Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[m k]

Don't know about anyone else on here, but I'm very dissatisfied with the price of this digital VOM, 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313870712122


David

Hmmm that's a weird / interesting unit you have here ! It bears TWO differetn HP logos and model numbers ?!
There is one for the upper half of the instrument that says "Display" and another badge for the lower half, the meter itself ! 

Does that mean HP sold the instrument without display, just the lower half part, and it was up to the buyer to buy the top / display half of the instrument ?! 

But the design is not modular... a single case for both halves...  and what's the point of selling a voltmeter with no display ? It's not usable...

Help me.... understand...  the concept here.... 

They top & bottom halves do indeed separate, there was a choice of 4.5 or 5.5 digit display modules and various lower modules for DVM, D-VOM, DMM and even a thermometer module.
None of mine came with the obscene price tag though, have two working 34740A display, a broken 34750A display, two working 2802A thermometer modules and a broken 34702A D-VOM module.


They made a counter system in the same way, 6 or 8 digit display, with choice of counter, universal counter and a DVM module for that. Haven't got a pic of mine, but its only the 6 digit 5300A with 10MHz 5301A counter module.

David

Thank you very much ! 

(just in case)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393640886003

[WKibler]

Looked at my lab the other day and realized I had unintentionally separated all my Tektronix gear from my HP gear to either sides of the room. It just sorta happened. There was one Tek AWG with the HP gear and, sure enough, it had escaped to the Tek side of the room by the end of the day.

Also as a warning to everyone, stacking an 11302 on a DSA602A can break a folding table.

[med6753]

Don't know about anyone else on here, but I'm very dissatisfied with the price of this digital VOM, 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313870712122


David

Hmmm that's a weird / interesting unit you have here ! It bears TWO differetn HP logos and model numbers ?!
There is one for the upper half of the instrument that says "Display" and another badge for the lower half, the meter itself ! 

Does that mean HP sold the instrument without display, just the lower half part, and it was up to the buyer to buy the top / display half of the instrument ?! 

But the design is not modular... a single case for both halves...  and what's the point of selling a voltmeter with no display ? It's not usable...

Help me.... understand...  the concept here.... 

They top & bottom halves do indeed separate, there was a choice of 4.5 or 5.5 digit display modules and various lower modules for DVM, D-VOM, DMM and even a thermometer module.
None of mine came with the obscene price tag though, have two working 34740A display, a broken 34750A display, two working 2802A thermometer modules and a broken 34702A D-VOM module.


They made a counter system in the same way, 6 or 8 digit display, with choice of counter, universal counter and a DVM module for that. Haven't got a pic of mine, but its only the 6 digit 5300A with 10MHz 5301A counter module.

David

Thank you very much ! 

(just in case)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393640886003

When I click on your link it sez in bold red letters that it does not ship to the US.

But where is it located? In San Diego USA.

D'OH. 

[tggzzz]

But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

Both I and my ex have the same wierd problem when driving on the wrong side of the road.

Navigation instructions to "turn right/left" are inverted. It seems our brains are wired that turning right means crossing the oncoming traffic. We had to switch to "go your way" and "go my way".

The real danger points weren't when there was traffic around, but when there wasn't - especially when leaving a car park or petrol station. That's when we might slip into "inappropriate" habits.

[Andrew_Debbie]

That's a cool looking LR.  But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand.
But I sure was glad when I turned the rental back in with no damage or bruised ego.     

Shifting the 110 smoothly was not easy.  With practice, Debbie and I both got good at it. 


I can spot American tourists a mile off.  They are all driving far to the left and occasionally hit walls on the left.

The roads here are narrow.  Here is a video I made in 2009.  Camera was mounted between the seats in our 2005 Vauxhall Combo van.





I didn't have any trouble changing over to left hand shifting when we moved here in 2007.    I did have to take months of driving lessons before I was ready to pass the test though.  I had to unlearn years of habits that would be marked as faults on the practical.

--> https://www.gov.uk/driving-test/what-happens-during-test
--> https://www.gov.uk/guidance/national-standard-for-driving-cars-and-light-vans-category-b



 

[SilverSolder]

But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

Both I and my ex have the same wierd problem when driving on the wrong side of the road.

Navigation instructions to "turn right/left" are inverted. It seems our brains are wired that turning right means crossing the oncoming traffic. We had to switch to "go your way" and "go my way".

The real danger points weren't when there was traffic around, but when there wasn't - especially when leaving a car park or petrol station. That's when we might slip into "inappropriate" habits.

I've gotten used to flipping from one side to the other.  But I still sometimes make mistakes if there are no other cars on the road to remind me which side we're on! 

[tggzzz]

But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

Both I and my ex have the same wierd problem when driving on the wrong side of the road.

Navigation instructions to "turn right/left" are inverted. It seems our brains are wired that turning right means crossing the oncoming traffic. We had to switch to "go your way" and "go my way".

The real danger points weren't when there was traffic around, but when there wasn't - especially when leaving a car park or petrol station. That's when we might slip into "inappropriate" habits.

I've gotten used to flipping from one side to the other.  But I still sometimes make mistakes if there are no other cars on the road to remind me which side we're on! 

Yes indeed. If I'm on a narrow road and a car is coming the other way, I have to hope I swerve to the correct side

Not had any problems so far, and that includes driving in Palermo and the countryside, where the majority of the cars have evidence of collisions. The trick there is to do anything sensible, but ensure other drivers can predict where you will be.

[Kosmic]

I was doing a bit of maintenance on the ESI DS1464 (switch contact cleaning and lubricating) and decided to take some pictures. Always fun to look at those old wirewound resistors.





Interestingly they decided to go with a different style of resistors for the 100k / step range. 100k\$\Omega\$ wirewound on mica resistor would have been probably too big for the enclosure­.

[mnementh]

ebay tat time.   HFM?!?   

For those playing along at home: eBay auction: #154830257268

Honestly, given how popular these scopes are, even at that price ($109.00 shipped to the US) lot of assache saved for the money. A nice little cottage industry for a niche market, as it were.  It would be nice if the cells were at least included, but then the shipping would increase exponentially, so... 

mnem
 

Circuit seems to be based on or is, the design mentioned in this thread  ; https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/li-ion-battery-pack-for-tektronix-222-and-224/msg951854/#msg951854   Bet the case is also on here somewhere, for those with 3Dprinters.  Having cells included might be a problem for some postage companies.

David

That case is a derivative of the one I designed, you'll find it on thingiverse.

I might even have some spare PCB's floating around if anyone is interested.

Attributions and more information
Circuit board design based upon the work of Kitsune-Denshi. licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Case design based upon the work of NearFarMedia on Thingiverse licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Yeah; the listing gives credit to you and Kitsune-Denshi; good work. 

Did you design a complete PCB or is Kitsune-Denshi using your design for that as well? The original project looks like a 3DP shell with a Chinesium commodity 3S 18650 BMS PCB and similar buck converter module.

mnem

[mnementh]

I'm glad this worked for you. The difference for me is that I'm not yet diabetic,glad to hear that.  Ketosis can turn to ketoacidosis which can be fatal to diabetics.  A friend just spent 3 days in intensive care due to it, she was lucky she came out of it. and if I'm going to stay that way, the low-carb diet (diet as in what you eat, not as in some fad to make you feel better about being fat)wish I had a dollar for every pound I've lost and gained back due to diets.  We could pay off the car note. has to become my lifestyle permanently.and that is the truth.
 No one can fix their weight issues if they can't fix their head and wrap their minds around permanent long term changes.  It must be about the long game and not instant gratification as we have learned the hard way over the years. And that I've actually done the Dub-Dub, and it did not work for me.Very sorry to hear that the Dub-Dub didn't work for you.  Just shows we all have to find our own path.

I've been there, and I've achieved my goal twice before, and I've let bouts of depression over life changes take over my eating habits. I hope that I can make it stick this time; but the truth is, I don't have time. I'm morbidly obese, and I need to lose at least another 20 kilos in the next 6 months. Period.Depression sux, been there, done that and wore out the t-shirt as it took a few years to get my head screwed back on straight.  Still don't know why Mrs. Greywoolfe didn't kick my tail to the curb.  I am thankful she didn't.

Cheers,

mnem

I wish you the best on your journey, my friend.  I have walked the same path as you and am still working to find the end of the road.  I would be more than happy to stand with you and provide moral support if needed.  There have been many that have lifted and held me up over the years and I would be a poor friend if I didn't pay that forward.

Yes, there's a lot of parallel in our weight loss journeys.

I'm hoping that I can actually get a handle on this before I actually become diabetic; my wife has been for several years and I fear for her and the massive doses of metformin she's taking. If things ever die down to a dull roar in our lives, I do intend to start again with the loving nagging that is how she broke me of the cigarillo habit. IT WORKS. But right now, she is under so much pressure, any such pilón (usage?) would likely break her brain. So the best I can do ATM is to remind her occasionally and try to be the good example she and kids need.

Thanks for the offer of support. You may regret extending it; weight loss and moving are some of the most stressful situations people can face. Remember that as with all things in life... the important thing is not the road, or finding the end of it... but the journey. 

mnem
1000x THIS. Word for word.      *nods knowingly*

[mnementh]

   On another front... I'm having a bit of a fab & repair problem with my BBQ grill. I have a couple of the valves which have suffered impact damage; after two days of searching, it appears this valve is manufactured of weapons-grade unobtanium. 🤣   This little iron casting supports the knob shaft, which is separate from the brass casting which houses the cone valve. It would be a simple thing to whip out a replacement on a lathe...      ....until you look at the business end. This interlock is what turns the cone valve slug in the brass casting still on the grill. Replicating that turns this project exponentially more complicated. I am seriously considering this as my first actual Lost PLA 3DP project...

mnem
🙀

That's definitely not a job for PLA. I assume the area gets quite hot too?

McBryce.

Lost PLA. You make a model of PLA and use it to make a sand-casting mold, into which you then pour molten metal that vaporizes the PLA into the casting sand. Not sure how well such a small mass would work with the process, however. 

mnem
 

[mnementh]

...
First is the firmware; how new a firmware version you can get is directly dependent on the PCB in question.
...
The newer firmware versions are for newer processors with more ROM,
...

...

...

FTFY

However ... while the construct "firmwares" grates (and awkwardly, IMHO), it is, rather unfortunately, understandable.  This will condemn us all to have to deal with it becoming part of the language at some point down the track.

Such corruptions of the language do make me sigh.  TXT speak being another.

LOL... we discussed-ed that explicitly a little later in thread... we'll wait for you to catch up . And yes, I have decided that being dragged kicking and screaming into accepting it is far too much wasted energy.   



mnem
I'm lying... of course we won't wait; this place is as close to IRC chat as you're going to get on a BBS...

[mnementh]

Huh... this came up in my feed after hunting up the snippet above. The idea of a Jetzon build on this platform is actually interesting, but a bit too much $ $ $ just for curiosity's sake.

EDIT: Heh! Sick minds think alike... We have the same framed poster. SWMBO got it for me.



mnem
Dammit... I can't have muh  ...

[TERRA Operative]

ebay tat time.   HFM?!?   

For those playing along at home: eBay auction: #154830257268

Honestly, given how popular these scopes are, even at that price ($109.00 shipped to the US) lot of assache saved for the money. A nice little cottage industry for a niche market, as it were.  It would be nice if the cells were at least included, but then the shipping would increase exponentially, so... 

mnem
 

Circuit seems to be based on or is, the design mentioned in this thread  ; https://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/li-ion-battery-pack-for-tektronix-222-and-224/msg951854/#msg951854   Bet the case is also on here somewhere, for those with 3Dprinters.  Having cells included might be a problem for some postage companies.

David

That case is a derivative of the one I designed, you'll find it on thingiverse.

I might even have some spare PCB's floating around if anyone is interested.

Attributions and more information
Circuit board design based upon the work of Kitsune-Denshi. licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Case design based upon the work of NearFarMedia on Thingiverse licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

Yeah; the listing gives credit to you and Kitsune-Denshi; good work. 

Did you design a complete PCB or is Kitsune-Denshi using your design for that as well? The original project looks like a 3DP shell with a Chinesium commodity 3S 18650 BMS PCB and similar buck converter module.

mnem

Kitsune-Denshi (electric fox in Japanese ) is solely responsible for the PCB, I just made my PCB's directly from his design.
I then made the 3D printed enclosure as kitsune-denshi's was made from laser-cut acrylic and I don't have a laser cutter.

[mnementh]

Awesome... it's great when a collab like this can benefit all of TEAnonymous.     Bring more please. 

mnem
*toddles off to look at Linus doing LINUX*

[Cerebus]

That's a cool looking LR.  But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

But I sure was glad when I turned the rental back in with no damage or bruised ego.     

To me that's not the weird bit, clearly my brain is wired for symmetry because it expects the gear lever to be in the centre of the car and so no adjustment is necessary. However, not mirroring the pedals when everything else has been mirrored is the bit that causes me cognitive dissonance.

[factory]

Don't know about anyone else on here, but I'm very dissatisfied with the price of this digital VOM, 
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/313870712122


David

Hmmm that's a weird / interesting unit you have here ! It bears TWO differetn HP logos and model numbers ?!
There is one for the upper half of the instrument that says "Display" and another badge for the lower half, the meter itself ! 

Does that mean HP sold the instrument without display, just the lower half part, and it was up to the buyer to buy the top / display half of the instrument ?! 

But the design is not modular... a single case for both halves...  and what's the point of selling a voltmeter with no display ? It's not usable...

Help me.... understand...  the concept here.... 

They top & bottom halves do indeed separate, there was a choice of 4.5 or 5.5 digit display modules and various lower modules for DVM, D-VOM, DMM and even a thermometer module.
None of mine came with the obscene price tag though, have two working 34740A display, a broken 34750A display, two working 2802A thermometer modules and a broken 34702A D-VOM module.


They made a counter system in the same way, 6 or 8 digit display, with choice of counter, universal counter and a DVM module for that. Haven't got a pic of mine, but its only the 6 digit 5300A with 10MHz 5301A counter module.

David

Thank you very much ! 

(just in case)

https://www.ebay.com/itm/393640886003

When I click on your link it sez in bold red letters that it does not ship to the US.

But where is it located? In San Diego USA.

D'OH. 

Same item with US shipping and silly price UK shipping ($176.93), think they can piss up a rope. 
Not sure why it's not showing zero with no input either, as the description states it does.
And note the PSU is a DC-to-DC converter which is a pig to work on if it fails.
https://www.ebay.com/itm/234247294445

I suspect but can't be arsed to find out, that US ebay business sellers can set up multiple listings for the same item, but with custom shipping locations/exclusions and once it sells the other identical items get automatically cancelled.

David

[med6753]

That's a cool looking LR.  But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

But I sure was glad when I turned the rental back in with no damage or bruised ego.     

To me that's not the weird bit, clearly my brain is wired for symmetry because it expects the gear lever to be in the centre of the car and so no adjustment is necessary. However, not mirroring the pedals when everything else has been mirrored is the bit that causes me cognitive dissonance.

I would think having the pedals the same (clutch left, brake middle, gas right) would require no adjustment at all. It was fine for me even though the steering was on the right side.

[mnementh]

   On another front... I'm having a bit of a fab & repair problem with my BBQ grill. I have a couple of the valves which have suffered impact damage; after two days of searching, it appears this valve is manufactured of weapons-grade unobtanium. 🤣   This little iron casting supports the knob shaft, which is separate from the brass casting which houses the cone valve. It would be a simple thing to whip out a replacement on a lathe...      ....until you look at the business end. This interlock is what turns the cone valve slug in the brass casting still on the grill. Replicating that turns this project exponentially more complicated. I am seriously considering this as my first actual Lost PLA 3DP project... 🙀

That's definitely not a job for PLA. I assume the area gets quite hot too?   McBryce.

Lost PLA. You make a model of PLA and use it to make a sand-casting mold, into which you then pour molten metal that vaporizes the PLA into the casting sand. Not sure how well such a small mass would work with the process, however. 

   

Now that I've disassembled the spindle assembly the solution has become quite obvious, and is something I should be able to hand-fab with tools I have at hand.

1) Grind the little bit that protrudes at the break flush with surface of casting.

2) Find bit of brass or steel tube with ID that matches shaft and cut to length.

3) Find steel washer with OD large enough to cover both screw holes and ID similar to OD of tube. Grind ID of washer with Dremel if necessary.

4)  Partly assemble shaft/bushing; solder washer to tube such that it makes a flanged bushing.

5) Mark for screw holes on washer; drill holes.

6) Assemble with slightly longer screws. Keep found tubing safe for when I need to do this again for other two valves. 

I'll update with pics as I make progress. EDIT: Added mnemCAD scribbled on back of used Hall Pass.

mnem
 

[factory]

Update on the hp 5216A with toasted mains transformer.

Last weekend I had set it up for 110V operation, as half of the primary required for 230V is open-circuit, testing with a lamp limiter up to 100W and I only had about +60V on the +155V PSU output. Not much point in continuing, as I would need dig out the larger step-down transformer and the 5216A is only rated for 20W, the faulty transformer would probably go up in smoke. 

Yesterday I pulled the PSU board & set it up with external PSUs for each required supply. The 6237B was set for +5V on the main output for the logic, +6V/-6V for the analog supplies and the 711A was set for about +150V for the display supply.

Everything was double checked before applying power and to my surprize the 5216A powered up OK and seemed to be counting.



An oscillator was used to check the counting functions & the display drivers were 100% working. 


Only thing not working seemed to be the gate light, this was verified to be a dead lamp, by adding a new one in parallel, an easy fix compared with replacing the transformer.


David

[mnementh]

That's a cool looking LR.  But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

But I sure was glad when I turned the rental back in with no damage or bruised ego.     

To me that's not the weird bit, clearly my brain is wired for symmetry because it expects the gear lever to be in the centre of the car and so no adjustment is necessary. However, not mirroring the pedals when everything else has been mirrored is the bit that causes me cognitive dissonance.

I would think having the pedals the same (clutch left, brake middle, gas right) would require no adjustment at all. It was fine for me even though the steering was on the right side.

Yeah... it might look funny not being mirrored like everything else... but I don't know anybody who looks at their feet while driving.

In this case, keeping the hardware UI such that everybody* develops the same muscle memory is actually a public safety concern.

mnem


      *Yes, even furries.

[mnementh]

Update on the hp 5216A with toasted mains transformer.
...Only thing not working seemed to be the gate light, this was verified to be a dead lamp, by adding a new one in parallel, and easy fix compared with replacing the transformer.   

David

Excellent work. 

So... gonna try to source a suitable XFMR, or just push the easy button and replace it all with some commodity SMPS power supply/regulator?

mnem

[Cerebus]

That's a cool looking LR.  But it still looks very weird to me to shift the gearbox with the LEFT hand, even though I'm a leftie. I did have that pleasure once when I visited Scotland in 2001. Rented a Vauxhall sedan with a 5 speed gearbox and I did surprisingly well with the right hand drive and shifting with the left hand. Even in the round abouts. Didn't make any stupid mistakes and no one knew there was a nervous wreck Yank behind the wheel. 

But I sure was glad when I turned the rental back in with no damage or bruised ego.     

To me that's not the weird bit, clearly my brain is wired for symmetry because it expects the gear lever to be in the centre of the car and so no adjustment is necessary. However, not mirroring the pedals when everything else has been mirrored is the bit that causes me cognitive dissonance.

I would think having the pedals the same (clutch left, brake middle, gas right) would require no adjustment at all. It was fine for me even though the steering was on the right side.

Yeah... it might look funny not being mirrored like everything else... but I don't know anybody who looks at their feet while driving.

In this case, keeping the hardware UI such that everybody* develops the same muscle memory is actually a public safety concern.

mnem


      *Yes, even furries.

[factory]

Update on the hp 5216A with toasted mains transformer.
...Only thing not working seemed to be the gate light, this was verified to be a dead lamp, by adding a new one in parallel, and easy fix compared with replacing the transformer.   

David

Excellent work. 

So... gonna try to source a suitable XFMR, or just push the easy button and replace it all with some commodity SMPS power supply/regulator?

mnem

Not sure yet, with a SMPS I would probably need two, or one of those DC-DC convertors for the display supply, this supply is unsmoothed in the original PSU.

Rewinding the transformer is another, probably expensive option. I do have a homemade coil winder that I was given, but would need to learn how to use it & source the wire & materials.

Or trying to find a suitable low voltage transformer with wire leads, with around 14Vrms (analog supply) & 8Vrms 1A-ish (logic supply), this would need to fit inside the existing plastic frame, that holds the PSU board. Plus adding a tiny step-up transformer for around 220Vrms for the display supply.
Original transformer is 9100-2438, later 5216A with redesigned PSU board used 9100-3004, the display winding is different.

David

[Neper]

I didn't have any trouble changing over to left hand shifting when we moved here in 2007.    I did have to take months of driving lessons before I was ready to pass the test though.  I had to unlearn years of habits that would be marked as faults on the practical.

In peace time I usually go to the UK several times per year, but in my own 'continental' car. No probs at all. I've also driven RHD vehices here in Germany without any probs. Having the wheel on the 'wrong' side never shocked me but not having it on the 'correct' side can be totally unnerving:

Imaging yourself sitting as a passenger, i.e. on the left front seat, in a RHD vehicle on a German autobahn, with a notorious alcoholic at the wheel who can't even drive when he's sober. One of the greatest horrors I've ever been through.