Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[BU508A]

I can find pretty much all my electronics kit except for the bloody IC box. Almost all the op-amps and shift registers and what not I own not which aren't in actual equipment are in there.  The upside is that I found my microcontroller box.

If you'd have searched instead for the microcontroller box, I'm convinced you'd have found your "bloody IC box"

[bd139]

Yesterday I was trying to find my IC box to see if I had any PCF8574. After 20 minutes I gave up and just ordered some more 

Ugh Ocado have just closed their doors suddenly to new customers ffs https://www.ocado.com/ ... can't even get an order status.

[Specmaster]

Well the 179 arrived and it's spot on. Some pr0n:













Me likey! 

Seller has another one here if anyone wants it. RS RRP £363. I paid £169 for it: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114148010223

Well, Hermes came through for you this time then. 

[Cerebus]

Bean, the shameless .... throwing out the TEA burley.

So now we know what Bob Pease had in his pipe.

[McBryce]

Nice idea, but totally pointless.

You may think so.
But if it helps one person somehow, then I'd call this a success.

I fully agree, however, it won't help anyone. Getting anything new approved for use in a hospital is almost impossible as an outsider.

But back on topic now: Any Tek tinkerer looking for a bucket load of vertical amplifiers? : https://www.ebay.de/itm/254543415911

McBryce.

[mnementh]

Well the 179 arrived and it's spot on. Some pr0n:      Me likey!     Seller has another one here if anyone wants it. RS RRP £363. I paid £169 for it: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/114148010223

*huggles his 189 close* Nyaaah! 

mnem
 

[Specmaster]

What advantage does the 179 have over the plain Jane 87...other than some additional features?

Different meter and use case. Specification and feature quantity wise it's inferior but it has a CAT IV rating, thermocouple input, better screen and a backlight that doesn't suck.

Thats what I like about my 867, it has the CAT IV rating @1,000V, plus its built like a Fluke, will survive a nuclear blast, bargraph, dual display, 500,000 count with a 50 x update rate on the bargraph and its IP67,

[mnementh]

   ...But back on topic now: Any Tek tinkerer looking for a bucket load of vertical amplifiers? : https://www.ebay.de/itm/254543415911

McBryce.

I should buy two to make earrings for my wife. 

mnem
Yes, you may touch it.

[McBryce]

   ...But back on topic now: Any Tek tinkerer looking for a bucket load of vertical amplifiers? : https://www.ebay.de/itm/254543415911

McBryce.

I should buy two to make earrings for my wife. 

mnem
Yes, you may touch it.

Why not, they should be "self-piercing"

McBryce.

[mnementh]

What advantage does the 179 have over the plain Jane 87...other than some additional features?

Different meter and use case. Specification and feature quantity wise it's inferior but it has a CAT IV rating, thermocouple input, better screen and a backlight that doesn't suck.

Thats what I like about my 867, it has the CAT IV rating @1,000V, plus its built like a Fluke, will survive a nuclear blast, bargraph, dual display, 500,000 count with a 50 x update rate on the bargraph and its IP67,

   What I like most about my 189:

A) I made no compromises when I chose to buy it; in fact, it had MORE features than I was looking for. I didn't even know about the "dual display" feature when I bought it; now I wonder how I got along without for 3 decades.

2) It fed my TEAddiction nicely... by shopping carefully I found an outstanding bit of TE that I fully trust for US$130 delivered. Y'all know that is the heart of TEA. 

C) It filled a  "Fluke Yellow" hole in my soul  that had been aching for over a year.

mnem
*Building 3DP-ily*

[worsthorse]

Guess I should be glad I got my order in when I did, with the freeze on "non-essential" goods just announced. Maybe I should order another couple spools of filament before they sell out... 

mnem

Just reviewed the Amazon blog post on COVID-related changes: it is not a freeze but medical, household, and other essentials will be prioritized for delivery and amazon is asking people to choose no-rush shipping, which will ease the logistics nightmare. They've posted 100,000 full and part time jobs, raised pay for their hourly workers by 2USD, and guaranteed sick pay for employees who are quarantined or diagnosed with COVID. They are also apparently providing cloud infrastructure and technical support for a number of COVID-related activities.

That's actually a pretty good start though they, like every other company in the United States is going to have to do a good deal more before this is over.

And this is one of those times when I am glad we still have state and local governments in the NW US that are willing to take action when the dimwits running the executive branch and the senate are not.

[Cerebus]

In other news:

Just seen one of these on the TV:


It's a Collared Asacari, I've never seen one before. Now that is what I call a racing bill. It looks like someone has let a Nascar graphics team loose on a Toucan. This one doesn't drink Guinness, he drinks tequila sunrises with blue Marachino cherries and two umbrellas on top.

It made me smile on what is an otherwise grey and vaguely doom laden day.

[bd139]

And scenes from London



 

Edit: schools all closing here. On a positive note this now means I only need to get up at 08:55 leaving enough time for a piss, warm up the PC and get a coffee on 

[Specmaster]

@mnem, I also trust the 867 100%, it is a first class meter and is one well worth consideration, as is the Extech 530 although I was a little disappointed to discover that the yellow bumper is not infact a bumper but is a moulding designed to give that appearance  but the video of it being tested do show its credentials of quite well in the toughness stakes.

I huggle my 867 close too   

Edit. The photo that Fluke put on the box of the 179 could be construed as a marketing cock up, it look as if they don't quite trust the CAT IV rating 

[Specmaster]

This video about eBay seller protection is well worth a watch.

[bd139]

Pah I’d have taken the 50%. Standard “cost of business” when you are share cropping. Feasibly the item could have been poorly packaged and partially damaged in transit then destroyed from normal use. Can’t prove anything either way. 

Don’t forget I sold that 5334b and lost about £30 in the end because the fucknugget couldn’t work out how to use it. Annoying but meh.

Also the sellers in video are top rated sellers so they should factor this into operating costs.

[Specmaster]

Pah I’d have taken the 50%. Standard “cost of business” when you are share cropping. Feasibly the item could have been poorly packaged and partially damaged in transit then destroyed from normal use. Can’t prove anything either way. 

Don’t forget I sold that 5334b and lost about £30 in the end because the fucknugget couldn’t work out how to use it. Annoying but meh.

Also the sellers in video are top rated sellers so they should factor this into operating costs.

Hang on, there's an update on it here.

[bd139]

Is there a short summary of what happened? Can’t be arsed with an hour. I pulled key points out of the other one due to the captions.

[Specmaster]

Not yet, I'm still watching it myself, but it reached the office of the eBays President who is taking action, just what still waiting to find out what.

[AVGresponding]

Well a busy day here for deliveries   

3 parcels from Royal Mail, including 1kg of transistors... who knew you could buy them by weight!
3 parcels from ParcelForce, all from the same vendor, it's my Metcal and Tenma soldering stuff, yay!
1 delivery from ASDA, to the wrong address, which if I'd been really mean I could have said, "yes, that's me!"   

Sadly the tips supplied with the Metcal are all fooked, having to try and resurrect them (nasty flux oxidation so they won't wet).

The Tenma stuff is nicer than I expected, if a bit noisy. Looking forward to totally ruining some smd stuff!   

[Mortymore]

Well the 179 arrived and it's spot on. Some pr0n:
...

...

Now that you found a lady with sexy curves to mate with the 87 big boy, you soon will have little 101 Flukes for sure. 

The 87 is already naked ready for action. 

[Mortymore]

What advantage does the 179 have over the plain Jane 87...other than some additional features?

To me, the advantages of the 179 over the 87 (1st and 3rd series) is just, measuring temperature and Caps up to 10mF

EDIT: In the Fluke 87V those "extras" are included.

[Specmaster]

Brief update on the eBay story.

1st video has had so many views and shares that it has reached the eBays President office who were horrified at way it has been handled and are supposed to be refunded the seller for their loss. The seller is still pursuing it with trading standards to find out what they true position is in these cases.

Seller is talking to the Presidents' office on Monday, who are going to be reviewing their policies and eBay are going to try to get someone on the sellers channel to discuss this and their policies and also answer subscribers questions live on air, so need to subscribe to channel for more detail;s on when this is going to happen. Hopefully a load of good will come out of this.

[bd139]

I live about 15 minute walk from eBay HQ in the UK. I'd just talk an amble down there with some excrement

[Cerebus]

And scenes from London



 

That made me laugh out loud, perfect juxtaposition.