Free, basically working. Collection ONLY near Cambridge UK.
PERSONAL MESSSAGE ONLY

More in the back of the garage than you expected? You now realise that you have an embarrassing number of SAs? 

[Cerebus]

That is terrible.   Direct result of populist "keep them out" polices.

Possibly not. I've known several people who have emigrated from various bits of Europe to Canada. They all found the immigration process irksome, but because of its bureaucratic rigidity and insistence on dotting every i and crossing every t no matter how trivial, not because they felt it was slanted against them. All a few years ago so things might have changed.

All the Canadians I've know seem pretty welcoming of immigrants no matter where they are from. Although there was an undercurrent of dislike towards rich Chinese who started turning up as China liberalised economically. The thing that was always mentioned was that the Chinese they seemed to form rich 'ghettoes' which didn't seem to be a thing with any other immigrants. Richmond in BC is an example of the phenomenon. Not so much a "coming over here taking our jobs" thing as a "coming over here buying our property, pushing up prices" thing.

[Andrew_Debbie]

More 74188 PROM Burner . . .

Other prom programmers I've seen on the web use dip switches for the address.     I decided to borrow a bit from the Dana 5100 design and use up/down counters for the address.

Modern Max16054's provide switch de-bounce.




Octal address display.

[Robert763]

Anyone want a Marconi TF2370A SA? Free, basically working. Collection ONLY near Cambridge UK.
PERSONAL MESSSAGE ONLY

More in the back of the garage than you expected? You now realise that you have an embarrassing number of SAs? 

I haven't got to the back of the garage yet. I've not even got to the first of 4 racks pushed together  the back 
The 2370A wasn't even in the garage. IT would go in ebay but was givn to me so I feel it should be passed on for free.
I currently have 5 RF spectrum analysers not including the 2370A so more than enough.

[Andrew_Debbie]

I would come get the TF2370A  if I could justify having one.

Not something I would use often, if ever.   In the end I'd have to pass it on and I don't know who would be willing to drive to Anglesey to collect it.

[capt bullshot]

Octal address display.

Open pins on 'LS logic pull themselves to "high", so you'd better ground them as required

[Andrew_Debbie]

74188,  data readout in octal and the programming switches. 

Ground data out line and run the programming pulse sequence  to blow fuse.  All other lines must be pulled high through 3.9k resistors.   The '188 must be programmed one bit at a time!    I could automate byte at a time programming but it hardly seems worth it for one chip.

The data book says to program one bit, then verify it worked.  For bits that fail, repeat up to three times.   

[Andrew_Debbie]

Open pins on 'LS logic pull themselves to "high", so you'd better ground them as required

Yes.  I need to check all the no connects.     Not quite done yet.

[Andrew_Debbie]

Open pins on 'LS logic pull themselves to "high", so you'd better ground them as required

Thanks btw.  I missed a few important ones.

[Specmaster]

Only in America could this sort of thing happen, or am I wrong on that???

https://allthatsinteresting.com/marvin-heemeyer-killdozer

[BU508A]

[expensive adventure in the GWN]

I'm wishing you and your family good luck and I hope, your next try will be a success.

[0culus]

Only in America could this sort of thing happen, or am I wrong on that???

https://allthatsinteresting.com/marvin-heemeyer-killdozer

Nah, similar contraptions (though not usually based on a bulldozer) are built by militant groups in certain parts of the world in order to improve survivability of their S/VBIEDs. Only has to last long enough for the bomber to detonate though, and it has the added side effect of creating more shrapnel when the armor material spalls. Nice, huh?

[mansaxel]

It was a nice, if very expensive, vacation.

Aw, fuck.

[ch_scr]

It was a nice, if very expensive, vacation.

*Sheds a tear for the newly completed dragon cave work area*
Godspeed Dwagon...

[Per Hansson]

This went up last week but no bids so it was relisted, thought I'd post here if anyone from Sweden is curious to have a space heater for winter!
I don't know the seller or have any relation at all with the thing, I'm just trying to tell myself to not buy it lol

https://www.tradera.com/item/340196/511122660/tektronix-type-535-oscilloscope-vintage

[Neomys Sapiens]

So we are no longer Canucks in waiting; we are now US citizens only again. Even though the immigration lawyers told us we had all our LMIA stuff in order (and evidently we did), we didn't do the visitor status renewal thing correctly, and being stuck in the middle of a global pandemic was not good enough reason. We went to do the last part of the process as outlined by our lawyers; returning to the US and finalizing the LMIA at the border. However the visitor status problem borked that, and we spent 18 hours "not being detained" in the border station waiting area and our car before they told us officially to piss off back to the US.

We are at this moment regrouping just across the border in New York (no med, we're not coming to your idyllic little corner of the state), and going to visit my dad in NYC.

So short version: we're starting over. We may try the LMIA thing again depending on the results of the hearing, but by the time we get back on our feet and can think about such things, we'll probably be established somewhere close to my dad which is now my primary concern.

It was a nice, if very expensive, vacation.

mnem
*so very tired*

Wait, what? So you can't go back to the house where you just settled in?? This isn't mere shit, this is the devils' bloody diarrhoea! Best wishes for getting that resolved!

[Brumby]

Unfortunately in Oz, smaller building blocks with mass produced houses are being pushed to reduce "urban sprawl".

Because you poor Aussies are afflicted with so little space, right? I don't know how you cope with the crushing population density there in Aus.

Space isn't the problem.  From what I've noticed, the utility providers aren't keen in spending a whole lot of money developing new infrastructure, but - more importantly - upgrading existing infrastructure to provide additional capacity.

The fun part of this is they still think it's OK to increase the demand by allowing higher density occupation in established areas.  Villa and townhouse developments are springing up wherever there is land enough to fit them easily squeezing 20 families into a space that previously supported 3.  Approvals for granny flats (separate building in the backyard) are much easier to get than 20 years ago.