Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[med6753]

8924C now fixed.
Not a start-up resistor, bad capacitor in the 15V standby circuit. 47uF 50V read 41uF. Didn't bother with ESR. Repalcement fixed it.
I wish I could claim credit but for a brillant bit of diagnostics on a complex hard to work on SMPSU but I can't. I actually had an old PDF from unkown source, probably the old Yahoo groups, that Ihad kept. Titled Repairing the 8924C Powe Supply. The author of the PDF is unknown and Interestingly it had gone from the WWW. No sign of it when I searched. Fortunatly I make a habit of keeping local copies of this sort of data. You can never be sure if it will be on the web when you need it. These are the new dark ages. There is now a copy on the 8920 IO group. Thank you whoever you are.

Agree about keeping local copies.  The Internet is akin to quicksand in many ways...

Whenever I need a manual and I find it out on the web the very first thing I do is download it into my "Manuals" folder as a permanent record. And backed up of course. 

[mansaxel]

Impressive, got a seller on ebay refund me part of the shipping fee because is estimate (auto calculated?) was higher than the real cost. I think I never seen anyone doing that.

I bought some silversmithing gear for the Wife like 2 years back, and the web shop did just that.

[ch_scr]

(...)
So kicad here we go:

Board stuffed:


(...)

Quite nice!
I do Stripline (nothing around the 50 "wire") instead of Coplanar Waveguide CPWwith "solid ground" next to it...
It takes more space (strip is wider & leave about 3-5x the strip width open space to each side) but it will behave well, without any need for via stitch...

[Specmaster]

As some of you might have expected, yesterday a package from Belgium was delivered to me:



What might be inside?
Some kind of Ice-TEA?

Hell, I use way more tape than that on my parcels to re-enforce the cardboard box against damage during transit 

[bd139]

I do Stripline (nothing around the 50 "wire") instead of Coplanar Waveguide CPWwith "solid ground" next to it...
It takes more space (strip is wider & leave about 3-5x the strip width open space to each side) but it will behave well, without any need for via stitch...

Yeah agreed. I would have done that myself with this but I was using ground pour on Kicad and haven't worked out keepout zones yet 

[ch_scr]

The keepout button is just below the pour area button - just check the "keep away pour" and uncheck the "keep away vias / traces" boxes.

[bd139]

Ahha! Playing with it now

[BU508A]

So, using kicad is as intuitive as Eagle is?       

[bd139]

There is no such thing as intuitive CAD software.

[SilverSolder]

There is no such thing as intuitive CAD software.

All the best software is "non intuitive"...  Photoshop takes years to become any good at, for example.

[Wolfgang]

There is no such thing as intuitive CAD software.

All the best software is "non intuitive"...  Photoshop takes years to become any good at, for example.

The mainframe guys always said this. They even went as far to say that software that is understood by non-experts is necessarily primitive and no good. 

[bd139]

To be fair with the mainframe guys they were lying to sell training courses

[mnementh]

...................
mnem
Dang.... now I'm missing bean again...

I'll give him a nudge/elbow for ya.
Had a wee chat with him a couple days back and he's doing gardening  but he's all good.

Yeah, I gave him a PM ping a few weeks ago and he responded within a few days. Still not the same; the pack just isn't whole, if you know what I mean. 

mnem
weuf.

[mnementh]

Impressive, got a seller on ebay refund me part of the shipping fee because is estimate (auto calculated?) was higher than the real cost. I think I never seen anyone doing that.

I had a seller do that recently too... the seller I bought all my Juki parts from, bobbinUSA-la, messaged me the next day to tell me and asked what to do... I said "Just apply it to this, this, this, & this..." and got all the spit & polish parts I needed to make the machine "Ooooh, shiny..." nice looking without paying another penny. Doubtless why I got my price for it within 3 days.

mnem
 

[mnementh]

Tripped over these on https://troutunderground.com/Oscilloscopes/... not prices, but seemed fair and if someone NEEDS them... 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/223200542205

https://www.ebay.com/itm/402163186637

https://www.ebay.com/itm/382462520318

mnem
 

[mnementh]

There is no such thing as intuitive CAD software.

All the best software is "non intuitive"...  Photoshop takes years to become any good at, for example.

And yet, PhotoDeluxe... Adobe's "giveaway" photo management software suite from 20 years ago, STILL has one of the easiest to use UIs ever, and still does everything normal people NEED a photo editor to do. Provided your photos are small enough to load on a 32-bit OS. 

mnem
 

[SilverSolder]

There is no such thing as intuitive CAD software.

All the best software is "non intuitive"...  Photoshop takes years to become any good at, for example.

And yet, PhotoDeluxe... Adobe's "giveaway" photo management software suite from 20 years ago, STILL has one of the easiest to use UIs ever, and still does everything normal people NEED a photo editor to do. Provided your photos are small enough to load on a 32-bit OS. 

mnem
 

Sure!  but Photoshop is super powerful, includes vector drawing tools for creating artwork etc., there is just so much depth you can keep going forever!   I started on it in the 1990's on a Macintosh and I still haven't totally gotten to the bottom of it after 30 years! 

[mnementh]

Yeah... okay... I'm glad it works for you, but uhhhh... you can keep the Kool-Aid.

mnem

[SilverSolder]

Yeah... okay... I'm glad it works for you, but uhhhh... you can keep the Kool-Aid.

mnem

Nothing to sell here.  I worked with graphics professionally for a while, so I've been swimming in the Kool Aid so long that I don't even notice!

If you invest a lot of time in learning some non-trivial software, you end up "married" to it and reluctant to change.  This is the basis of a lot of tedious arguing about what's the best X, Y or Z...

[BravoV]

Just got a private message recently thru Whatsapp from my local industrial complex recyler/salvager company, as I'm their regular addict buying customer. 

Them : Dude, got a new toy here, from our latest recyling from a factory, for you since you're regular, its cheeeepp 
Me : Huh ? Whats that ?
Them : You do like zapping stuffs with high voltage right ? (last time they gave me a NOS 15KV neon sign transformer, as a gift (free) as part of the deal I made)
Me : Hmm .. well .. sort of and depends, but again whats that ?
Them : Its made in Korea, its quite heavy too, about 9kg (20lbs), and you do like heavy electronic stuffs right ?
Me : ... (Oh no, damn it  ... they know my weak heart on these kinda things) ..
Them : It does output 0-5kV, and inside it has a big transformer "AND" a variac, want it ?
Me : ... (reading the words big transformer "AND" variac inside really ignited my interest) ...

... and later on ... after many chats exchanges, photos and bargaining ... for about $27 ... here I am with this thing. 

As usual, don't need it, but at least I've done my obligatory TEA ritual properly, that hopefully made TEA's GOD happy, and getting closer to the promised TEA heaven gate, am I ?   

Tear down photos coming next.

That looks like a flash tester, or AC insulation breakdown tester, I got a 5kV Clare one in the big pile of test gear I acquired last month, question is did you get the test leads with it?

David

No test leads, unfortunately, but with that price, just can't complain.

The big white plastic HV terminal for probe, it that standard ? Hows your Clare's terminal look like ? Similar ? If it is, any chance share the close up photo ?

Suspect that even the probe is available separately, probably they may cost more that the device cost I scored. 

Guess, I have to improvise for DIY-ing the HV probe. 

[Neomys Sapiens]

Just got a private message recently thru Whatsapp from my local industrial complex recyler/salvager company, as I'm their regular addict buying customer. 

Them : Dude, got a new toy here, from our latest recyling from a factory, for you since you're regular, its cheeeepp 
Me : Huh ? Whats that ?
Them : You do like zapping stuffs with high voltage right ? (last time they gave me a NOS 15KV neon sign transformer, as a gift (free) as part of the deal I made)
Me : Hmm .. well .. sort of and depends, but again whats that ?
Them : Its made in Korea, its quite heavy too, about 9kg (20lbs), and you do like heavy electronic stuffs right ?
Me : ... (Oh no, damn it  ... they know my weak heart on these kinda things) ..
Them : It does output 0-5kV, and inside it has a big transformer "AND" a variac, want it ?
Me : ... (reading the words big transformer "AND" variac inside really ignited my interest) ...

... and later on ... after many chats exchanges, photos and bargaining ... for about $27 ... here I am with this thing. 

As usual, don't need it, but at least I've done my obligatory TEA ritual properly, that hopefully made TEA's GOD happy, and getting closer to the promised TEA heaven gate, am I ?   

Tear down photos coming next.

That looks like a flash tester, or AC insulation breakdown tester, I got a 5kV Clare one in the big pile of test gear I acquired last month, question is did you get the test leads with it?

David

No test leads, unfortunately, but with that price, just can't complain.

The big white plastic HV terminal for probe, it that standard ? Hows your Clare's terminal look like ? Similar ? If it is, any chance share the close up photo ?

Suspect that even the probe is available separately, probably they may cost more that the device cost I scored. 

Guess, I have to improvise for DIY-ing the HV probe. 

From HCK, maybe also from other sources it is possible to order generic probes as well as the fitting instrument-side jacks, so you should check out whether you can exchange them if you are not succesful in procuring the original ones.

[mnementh]

Sounds like a job for 3DP. 

mnem

[mnementh]

Yeah... okay... I'm glad it works for you, but uhhhh... you can keep the Kool-Aid.

mnem

Nothing to sell here.  I worked with graphics professionally for a while, so I've been swimming in the Kool Aid so long that I don't even notice!

If you invest a lot of time in learning some non-trivial software, you end up "married" to it and reluctant to change.  This is the basis of a lot of tedious arguing about what's the best X, Y or Z...

I know... I was just bustin' yer chops. 

I still put up with Fusion360's monthly product-rightsizing idiocy, after all, so I have no room to talk. 

Hey... did you know Linus Media Group is hiring...? AGAIN...?


mnem
 

[SilverSolder]

Yeah... okay... I'm glad it works for you, but uhhhh... you can keep the Kool-Aid.

mnem

Nothing to sell here.  I worked with graphics professionally for a while, so I've been swimming in the Kool Aid so long that I don't even notice!

If you invest a lot of time in learning some non-trivial software, you end up "married" to it and reluctant to change.  This is the basis of a lot of tedious arguing about what's the best X, Y or Z...

I know... I was just bustin' yer chops. 

I still put up with Fusion360's monthly product-rightsizing idiocy, after all, so I have no room to talk. 

Hey... did you know Linus Media Group is hiring...? AGAIN...?


mnem
 

I'd go with the "Fashion Designer" position these days, and just hang out with the models! 

[mansaxel]

So, using kicad is as intuitive as Eagle is?     

Having tried both and, with KiCAD, actually managed to produce a set of Gerbers, (and the PCBs came back from JLCPCB faultfree), which ICBA to do with the Eagle, because I got fed up with the hoops, loops and hassles in it, I'd argue that KiCAD is the superior product, in my use case.  Probably comes down to better documentation.

And, with Autodesk chasing Larry Ellison in software evilness (not surpassing, that is technically impossible) I see no reason to give them any power over my hobby activities. If I was doing professional PCB CAD 40h/week I might have other motives and conclusions.