Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[ArthurDent]

I'll never look at pizza the same way again! 

[mnementh]

   I've been looking for one more P6541 probe to give me a complete set for the Tektronix 338 logic analyzer and the prices on ebay have been ridiculous. So no joy until I came across this:eBay auction: #323543249158

On which I made a low offer, which was almost instantaneously accepted. So now I own a Tektronix 308 logic analyzer to go with the 338 for the price of the probe alone. Do I need another low speed logic analyzer? Of course not. But I didn't need the first one, either. In other news, I now have three, count 'em three, laptops running MSDOS 6.22 (one with Windows 3.11, whoop!). How did this happen? Well, I needed one to run a bunch of really really old radio programming software, so now I have three.

And if there is any electronic rabbit hole deeper and twistier than the ones I usually inhabit, it is the one with the sign over that entrance that says...    MSDOS  remember all those old games you used to play? right this way!  MSDOS 

  MAME  CABINET!!!  MAME 
If you care... you can probably get what you paid for that thing back by selling just the fluorescent green iris-indicator power button assembly on the 24xx threads...

mnem
 

[TERRA Operative]

Unfortunately, it only makes single-sided toast. I'll wait for version 2.0.

There you have it.

Well that's one way to make sure you get enough iron in your diet.....

[0culus]

I won't even use those on my own clothes...let along cook on them 

[Brumby]

Yeah - I'd probably first put a piece of aluminium foil over the iron as a contamination barrier.

[Ero-Shan]

   I've been looking for one more P6541 probe to give me a complete set for the Tektronix 338 logic analyzer and the prices on ebay have been ridiculous. So no joy until I came across this:eBay auction: #323543249158

On which I made a low offer, which was almost instantaneously accepted. So now I own a Tektronix 308 logic analyzer to go with the 338 for the price of the probe alone. Do I need another low speed logic analyzer? Of course not. But I didn't need the first one, either. In other news, I now have three, count 'em three, laptops running MSDOS 6.22 (one with Windows 3.11, whoop!). How did this happen? Well, I needed one to run a bunch of really really old radio programming software, so now I have three.

And if there is any electronic rabbit hole deeper and twistier than the ones I usually inhabit, it is the one with the sign over that entrance that says...    MSDOS  remember all those old games you used to play? right this way!  MSDOS 

  MAME  CABINET!!!  MAME 
If you care... you can probably get what you paid for that thing back by selling just the fluorescent green iris-indicator power button assembly on the 24xx threads...

mnem
 

A little to the left of my horrible cut-out I used this power switch:


Yesterday evening I searched for an adequate housing. Looked at thousands and found nil. Since the transformer is large and heavy, and the panel meters are quite deep, it needs to be rather big and sturdy.

Meter:


I'm afraid I'll have to stick with that crap. The PSU will be used maybe twice a year, so I won't be bothered too much. And if I ever stumble upon a nice housing, I can still make a better version.

There will be other things where I can learn filing. 

And what a strange coincidence:


They run Linux, however.

[bd139]

In my defense; My wife DID leave me alone in the house all day. 

mnem

That smells of freshly divorced.

When I first met my father in law, he was single after his divorce. Went over to his house, motorbike in middle of living room and he quickly cleaned the kitchen surfaces with tyre shine 

[med6753]

My living room is definitely a reflection of the lack of female supervision.....and it will remain that way. 

Speaking of which, starting tomorrow (Monday) and until the following weekend I won't be on much other than an attempt to keep up with the thread. I'll be at her place doing some contractor work. 

[bd139]

I shall attempt to pick up your slack by hitting eBay then 

(Any excuse)

[med6753]

I shall attempt to pick up your slack by hitting eBay then 

(Any excuse)

Deal....pick me up a counter, and make it a good one! 

[VK5RC]

I was disappointed by HP for the first time today ,  I discovered the 5221a counter uses the line frequency as its time reference, so in Aus 50Hz, it counts too high (1.2x).
I have its older brother as well, who had no filter in front of the Nixies, some grey perspex did the job, but had to rout a small groove to get it to fit.

Rob

[bd139]

I’d see if you can hook an external reference in somewhere.

[FransW]

5221A / 5321A Electronic Counters Operating and Service Manual Manual Part Number:  05221-90001 Revision Date: July 1971

http://bee.mif.pg.gda.pl/ciasteczkowypotwor/HP/5221A.pdf

[bd139]

There you go. Problem solved. Looks like it was an option originally.


nixiefreqq will appreciate this. I actually had a similar problem with an old Heathkit IB-1100. In this case the timebase was buggered. Some cretin had been in there with a 150W soldering gun and buggered the board around the crystal. I opened it up and found a massive crystal and air variable cap installed to attempt to fix it.

Ended up making a new timebase for it (back when I could be arsed to make my own PCBs) with a 4MHz crystal, 74hc00 oscillator and 74hc74 dividing it twice. This was crudely tacked into the existing oscillator's socket. It needed one of the gates for latching so I just snipped the unused legs off the 7400n. Also note the lazy replacement radial capacitor. Turns out the ground plane extended far enough to just do that and skip the expensive axial replacement. I'd probably buy the axial one now.



Worked

[Specmaster]

A few new books arrived;



And performed a full cal/adjustment on the HP 3310B with the help from the new manual.  Love paper books.

Yeah, have to agree on the books. Anything I have to work on, if the PDF  manual is more than a few pages, I tend to print it out and make a book, easier to find things and  less likely to get result than a screen page.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[bd139]

The HP and Tek manuals are excellent. I've been trying to collect them as well. Got a 3310A, 465 and 475 so far

That's a very sexy HP line up that. Need me some more of them. It's £1 listing day today and tomorrow so hopefully something will show up today!

[Specmaster]

I shall attempt to pick up your slack by hitting eBay then 

(Any excuse)

As long as you're only after RF gear it'll be OK otherwise we'll be bidding against other [emoji83]

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[bd139]

Bring it   

[Specmaster]

Meanwhile in other news. That car scanner I ordered from Amazon  USA arrived while I was out at Headcorn Battle of Britain Airshow, did indeed it
Reset my airbag error code for all of £12.20 so I'm a happy thumper. I'm back today already at Headcorn for day by the runway, overcast at the moment and the odd drop of rain in the air.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

[nixiefreqq]

There you go. Problem solved. Looks like it was an option originally.


nixiefreqq will appreciate this. I actually had a similar problem with an old Heathkit IB-1100. In this case the timebase was buggered. Some cretin had been in there with a 150W soldering gun and buggered the board around the crystal. I opened it up and found a massive crystal and air variable cap installed to attempt to fix it.

Ended up making a new timebase for it (back when I could be arsed to make my own PCBs) with a 4MHz crystal, 74hc00 oscillator and 74hc74 dividing it twice. This was crudely tacked into the existing oscillator's socket. It needed one of the gates for latching so I just snipped the unused legs off the 7400n. Also note the lazy replacement radial capacitor. Turns out the ground plane extended far enough to just do that and skip the expensive axial replacement. I'd probably buy the axial one now.



Worked

looks good to me!

(as you note......snipping legs has worked for me before when replacing dallas chips with standard sram.  in your application maybe a little dab of hot glue would have been used to give the amputated chip a little stability)

gotta' run.....the hound is ready for her 2 mile drag around the neighborhood.

EDIT  actually....my method was not so much leg snipping.....more leg folding....or maybe leg twisting.

[Cerebus]

Meanwhile in other news. That car scanner I ordered from Amazon  USA arrived while I was out at Headcorn Battle of Britain Airshow, did indeed it
Reset my airbag error code for all of £12.20 so I'm a happy thumper.

Result!

"I love when a plan comes together.", Colonel John "Hannibal" Smith.

[VK5RC]

5221A / 5321A Electronic Counters Operating and Service Manual Manual Part Number:  05221-90001 Revision Date: July 1971

http://bee.mif.pg.gda.pl/ciasteczkowypotwor/HP/5221A.pdf

Thanks FransW and bd139, now for a search through the parts containers!

[bd139]

Looks like 7490 counters. 74HC390 x3 + 10MHz crystal = much cheaper and less power hungry than HP's version, plus you can probably add an external standard input then.

1MHz crystals seem to be unobtainable now


Maybe of interest to TEA members in the UK. HP 8567A SA £250 buyer collects from Brum: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254288638712 ... too far for me and I don't have anywhere to put it.

[med6753]

Meanwhile in other news. That car scanner I ordered from Amazon  USA arrived while I was out at Headcorn Battle of Britain Airshow, did indeed it
Reset my airbag error code for all of £12.20 so I'm a happy thumper. I'm back today already at Headcorn for day by the runway, overcast at the moment and the odd drop of rain in the air.

Sent from my POT-LX1 using Tapatalk

Good deal! Glad that worked out for you and saved you a dealer rape charge.   

[med6753]

Looks like 7490 counters. 74HC390 x3 + 10MHz crystal = much cheaper and less power hungry than HP's version, plus you can probably add an external standard input then.

1MHz crystals seem to be unobtainable now


Maybe of interest to TEA members in the UK. HP 8567A SA £250 buyer collects from Brum: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/254288638712 ... too far for me and I don't have anywhere to put it.

Mouser has 132 in stock. Didn't check Digi-Key.