Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[BFX]

My GAS again rising  It doesn't hurt, but it cost lot of euros. 

Marconi 6960B RF PowerMeter + 6912 Sensor scored for 230EUR. Already at home and tested


And I'm waiting for this guy Keithley 2400 scored for ..... tadaaaa 1300EUR

[chris_11]

I scored an HP 3478A for $91 inc shipping - also a cheapo chinese voltage ref - I sense symptoms of volt-nut Lite . . . hopefully i can stop at 5.5 digits?

To late. You will soon substract 20  from the part number and pay 35dB more for it. 

[Brumby]

I fear I'm going to become a Volt-Nut.  We have been cleaning out the back of the radio museum where I volunteer, and stumbled upon this little beauty that had been hiding there facing the wall for lord only knows how many years.  I've given it a new home.   

Fluke 7105A Calibration System:



Other than some sticker residue it appears to be in excellent shape.  Its operational status remains to be determined.

(Now to pull everything from the rack so I can get it out of the Jeep and into the house...)
(Oh, and find manuals so I can learn to drive it...)

-Pat

Very nice.

* sigh *

[VK5RC]

@cubdriver - ooooooooooh,  thats not boat anchor material that's a 'fleet anchor' set, I will be surprised if it doesn't work 1st time!
Congratulations
Rob

[mmagin]

@cubdriver - ooooooooooh,  thats not boat anchor material that's a 'fleet anchor' set, I will be surprised if it doesn't work 1st time!
Congratulations
Rob

That's such an awesome score.

The nullmeter might have chopper problems if it has a lot of hours on it, but at least it shouldn't have leaky battery problems, since it's the rackmount version!

[smurph]

I knew there was something wrong.  But I couldn't put my finger on it until I just happened to come upon this forum.  I know now that I'm a test equipment addict. 

For me, it all started so innocently from very primitive motivations such as trying to save money, the desire to learn, etc...  I got into ham radio and the next thing I knew I was buying things that needed to be fixed.  I took EE classes back in college many many moons ago, so I knew that this stuff could be fixed.  So my first piece of test equipment that I bought was a Tek 2213 scope.  Why?  Because it was the one I used in college and I "thought" I would remember how to use it.  In the end, I had to relearn some things. 

Next, I decided I wanted to build a high power solid state amplifier.  It is just one of those first projects that one jumps into not knowing a single thing about it.  I was actually successful but it took me a long time to complete the PA board because I really didn't have the proper equipment to use for testing like current limiting power supplies.  So I checked everything 28 ways to Sunday over and over before I applied power.  I got lucky, I think, and it just powered up and worked fine.  But I realized I needed some more test equipment and the TE population in my "shack" exploded from there.

Tek 2213A (it started it all)
Tek 492AP w/ TR503 tracking gen
Rigol DS1054 (but I still gravitate to the Tek 2213 when I don't want to think)
Power Designs TP340
Sorensen DCS-55-55 (because I needed big amps for the PAs)
Tek DC508A frequency counter
Tek DC504A frequency counter
Various TM503 chassis.
Fluke 8840A DMM
Fluke 88 I had from my automotive mechanic days. 

And I feel as though I "need" a nice RF signal generator.  And since the DC504A and DC508A counters have issues, I really have this desire to get a really precise frequency counter even though I probably don't need high precision.  The DC504A is dead (currently making up a test cable to diagnose it) and the DC508A has the dreaded unobtainium LED display problem.  I think I can fix the DC504A eventually, but it only does 100MHz.  That is reason enough along to "need" another frequency counter, right? 

I got the Tek 492 knowing it had issues and managed to fix it in about 30 minutes.  Little tantalum caps with their heads blown off.  But I fear that this "success" has fed my addiction. 

So far, my TE addiction is firmly planted in the 80s era with the exception of the Rigol.  This means that most of this stuff is BIG and I'm quickly running out of room.  And my wife is starting to think I have gone over the edge.  But the good news is that I'm now fixing radios!  (And broken test equipment)  It only cost me a small fortune in TE to do it even buying old stuff that needed TLC.

So I read this thread with amazement.  I'm glad I'm not alone. 

Steve

[mtdoc]

Welcome smurph!

My path is not dissimilar to yours.  While I'm gradually accumulating some modern test equipment,  I have a real fondness for older Tek and HP gear (90s and before) since that was the time when I last used TE in a professional environment.   I was astounded when taking up this as a hobby 7 years ago or so, how innexpensive that older high quality TE was on the used market.   It felt natural and comfortable to start with that.  Now, even as my skills and needs have progressed, and even though I can afford the newest, high quality TE, I still get a lot of enjoyment out of finding and fixing or modifying if needed, older TE at bargain prices.  That in and of itself has become part of the hobby for me. 

[xrunner]

I knew there was something wrong.  But I couldn't put my finger on it until I just happened to come upon this forum.  I know now that I'm a test equipment addict. 

Welcome to the forum and our little "sub-forum"!

Also, remember something is not "wrong" with you. We're just a little different. I remember some song that went something like "If this is wrong I don't wanna be right". 

Tek 2213A (it started it all)
Tek 492AP w/ TR503 tracking gen
Rigol DS1054 (but I still gravitate to the Tek 2213 when I don't want to think)
Power Designs TP340
Sorensen DCS-55-55 (because I needed big amps for the PAs)
Tek DC508A frequency counter
Tek DC504A frequency counter
Various TM503 chassis.
Fluke 8840A DMM
Fluke 88 I had from my automotive mechanic days.

So far, my TE addiction is firmly planted in the 80s era with the exception of the Rigol.  This means that most of this stuff is BIG and I'm quickly running out of room.  And my wife is starting to think I have gone over the edge.  But the good news is that I'm now fixing radios!  (And broken test equipment)  It only cost me a small fortune in TE to do it even buying old stuff that needed TLC.

Very nice! I'm into '80 and '90s gear myself, HP and Tektronix mostly but I do also like new gear. In fact I just got into the Tektronix TM500 series line of plug-ins. So many to collect, so little time! 

So I read this thread with amazement.  I'm glad I'm not alone. 

Steve

You'll never be alone from now on Steve! We're always here for each other. Come by any time and share your new gear and if you are having problems with your addiction then we will be more than happy to listen and provide advice if asked.

Also - we love PICS!!!

[bitseeker]

Welcome Smurph Steve! You seem quite normal. Good to have you onboard.

In case you need some ailments to label yourself with, be sure to check out the glossary in post #1 of this thread.

[xrunner]

LATTE - PG501 + TM501

I saw this combo on Ebay for $99 and asked the seller if he would just sell me the PG501. The first message went unanswered for a week. I then tried again. He responded by asking what I'd offer for the PG501. I said $70. He agreed but what I got was both of them anyway! 

I've only plugged it in and turned the TM501 on - I did not see the power light illuminate on the PG501. That is all I know at this time - I'm still trying to fix the FG501. There's a repair thread on this in the Repair board.

[Housedad]

xrunner- you are definitely a glutton for punishment. Death by test instrument torture.

[xrunner]

xrunner- you are definitely a glutton for punishment. Death by test instrument torture.

I know right?  Especially when there are talented people like you who can find the right parts.

It's a challenge fixing these things. I may have the FG501 working soon. If I do I'm going to post up some 4 channel scope displays for various parts of the circuit. This info is not found in the manual so it's going to be invaluable for some person someday facing similar issues. Might make a few more threads anyway for some of the other units too, with scope waveform displays of important points in the circuit. Trust me people will utilize this information someday, and long after I croak. 

Many of these threads that I and others post seemingly fade away, but trust me a year later you can see that a lot of people out there are searching for repair info because the views go up and up.

[t_ryner]

Anyone know what this is?

[xrunner]

Anyone know what this is?

A guess - it automatically cycles through 4 monitors and outputs to the two jacks, the dwell time is the time it stays on each monitor?

[bitseeker]

That sounds plausible to me, xrunner.

[Housedad]

Geeze.  I just realized what I wrote.  Test Instrument Torture. 

Lordy. 

That's too much to handle.   

[xrunner]

Geeze.  I just realized what I wrote.  Test Instrument Torture. 

Lordy. 

That's too much to handle.   

LOL - well tell us what you are up to with all that gear you got a while back. 

[t_ryner]

Yes, that makes sense now. The monitors would use co-ax input and switch on the time set by the dwell knob. The circuitry inside it is pretty old, but my photo is too large to post  . Would there be any other applications for this?

Ps- I think it's pretty good for something I got at goodwill for five dollars!

[Housedad]

LOL - well tell us what you are up to with all that gear you got a while back. 

What little free time I have is being spent in studying electronics and trying to play with the equipment to get used to it and up to speed.  Been practicing some soldering on a bunch of thru hole and smd practice kits I bought from the land of silk.  I've ordered some more small stuff, like the simple curve tracer board from thailandkit, and some probes for my Instek scope.  But mostly burning brain cells on the books.

Well, that is as far as the electronics stuff.  Between upgrades to my ford excursion, a couple of machining projects still to do, keeping the garden going, caring for three dogs, cooking dinner every night for the family, housecleaning, laundry and several welding projects,  time is at a premium.  I really am a housedad.

[Brumby]

Yes, that makes sense now. The monitors would use co-ax input and switch on the time set by the dwell knob. The circuitry inside it is pretty old, but my photo is too large to post  . Would there be any other applications for this?

Ps- I think it's pretty good for something I got at goodwill for five dollars!

I concur with the video switcher assessment.  The front panel and back panel support this 100%.  Up to four sources in and output to two monitors.

Monitor 1 displays the sequenced images while monitor 2 will display a single source continuously.

Switches on the front for each source: Bypass = skip this channel in the sequence; Auto = include this channel in the sequence; Mon2 = send this source direct to the Mon 2 output.  Dwell is as mentioned above.

What to use it for?

Well it would be safe to say it switched composite TV signals - which means there could be a few MHz bandwidth and probably no hope of any DC getting through.  So what sort of analogue signals in that area could benefit from such switching?

[Housedad]

It was probably used at a front desk by a security guard in a building.  That is exactly the type of switch they would have used back in the 60's, 70's, and 80's to monitor a few cameras at a secure installation. 

[tautech]

Geeze.  I just realized what I wrote.  Test Instrument Torture. 

Lordy. 

That's too much to handle.   

 

Some might say we're all tits suffering TIT. 

[xrunner]

Well, that is as far as the electronics stuff.  Between upgrades to my ford excursion, a couple of machining projects still to do, keeping the garden going, caring for three dogs, cooking dinner every night for the family, housecleaning, laundry and several welding projects,  time is at a premium.  I really am a housedad.

Oh is that all? I thought you were going to tell me you were too busy to play with it. 

[t_ryner]

I agree on the security camera monitor device hypothesis. Upon closer inspection, there is a somewhat major design flaw. There are two sources of heat that are much more significant than the transformer- a regulator chip after the diode bridge (L210t) and a 5 volt regulator- both without heatsinks. The components around them are heat  stressed as well as the board- indicated by discoloration. The circuitry seems a bit overkill (to me at least) for a simple switching board, yet has no duplicate chips like a dual channel circuit would. Definitely uses a basic resistor based time circuit dictated by the "dwell" pot.  I would love to put in pictures but they are too large of a file for me to submit to the site.

[bitseeker]

You can scale them down. We don't need gigantic images to peruse the device at a high level. If there's a particular region of interest, then a higher resolution crop of that part could be posted as a follow up.