Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Cubdriver]

That one's not in my search anymore as it's usually maxed out and I need to prune something every time something else catches my eye, otherwise you might have had some competition.   

Oh! Lucky me.

 

Oh, and if you want to really get in trouble by way of the catalogs, do what I foolishly did and start tracking down and buying the hard copies! They don't seem terribly expensive at typically about $20 a copy, but that cost is just the beginning!!   

LOL! Nope, I'm OK with the soft copies even though paper is nicer for browsing.

But paper is SO MUCH more convenient for flipping through and finding cool stuff to search out.   

Based on the auction photos, it looks a little dirty, but I bet it will clean up nicely with a little elbow grease.  I've found that taking the sheet metal panels off and soaking them in hot water with some ammonia and dish detergent cleans them up quite effectively.  I scrub them with a fingernail brush, and hit them with a sponge as well.

For how long do you soak them? The sticky surface on my 3468A multimeter took several rounds of scrubbing to get clean. Pretty stubborn stuff.

I don't really time it; it's typically one of my nocturnal things to get into when, if I had the sense to come in out of the rain, I'd be in bed sleeping...  I usually fill the kitchen sink about half way with the hottest water I can stand with nitrile gloves on, dump in some cleaning ammonia (the hot water does a nice job of vaporizing it; it will clear your sinuses right out) and dish detergent (Dawn), drop the panels in and swish them around a bit, then leave them for maybe ten minutes or so before returning to scrub them, then keep going till they're clean.  Sometimes it takes more than one trip through with fresh solution to get them completely clean, but can't recall needing more than that.  I then hit the vinylish finish with Mother's 'Back to Black' once it's clean.  If there's stubborn, sticky goo from labels and the like, hitting them with some WD-40 or naphtha before giving them the bath typically gets it off.

For front panels, Windex to start followed by denatured or isopropyl alcohol if I have to escalate for something stubborn.  I'm more careful there so as not to bugger up the paint - follow the usual 'test in an inconspicuous area' rule with any cleaner used there (I know I don't need to tell YOU that, but my attorney advised me to add it to be safe with others who might read here).  Alcohol on a paper towel usually does a good job of getting permanent marker off after a few iterations.

I'd say the old 3560B DVM, and most recently the 6289A power supply have been my most extensive cabinet cleanups so far.  I know I e posted it before, but here's a link to the 6289A cleanup pictures:
https://pmanning.smugmug.com/Electronics/HP-6289A-0-40V-DC-Power-Supply

I see it looks to have its feet in addition to its badge, too - excellentl!

Yep, it sure did look that way. Maybe the tilting bails, too. That'd be great as I don't have extra feet for HP stuff of this vintage.

Indeed.  Those old black 'metal button' feet are tough to find, and a pretty penny if you can locate 'em.  Don't even want to think about how many were tossed back in the day when instruments were rack mounted and they were no longer needed.   . Not to mention that as old as they are they sometimes become somewhat brittle and prone to shattering if slammed about too much.

-Pat

[VK5RC]

BEWARE bitseeker of the evil Cubdriver tempting the youth of today with the 'pornographic' publications of the past (known as the HP Journal) or even more seriously the Catalogues!

Haha! He's quite the enabler. Kind of appropriate the "driver" in his name.

I now realise a NEED for 5327, I have the 5326 and the 5328. I must resist..............
Nice find bitseeker.

Thanks. So what's your newly realized need relative to the 5326 and 5328? 500 MHz? The 5328 has nice plug-in options.

No it's my obsessive traits that want me to have a 'neat set'!

[Cubdriver]

BEWARE bitseeker of the evil Cubdriver tempting the youth of today with the 'pornographic' publications of the past (known as the HP Journal) or even more seriously the Catalogues!

Haha! He's quite the enabler. Kind of appropriate the "driver" in his name.

I now realise a NEED for 5327, I have the 5326 and the 5328. I must resist..............
Nice find bitseeker.

Thanks. So what's your newly realized need relative to the 5326 and 5328? 500 MHz? The 5328 has nice plug-in options.

No it's my obsessive traits that want me to have a 'neat set'!

Rob, you are aware that the 5326 and 5327 could be purchased in 'A', 'B' and 'C' versions, right?   

They were produced simultaneously, like different trim levels of a car model, rather than as subsequent iterations of an instrument as is typically the case with HP letter suffixes.

The 'C' model is the simplest, and when they were in production was the least expensive; it is a multifunction counter good to 50MHz (’26) or 550MHz (‘27).

The 'A‘ model is a universal timer/counter and adds time interval and interval averaging to the abilities of the 'C' version.

Lastly, the 'B' version is an 'A' with the addition of a DC voltmeter function that can also display the trigger points for the time interval amplifiers, letting you measure time intervals on a single wave (eg. rise time from 10 to 90%, for instance).

So if you really want the full collection you're gonna have six of them!!

     

Just sayin'.

 

-Pat

[mnementh]

And that's how you become a time nut. Clearly to test a crystal you need a GPS disciplined oscillator attached to a counter to make sure the counter is counting correctly

Or you lucky Americans who can just zero beat WWV

No, you use the GPSDO as the master clock input to your VNA, and then test the crystal with that. Obviously after calibrating the VNA with a set of metrology grade connectors (short, open) and air line, all of which you check with a laser interferometer, that you check with a maser interferometer, that you phase lock to your GPSDO. 

*Looks down at his MisFit Shine, which serves as both his activity tracker and wristwatch.*


mnem
That's close enuff.

[Brumby]

Apologies for the length - but these are not simple conditions.....

PFC: Pristine Finish Compulsion.  The need to ensure all elements of a piece of gear's external appearance are in at least as good condition as they would have been when originally packed by the manufacturer.  All those afflicted with TEA usually have some degree of PFC as well.  There is no known cure and the condition inevitably requires a regime to manage it.  Sufferers cringe at the sight of mis-matched elements, such as a wrong coloured button or the wrong feet.  They become anxious at the sight of stickers or sticker residue, especially on front panels and will take every effort to remove the same, without causing any damage to escutcheons, markings or any other vulnerable elements.  Removal of any paint - even if only noticeable as a faint discolouring of a cleaning cloth, can cause nervous twitches and panic attacks.  Smearing of any markings and/or manufacturer supplied labels will result in howls of anguish that are indistinguishable to those when repeatedly running a cheese grater up and down one's inner thigh.  This malady is often limited to external finish - but can extend to internal elements, where it is more properly covered by the ICBM compulsion.

ICBM: Immaculate Chassis, Board and Mechanisms.  This is an associated condition to PFC and is an extension of it.  As the title implies, this condition relates to all internal elements of a piece of equipment.  It is most commonly acquired through the noble intention of inspecting the internals in order to identify issues, make repairs and perform preventive maintenance - but for some, it is a slippery slope.  For sufferers, the minimum standard tolerable will usually be that found in equipment as it rolled off the assembly line.  However, some of those satisfied with this are conflicted when they encounter manufacturer issues - such as Siglent rust.  This condition is considered as serious when chrome, nickel or gold plating is found on mounting brackets or shielding panels and regular fastenings have been replaced with stainless steel bolts and domed nuts.

[bitseeker]

No problem, Brumby. Added!

[bitseeker]

I now realise a NEED for 5327, I have the 5326 and the 5328. I must resist..............

So what's your newly realized need relative to the 5326 and 5328?

No it's my obsessive traits that want me to have a 'neat set'!

Rob, you are aware that the 5326 and 5327 could be purchased in 'A', 'B' and 'C' versions, right?   
...
So if you really want the full collection you're gonna have six of them!!

     

Just sayin'.

 

Now you're really in trouble, Rob.

Interesting that HP used all those model letter suffixes at the same time. I guess when you're in business for a long time, your own "standards" can change a lot.

[tautech]

Apologies for the length - but these are not simple conditions.....

And inaccurate !

However, some of those satisfied with this are conflicted when they encounter manufacturer issues - such as Siglent  Tektronix rust. 

FYI
Siglent don't have a monopoly on chassis rust, which BTW on cut panel edges goes no further due to the cathodic protection of the zinc plating.

I've never seen any rust in a Siglent chassis but I don't teardown each instrument I sell and a Tektronix TDS2012B that was my first DSO has very noticeable rust on the guillotined chassis edges, which again goes no further due to the same zinc plating protection.

As this Tek is older than any equipment Siglent has ever built, Tektronix are really the marketplace leaders in chassis rust.       

[beanflying]

Time to start buying my USA test gear toys on the East Coast not the west coast! Racal counter is currently in Laramie on it's way to Kentucky to no doubt turn around and go 2000+ miles back to LA on the way to me. Got to make economic sense to a bean counter somewhere 

[bitseeker]

Siglent don't have a monopoly on chassis rust, which BTW on cut panel edges goes no further due to the cathodic protection of the zinc plating.

How about making it brand agnostic? I changed it thusly: "However, some of those satisfied with this are conflicted when they encounter manufacturer issues - such as chassis rust."

[VK5RC]

I now realise a NEED for 5327, I have the 5326 and the 5328. I must resist..............

So what's your newly realized need relative to the 5326 and 5328?

No it's my obsessive traits that want me to have a 'neat set'!

Rob, you are aware that the 5326 and 5327 could be purchased in 'A', 'B' and 'C' versions, right?   
...
So if you really want the full collection you're gonna have six of them!!

     

Just sayin'.

 

Now you're really in trouble, Rob.

Interesting that HP used all those model letter suffixes at the same time. I guess when you're in business for a long time, your own "standards" can change a lot.

Thanks for That! Arrrrggggghhhh.
Sense of incompleteness overwhelmes!
Actually I am thinking about the LSB oscillator in the yaesu, and was wondering about a SI5351 and a band pass filter as a replacement for the buggered crystal. Nothing like a bit of 'hybrid'  bodging.
- Rob

[Cubdriver]

I now realise a NEED for 5327, I have the 5326 and the 5328. I must resist..............

So what's your newly realized need relative to the 5326 and 5328?

No it's my obsessive traits that want me to have a 'neat set'!

Rob, you are aware that the 5326 and 5327 could be purchased in 'A', 'B' and 'C' versions, right?   
...
So if you really want the full collection you're gonna have six of them!!

     

Just sayin'.

 

Now you're really in trouble, Rob.

Interesting that HP used all those model letter suffixes at the same time. I guess when you're in business for a long time, your own "standards" can change a lot.

I did some digging in the catalogs.  The counter was introduced in 1970 as the 50 MHz 5326 instrument, with A and B models.  The 1971 catalog lists all three versions of the 5326 (A, B & C), and introduces the 550 MHz 5327 in the A and C configurations.  Finally, all six variants are shown in the 1972 book.

My take on it is that they started with the 50 MHz model as a universal counter/timer, and the high end one with the voltmeter added for more precise interval triggering, calling them A and B versions.  The following year, they decided to add a less expensive version that was a counter only and didn't have the interval measurement abilities that were not needed by customers who only wanted the counter and didn't care to pay an extra $300 for functionality they had no use for.  This logically became the C as it was the third iteration.  At the same time they also introduced the 550 MHz model as a counter/timer, and as the stripped down counter only, keeping the nomenclature the same as the 50 MHz model as they likely planned to make the high frequency version with a voltmeter, too.  They then brought the 550 MHz 'B' version into the family in 1972, with the result that they had a line of counters with three parallel feature sets and two different frequency limits with similar part numbers.

This is all speculation on my part, but looking at the features and the order they came out, I think it makes sense.

-Pat

[bitseeker]

Whoah! Watch where that landed we might need it later.

Yeah, tell me about it.

I had forgotten where I saw that. It was in your sig line all along.

[bitseeker]

This is all speculation on my part, but looking at the features and the order they came out, I think it makes sense.

Makes sense to me. I had speculated similarly, but hadn't done the research to make a case for it. Nice job sleuthing the catalogs. Did you end up finding something else you had to have in the process?

[beanflying]

Thanks for That! Arrrrggggghhhh.
Sense of incompleteness overwhelmes!
Actually I am thinking about the LSB oscillator in the yaesu, and was wondering about a SI5351 and a band pass filter as a replacement for the buggered crystal. Nothing like a bit of 'hybrid'  bodging.
- Rob

Speaking of incomplete this is your part of the country and needs a good home 

300KHz or raging band width 

[Specmaster]

Time to start buying my USA test gear toys on the East Coast not the west coast! Racal counter is currently in Laramie on it's way to Kentucky to no doubt turn around and go 2000+ miles back to LA on the way to me. Got to make economic sense to a bean counter somewhere 

Yeah that makes more sense, at least if its covered by the Global Shipping Program its heading in the right direction all the time and reducing the time spent travelling in the states before taking to the air, thus reducing the chances of it meeting an accident.

If only it was as easy as that in real life, probably find that East Coasters are more into stamp collecting then electronics     

[bd139]

Have just cancelled my house sale. Whole fucking chain has fallen to bits. So far about £3000 down the shitter

I am now stuck with my little corner for more months. I actually have a half height rack that is currently living in my parents' garage at the moment which I nabbed from work which was going in the new house and was going to be filled with marvellous TEA toys. It will have to sit and rot for longer.

We're discussing buying somewhere out in the sticks that no one wants to live now because we're fed up of the human race.

[Specmaster]

Have just cancelled my house sale. Whole fucking chain has fallen to bits. So far about £3000 down the shitter

I am now stuck with my little corner for more months. I actually have a half height rack that is currently living in my parents' garage at the moment which I nabbed from work which was going in the new house and was going to be filled with marvellous TEA toys. It will have to sit and rot for longer.

We're discussing buying somewhere out in the sticks that no one wants to live now because we're fed up of the human race.

Oh dear thats a real bummer when a link in the chain fails to deliver. Of course it would help if property prices in the UK weren't so bloody ridiculously high in the first place, its IMHO down to a sea of foreign investors buying up property as an investment because they currently cannot fail to make money. Many new properties are sold before they are even built to these speculators making it almost for the youngsters to get a foothold on the property ladder.

One good thing about moving to the sticks is that houses do generally tend to be bigger so thats a bit more room for TEA toys to occupy and more toys will help to make life bearable again, more TEA and BISCUITS please.

[bd139]

Have just cancelled my house sale. Whole fucking chain has fallen to bits. So far about £3000 down the shitter

I am now stuck with my little corner for more months. I actually have a half height rack that is currently living in my parents' garage at the moment which I nabbed from work which was going in the new house and was going to be filled with marvellous TEA toys. It will have to sit and rot for longer.

We're discussing buying somewhere out in the sticks that no one wants to live now because we're fed up of the human race.

Oh dear thats a real bummer when a link in the chain fails to deliver. Of course it would help if property prices in the UK weren't so bloody ridiculously high in the first place, its IMHO down to a sea of foreign investors buying up property as an investment because they currently cannot fail to make money. Many new properties are sold before they are even built to these speculators making it almost for the youngsters to get a foothold on the property ladder.

One good thing about moving to the sticks is that houses do generally tend to be bigger so thats a bit more room for TEA toys to occupy and more toys will help to make life bearable again, more TEA and BISCUITS please.

It's not that in this case. Foreign investors are only buying up new builds and those are shit and no one else wants them. They're built like McDonalds toilets. They're a poor investment because they are built by the lowest bidder and if not are converted office buildings and neither have longevity past the lease. The real problem is there's a ton of people trying to sell up because they can't afford the house they bought to start with.  Inflation has gone up rapidly faster than wages and the valuations are starting to fall as well and to cover this, a lot of people have already taken out loans and all sorts secured against their properties so when the price falls even a tiny bit, they're in negative equity. This is what has happened in this chain. The guy who has pulled out on this one will lose money by selling so he's going to have to ride it out and hope that the prices go higher or he can pay it off quicker than it falls in value. I don't want to invest any more time in fees and solicitors either on this turd so I'm pulling out as well. I'm paid up now so YMMV but not doing anything is best for now.

You're right about stuff being bigger. For what I was going to pay for a house in Staines, I can get a 7 bedroom detached house with double garage in Lincolnshire. That's a whole double garage to fill with crap! 

Edit: property prices are ridiculous yes. Then again there are Keysight scopes that cost more than my house so YMMV.

[Specmaster]

Hmm, true but at least you are able to get back to work on your project and RSGB training again full speed ahead, nose to the grindstone, foot to the metal and put this whole episode behind you, lug your 465 to the bench and have a play with that. 

[bd139]

This is true. 465 is unpacked and back on the side already 

[Specmaster]

That sure is a thing of beauty and joy to hold forever.

I noticed that the 466 had half size divisions in the centre, whats that for, something to with it being a storage scope?

[bd139]

Indeed. This one is staying because it's 100% perfect

That is specific to the 466. It had a "reduced scan" section in the middle of the graticule which allows you to write faster to the storage CRT if the sweep is smaller. If you want to capture faster events then you have to put up with a smaller trace.

Now to find an HP54600A (or faster from that series) and I've got all the scopes I want

[Mr. Scram]

That's just so crazy, how does that compare to yours now that you've cleaned it up a bit?

Its in beautiful condition though, looks like not been used more then a few hours, wonder if the bidders were buying on behalf of a museum, that might explain the high price.

I'ts not exactly what I would call beautiful or museum condition. It's fair, but there's a room for improvement.

[AF6LJ]

That sure is a thing of beauty and joy to hold forever.

I noticed that the 466 had half size divisions in the centre, whats that for, something to with it being a storage scope?

The half size divisions are for the reduced scan mode, pull out the intensity control.
I have never used that function on my 466, I would have to find the user manual and figure out what it is for.

The above 465 is truly a thing of beauty.