Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

Incidentally on the subject of aircraft I managed to obtain a free ticket for RAIT at Fairford in July on the Friday. Should be an interesting day 

It will be a great day as long as it doesn't rain heavily as the off field car parks tend to flood and go boggy, you are a jammy git with that ticket as they are valued at £57 each, which to my mind is excessive so I'll not be going. I used to when they were around £30 a pop, but it'll cost me £114 for the 2 of us and I think its bad value for me as I can access to so much around here for free.

Bloody hell. I had no idea it was that expensive. The ticket I got doesn't have a price on it. Thought they were about £20. Bonus. I certainly wouldn't have paid up full price either

Thanks for the tip with the muddy car park!

When you go, you want to take the M40 and then the A40 and follow the the signposted route when you get closer, the RED route and that way there is a strong chance if you get there early in the morning certainly before 8.30am, that you may get into the on base parking which is concrete. If you get there later or via other coloured routes, you will more than likely be directed to farmers fields surrounding the base. Be warned it is going to get very very busy and the later you leave it the busier it gets and you can be queuing for miles and hours so arrive early, there is plenty to see and do when you get there before the flying starts which I think is 10.00 am?

https://www.airtattoo.com/airshow/visiting/visitorinformation/travel

In other news, I've just secured myself a rare Hacker Herald FM only radio for restoration from a charity shop which should be with me 

nice one - thanks for the info 

Also nice one with the radio. My mother had one of them! Lovely sets.

[med6753]

Is this the Hacker FM only set (RP37) ?

[Specmaster]

Is this the Hacker FM only set (RP37) ?

Yep that's the one[emoji4]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[med6753]

Is this the Hacker FM only set (RP37) ?

Yep that's the one[emoji4]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

Nice radio. Was there ever an export model? That one obviously is for the British market only with the log scale identifying all the BBC stations. And what happen to them? I assume Japanese competition played a role in their demise. 

[bd139]

AFAIK they had financial difficulties in the 70s thanks to the Japanese sets incoming and then they had a mysterious fire that may or may not have been an insurance job 

[Specmaster]

Is this the Hacker FM only set (RP37) ?

Yep that's the one[emoji4]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

Nice radio. Was there ever an export model? That one obviously is for the British market only with the log scale identifying all the BBC stations. And what happen to them? I assume Japanese competition played a role in their demise.

Not as far as I know, I think that got into financial troubles and Roberts Radio acquired them and took over the Royal seal of approval by default as that was Hackers claim to fame, being the supplier of radios to the Queen.

EDIT
Actual it was a bit of my version and bd's https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hacker_Radio_Ltd
Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[Specmaster]

@med, to answer your question about Hacker making export models, I don't think they did , they were always making very expensive models by default when compared to other makers and so consequently they had very few stockists. I already have 2 of their Sovereign RP27 sets which I have restored FM/LW/MW otherwise look like a RP37 and 2 HMV Diplomats, 1 is restored and the other is in the queue. These are Hacker clones almost, not the same high build quality but I think have a far richer and deeper sound to them.

[mnementh]

I wouldn't be getting down on a movie for destroying an Aircraft how many thousands were stripped and burnt at the end of the war by governments and continue to be in the modern era? The effort to keep some of them flying is huge and to be commended but how long before they become like grandfathers axe to keep them in the air?

What about the world famous Shuttleworth Collection with planes dating back to 1909 through to 1950 and they are all still being flown at their regular airshows?
http://www.shuttleworth.org/the-collection/

And what percentage of that Axe is actually still in the Air? Preserving 'an' example is one thing but at what point to you draw a line on how many to 'save'?

The DC3's and similar had a post war purpose, bombers and fighters apart from maybe racing them aside from historical interest had none. Do we keep everything ever made and why should aircraft be different?

The difference with the Corsairs & Mustangs at MHV is the fact that there were collectors willing to buy them... at markup... but they were sold to no-bid contractors who were literally hacking them apart with chopsaws with no intent of doing anything but melting the chunks down.

Even in the case of condemned airframes, at least with those that are riveted together, it was (and I assume still is) common practice to dismantle and "marry" two or more partial airframes to make one that is airworthy. It was the fact that nobody was allowed to bid, and the horrendous way in which they were being destroyed without even being triaged that created a huge uproar in the collector community.

THAT is a historical tragedy, IMHO.

So far, approx $350 worth. The final number remains as yet undisclosed. Even to myself. 

mnem
Coffee NOW!!! Adulting later...

yeah, that's probably a good idea. for everyone involved. 

Shhhh!!! I might hear you! 

Beautiful day here and I'm out in the garage cooking up something not exactly TEA but related. Yes, it involves sawdust and stain. 

Hope to have it done by Monday at which time I will reveal. By Tuesday I should have the additional parts for the OL-1.

I'm also itching to get a crack at the RCA WO-505A scope now that I have the manual and schematic. But after the OL-1 is done.

Not to be the snark of the club but... 

Since you've replaced pretty much every cap & resistor with something very not original... and the previous hack owner replaced the CRT with the wrong one... Is it fair to call it a OL-1 anymore? 

Even if it works? 

mnem
...you know I cannae help m'self.

[med6753]

Beautiful day here and I'm out in the garage cooking up something not exactly TEA but related. Yes, it involves sawdust and stain. 

Hope to have it done by Monday at which time I will reveal. By Tuesday I should have the additional parts for the OL-1.

I'm also itching to get a crack at the RCA WO-505A scope now that I have the manual and schematic. But after the OL-1 is done.

Not to be the snark of the club but... 

Since you've replaced pretty much every cap & resistor with something very not original... and the previous hack owner replaced the CRT with the wrong one... Is it fair to call it a OL-1 anymore? 

Even if it works? 

mnem
...you know I cannae help m'self.

You know, you're right. I'll now call it the Dragon Dofus Model 0. 

[mnementh]

https://youtu.be/lt8cu8IMLOM

DAFUQ?!? When did IBM become a hardware company again?!?

This showed up in my que today... thought I'd bring it to the attention of our resident Big Blue escapee. 

mnem

[mnementh]

Beautiful day here and I'm out in the garage cooking up something not exactly TEA but related. Yes, it involves sawdust and stain. 

Hope to have it done by Monday at which time I will reveal. By Tuesday I should have the additional parts for the OL-1.

I'm also itching to get a crack at the RCA WO-505A scope now that I have the manual and schematic. But after the OL-1 is done.

Not to be the snark of the club but... 

Since you've replaced pretty much every cap & resistor with something very not original... and the previous hack owner replaced the CRT with the wrong one... Is it fair to call it a OL-1 anymore? 

Even if it works? 

mnem
...you know I cannae help m'self.

You know, you're right. I'll now call it the Dragon Doofus Model 0. 

I'll take it!!! I need pictures and the matching logo T-Shirt, of course...

mnem

[med6753]

https://youtu.be/lt8cu8IMLOM

DAFUQ?!? When did IBM become a hardware company again?!?

This showed up in my que today... thought I'd bring it to the attention of our resident Big Blue escapee. 

mnem

No DAFUQ. Big Blue has ALWAYS been a hardware company and still is. But it's a smaller percentage over their overall business. The PowerPC or more correctly the Power tech as he said has been in constant evolution. And truth be known it will run circles around anything Intel has. What is surprising is the open source but then again IBM learned a big lesson when it refused to license the micro-channel technology used on the PS/2's. 

[mnementh]

Jeebus... 4-22 cores, Quad-Channel DDR4, 44 lanes PCIE4 @2GB/s per lane per processor, and optimized for parallel processing & AI workloads.

And this is all evolved from the processor that was in my OS8 MacBook forever ago.    Next we'll be seeing OS2/Warp back around for another generation...

mnem
Well, hell. 

[med6753]

Jeebus... 4-22 cores, Quad-Channel DDR4, 44 lanes PCIE4 @2GB/s per lane per processor, and optimized for parallel processing & AI workloads.

And this is all evolved from the processor that was in my OS8 MacBook forever ago.    Next we'll be seeing OS2/Warp back around for another generation...

mnem
Well, hell. 

Yep, just be prepared to write a BIG check and possibly give away BOTH first born and second born.

OS/2 development should have never been stopped but I can understand why it was.

[neo]

Got this in the mail today from nixiefreqq. As you can see it fits like a glove, and NIXIES! Thanks, even if i don't have time to play with it for a couple of days.. 

[tautech]

Need a Jig to hold and engrave pens but none of the Keysight and Agilent rubbish just a 4x5.5mm HP Logo after realigning the Laser and mirrors.

Nice. 
So that's what you got that spray paint for. 

[beanflying]

No that pen is a fake cheapy plastic barrel version unlike blueskull's fancy aluminium/keysight one. The marking spray would work on a metal one.

[bitseeker]

By Tuesday I should have the additional parts for the OL-1.

I'm also itching to get a crack at the RCA WO-505A scope now that I have the manual and schematic. But after the OL-1 is done.

Not to be the snark of the club but... 

Since you've replaced pretty much every cap & resistor with something very not original... and the previous hack owner replaced the CRT with the wrong one... Is it fair to call it a OL-1 anymore? 

Even if it works? 

You know, you're right. I'll now call it the Dragon Dofus Model 0. 

I have a simpler name that at least carries along its history: LOL-1

[bitseeker]

No that pen is a fake cheapy plastic barrel version unlike blueskull's fancy aluminium/keysight one. The marking spray would work on a metal one.

Oh, I didn't know blueskull's was alumin(i)um. Shiny.

[nixiefreqq]

Got this in the mail today from nixiefreqq. As you can see it fits like a glove, and NIXIES! Thanks, even if i don't have time to play with it for a couple of days.. 

glad to see that the poor little 5 digit bugger arrived intact.

it's not good for much......but it is cute.

[tautech]

No that pen is a fake cheapy plastic barrel version unlike blueskull's fancy aluminium/keysight one. The marking spray would work on a metal one.

From the Aliexpress link I found ?

[bsfeechannel]

Beautiful day here and I'm out in the garage cooking up something not exactly TEA but related. Yes, it involves sawdust and stain. 

Hope to have it done by Monday at which time I will reveal. By Tuesday I should have the additional parts for the OL-1.

I'm also itching to get a crack at the RCA WO-505A scope now that I have the manual and schematic. But after the OL-1 is done.

Not to be the snark of the club but... 

Since you've replaced pretty much every cap & resistor with something very not original... and the previous hack owner replaced the CRT with the wrong one... Is it fair to call it a OL-1 anymore? 

Even if it works? 

What I like about these restorations is the archeological excavation to unearth information about the unit, the history it has to tell through dings, scratches, cracks, bodges, kludges, replacements, wear, tear, leakages, rust, cigarette burns, or the like, and the solution the restorer gives to these problems, including the decision to keep it original or not, repurpose, or even rename the thing.

It's a joy to watch.

[neo]

glad to see that the poor little 5 digit bugger arrived intact.

it's not good for much......but it is cute.

I actually said as much, I cut the tape and excavated it exclaiming "cute" upon seeing it. It's a great way to minimize air in my stacks of test equipment.

[beanflying]

No that pen is a fake cheapy plastic barrel version unlike blueskull's fancy aluminium/keysight one. The marking spray would work on a metal one.

From the Aliexpress link I found ?

Either yours or a similar seller. The screwdriver end is ok and the levels are level and the writing bit writes so worth the few pennies 

[Specmaster]

glad to see that the poor little 5 digit bugger arrived intact.

it's not good for much......but it is cute.

I actually said as much, I cut the tape and excavated it exclaiming "cute" upon seeing it. It's a great way to minimize air in my stacks of test equipment.

Not to much though, you need some air flow to take away any heat.