Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mnementh]

Meanwhile in Russia:

I've seen oodles of such vids based on old Briggs engines, even a Harley-Davidson, but I can't find that one now. This is the first 4-cylinder engine I've seen tho; interesting. Multi-cylinder L-head (valve-in-block) engines aren't that common anymore, aside from a cult following of the Ford Flathead V8.





We actually did this as part of my High School Auto Shop lab work back in the day tho:



mnem
 

[tggzzz]

According to Twitter, the earliest appearance of the word Pizza is in a 10th Century manuscript of magic spells. https://twitter.com/tweetistorian/status/1288371685150744577?s=21
Following the spell, you make a ‘bread pizza’ and give it to a little man who will give you a cloak of invisibility in return. Sort of like MIT...

That can't be right. If it was right it would be called "al Pizza".

[SilverSolder]

[... Ford Flathead V8 with one cylinder head removed ...]

I liked that one!  - nothing like actually seeing the magic...

[GreyWoolfe]

I am less driven to extricate the true origins of any food item - just to appreciate what is on offer to me locally at this point in history.  Why?  Simply because the global community has increased mobility and communication, allowing for greater variation in what now exists - and discerning the true development path of any given variant would, it seems, require a PhD study.

I have a local shop that offers a dish that I like.  I acknowledge the origins of that dish come from an Italian background, but it has taken on a range of global influences that has made it what it is today.  It does not pretend to be "original" or "genuine" - and it doesn't have to be for me to enjoy it ... which I do.


But this:

For me, pizza comes from the freezer

..... for the ones I have encountered from supermarket freezers ..... my response is:  No.  Just, no.   

About 2 miles from the house there is a small pizza place that makes true NY style pizza like I had growing up in New Jersey.  Thin crust pepperoni with the oil that runs down your arms and drips of your elbows.  Alas, these days pizza is no longer on the menu with our healthy eating style.  Last night's dinner of lemon turkey breast with artichokes over riced cauliflower is more of our style of eating now.  I do lament over not eating their pizza every once in a while.  Mrs. GreyWoolfe says go have a slice, one slice won't kill you.  She's funny.  That pizza is like Lay's potato chips, can't eat just one slice.  As for supermarket pizza, I would rather eat Little Ceasar's or CiCi's pizza.  Not much difference in the taste of the pizza and the cardboard it sits on.

[Kosmic]

I'll continue to be skeptical of the merits of wood-fired pizza from afar. Smoked meats, "Hell yeah!!!" however. 

Oh now I got it, it is not the smoked taste...
The only reason wood is a must, is the temperature!
We italian need about 600°C for about 45-60 seconds (yes I even timed the pizzaioli in neaples)
Of course the base need to be high in temperature as well. And keep it high, this is why you want a thick stone base as heat buffer/storage.

In other words we need a Metcal oven for pizza (short cooking time at high energy)

This is why second to wood there is only gas (nice touch with a stone base),  and electric is just as last resort.

Only after the temperature is right, I have to tell you cherry wood gives the best taste. but in such short period of time the kind of wood does not play a huge role.

Anyway I think some people wants to see some TEA and not pizza here. So I stop for now.

Huh.... so you're saying the wood fire is to crisp things after cooking on the stone?

Hmm... I'm afraid I stumbled onto your "secret" quite by accident, having owned a stone for many years; it always worked better in a gas oven, but still never able to get the crispy crust the way I like, and eventually if I kept cooking it would just turn the toppings to a rock. 

In an electric oven even the stone didn't save the top from drying out before the bottom was cooked, so I started "finishing" the pizza after cooking on the stone by first baking directly on the bottom rack at 450°F for a few minutes, then turning on the broiler for a few minutes at the end. I considered this a "fair band-aid solution", but only for "at home" baking and consumption.

I'm a fan of "thin & crispy"; if it's done right the surface of the crust will be a little bubbly and a few flaky layers. This is the closest I've ever been able to get to that at home. 

mnem

You could try to mod your oven like this guy. He has a whole series of videos on pizza 

[mnementh]

LOL... Not even gonna look at that video right now; I'd just get sucked in and I actually have stuff I need to get done. And if I were gonna hack a oven, it would be to do powder-coating, not pizza. 

mnem
 

[TERRA Operative]

Question time.

How to measure jitter on a scope (TDS784C) that doesn't seem to have an obvious delayed sweep function? Unless it's called something different and I'm too dumb to work it out......?


Also, I keep needing a spectrum analyzer, what sort of thing you you guru's suggest I look for? Preferably not a multiple boat-anchor stack of HP iron.... HP or Tek? etc?

[Kosmic]

Also, I keep needing a spectrum analyzer, what sort of thing you you guru's suggest I look for? Preferably not a multiple boat-anchor stack of HP iron.... HP or Tek? etc?

What do you need exactly (Freq range ? resolution bandwidth ?). You want something cheap ? new ? broken and you would fix it ?

[TERRA Operative]

Good question... haha.

Couple gig bandwidth I guess. I can fix if needed but I don't want the rabbithole to be too deep. 2nd hand is fine for the superior (usually) price to features ratio. If I were to buy new, I'd probably look pretty hard at a Siglent.
I mainly need it for adjusting and repairing function generators and stuff. I don't do a bunch of RF stuff at the moment, but I do want room to grow.

[ch_scr]

Good question... haha.

Couple gig bandwidth I guess. I can fix if needed but I don't want the rabbithole to be too deep. 2nd hand is fine for the superior (usually) price to features ratio. If I were to buy new, I'd probably look pretty hard at a Siglent.
I mainly need it for adjusting and repairing function generators and stuff. I don't do a bunch of RF stuff at the moment, but I do want room to grow.

A PlutoSDR and a "DIY fet probe" as frontend for signal tracing? With "SATSAGEN" software it is comfortably used as SA /w optional tracking. Up to 6GHz, new 200$. Not the right tool for IP3 measurements and the like, and you'll maybe need an adjustable attenuator for some jobs.

[Kosmic]

Good question... haha.

Couple gig bandwidth I guess. I can fix if needed but I don't want the rabbithole to be too deep. 2nd hand is fine for the superior (usually) price to features ratio. If I were to buy new, I'd probably look pretty hard at a Siglent.
I mainly need it for adjusting and repairing function generators and stuff. I don't do a bunch of RF stuff at the moment, but I do want room to grow.

Brand new, Siglent, Owon and Rigol have cheap models. I would avoid Rigol since apparently some models suffer from high phase noise.

If you have a computer around, Tektronix and Signal Hound have some nice usb spectrum analyzers. They started appearing on the used market.

Now on the used market, you will find some old models from the 90s that are somehow "portable". HP, Tek and Advantest. Hp is more desirable (and normally the most expensive). Tek are easy to repair but normally goes for less. Advantest are cheap since it look like nobody want them.

Since you are located in Japan maybe you could have a good deal on an used Advantest.

[TERRA Operative]

A PlutoSDR and a "DIY fet probe" as frontend for signal tracing? With "SATSAGEN" software it is comfortably used as SA /w optional tracking. Up to 6GHz, new 200$. Not the right tool for IP3 measurements and the like, and you'll maybe need an adjustable attenuator for some jobs.

I know what some of those words mean... hahahahaha

Most of the use cases I've come up against are measuring harmonics, I'm more after a standalone bit of gear than a PC based one, as I find myself running out of screen space with two monitors as it is.

[Kosmic]

Good question... haha.

Couple gig bandwidth I guess. I can fix if needed but I don't want the rabbithole to be too deep. 2nd hand is fine for the superior (usually) price to features ratio. If I were to buy new, I'd probably look pretty hard at a Siglent.
I mainly need it for adjusting and repairing function generators and stuff. I don't do a bunch of RF stuff at the moment, but I do want room to grow.

A PlutoSDR and a "DIY fet probe" as frontend for signal tracing? With "SATSAGEN" software it is comfortably used as SA /w optional tracking. Up to 6GHz, new 200$. Not the right tool for IP3 measurements and the like, and you'll maybe need an adjustable attenuator for some jobs.

The AdalmPluto is mostly a sdr receiver (and transmitter). When used as a spectrum analyzer, it's uncalibrated and has a lot of linearity issues. Impossible to really make a precise measurement. you get a idea though. Like with the cheap 20$ rtl-sdr 

Edit: Ha and there's no preselector on the AdalmPluto. So you're having good time trying to figure out if what you are looking at is the original signal or an image.

[Kosmic]

A PlutoSDR and a "DIY fet probe" as frontend for signal tracing? With "SATSAGEN" software it is comfortably used as SA /w optional tracking. Up to 6GHz, new 200$. Not the right tool for IP3 measurements and the like, and you'll maybe need an adjustable attenuator for some jobs.

I know what some of those words mean... hahahahaha

Most of the use cases I've come up against are measuring harmonics, I'm more after a standalone bit of gear than a PC based one, as I find myself running out of screen space with two monitors as it is.

You could start with a TinySA. Resolution bandwidth is a bit high but it's really cheap and could be a good device to start.

https://www.tinysa.org/wiki/

[TERRA Operative]

Hmm, a bit too much of a toy for my liking, also my eyes aren't up to squinting at a 2.8" 320x240 screen... Hook it to a 5" or greater screen and I might take a closer look, but I'd rather drop the cash on a HP/Tek etc, I just need to wade through the specs of all the different models...

[Neomys Sapiens]

I would definitely not recommend buying from SSB-Electronic! They supply total crap whenever it fits their business case, including the most ill-fitting, scratchy, and awkward N connectors I've ever seen!

I've noticed that their connectors have a certain Chinesium feel at times, but do you extend your judgement to the cable too?

Depends. If it is the 'Ecoflex' brand, I would not recommend it. It is mainly pandered to not-so-discerning hams and the occasional stupid and stingy company. In my opinion, it never pays to go for the lowest offer in a category.

[0culus]

Hmm, a bit too much of a toy for my liking, also my eyes aren't up to squinting at a 2.8" 320x240 screen... Hook it to a 5" or greater screen and I might take a closer look, but I'd rather drop the cash on a HP/Tek etc, I just need to wade through the specs of all the different models...

HP 856x portables* are worth looking at if you don't need any real time capabilities for your application. The 8563E is a pretty sweet 26.5 GHz box, but there were several lower end options.


*they look like a portable CRO....but are much, much heavier...but at least they have a nice big handle. 

[dl6lr]

I like the nutrition facts on the hollow state can

[Kosmic]

Hmm, a bit too much of a toy for my liking, also my eyes aren't up to squinting at a 2.8" 320x240 screen... Hook it to a 5" or greater screen and I might take a closer look, but I'd rather drop the cash on a HP/Tek etc, I just need to wade through the specs of all the different models...

On the Tektronix side of things I would try to get a 2782 or 2784 if possible. But I don't think they produced a lot of units. They are rather rare.

A little bit older there's the 2790 series. They were produced early 90s so they normally suffer from leaking surface mount electrolytic capacitors. They are easy to fix though and there's plenty of replacement parts. Some parts are also compatible with the older 490 series.

The 2750 series is the table top version of the 490 series.

The 2710 series was designed to be cheap and economic and only goes to 1.8GHz.

Then, older again there's the 490 series. Was popular early 80s. You need to check the options on those since almost everything was optional (preselector, GPIB, oven oscillator, integrated counter and so on.). The one to get would be the 494AP.

I would stop there and ignore all the older models from Tektronix.

[dl6lr]

Let me finish building my pizza wood oven in my back yard (yes done as the old times, brick by brick).

  for the oven. I am currently struggeling if I want a wood oven for baking bread, similar reason as for pizza: temperature stored in the stone (not as high as for pizza) that is released to the bread.
Best pizza I ate was in a small italian restaurant at the river of Rhein (Assmannshausen) where we were on holiday and just asking ourselves if we want to have lunch at that location, a man recommended it. And we saw our pizza went into the ovcen and not a minute later it was served to us.

[tggzzz]

Hmm, a bit too much of a toy for my liking, also my eyes aren't up to squinting at a 2.8" 320x240 screen... Hook it to a 5" or greater screen and I might take a closer look, but I'd rather drop the cash on a HP/Tek etc, I just need to wade through the specs of all the different models...

HP 856x portables* are worth looking at if you don't need any real time capabilities for your application. The 8563E is a pretty sweet 26.5 GHz box, but there were several lower end options.
*they look like a portable CRO....but are much, much heavier...but at least they have a nice big handle. 

Agreed. The Tek49x aren't bad either.

I have an 8562B and 492AP, and both stretch my arms and compress my spine and knees. Acceptable for £350 and £250 respectively

A preselector is advantageous, unless you know how to avoid images

In both, replacing PSU electrolytics is an exercise in spelunking. The HP has an amazing hinge mechanism used to get at anything. The Tek doesn't require that for most things, but getting the "end cap" off the 492 shows you just how "clever" the designers were with squeezing connectors in there

[Neomys Sapiens]

While I'll argue "K" vs "k" all day long I agree that "M" vs "m" is a complete SNAFU and a POS. Demand full refund. 

You can't have it both ways. Either you have to give in on kilo versus Kelvin, or remain eternally confused between femto, Farad and  Fahrenheit. 

He is only lenient in the 'k' vs. 'K' case because he is not allowed to dabble in things involving kK.

[Neomys Sapiens]

Looking for suggestions... I know none of us here usually need motivation to acquire more TEA, but I've been assessing my lab over the last few days and have decided that the obvious missing device on my bench is a VTVM. What VTVM would you guys recommend? Keeping in mind - It shouldn't be the size of a truck. It shouldn't be some rarity that goes for silly money. It should be relatively easy to find in Europe. It should be a device where the schematics and parts are readily available.

McBryce.

Why a VTVM and not a FET-VM?

[0culus]

Hmm, a bit too much of a toy for my liking, also my eyes aren't up to squinting at a 2.8" 320x240 screen... Hook it to a 5" or greater screen and I might take a closer look, but I'd rather drop the cash on a HP/Tek etc, I just need to wade through the specs of all the different models...

HP 856x portables* are worth looking at if you don't need any real time capabilities for your application. The 8563E is a pretty sweet 26.5 GHz box, but there were several lower end options.
*they look like a portable CRO....but are much, much heavier...but at least they have a nice big handle. 

Agreed. The Tek49x aren't bad either.

I have an 8562B and 492AP, and both stretch my arms and compress my spine and knees. Acceptable for £350 and £250 respectively

A preselector is advantageous, unless you know how to avoid images

In both, replacing PSU electrolytics is an exercise in spelunking. The HP has an amazing hinge mechanism used to get at anything. The Tek doesn't require that for most things, but getting the "end cap" off the 492 shows you just how "clever" the designers were with squeezing connectors in there

As far as Tek goes, definitely don't want anything older than the 492 for sure. Don't be fooled by the 40 GHz spec...the 491 is a poor design and has serious performance issues that they fixed with the 492. The 492 itself is still somewhat suboptimal compared to the 494 in terms of center frequency accuracy (but it fixes the problems that beset the 491).

[Kosmic]

Hmm, a bit too much of a toy for my liking, also my eyes aren't up to squinting at a 2.8" 320x240 screen... Hook it to a 5" or greater screen and I might take a closer look, but I'd rather drop the cash on a HP/Tek etc, I just need to wade through the specs of all the different models...

HP 856x portables* are worth looking at if you don't need any real time capabilities for your application. The 8563E is a pretty sweet 26.5 GHz box, but there were several lower end options.
*they look like a portable CRO....but are much, much heavier...but at least they have a nice big handle. 

Agreed. The Tek49x aren't bad either.

I have an 8562B and 492AP, and both stretch my arms and compress my spine and knees. Acceptable for £350 and £250 respectively

A preselector is advantageous, unless you know how to avoid images

In both, replacing PSU electrolytics is an exercise in spelunking. The HP has an amazing hinge mechanism used to get at anything. The Tek doesn't require that for most things, but getting the "end cap" off the 492 shows you just how "clever" the designers were with squeezing connectors in there

As far as Tek goes, definitely don't want anything older than the 492 for sure. Don't be fooled by the 40 GHz spec...the 491 is a poor design and has serious performance issues that they fixed with the 492. The 492 itself is still somewhat suboptimal compared to the 494 in terms of center frequency accuracy (but it fixes the problems that beset the 491).

The 40GHz spec is with the external waveguide mixer, the front end of the 491 is bypassed. The 491 technically goes up to 12.4GHz. With a 494 and external mixer you could go up to 325GHz 

But yeah the 491 is really different and older than the rest of the 490 series.