Test Equipment Anonymous (TEA) group therapy thread

[mindcrime]

Hmmm... did you actually have a purpose in mind for the thing, or is this mostly just to satisfy our lust for TE pr0n...? 

Wait, are you suggesting that all this TE we buy has to have a purpose?!??  I think I may have been doing this wrong...

[Cubdriver]

County inspection passed, steel is in the hole and concrete on order 7cu yards of 4,000psi mud will be here this Tuesday morning.

Foundations to carry a stack of vintage Tek scopes?

McBryce.

No - he'd need more/thicker rebar and more than 7 yards of concrete for that...

-Pat

[mnementh]

Hmmm... did you actually have a purpose in mind for the thing, or is this mostly just to satisfy our lust for TE pr0n...? 

mnem
either is good for me...

Wait, are you suggesting that all this TE we buy has to have a purpose?!??  I think I may have been doing this wrong...

I would never suggest such a thing; I was angling for more juicy [FLUKE] exhibitionism. 

mnem
 

[ch_scr]

Fluke 2300A arrived, "don't turn it on, take it apart"   All pictures there: https://imgur.com/a/x6323VnTeaser below

Hmmm... did you actually have a purpose in mind for the thing, or is this mostly just to satisfy our lust for TE pr0n...? 

mnem
either is good for me...

It came to my attention that i do not have a "low thermal voltage" scanner to scan across precision voltage sources. And a thermocouple scanner should be very good at that. And really, construction is mostly a masterclass in "low thermal scanner": draft shields galore, isothermal block input block (the piece of brass below the input screws), a smps for the 5V in a 1979 designed device 
I got what I expected and more 
Also, yeah, it IS almost pornographic.
Also: that scanner card alone weighs 700g (25oz)
Edit asks: Does anyone have the manual for this unit? Yeah Artek has one, but I would be happy just to know the gpib commands...

[mindcrime]

I would never suggest such a thing; I was angling for more juicy [FLUKE] exhibitionism. 

Thank goodness! I can't imagine actually having to have a real purpose for all this stuff. 3/4's of the TE I own, I don't know how to operate... heck, I don't even know what most of it is (nominally) for. I mean... a "Dynamic Signal Analyzer"??!? WTH kind of techno-babble gibberish is that anyway?!??? C'mon. That's like, not even a real thing...

[mnementh]

Well DUH! That's so you can tell when your signal is TOO Dynamic, and by what amount, and to characteristic the excess Dynamism over time!

Everybody needs one of those! Two or more if the signal is in stereo or DTS!!! 

mnem

[ch_scr]

You thought I was finished? Turns out there's more 
This is the very surprising (to me, and I hope in extension to you as well) construction of the scanner card:
Screws holding the bottom draft shield hold a coil board on top. Between coil board and reed relais is a 0.6mm thick copper sheet. Below is an isolating plastic and reed relais in little plastic tubs, soldered to ceramic interposer boards.
 

[mnementh]

   Mmmmm.... yummy reed relay network all nekkid and e'eythang!     woohooo!    

Hmmm... did you actually have a purpose in mind for the thing, or is this mostly just to satisfy our lust for TE pr0n...? 

mnem
either is good for me...

It came to my attention that i do not have a "low thermal voltage" scanner to scan across precision voltage sources. And a thermocouple scanner should be very good at that. And really, construction is mostly a masterclass in "low thermal scanner": draft shields galore, isothermal block input block (the piece of brass below the input screws), a smps for the 5V in a 1979 designed device     I got what I expected and more     Also, yeah, it IS almost pornographic.   Also: that scanner card alone weighs 700g (25oz)

Edit asks: Does anyone have the manual for this unit? Yeah Artek has one, but I would be happy just to know the gpib commands...

Mmmmokay... I looked in my usual haunts and only found the manual at Artek myself; tho it seems $10/$13 delivered for the CDROM isn't too evil. I did find a copy of the  manual for the associated 2190A Thermometer and had a quick look, but only found reference on controlling the thermometer itself, not the scanner.

https://manualzz.com/doc/22685744/fluke-2190a-user-manual

mnem
 

[ch_scr]

Mmmmokay... I looked in my usual haunts and only found the manual at Artek myself; tho it seems $10/$13 delivered for the CDROM isn't too evil. I did find a copy of the  manual for the associated 2190A Thermometer and had a quick look, but only found reference on controlling the thermometer itself, not the scanner.

https://manualzz.com/doc/22685744/fluke-2190a-user-manual

mnem
 

Yeah, about how far I got as well.
Seems like the unit is unresponsive to user input. I thought I heard it click all the relays on first power on. It only shows "9" now. Good that I cleaned it and put it back together completely 
Edit: I did check voltage rails and caps while in there, and it shows "00" for a short time on startup before switching to " 9".
Seems like it's not a cpu reset or missing rail, but it could be a stuck button or user error :/
Like: it expects a connection on the cable out the back...

[med6753]

The last 2 aluminum cans on the Type 547 have been replaced as shown. I tested all the cans and they all read a few percent above their indicated value. This is normal for old electrolytics as they age and the leakage also increases. But C671, which just so happens to be the bulk filter for the troublesome +100V supply, read 354uf to it's stated 300uf. That's pushing it but I doubt it would cause the +100V to go ape shit and destroy itself. Perhaps slightly more ripple but that would be the extent of it.

Anyway, now that all re-capping is done next step as I mentioned yesterday is testing tubes in the Type 535A that are common to both and replacement of the unique tubes.

 

[mnementh]

*airmails med a palletload of Q-tips & Windex*

mnem
 

[Robert763]

So the Cybermed tablet does not hold a charge, at all. So I cracked it open. Very easy and they have instructions on their website. They obviously have stronger fingernails than me so I used a plectrum.
The battery is 7.4V 3400mAh. From markings on the board inside it uses serial communication with the PC. It's very thin, 1/4" and contains two cells back to back. Both were at less than 100mV 
I'm no LiPo expert but thought I'd try a kick start. Bench supply set to 1.7A (C2) and 4.1V. First cell had steady current and voltge started building steadily. I paused at 3V and transfered to the other cell. Not so good, straight up to 4.1V and current jumping all over the place   
Well that's my opinion, LiPo experts are feel free to comment. Correct clone battery is over $120, so I've ordered a couple of 3500mA cells and will report further whn the turn up from the far east. They are slightly smaller than the originals but there does not seem to be a lot of choice in 3mm thick cells. 

[med6753]

*airmails med a palletload of Q-tips & Windex*

mnem
 

Huh? 

[capt bullshot]

So the Cybermed tablet does not hold a charge, at all. So I cracked it open. Very easy and they have instructions on their website. They obviously have stronger fingernails than me so I used a plectrum.
The battery is 7.4V 3400mAh. From markings on the board inside it uses serial communication with the PC. It's very thin, 1/4" and contains two cells back to back. Both were at less than 100mV 
I'm no LiPo expert but thought I'd try a kick start. Bench supply set to 1.7A (C2) and 4.1V. First cell had steady current and voltge started building steadily. I paused at 3V and transfered to the other cell. Not so good, straight up to 4.1V and current jumping all over the place   
Well that's my opinion, LiPo experts are feel free to comment. Correct clone battery is over $120, so I've ordered a couple of 3500mA cells and will report further whn the turn up from the far east. They are slightly smaller than the originals but there does not seem to be a lot of choice in 3mm thick cells. 

For the first cell: Better start charging a deep discharged cell like this at C/20 or C/50 and wait for the voltage to rise above about 3V before increasing the current.
Second cell looks obviously dead, one can try with that low current too, but I'd expect nothing.
Usually such overdischarged cells are to be discarded anyway, but sometimes they recover. Also to be discarded if they go to "balloon mode".

[tautech]

*airmails med a palletload of Q-tips & Windex*

mnem
 

Huh? 

To clean that still quite grubby Tek !

Or are you planning to use a waterblaster ? 

[Saskia]

throw it into the Ultrasonic ..

[Kosmic]

Build a 1000 Liter ultrasonic bath!

don't forget to record everything and put the video on youtube.

[Runco990]

So I tend to read, rarely post.  Recently I have been debating if I should join this Nuttery club or not.  Because that would be admitting that I "MAY" have a problem.
So with that said....
Here I am breaking in an Audiophile LED for an Amplifier.  I figure 24 hours burn in should do it.
For starters....

In case anyone says "Damn, that's one sweet looking 5100A"
It is NEW old stock I got recently for the princely sum of $0!

It did not boot.  After much hair pulling, it turned out to be caused by a dead 555 timer on the regulator board, that for some reason Fluke decided was the perfect way to generate the clock signal for the machine INSTEAD of using the oscillator on the actual logic board.

THAT was fun!

[Cubdriver]

Holy crap - that's a hell of a good score!!!!!

-Pat

[tggzzz]

In case anyone says "Damn, that's one sweet looking 5100A"
It is NEW old stock I got recently for the princely sum of $0!

I'll say "I hate you and I hope you get a hernia - and have to sell it to me for that price plus shipping" 

BTW, welcome

[med6753]

*airmails med a palletload of Q-tips & Windex*

mnem
 

Huh? 

To clean that still quite grubby Tek !

Or are you planning to use a waterblaster ? 

I shall consider further cleaning if and when I get the damn thing to power up.  

[tautech]

*airmails med a palletload of Q-tips & Windex*

mnem
 

Huh? 

To clean that still quite grubby Tek !

Or are you planning to use a waterblaster ? 

I shall consider further cleaning if and when I get the damn thing to power up.  

Figured that. 

[Runco990]

In case anyone says "Damn, that's one sweet looking 5100A"
It is NEW old stock I got recently for the princely sum of $0!

I'll say "I hate you and I hope you get a hernia - and have to sell it to me for that price plus shipping" 

BTW, welcome

Thank you!  But I have an HP8566B for the Hernia.  The Fluke I just throw on my shoulder.   

[BU508A]

So I tend to read, rarely post.  Recently I have been debating if I should join this Nuttery club or not.  Because that would be admitting that I "MAY" have a problem.
So with that said....
Here I am breaking in an Audiophile LED for an Amplifier.  I figure 24 hours burn in should do it.
For starters....

Welcome to our nice place of completely sane people. Enjoy! 

In case anyone says "Damn, that's one sweet looking 5100A"
It is NEW old stock I got recently for the princely sum of $0!

THAT is clearly Jammy Git territory!
well deserved!


 

[BU508A]

*airmails med a palletload of Q-tips & Windex*

mnem
 

Huh? 

To clean that still quite grubby Tek !

Or are you planning to use a waterblaster ? 

I shall consider further cleaning if and when I get the damn thing to power up.  

Have you checked, if the power cord is plugged in? On both sides? 

*duck and run*