Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[Neomys Sapiens]

I may have just bought a Tesla.

Yeah.

A corpse?


Or some magnetic field?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_(unit)

If about 40µT is enough, you don't have to buy it.

Might have been this one:

[BU508A]

I prefer something like this:

[AVGresponding]

Ufff... is there anything as much fun as a couple of hours of PC wrestling, getting covered in dust and fluff, trying to figure out why it won't boot when you reassemble it, and generally not having enough space to work or to put all the things you normally keep on the top of it?   

And all because I decided to resurrect my laptop, which means I need to find a 2.5" drive, there's a Gigabyte 256GB SSD buried somewhere here but nowhere discoverable, so had to order something (not off eBay, I couldn't find any listing that I trusted).
Found a 3.5" which I decided to use as a backup in my PC, cue the wrestling. It won't go in without removing the GPU, which won't come out without removing some wiring, none of which is possible in its normal position etc etc...   

I think the failure to boot may have just been a bad connection, all is well now   

[med6753]

The Type 454 that I could not power up yesterday because of a missing power plug now has one installed. Oddly the color code of the line cord was UK standard blue/brown, not USA standard black/white. I had to check to see which one was the hot wire. (Brown). 

This scope powers up and seems to work well. So this is the one I'm going to clean up and restore. The other one will be a parts unit. The covers have already been cleaned up and prepared for paint. The handle is still jammed and I have to cut off the left plastic cover in order to determine the source of the jam. And as you can see the front panel needs a good cleaning as well as remove the sticker residue.

More later.

 

[mnementh]

I've run into that European color code more and more over the years when cutting the end off an IEC cord to power something. As they're all made in Asia, and once the Pliovic cover is on there nobody can see, I guess they don't care where they ship those cords off to anymore.

IIRC, there's a plastic button in the middle of the hinge that has to be removed or that the entire outer cover of the hinge assembly pops off on those, and a screw goes in from the outside all the way through into the chassis casting. Almost positive you can remove the handle without taking the covers off.

Good luck, brother! 

mnem
 

[med6753]

I've run into that European color code more and more over the years when cutting the end off an IEC cord to power something. As they're all made in Asia, and once the Pliovic cover is on there nobody can see, I guess they don't care where they ship those cords off to anymore.

IIRC, there's a plastic button in the middle of the hinge that has to be removed or that the entire outer cover of the hinge assembly pops off on those, and a screw goes in from the outside all the way through into the chassis casting. Almost positive you can remove the handle without taking the covers off.

Good luck, brother! 

mnem
 

Makes sense however this isn't an IEC cord. It's a non-detachable line cord. Tek was a little late in converting everything to IEC cords. The 465's and 475's also have line cords.

After looking at the covers again I've changed my mind and they don't need paint. Are acceptable as is. 

[mnementh]

Ahhh... I misunderstood. I figured you just did what we all have done; hacked the end off a IEC cable to make a new one. 

I believe those covers are vinyl-clad; not sure how it would respond to the ol' spray bomb anyways. I do know the ones on mine responded well to scrubbing with alcohol on a nice scrubby terry towel; too bad for bitseeker I never got any further than the one little spot in a corner.

mnem
 

[med6753]

The handle is now freed up and lubricated. I broke the plastic cover prying it off so super glue to the rescue. This price tag was on the handle and I thought it was rather amusing. Someone's wet dream from a long time ago. Now the 454 was $2700 USD new but still. And I paid $40 USD for both of them. 

[med6753]

Front panel cleaned, back together, and up and running. Next step is prepare a BOM for re-cap. Then complete re-cal.



Covers cleaned up nicely and don't require painting.



Need to do something about the rear feet. Or better still, lack of feet. The plastic coverings have completely deteriorated and fallen off.

   

[PaulAm]

I have a 454 I reconditioned and calibrated.  That's a pretty nice scope.  I think I got it for $35.  I had to replace a couple parts and I was able to find NOS spares, amazingly.   I also have a 454A in the queue, same scope with a bigger screen

30 years ago I bought a 453 at a hamfest for $350 and thought I got a decent deal.  I don't even want to think what that would be in today's equivalent.

Those rear cord wrap feet are pretty simple spool type.  Easy to make on a lathe or print; I think there are stl files floating around for them.

[AVGresponding]

Discord initialised   

[Cerebus]

I tried again with the "Ploughman's lunch", but they were pretty much the same at all the pubs I tried.(Perhaps a standard ordered from above----- this was back in the days of "tied houses")

Hmm, probably not centrally ordered.

Back in those days the typical arrangement in England with tied and managed houses was that the food side of the business, if there was any at all, was entirely the business of the tenant or manager. I won't say it was universally like that, but it certainly was for the tenants/managers I knew personally. A well run food side to the pub could bring in as much money or more than the booze side, especially in managed houses.

I knew a couple, Joyce and Dave, who managed a Courage pub (the Crown in Cowley Road, Uxbridge) who made about double their brewery salaries from running a decent food set-up. When they rotated out, which Courage seemed to do with their managers every five years or so, the new manager wasn't interested in doing food at all - it completely changed the pub overnight. Back when 'Auntie' Joyce was there if you were a regular you could get fed even outside official food serving hours. One evening Chris and I got back from a job late, were bloody hungry and Joyce had had a hard day too so wasn't in the mood to go back into the kitchen. Her solution to Chris's wheedling "Oh, please Auntie Joyce, please." was to push the the bar flap up and say "You know where the kitchen is. Feed yourself!". We did. Great pub, a sad day when Dave and Joyce moved on.

[Cerebus]

With no off street parking at home and a 60A single phase mains supply already running air/air heat pumps plus usual domestic loads a full electric car is not really an option for me. However with a 20 mile commoute and free charging at work I bought a used Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV). This gave me zero fuel cost commute. Then Covid came along 
It's got lots of space for TEA trips or the dog. So far the only TE it's seen is a HP 8920B and a Tektronix 492BP. Ths dog died but we got a rescue last month. She's a German Shepard / Siberian Huskey cross and had a few issues so has taken a bit of time away from TEA but she's doing OK now.

Heh, heh, a Land Shark / Werepuppy cross - sounds fun.

[tautech]

Need to do something about the rear feet. Or better still, lack of feet. The plastic coverings have completely deteriorated and fallen off.

Found them in Beans 3dp thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/replacement-knobs-feet-and-fittings-for-test-equipment/msg2351346/#msg2351346

Now you just need to convince the dwagon to do a run of them for you.

[nixiefreqq]

With no off street parking at home and a 60A single phase mains supply already running air/air heat pumps plus usual domestic loads a full electric car is not really an option for me. However with a 20 mile commoute and free charging at work I bought a used Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV). This gave me zero fuel cost commute. Then Covid came along 
It's got lots of space for TEA trips or the dog. So far the only TE it's seen is a HP 8920B and a Tektronix 492BP. Ths dog died but we got a rescue last month. She's a German Shepard / Siberian Huskey cross and had a few issues so has taken a bit of time away from TEA but she's doing OK now.

Heh, heh, a Land Shark / Werepuppy cross - sounds fun.

gracie was a brindle boxer/huskey cross.

called her my three mile island pup because of eyes that were brown on top and blue on the bottom.

(the rotten kid found her at the pound and called home for me to go check her out.  told her i wanted a lab and she actually said "well she looks a lot like a lab".  damn rotten kid!)

[mnementh]

Need to do something about the rear feet. Or better still, lack of feet. The plastic coverings have completely deteriorated and fallen off. 

Found them in Beans 3dp thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/replacement-knobs-feet-and-fittings-for-test-equipment/msg2351346/#msg2351346

Now you just need to convince the dwagon to do a run of them for you.

   

No convincing necessary. Those are not the ones I was thinking of... and they do look a lot like the remains on your one partial foot there, med. I'll gladly print up a couple sets for you. 

mnem
 

[med6753]

Need to do something about the rear feet. Or better still, lack of feet. The plastic coverings have completely deteriorated and fallen off. 

Found them in Beans 3dp thread:
https://www.eevblog.com/forum/testgear/replacement-knobs-feet-and-fittings-for-test-equipment/msg2351346/#msg2351346

Now you just need to convince the dwagon to do a run of them for you.

   

No convincing necessary. Those are not the ones I was thinking of... and they do look a lot like the remains on your one partial foot there, med. I'll gladly print up a couple sets for you. 

mnem
 

Thanks!

[mnementh]

Of course, med.   

mnem

[mnementh]

I HAVE THA POWAAAAHHHH!!!



172Wh of LiPo power, with full BMS protection for my eBike dreams. I'm sure they will be thankful for this much less stressful service of hauling my fat arse home if my bum knee gives out. 

These will get some 3DP armor to protect them in the battery bag, but no rush right now; will be sometime after those feets are done printing.

mnem
*juicy*

[mnementh]

                 
                                                                     Artist: TinkerDwagon
                                                           Title: The Role of Failure in Design     
                                                                               Date: 2021
                                                                Medium: Fail and PLA Filament
                                                            Dimensions: 26mm x 15mm x 15mm

I think I'm gonna call that one a fail... or modern art.

mnem

[beanflying]

Doesn't look at all like it did on the packet  I really need to find a new Maid for my Shack 

edit 10mm brim from memory too...

[McBryce]

                 
                                                                     Artist: TinkerDwagon
                                                           Title: The Role of Failure in Design     
                                                                               Date: 2021
                                                                Medium: Fail and PLA Filament
                                                            Dimensions: 26mm x 15mm x 15mm

I think I'm gonna call that one a fail... or modern art.

mnem

Looks like it came unstuck from the bed. Use hairspray (on the print-bed, not for your hair).

McBryce.

[beanflying]

Just a brim on glass works with it curve down. Because of the design following the original two piece so you can print/use minimal printed bits and keep the old towers it prints best curved side down. Print it the other way up you need to deal with the support removal pita.

No real reason to split the model but I think I only needed one tower so it made sense to keep it like the real Tek one.

Hairspray goes in the hair of 80's holdouts along with shoulder pads 

[tautech]

7 weeks to arrive  and it's first job was to spot a fat rabbit for the cat.



https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001192693767.html?spm=a2g0o.store_pc_groupList.0.0.753b202ejrnDRY&gps-id=pcStoreJustForYou&scm=1007.23125.137358.0&scm_id=1007.23125.137358.0&scm-url=1007.23125.137358.0&pvid=51f62a21-8dc7-4553-b3f2-974825527608

Didja burn yerself on the damned thing yet...? 

mnem
tssssst...

No tssssst yet but only had it ON for a minute or 2 and didn't notice it getting warm as forgot to check until you reminded me just now. 
But that's a good excuse for a longer venture tonight to find and drill  some of Bean's furry vermin providing the predicted shitty weather doesn't turn up and spoil the fun.
http://metvuw.com/forecast/forecast.php?type=rain&region=nzni&noofdays=10#

It's got a bit smaller spot than we're used to but certainly not too small to be a very useful hunting spotlight and with a good bit more range than our old 4" 30W sealed beam but trying to do a current draw on it last night with the Fluke failed as the new LED light's inverter didn't like the Fluke being in series.   
Need to wire it directly to one of our PSU's with a full output readout to see the current consumption.

Off now to charge the 12V Li jump pack to full tssssst 

Didn't get to go for a walk with it last night and the weather's no better tonight. 
However did run this LED spotlight for a while and the only thing that gets warm is the hard plastic handle grip ! 
Great for colder nights ! 

Current draw is ~1A which is brilliant (pun intended  ) as these small lightweight 13AH Li 12V jump start battery packs will last longer than I wanna be outside on the hill at my age. 
Hell if we'd only had such a setup decades ago. 

The heat comes from a SS inverter PCB and as kind as they were to SMD fuse it they couldn't be bothered with any cable strain relief better than a blob of black Silastic !    Cheapskates ! 

Couple of internal pics for study....

[Robert763]

With no off street parking at home and a 60A single phase mains supply already running air/air heat pumps plus usual domestic loads a full electric car is not really an option for me. However with a 20 mile commoute and free charging at work I bought a used Outlander Plug-in Hybrid (PHEV). This gave me zero fuel cost commute. Then Covid came along 
It's got lots of space for TEA trips or the dog. So far the only TE it's seen is a HP 8920B and a Tektronix 492BP. Ths dog died but we got a rescue last month. She's a German Shepard / Siberian Huskey cross and had a few issues so has taken a bit of time away from TEA but she's doing OK now.

Heh, heh, a Land Shark / Werepuppy cross - sounds fun.

She is. Our previous dog, from Woodgreen was  shepard cross supposedly huskey but looked like the was a bit of rottie in the mix. She was a nervous dog. We had hear for 12 years.  Luna was not doing well in the shelter and when we showed interest it was come and get her. None of the usual interview and two visits, Woodgreen are fussly about who adopts their animals.
I'll post a picture when she is up to weight. She was so skinney when we got her she looked more like Scrat the sabre tooth squirrel from Ice Age than a landshark.