Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[bd139]

But that would mean having to give up TEA, COFFEE and BISCUITS, no frigging way. 

That’s what teenagers are for.

It was cold in there - PSU was warming up

Yes I’m paying mine off as well.  Bang goes my bonus. And got to pay for all the shit I forgot to budget for when moving house which appears to be quite a bit.

Other half landed a job earlier this week at a posh salon so earns nearly as much as I do though. Phew. Perhaps I should retire now 

As a bonus, she can get those stupidly expensive haircuts for free!

Yes they’ve already agreed to do each other’s. Now that means they can spend more money on ancillary magic potions and snake oil and crap instead though. Woot it feels amazing. So does my slap head with Tesco Value elephant spooge on it.

[Specmaster]

Tesco Value elephant spooge on it.

Is that another name for snake oil or in other words, hair restorer 

[beanflying]

Get ready for a one year anniversary party for the TEA thread in a week!

Thread started by Bitseeker: January 16, 2017

 

Quick - everyone get to evilBay and order something for delivery on the 16th!

-Pat

Just another day really, test gear yesterday, support stuff for test gear today, order and paid for MICSIG 1104 today and  tomorrow go buy beans and mince to sustain the body for the next few weeks poverty

There is a nice Power Supply on evilbay at present maybe I don't need food 

[bitseeker]

I was apparently asleep at the wheel. Missed the end of an auction by a couple minutes. D'oh!

[Specmaster]

I was apparently asleep at the wheel. Missed the end of an auction by a couple minutes. D'oh!

Been there and done it myself, did it go within your range or not, thats the important thing, might have saved you from being sucked into a bidding war and paying more then you wanted to with the heat of moment.

[Cerebus]

Can't quite make it out but is that a shorting bar to mains earth on the negative terminal? Maybe a bit of rubbish getting into your reading 

Could be. The blue binding post is labled as "Schirm" which means "Shield or Shielding".
I've checked the schematics (can be found here as .pdf: http://www.prema.com/index.php/en/service-en/maintanance-of-measuring-instruments)
but it is still unclear to me, what it exactly means.

I have to open it anyway, since I've found out yesterday evening, that there is something wrong with the measuring resistor part.
Sadly, it seems that the option for measuring ACV isn't installed.

I'm presuming that is what would have been labelled in English as "Guard".

Edit: Just checked the manual; yes, that's a guard terminal.

[Specmaster]

Can't quite make it out but is that a shorting bar to mains earth on the negative terminal? Maybe a bit of rubbish getting into your reading 

Could be. The blue binding post is labled as "Schirm" which means "Shield or Shielding".
I've checked the schematics (can be found here as .pdf: http://www.prema.com/index.php/en/service-en/maintanance-of-measuring-instruments)
but it is still unclear to me, what it exactly means.

I have to open it anyway, since I've found out yesterday evening, that there is something wrong with the measuring resistor part.
Sadly, it seems that the option for measuring ACV isn't installed.

I'm presuming that is what would have been labelled in English as "Guard".

Edit: Just checked the manual; yes, that's a guard terminal.

Why don't they just call it Ground?

[Cerebus]

Can't quite make it out but is that a shorting bar to mains earth on the negative terminal? Maybe a bit of rubbish getting into your reading 

Could be. The blue binding post is labled as "Schirm" which means "Shield or Shielding".
I've checked the schematics (can be found here as .pdf: http://www.prema.com/index.php/en/service-en/maintanance-of-measuring-instruments)
but it is still unclear to me, what it exactly means.

I have to open it anyway, since I've found out yesterday evening, that there is something wrong with the measuring resistor part.
Sadly, it seems that the option for measuring ACV isn't installed.

I'm presuming that is what would have been labelled in English as "Guard".

Edit: Just checked the manual; yes, that's a guard terminal.

Why don't they just call it Ground?

Erm, because that's not what a guard terminal is? For a start, a guard terminal is floating. Depending on the instrument and what readings you're taking, a guard terminal is either a low impedance connection to 'input lo' inside an instrument  (to shunt common-mode induced currents away from your measuring circuit's 'input lo' connection) or a low impedance copy of the 'input hi' signal (typically used to reduce leakage currents from cables or fixtures in very high impedance measurements). This particular case will be of the former 'input lo' type.

I could spend twenty minutes typing and get a crude and stuttering explanation together of why and how to use guard terminals , but instead I'll point you at one of the most perennially useful sources of information on measurement techniques, the motherlode: The Keithley Low Level Measurement Handbook.

[bitseeker]

I was apparently asleep at the wheel. Missed the end of an auction by a couple minutes. D'oh!

Been there and done it myself, did it go within your range or not, thats the important thing, might have saved you from being sucked into a bidding war and paying more then you wanted to with the heat of moment.

Hard to say. The winning bid could've had a much higher limit and I'd have lost anyway. No biggie. There's always more, eventually.

[Berni]

From how much german i know i think "Schirm" is a good name for guard.

There are a lot of words that don't translate directly between languages by just looking at the first dictionary entry. Technical terms often piggyback on a existing word that sounds like it makes sense but in a diferent language they choose to hitch a free ride on a different word because that word happens to have a collection of meanings that better suits it or just someone a long time ago simply used that word and everyone just flowed to call it the same.

Just be happy that you are getting a genuine German experience as a change from all the US test equipment brands.

[Ero-Shan]

Uhh, it's partly a feeling. I don't have trust in those platforms and how they might handle my data.
Secondly: How can I pay? Aliexpress accepts PayPal meanwhile but if the seller doesn't offer that.. I don't like paying internationally per credit card.

I have even more problems: I'm not a PayPal, can't use my credit card anymore (two factor authorization is mandatory now, and, lacking a mobile phone, there's no way to use it), and german customs is a bit tetchy about china imports ...
Some allow PayPal collecting the money ('Lastschrift') which works without a PayPal account - that allowed me to get the extension cables for my TM500 and the AD584 calibration gadget.

A friend of mine orders a lot at AliExpress, and he's very fond of it. Almost no problems, and the few times something didn't arrive, he's got his money back immediately. Highly reputed by him.

[Specmaster]

Uhh, it's partly a feeling. I don't have trust in those platforms and how they might handle my data.
Secondly: How can I pay? Aliexpress accepts PayPal meanwhile but if the seller doesn't offer that.. I don't like paying internationally per credit card.

I have even more problems: I'm not a PayPal, can't use my credit card anymore (two factor authorization is mandatory now, and, lacking a mobile phone, there's no way to use it), and german customs is a bit tetchy about china imports ...
Some allow PayPal collecting the money ('Lastschrift') which works without a PayPal account - that allowed me to get the extension cables for my TM500 and the AD584 calibration gadget.

A friend of mine orders a lot at AliExpress, and he's very fond of it. Almost no problems, and the few times something didn't arrive, he's got his money back immediately. Highly reputed by him.

Yes, I like them to. Credit card is the best to use for overseas goods as get insurance with it and if the item is broken etc you don't pay.

[Specmaster]

I’m actually trying to shift a power supply at the moment (my E3630A). Keep getting stupid offers so I assume they’re all broke here.

Message from RM the handle will be delivered today, the rest of the kit is still in the air somewhere [emoji852]?

[Berni]

I’m actually trying to shift a power supply at the moment (my E3630A). Keep getting stupid offers so I assume they’re all broke here.

Well a lot of these sort of PSUs got dumped for cheap onto ebay about a year ago so that has driven there price down. Nice little PSU tho.

[bd139]

I’m actually trying to shift a power supply at the moment (my E3630A). Keep getting stupid offers so I assume they’re all broke here.

Message from RM the handle will be delivered today, the rest of the kit is still in the air somewhere [emoji852]?

Same situation. Mine has been in the “intercontinental void” for several days. Clearly coming via mars.

I’m actually trying to shift a power supply at the moment (my E3630A). Keep getting stupid offers so I assume they’re all broke here.

Well a lot of these sort of PSUs got dumped for cheap onto ebay about a year ago so that has driven there price down. Nice little PSU tho.

Rarely get them in the U.K. Everyone buys TTi supplies here as there are millions of the things floating around.

[Ero-Shan]

I was hoping to get my workbench all tidied up over the holidays, so I could have a nice arrangement of equipment on/around it. Well, that failed.

Yeah, me too. Just wanted to sort my resistors/capacitors into the new cabinets. Still haven't found a solution to the partitioning problem, though. That frustrated me to the point that I read several Inspector Morse novels instead ...
Well, not exactly. I did spend a few days trying to fix the dosimeter thing. The HV output looked good, the needle moves if I source a few pA into the input, but there's absolutely nothing when I put the calibration sleeve over the geiger tube. Looks like the tube's dead. More frustration! 

[Specmaster]

I was apparently asleep at the wheel. Missed the end of an auction by a couple minutes. D'oh!

My turn to fall asleep, just missed a nice bench meter, sitting here with 8 minutes to go, woke up 5 minutes too late, oh well, saved me some money I suppose

[mnementh]

Okaaaaayyyy... So, I've been away a while... (damn pesky IRL, always getting in the way of what's IMPORTANT), and I'm just catching up. I've made a long list in my WordPad, but instead of my usual WALL OF TEXT responses, I'm going to try just responding to one or two posts at a time to minimize the ol' "EGOS" ( Eyeballs Glazing Over Syndrome ) and so folks can actually only quote one bit at a time if they wanna retaliate... err, post a reply. 

I did consider one but the £50 outlay put me off.

T12 is interesting because it is so amazingly cheap.

I'm after something I can run off 12-14V as well. The T12 can't quite manage a decent job of that so I'm going to look at adding a boost converter up front. Will get it on a bench supply first and see what sort of current it pulls.

Edit: incidentally I'm adding a 12V off line power bus to some of the new house when we move in. This will have some equipment attached to it, mainly communications and lighting. Would be nice to be able to do some soldering if the mains goes pop

This actually is the exact reason for my building a SECOND OLED T12 system; to have the joy that is the T12 soldering system in a portable package I can run off a 4S LiPo from and FOR my other hobby, RC model aircraft.



Right now, while I seek out the enclosure I want, I'm bench-flogging one of these 150W DC-DC 10-32V/12-35V 6A Boost Converters with good results: They're crazy cheap, and pretty compact for the power. Now if I can get an enclosure I like; I just loathe the extruded AL bricks that are so popular with these right now. I may have to suck it up and compromise though, just to get the project finished.

I saw the TS100 review after I had decided and ordered the T12 and I think that the T12 is the better system for bench use. The TS100 uses a modified T12 tip, but its construction is essentially the same.

The TS100 being cordless may be an advantage but it can also be a disadvantage, overall I think I'd personally stick with a corded iron.

The TS100 was what got me started on the OLED T12 journey; it SEEMS like the perfect portable iron in principle; operates on 12V (at half the wattage) to 24V, has 5.5mm coaxial power connector so any old 18-20V laptop power brick you have lying around will work fairly well, plus easy to mod for LiPo power off any old flight pack. But the EXECUTION IS UTTER SHITE.


I ponied up the ridiculous dosh (for a Chineseum soldering iron without a power supply) and bought one almost 2 years ago; the first one arrived with the plastic around the base of the element split wide open from what I assumed was some overzealous screwgun-jockey overtightening a set screw that holds the tip; so I immediately sent it back for replacement. Replacement unit had same handle casting in a different color, but the SAME DAMN CRACK.

Upon disassembly, I discovered the reason why; the inner stem of the TS100 tips is ~25mm long; the tip has HUGE leverage against the plastic of the handle and it feels floppy and flexy like the cheap Chineseum POS it is. Even if one omitted the set screw, it would soon crack exactly the same way as both of mine came from the vendor.

I reassembled mine and returned it for refund and have never looked back.


Cheers,


mnem
  Lets see how this new tactic works out while I go out on a Work Order...

[Specmaster]

Ok, so the Royal Mail let me down, sent me a SMS message and an email telling me that they were delivering the T12 handle today but have not seen a postman all flaming day. Checked on their tracking system and it still sits in the sorting dept  so why bother sending me those dammed messages then?

Hopefully it will get here tomorrow if they can be bothered 

The casing and power unit are almost at the end of a 2 day journey from China to UK and are still shown as being somewhere in between, and the blue controller is just shown as "shipped".

I also ordered a more powerful microscope and that is still shown as "ready to be shipped" but the joke is that the handle was ordered on 3rd Jan and the handle is with my local post office, the microscope was ordered on Jan 1st the rest was ordered on Jan 2nd and haven't managed to make to me yet? 

[bd139]

They don’t call them Royal Fail and ParcelFarce for nothing.

I was ranting at SWMBO a couple of days ago about the fact that it always manages to get from one side of the planet to here and then fuck up.

[bitseeker]

I was apparently asleep at the wheel. Missed the end of an auction by a couple minutes. D'oh!

My turn to fall asleep, just missed a nice bench meter, sitting here with 8 minutes to go, woke up 5 minutes too late, oh well, saved me some money I suppose

Yes, at least we saved some money for the next one.

[beanflying]

They don’t call them Royal Fail and ParcelFarce for nothing.

I was ranting at SWMBO a couple of days ago about the fact that it always manages to get from one side of the planet to here and then fuck up.

Happens here too. Faster to get stuff from the US or Hong Kong sometimes than buying local. 5-6 days isn't unusual internally to me Digikey & Mouser run at 4-5 days.

[neo]

Any one else have a problem with monitors randomly biting the dust? 2nd monitor in less than three months to go down, now i'm down to two and cramped. At least this latest casualty is not a fatality, amusingly enough the brand of the caps is suksons 

Just as i predicted, i changed out the caps and it sprang to life.

[bd139]

Good job. Amazing what can be fixed by replacing capacitors 

Just finally got notification that my T12 kit is received in the UK. Woohoo.

Something to cheer everyone up waiting for packages. The Royal Mail is so good here, they had a slot in Viz:

[neo]

Good job. Amazing what can be fixed by replacing capacitors 

Only problem is i only managed to fix the second one, the first one has a more interesting problem, no clue what.

P.S., I quite enjoyed the comic.